U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today a new feature in the CBP One mobile application that will be able to better facilitate international travel into the United States.
Beginning Nov. 30, CBP’s agriculture specialists will be able to receive advanced notification of travelers who require inspection of agriculture and biological products upon arrival at an airport in the United States. Providing advance information and scheduling appointments may expedite travelers’ CBP clearance upon arrival. Categories for declaration will include:
- Biological materials that may require permits issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Pets, specifically birds and dogs, accompanying travelers in various capacities that carry the potential of introducing foreign animal diseases to the U.S. or other public health concerns
- Cleaning and disinfection of shoes
- Hunting trophies
Launched on Oct. 28, 2020, CBP One is a mobile application that serves as a single point of entry for travelers and stakeholders to access CBP mobile applications and services. Through a series of intuitive questions, it will guide each type of user to the appropriate services based on their needs. The CBP One app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Moving the agriculture process to CBP One will give travelers more transparency throughout the request process, including real-time status updates by way of pushed notifications, which can also be sent to a group email. Travelers can also upload documents such as accompanying permits, certificates, or statements of non-infectiousness for CBP review prior to arrival.
“The CBP One Traveler feature augments CBP’s enduring mission priority to facilitate legitimate trade and travel while ensuring a robust agriculture safeguarding continuum,” said Suzette Kelly, CBP’s Acting Director of Agriculture Safeguarding Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison.
As of Nov. 15, 2021, the capability is available at the following airports:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
- Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (FLL)
- Houston International Airport (IAH)
- JFK International Airport (JFK)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Washington Dulles International (IAD)
- Newark International Airport (EWR)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
The temporary restrictions on non-essential travel across the U.S. northern and southern borders were amended on Nov. 8, 2021, allowing fully vaccinated and documented non-citizen travelers to enter the United States. More information about the travel restrictions is available here.
