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When returning from international travel, all you need to utilize Global Entry is your passport. When you arrive at customs, look for signs pointing you to the Global Entry kiosks. Go up to one, scan your passport and follow the instructions. After that, all you have to do is take your receipt to the customs agent to finish the process. Turn OFF the My Passport Wireless. Insert the SD Card. Turn ON the My Passport Wireless. The My Passport Wireless will boot up, then will start flashing a White LED while the update is happening. Once the update is complete the LED will return to the normal ON state.
The free Mobile Passport app allows travelers to speed through customs when arriving back in the United States after an international flight.
Here's everything you need to know about this app that gets you through U.S. immigration and customs faster.
The ability to speed through immigration and customs after landing from an international flight, without wasting time waiting in line, is perhaps one of the greatest modern improvements to travel.
The Global Entry program has long been touted as the fastest way to arrange these arrival conveniences. But it's not for everyone, considering it comes at a cost of $100 every five years.
Plus, the Department of Homeland Security recently suspended Global Entry enrollment for New York residents due to new state laws. (TSA PreCheck only helps when you're departing, not arriving.)
But there is another method of getting out of the airport (or making your tight international connection) even faster. Mobile Passport, which launched in 2014, is a travel app that has proven its value. It only works for travelers landing in the United States, but the best part is that it has a free version (a great alternative for those who don't have a credit card that waives their Global Entry fee, for instance). As for New Yorkers? Airside Mobile, the company that oversees Mobile Passport services, confirmed that it does not anticipate any disruption in Mobile Passport services.
How does Mobile Passport work?
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The free Mobile Passport app is available for iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded from the app store. Unlike Global Entry, there is no lengthy application process, no interview appointment that requires a wait time of weeks or months, and no cost associated with it. (Unless you choose to pay a monthly or annual fee for Mobile Passport Plus, a premium version that allows you to digitally scan and store passports instead of uploading your information each time you travel.) U.S. and Canadian citizens with a B1 or B2 visa status are eligible to use both versions of Mobile Passport.
Download Now: Mobile Passport, Free, App Store; Google Play
Download Now: Mobile Passport Plus, $15 per year or $5 per month, App Store; Google Play
The app is designed to serve as a replacement for completing a traditional customs declaration paper form or using the standard Automated Passport Control kiosk when you arrive. The moment you land in the United States, you can fire up the app and answer the regular questions; you can even make necessary declarations (such as restricted food or large purchases) on the app.
Once you have indicated your arrival airport and airline and submitted the form (the process takes about a minute), the app creates a QR code that you show to an immigration officer inside the airport. The officer may ask a few questions about your trip, but the process is swift because Mobile Passport users have a dedicated lane in most participating airports that expedites you through the line (in front of most other passengers) to complete the standard immigration and customs process.
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While Global Entry users are still completing their form on the kiosk, you might already be scanning your mobile device QR code with an officer. Any declarations would be discussed at that point, but if you have none, you are sent on your way.
Before using the free version of the app, you must upload a headshot and enter your passport details (it's as simple as scanning your passport page). When you're ready to use the app, you can enter your chosen PIN code or use touch ID if your phone has that capability.
Mobile Passport vs. Global Entry
For now, Mobile Passport feels like a well-kept secret among international travelers. While Global Entry users must schedule an interview appointment, go through a background check, and pay a fee once every five years, Mobile Passport is an instant download and free if you don't mind uploading your passport information each time you travel.
This is not a replacement for a passport and is not a trusted traveler program. This means you have not been 'vetted' in the same way that Global Entry users have been. Because not all travelers are eligible for Global Entry (due to prior customs violations, among other reasons), this app can be a great alternative.
If you also have Global Entry, you can still use Mobile Passport. This allows you to opt for whichever line is shorter once you reach the arrivals hall.
Where can you use Mobile Passport?
Not all international arrival airports in the United States have Mobile Passport lines (they're currently at 27 airports and 4 cruise ports). Notable airports with many international flights that are not on the list include Detroit, Las Vegas, and Charlotte, North Carolina—although more airports will participate in the program soon, according to Mobile Passport.
Airports with Mobile Passport
- Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), Baltimore
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas
- Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Fort Lauderdale
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston
- William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles
- Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami
- Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP), Minneapolis
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Newark
- Orlando International Airport (MCO), Orlando
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Philadelphia
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), Pittsburgh
- Portland International Airport (PDX), Portland
- Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU), Raleigh Durham
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Sacramento
- San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Diego
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco
- Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), San Jose
- Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU), San Juan
- Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle
- Tampa International Airport (TPA), Tampa
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Washington, D.C.
Cruise Ports with Mobile Passport
- Port Everglades (PEV), Fort Lauderdale
- Miami Seaport (MSE), Miami
- Port of Palm Beach (WPB), West Palm Beach
- Port of San Juan (PUE), San Juan
Is it compatible for family travel?
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My Passport Air How To Users
Families living within the same household can complete their form on one device as a group submission, provided each person's photo and passport details are added to the app.
Is the Mobile Passport secure?
My Passport Air
The app, developed by Airside Mobile in partnership with Airports Council–North America and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, includes privacy protection barriers in place to keep your document details safe. The free version will delete your details (instead of storing them within the app as with Mobile Passport Plus) after each trip. The QR code transmitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection when you complete the form expires four hours after it is created, too.
Note that you'll need to be online or have a data connection for the app to work. Many international airport arrivals halls may have limited cellular coverage, in which case you'll need to locate airport Wi-Fi. But it's worth it to speed through immigration and customs, so you can be on your way home in a snap—or to spend more time hunting down the best airport dining options on your layover.
This article originally appeared online on April 5, 2019. It was updated on February 7, 2020, to include current information.
