I was dreading my flight from France to Washington on Monday, and not just because it meant nine hours in basic economy. Mostly, I feared facing a soul-sucking line to get through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after I landed.
Over the past decade, I got spoiled by the privilege of my enrollment in Global Entry, the Trusted Traveler program that allows you to breeze through customs. That’s not hyperbole. When I used it last fall, I walked through the checkpoint in less than two minutes.
But on Feb. 22, the Department of Homeland Security suspended the program, citing the partial government shutdown.
Thankfully, there’s a free alternative to Global Entry that works just as well — with some caveats.
Mobile Passport Control (MPC) is another fast-pass service that allows select travelers to access a CBP express lane with a smartphone app. To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, a Canadian B1/B2 citizen visitor or a returning Visa Waiver Program traveler with approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Individual travelers and families of up to 12 can be processed together on the same app.
Unlike Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, MPC doesn’t require preapproval or an application process. You can install the app as you’re walking off your flight.
Once you’ve landed back in the U.S., you just open the app, answer a few standard questions about your trip (like you would at a customs kiosk), take a selfie and then proceed to a dedicated Mobile Passport lane, where an officer confirms your details and waves you through.
While CPB says on its website that Mobile Passport Control is available at most major U.S. airports, its availability is spotty. Even before the partial shutdown, travelers complained of finding MPC lanes closed unexpectedly.
Now, the situation is even worse. In the days following the February DHS announcement, social media was filled with traveler accounts of closed MPC lanes.
As the shutdown continues, reports have begun to improve. Travelers told me they were able to use the app at Miami International Airport and Newark Liberty International in the past few days.
So with cautious optimism, I re-downloaded MPC when I landed at Dulles International this week. I power-walked off the plane and followed the usual signs for MPC, and to my beaming delight the lane was open. I was through in minutes.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment on the current availability of Mobile Passport Control. Even crowdsourcing intel from social media can be futile. For example, in replies to the same recent post on Threads, one traveler claimed to have used MPC at John F. Kennedy International on Friday, while another said it was unavailable that same day. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told me in an email that “we can confirm that travelers at EWR and JFK can use Mobile Passport Control.”
Your best bet may be to follow my lead: Download the app and hope for the best. Worst-case scenario, you waste a couple of minutes filling out a form. The best case: a moment of smooth sailing during these turbulent times.
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