Americans travelling back to the United States from abroad can now complete part of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) process within seconds at selected airports in Europe, Canada and the Caribbean.
The agency recently introduced its Enhanced Passenger Processing (EPP) system at Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport on August 31, adding the airport to a growing list of international locations offering the technology.
EPP uses facial comparison technology to confirm a traveller’s identity and US citizenship before they board their flight to the United States.
The system forms part of CBP’s wider effort to increase the use of biometric screening at international entry points. While the technology is designed to speed up processing and reduce queues, its increased use has also raised concerns about passenger privacy.
CBP currently lists 10 international airports where EPP is available, including major airports in Canada and Ireland as well as popular Caribbean destinations.
Airport With EPP Availability Location
Calgary International Airport (YYC) Calgary, Canada
Dublin Airport (DUB) Dublin, Ireland
Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) Halifax, Canada
L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA) Bermuda
Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) Nassau, Bahamas
Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) Montréal, Canada
Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) Oranjestad, Aruba
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Toronto, Canada
Shannon Airport (SNN) Shannon, Ireland
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Vancouver, Canada
The airports are among CBP’s 16 Preclearance locations worldwide, where US-bound passengers can undergo inspection before boarding their flights.
How US Preclearance Works
US Preclearance allows CBP officers to conduct border inspections at selected foreign airports before passengers depart for the United States.
Travellers who complete the process can generally avoid going through CBP inspection again after landing in the US, allowing them to continue to their connecting flight or final destination.
EPP is designed to make this overseas inspection faster by automating part of the identity-verification process.
Under the system, a US citizen entering the designated area approaches an automated camera, which captures their photograph without requiring them to manually activate the device.
The image is then compared with photographs contained in government travel documents through CBP’s Traveler Verification Service. The system checks the passenger’s identity and citizenship, carries out automated law-enforcement checks and creates a record of the border crossing.
A CBP officer remains involved. Once the technology verifies the passenger’s identity, the officer can proceed with the usual questions without having to manually compare the traveller’s face with their identification.
CBP says the technology is intended to reduce administrative tasks for officers and allow them to concentrate more on interacting with passengers. Travellers whose identities cannot be verified through the system are directed to the traditional inspection process.
“The launch of EPP at CBP Bermuda Preclearance marks a pivotal moment in our ongoing commitment to national security,” Bermuda’s Acting Port Director Marissa Singh said, according to Bernews.
The technology is expected to make a significant difference at busy airports because reducing even a few seconds from each passenger’s processing time can shorten queues considerably.
CBP has reported similar results at some US airports. At Chicago O’Hare, the agency said EPP reduced average processing time from about 60 seconds to 10 seconds. It also reported a 74% reduction in wait times and a 76% decrease in missed United and American Airlines connections attributed to the customs process.
EPP Is Not A Trusted Traveller Programme
Unlike programmes such as Global Entry and TSA PreCheck, passengers do not need to apply for EPP or pay a membership fee.
There is also no interview or advance approval requirement.
In Bermuda, US citizens using the airport’s CBP Preclearance facility can automatically use the system. Similar arrangements apply at other participating airports, where eligible US citizens are directed through the biometric process as part of their normal customs inspection.
Several of the participating airports are popular with Americans travelling internationally. Nassau and Aruba are major Caribbean holiday destinations, while Dublin and Shannon serve significant US-bound transatlantic traffic.
Canadian airports in Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal, Calgary and Halifax also handle large numbers of passengers travelling between Canada and the United States.
However, the presence of US Preclearance at an airport does not necessarily mean EPP is available there.
CBP operates Preclearance facilities across six countries, including Canada, Ireland, Aruba, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the United Arab Emirates, but only some of those locations currently have EPP.
US Citizens Can Opt Out Of Facial Scanning
The expansion of facial biometric screening has prompted questions about privacy and how passengers’ photographs are handled.
CBP says US citizens who do not want to participate in EPP can tell an officer and use the standard inspection process instead.
The agency’s privacy policy also states that US citizens can request an alternative method of identity and document verification rather than taking part in the facial-photo process.
CBP says photographs captured from US citizens through its biometric travel systems are deleted within 12 hours of identity verification. Different rules apply to some non-US citizens because federal law requires biometric collection for certain foreign nationals entering or leaving the country.
“CBP is relentless in its mission to safeguard the nation’s borders and the privacy of all citizens. CBP’s biometric facial comparison technology is hosted within a secure cloud-based environment and does not store biographic data for any travelers. CBP retains U.S. citizen photos for no more than 12 hours after identity verification and only for continuity of operations purposes. CBP enrolls in-scope non-U.S. citizen travelers in the DHS Biometric Identity Management System (IDENT) to verify identity through biometrics.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has raised broader concerns about the growing use of biometric technology by both governments and private companies.
“The biometric threat is not limited to government; corporations are joining the fray, too,” the organisation said. “Popular social media sites have been building and testing facial recognition databases for years. There is little public explanation of the ways in which those biometric datasets are being used, aggregated, and potentially sold.”
The Department of Homeland Security also describes biometrics as part of its wider identity and border-security infrastructure.
“DHS provides biometric and identity capabilities to protect the Nation through its Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM), which supplies the technology for storing, comparing, and sharing biometric data. OBIM is the lead designated provider of biometric and identity services for DHS, and maintains the largest biometric repository in the U.S. Government.”
Facial Scanning Already Used At US Airports
EPP is not limited to overseas airports. CBP currently lists the system at 33 airports and seaports across the United States.
The agency also uses facial comparison technology in international arrival and departure procedures at numerous airports, while the same Traveler Verification Service can be used at cruise ports and other border crossings.
This means some travellers may already have encountered CBP’s facial biometric technology while boarding an international flight or returning to the US without using EPP specifically.
The major change with the overseas rollout is the location of the process.
At a Preclearance airport, part of the US arrival inspection takes place before the passenger leaves the foreign country. EPP then uses facial recognition technology to automate more of that inspection before the traveller boards their flight.