>> Next:TSA PreCheck Versus Global Entry: Which Is Best for You?
I just read a comment on Quora, which actually stated that it was 'dangerous' to travel with two passports.
I don't think I'd be wrong if I said that I'm sure that this person doesn't have two passports to start with.
Usually, when you read erroneous statements like that, it comes from ignorance.
If you are not someone who actually deals with such situation, or unless you're a lawyer or something like that, you probably don't know anything about it.
So, is it safe to travel with two passports?
Yes, it most definitely is.
So sit back and relax, while I tell you everything you need to know if you have dual citizenship and traveling with two passports or more.
Yes, it's Legal to have Multiple Passports
Not only it's safe, but it's one hundred percent legal to carry more than one passport.
Why?
Think about it…
If you happen to be a citizen of more than one country, chances are that you are going to have legal papers from both those countries. A passport happens to be one of them, but not the only one.
As a dual citizen of both the US and France, I have two passports and two drivers licenses. I also have both a US social security card and a French Carte d'identitée (A French citizen ID card).
Yes, that's right!
All legal documents.
Understanding a Very Important Point about Multiple Citizenships
What does it mean when we say that a country allows dual citizenship?
While there are countries that flatly deny dual citizenship, meaning that if you were to take another citizenship, you would need to renounce your own citizenship of birth, some countries tolerate the fact that you may have multiple citizenships.
On the other hand, when people think that countries like the US or France, for example, accept dual citizenship, it's not so much that they accept it, but more like they agree to ignore one another.
That's their way of being tolerant of another citizenship.
To take my example again, I am French by birth and I became an American citizen 12 years ago. The reason why I have both citizenships it's because France totally ignores the fact that I became an American citizen, while America ignores the fact that I'm still French.
As far as France is concerned I'm a French citizen. Period.
As far as the US is concerned I'm an American citizen. Period.
Thus, whether I'd want it or not, I will always be a French citizen, no matter how many citizenships I may acquire. France will keep on ignoring it.
The Advantage of Traveling with two Passports
At times, dual citizenship may even be looked down upon, but the truth is that for the few millions of us who do have multiple citizenships, it means more freedom.
Since I have both an American and French/European Union Passport it means that I can live and work in both the US and in any of the European Union countries.
Thanks to my European passport I'm allowed to stay in Europe as long as I want, legally.
If I were to ignore my French passport, I would have to apply for a visa to stay in Europe, regardless of the fact that I was born in France. This would mean that my stay would be limited along with all the restrictions that a visa versus citizenship means.
So, as long as your country allows you to have dual citizenship, it would be crazy on your part to renounce your original citizenship. Regardless of where you are from, unless you are in real danger in your own country.
How to Travel with two Passports the Right Way
Sometimes you may hear the statement 'don't travel with two passports,' but here again, people making such statements, probably don't have two passports.
Those who do, travel with both their passports all the time. Believe me!
Let's say you are a national of both the US and Italy. However, you failed to take your Italian passport with you. This means that you would be considered a foreigner in your own country, having to apply for a visa if you wanted to stay there for an extended period of time.
How To Update My Passport
Now, don't be confused though, you are not two people, but one person with a dual citizenship.
To make you understand this better, let's say, you have a driver's license, but you forgot it at home and a cop pulled you over.
While you have a license (at home), at the time you are pulled over, you are a person without a driver's license, until you can prove otherwise.
It's the same thing with a passport.
You are one person with multiple citizenships (thus multiple passports), so you need to know which passport to show and when. But it doesn't make you are two people, just the right person at the right place.
So again, let's say you have both an American and Italian passport, because you were born in Italy, but became an American citizen later on.
Now you are leaving the US and you are traveling to France..
When you leave the US, you need to show your American passport to the immigration authorities. No trick here. You are an American citizen leaving the country with the passport of such country.
However, when you check your bags with the airline, you need to show your passport of destination. In this instance, your Italian passport, even though you're going to France.
Why?
Because with your Italian passport, you are also a European citizen and the fact that your passport is Italian, German, French or British… doesn't make any differences in this case.
The reason why airlines ask for your passport it's because they need to make sure that you are allowed to go in the country you're going to.
If an airline let you fly to a country you're not allowed to go to they can be fined heavily. So if you are a US citizen going to any European country and you happen to have a Europen passport that's the passport the airline needs to see.
However, when it comes to immigration authorities, it's the opposite.
They do not care if you have the right to go where you're going. What they care about is if you have the right to BE WHERE YOU ARE right now. So, you show US immigration your US passport.
Upon Returning
When you return, you show the airline your American passport, because that's the country you're going to and allowed to go to.
As for immigration authorities, you show them the passport you entered with (your Italian passport). Remember, immigration only cares about if you have the right to be where your feets are. Right now you're in a Europen country, so you show them your Europen passport.
And thus, you'll get your return stamps and your circle will be complete.
When you land on US soil, however, you show immigration your US passport.
If you have dual citizenship with both the US and Any European country, you won't need your US passport as long as you are on the European soil except when checking in with the airline when returning to the US.
If you did use your US passport, you would be sent to the long foreigners' line, while you're not a foreigner.
My Passport How To Use
In Conclusion
If you have dual citizenship, make sure you don't listen to erroneous advice. A passport is like any other piece of identity, it's only useful where it's from, and it should be used only where it's from.
I'm going to drive in France, but am I going to drive with my NC driver's license? Of course not. I'm going to drive with my French driver's license.
How to watch tv on my computer. When it comes to ID's, we are not that piece of paper, but that piece of paper tells authorities what we are allowed to do and where.
That's all there is to it, and that's all there is to a dual citizenship and the fact that you may have two or more passports.
I hope this article will help clarify some of the misleading information out there.
You can find out more about dual citizenship at my blog.
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