There is a free app that zips you through the customs line almost as quickly as Global Entry but without the $120 fee.
The MPC app is free to download and can save you hours at the airport when facing a customs line that winds through the lobby like a labyrinthine nightmare. Not only can it ease the stress that comes with travel, but can prevent missed flights from tight connections.
The Mobile Passport Control app is a hidden gem of travel hacking and is grossly underutilized. While having Global Entry has become more commonplace as it now an included perk for many of the top travel credit cards, the $120 fee remains a cost that may not be a priority for other travelers.
Enter the MPC app, a free substitute that has several advantages over Global Entry.
So why isn’t everyone using this app? It’s a fantastic question, and the cynic in me can’t help but theorize it has something to do with capitalism and wanting to make money off of travelers, therefore pushing hard on marketing for Global Entry and basically not marketing the free app at all.
I recall being blown away when a colleague texted me to download the app as I stood in a horrendous customs line at Charles de Gaulle airport. I had wondered where she had gone to and learned that she had already cleared customs because she used this app and got to saunter through the non-existent line for MPC and Global Entry passengers. Even while sharing the internet connection with thousands of people in that airport, I managed to download the app, punch in my info, and scoot through customs within minutes, leaving the hours-long line behind me. Holy wow this was a game-changer!
MPC and Global Entry: What are they and how are they different?
Application Process
The MPC app is a simple download available on smartphones free of charge for users on the Apple app store or the Google Play store. Creating an account is simple, requiring basic personal information and a scan or manual entry of your travel documents such as a passport or LPR (lawful permanent resident) card.
Global Entry on the other hand is part of the US Customs and Border Protection Trusted Traveler program and requires a formal application, background check, in-person interview, finger-printing, and most tedious of all, the serious challenge of snagging an interview in the first place. Wait times for background checks to clear can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 12 months, and in-person interview appointment wait times can range from immediate to over a year. Click here to see current wait times at locations around the world.
Getting set up on the MPC app is a quick process requiring little more than the initial set up. Global Entry on the other hand can take multiple months to over a year to finalize, and may even require traveling to another city or taking advantage of a layover at a participating airport to snag an available interview if you are in a time crunch.
Cost and Pricing
The MPC app is completely free, and as of October 1, 2024, the fee for Global Entry increased from $100 to $120 every 5 years. As mentioned before, several premium credit cards offer ‘free’ Global Entry as an included perk (you will be reimbursed the $120 when using the qualifying card for the processing fee).
Function
Both the MPC app and Global Entry have the same basic function: expedite re-entry into the United States at participating airports when passing through customs. Global Entry does include TSA precheck which expedites passing through security, which is a huge plus. With Global Entry you will receive a physical card, and since you’ve already gone through the rigorous confirmation of identity, once you arrive to the customs area, you will go to the ‘Global Entry’ line and walk up to a digital kiosk. The kiosk will take your photo and use facial recognition to identify you and match you in their database. As long as there are no hiccups and your identity is confirmed, you can pass through customs without interacting with a soul.
Personally, I found this very unnerving my first time passing through customs after my Global Entry status was confirmed, as I had expected to present my card and passport to a human and was disturbed that it needed nothing from me and the turn style just opened and had me pass through.
With the MPC app, you can open the app up to 4 ours prior to landing and input vessel information (Airline and flight number or ship information) from which you’ve arrived, and make any customs declarations on the app, finishing off with a selfie. The information is stored for up to 4 hours and once you’ve finished filling out the information it will produce a scannable code.
An added plus to using MPC is that you can travel with a group of up to 12 people on the same device. Global Entry on the other hand does not allow processing of groups at the same time, making it a challenge for parents and families.
With the app, once you arrive to customs head to the line with the appropriate signage for MPC users. When in doubt, ask an airport employee as I have experienced airports where there was no visible sign but was instructed to go to the Global Entry line. Have your passport ready and open your app and produce the scannable page. The agent will check your passport, scan the app, and possibly ask you a few short questions and you should be on your way.
Can I use MPC at any airport?
The MPC app is utilized at 53 sites, including 35 US International airports, 14 Pre-clearance locations globally and 4 seaports. Click below to see participating locations that offer MPC:
Global Entry is currently offered at 76 airports globally, 62 of them in the United States. See the full list of locations below:
Can you have both Global Entry and the MPC app?
It is completely possible to have both Global Entry and the MPC app, although only one of them can be used at a time.
There may be instances during which one may be more beneficial over the other, such as availability of service at a particular airport, or when traveling in a group.
If travelers in a group where not everyone has Global Entry, utilizing the MPC app would be advantageous as not only could the members of the group without Global Entry whisk through customs, but the entirety of the group could pass through customs together, expediting travel.
It is common for people awaiting confirmation of their Global Entry application to use the MPC app if traveling internationally during their waiting time.
It would be wise to check ahead of travel and ensure the airport where you will be going through customs is a participating location in whichever form of expediting you will be utilizing. Better yet, it would be more advantageous to consider only flying through participating airports when booking your international flights if ease through customs is a priority for you so you don’t get stuck at an airport waiting in exactly the long line you were trying to avoid in the first place
Is MPC better than Global Entry?
The MPC app is a fantastic choice since it is absolutely free and does not require an extensive and invasive application process, waiting for an appointment, and sidesteps the headache of interviewing, fingerprinting and background checks.
Although the wait in line at customs may not be quite as fast as Global Entry, you will still scoot through remarkably faster than the normal customs line.
I have Global Entry as it comes with my Venture X card, but if it didn’t, I don’t know that it is something I would bother paying for if I already had TSA precheck. Having TSA precheck has been a game-changer as well for travel, and I am unsure if I could ever go back to not having the expedited path through security. I really appreciate being able to keep my shoes on!
I am yet to find any real drawback to the MPC app or any way that Global Entry is superior, minus the inclusion of TSA pre-check for Global Entry. The advantage of Global Entry so far seems to be the longer list of participating airports and that it can be hands free since the kiosk automatically takes the photo when you walk up.
To learn more about these programs and see what might be the best fit for you, please visit MPC and Global Entry for more detailed information.
