Mobile Passport Control (MPC) App for New York

With the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app for New York and the rest of the United States, you can get through customs more efficiently, if you have visited the country before. Using the free Mobile Passport Control app, you will receive a QR code after answering some standard questions. You can use this code to go into a different queue at Customs and Border Protection (CPB), which generally shortens the waiting time and allows you to get through customs faster.

Mobile Passport Control

Since 2024, it has been possible to use the MPC app to get through customs in the United States, if you are a traveller returning on a Visa Waiver Program (ESTA). By downloading and filling out the app before your trip, you can go in a specially designated queue when you arrive in the United States. As a result, you often have to wait much less time to get through customs than you would in a regular queue. There is no cost associated with the app; it is completely free! You only need internet data in New York.

Who is the Mobile Passport Control app for?

If you are travelling with a returning ESTA, a U.S. passport, a Canadian passport or a Green Card, you can use the Mobile Passport Control app.

Before you leave for New York, and thus the United States, you can create a profile for yourself and anyone you are travelling with, in advance. You can do this if you want to pass through customs together. It is ideal for families, as you can create up to 12 profiles on one phone. Fellow travellers do not need to download the app. You can only do this if everyone in the group is a returning visitor so already been to the United States once.

How does the Mobile Passport Control app work?

1. Download the Mobile Passport app via the App Store or the Google Play Store before your trip.
2. After downloading the app, you can start creating an application.
3. Start by indicating how you will enter the country and which airport or cruise port you will go through.
4. Then create a profile for you and any fellow travellers.
5. Select the travel document that applies to you. If you are travelling to the United States on an ESTA, please select Visa Waiver Program Passport.
6. Enter the full name shown on the passport and agree to the terms to proceed to the next step.
7. Read the questions that are asked carefully and answer them.
8. You will also be asked what the purpose of your trip is. Here, select WT (Waiver Tourist) if you are visiting New York as a tourist, and WB (Waiver Business) if you are on a business trip.
9. Then save the data.

Once you land, open the app and submit your form. All you need to do is take a picture of yourself. For this, you will need internet data, and an eSIM data plan is quite handy in this case.

After you do this, you will see a QR code in the app. This QR code will give you access to the Mobile Passport Control queue. The QR code is valid for four hours. Even though you use the app, you still need to be able to show your passport.

Other cities

Mobile Passport Control is not only available at New York airports but can also be used at other US airports. Are you flying to Miami, San Francisco or Chicago, for example? Then you can use the MPC app there too! Download the app before your departure to the United States and check if it is available at the airport where you land.

Global Entry

Mobile Passport Control is slightly different from the Global Entry. You can think of the Global Entry as the paid version of the MPC. You can apply for it, which costs about $100, and you do not have to queue up for manned customs for five years. You can then enter the United States through a kiosk. Before applying for the Global Entry, check carefully whether you are eligible and what steps you need to take.