Denver International Airport (DIA) has unveiled 16 BorderXpress Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks to expedite the customs entry process for international passengers.
Instead of filling out a declaration card and taking travel documents to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, eligible passengers choosing to use APC can proceed directly to a self-service kiosk within Denver’s CBP area.
Eligible passengers include all U.S. and Canadian passport holders, U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) and returning international passengers with Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) from 38 countries not requiring U.S. entry visas.
The new kiosks are in addition to the current Global Entry program self-service option run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry allows pre-cleared passengers expedited clearance through customs.
How it works
Passengers follow a simple 5-step process:
- Step 1: scan their passport
- Step 2: ESTA and LPR travelers only, scan fingerprints
- Step 3: follow the instructions to take their picture
- Step 4: answer the declaration questions on the screen and take the receipt issued
- Step 5: before exiting the CDP area, show the receipt to the CBP officer to finalise processing
The U.S. CBP now has APC kiosks in use at more than 20 North American airports.
Denver International Airport CEO Kim Day:
“These new passport kiosks will help to speed customers through the Customs and Border Protection process, greatly improving the international arrival experience for many of our passengers.
In 2013, Denver’s international passenger traffic increased by 13 percent from the previous year, and with United’s new nonstop flight to Panama City starting in December, this is the perfect time to offer this new amenity, enhancing the customer experience at Denver International Airport.”
BorderXpress APC kiosks
Through a competitive bid process, Innovative Travel Solutions – a business unit within Vancouver Airport Authority dedicated to APC development – won the bid to install and maintain BorderXpress APC kiosks at DIA for a contract amount of $868,000 over five years.
Craig Richmond, President & CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority:
“We are extremely pleased to join Denver International Airport in its effort to improve the overall travel experience for passengers disembarking at DIA. YVRs BorderXpress kiosks provide a quick, easy and secure alternative to the traditional full clearance process by partially automating the inspection declaration procedure. As a result, airports can process four times more passengers per CBP officer to dramatically cut wait times.”
N.B. Image credit: Photograph provided courtesy of Denver International Airport.
