Thanks to a pro-tip from the Washington Post, travelers now have another trick for skipping long customs lines at the airport. The secret is Mobile Passport, an app from Hans Miller that gives users access to a Customs express lane and lets them get through to baggage claim quickly. All that’s required is inputting your passport information into the app, taking a selfie, and answering the same questions that you’d enter at the Customs kiosk.
Miller has been improving the way we travel ever since he helped build the Transportation Security Administration after 9/11. More than ten years ago, Miller and his business partner Adam Tsao launched Airside Mobile and began helping airlines implement mobile boarding passes to further expedite airport waiting times. The pair launched Mobile Passport Control with the hopes that the service would make the Customs process more convenient.
The service was meant to provide an alternative solution to Global Entry, which requires an appointment and interview process. It launched in the busy Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in 2014 and is currently available in 26 U.S. airports and 3 sea ports of entry with over 7 million travelers using the service.
The free app is available on Apple and Android phones and users have a guarantee that their personal information won’t be sold to other services. Mobile Passport also has a premium service which allows users to store their information as well as other family members.
Miller told The Washington Post that Airside Mobile’s next product release will eliminate the need for boarding passes and IDs altogether. The product will allow travelers to store their reference photo and grant them access for a limited time at a specific location. He hopes that this option will be more attractive to flyers who are uncomfortable with facial recognition technology.