FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE) is the first general aviation airport in the nation to introduce Automated Passport Control (APC) self-service kiosks at its onsite U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility.
The new kiosks expedite entry into the U.S. through an automated process that eliminates the need to handwrite a Customs Declaration form. The kiosk also assists passengers via a self-service kiosk to declare their citizenship, present their documents, and complete the administrative portion of the process.
Passengers will still speak to a CBP officer and must keep in mind that using the kiosk does not exempt passengers and any articles accompanying them from foreign countries from being inspected or examined by a CBP officer, airport officials said.
U.S. citizens and Canadians, as well as travelers that reside in one of the Visa Waiver Program countries, are eligible to use the APC kiosks.
To use the kiosks, travelers input the same information they would enter on a Customs Declaration form into a kiosk, scan their passport and fingerprints, confirm their flight number, and take a photo.
The kiosk will provide a receipt that travelers then present to a CBP officer at the check-out point. The APC kiosks will process travelers who reside at the same address together.
There is no charge to use the new kiosks and pre-registration or membership is not required. However, Visa Waiver Program travelers must have Electronic System for Travel Authorizations (ESTA) approval and have visited the U.S. after 2008.
In addition to being the first GA airport in the U.S. to introduce APC kiosks, KFXE was also the first GA airport to introduce a Global Entry kiosk, which allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to expedite entrance into the U.S. upon arrival, airport officials note.