After an incredibly exhausting trip to Frankfurt I finally arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport. My Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt arrived at Newark around 3:30pm. At this point in the trip I’d officially been on the move for 32 hours. Needless to say, waiting in a customs line wasn’t my top priority at that point. Luckily, as with my recent trip to Paris, I had my favorite new free travel tool, Mobile Passport. Thanks to the free Mobile Passport App on my phone I made it through customs in record time!
What Exactly Is Mobile Passport?
Mobile Passport is a mobile application you download on your mobile device. The application is somehow completely free, yet it allows you to breeze through customs lines when returning to the United States. The app is intuitive, easy to use, and most importantly, free! Click here for a more in-depth review of the app.
Pretty much anyone with a US passport is eligible for Mobile Passport and setting up the app is simple. All you need to do is download the app, scan or type in your information, and when you arrive at a Mobile Passport enabled airport, fill out the border patrol questionnaire. After filling out the in-app questionnaire you receive a QR code which you scan at the customs agent’s desk.
Currently Mobile Passport is only available at certain airports, but the list of partner airports continues to grow. A current listing of airports that accept Mobile Passport is found here. Notably, Los Angeles International (LAX), Las Vegas (LAS), and Detroit (DTW) do not yet accept Mobile Passport. I note those airports as they are fairly large international hubs.
My Experience With Mobile Passport At Newark Liberty International
As we taxied to the gate I fired up the Mobile Passport app and filled in the required information. Once completed, I submitted my information and received my QR Code. The code is valid for up to 4 hours after hitting submit so there is little worry that the code will expire before you make it to border patrol. As we made our way down to the US Immigrations area I made a b-line for the Mobile Passport dedicated lanes. When I arrived only a few passengers were waiting. After a few minutes I scanned my QR Code at the agent’s desk, showed him the picture page of my physical passport, and I was on my way. In total the entire experience took less than 10 minutes.
There were two notable differences between this Mobile Passport experience at Newark and my recent experience in Chicago.
First, the customs agent required me to close the QR code to view my Mobile Passport in-app photo prior to scanning the code. He mentioned that agents must see the Mobile Passport photo prior to scanning the code so they know you’re scanning the right QR code.
Secondly, at Newark, the agent did not hand me the laminated Mobile Passport card (as seen above). When traveling through Chicago that card serviced as my receipt and ticket out of the secured customs area. In Newark we simply walked out of the secured area. I’m assuming each airport’s policies are slightly different or maybe they simply ran out of the cards?
Final Thoughts
Mobile Passport is one of those things that just makes travel easier, much like TSA PreCheck. Unlike TSA Pre, Mobile Passport is completely free to use and there is no application required. If you have a US Passport you should be able to use the free app.
So far I’ve used Mobile Passport twice and have been happy with the results both times. I hope as the program gains in popularity that Mobile Passport enabled lanes continue to expand. I could see the single dedicated lanes becoming quite populated in the near future, especially with all these cheap airfares abroad!
Also, if you ever run into any issues with the Mobile Passport app I’ve noticed tweeting to @mobpassport typically results in prompt responses. Also, by following the team you’ll be kept in the loop of any new, updates, or airport expansions.
Ps. This is absolutely not a paid endorsement nor do I have any affiliation with Mobile Passport
