[Upbeat violin music playing]
From Abu Dhabi to Vancouver, travelers know U.S. Customs & Border Protection Preclearance
as a smart, efficient way to clear U.S. CBP inspection before their flight to the United States.
Did you know, business travelers, tourists, heads of state, and sports teams
have been using U.S. Preclearance, and its predecessor pre-inspection, since the early 1900s.
Pre-inspection started in 1903 as an innovative idea from the U.S. Bureau of Immigration
to inspect passengers before they board ferries sailing from Victoria, Canada
into the U.S. Pacific Northwest. By doing so, passengers on arrival could immediately
proceed to their next ferry, or final destination, with no further inspection needed.
By the 1950s, airplanes had become the primary means for U.S.bound travel.
Pre-inspection expanded to airports and became U.S. Preclearance,
starting at Toronto and Calgary airports.
U.S. Preclearance Officers now conducted immigration, customs and agriculture inspections
of all U.S. bound air travelers to enhance national security,
relieve congestion at airports, and provide a streamlined experience.
U.S. Preclearance took off fast, processing over 250 thousand travelers in the first year
and leading to the opening of Montreal five years later.
And by the 1970s, U.S. Preclearance was processing 3 million travelers annually
across 7 active ports, including newly opened Bermuda, Nassau,
Freeport, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
Within the next decade, U.S. Preclearance doubled with over 6 million travelers processed.
Two new ports opened in the 1980s: Edmonton, and the first U.S. Preclearance facility
outside of North America in Shannon, Ireland.
And the 1990s brought the launch of Aruba, Dublin, and Ottawa
to continue to meet U.S. bound traveler demand.
On September 11, 2001 nearly 3000 people lost their lives in the worst terrorist attack in history.
This necessitated profound changes in national security.
The urgency to strengthen security led to the establishment of
U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2003,
as the nation’s first comprehensive border security agency.
U.S. CBP combined the efforts of multiple organizations
to develop seamless security procedures while ensuring compliance with the nation’s
immigration, health, and international trade laws and regulation.
The mission of CBP is to protect U.S. borders and the Homeland,
focusing on counter-terrorism and lawful travel and trade.
Following the establishment of CBP, two new ports opened in Halifax and Abu Dhabi in the 2000s.
Today, U.S. Preclearance processes over 22 million travelers annually across 16 locations,
giving travelers the flexibility to arrive at over 300 destinations across the U.S.
Preclearance continues to advance, introducing cutting edge processes
and innovations to border security and travel, including industry-leading sterility protocols.
With new ports opening across the globe,
U.S. Preclearance brings you one step closer to the U.S.
Find the port nearest you at cbp.gov/preclearance.
[Upbeat violin music playing]