Can a returning US citizen elect not to use the automated passport kiosks?
I'm a US citizen. Every time I use the automated passport kiosks, regardless of the airport or who I'm travelling with, they always give me an X. This means I get to stand in yet another line and get all-but-waved-through when I eventually get to the officer.
In the interest of not having to stand in the first line for the kiosks, am I allowed to just go to the visitors line instead? Or will I get sent back and told to use the kiosks? Or is there some other way to opt out of their use?
When I flew from Guangzhou to LAX in June, I stood in the kiosk line a full 45 minutes, only to receive an X and get sent to the visitors line for another 35 minutes. This is what I'm trying to avoid. Clearly it doesn't matter when flying into, say, BWI where there are no kiosks (and you're going to wait 2 hours for your luggage anyway), but rather for the airports that do have the kiosks. At LAX, everyone in the US citizen line was directed to kiosks.
Best Answer
My wife is a US citizen; I'm not. As a matter of solidarity, whenever and wherever we travel, we go through immigration together. So I can say with certainty that as recently as last Christmas, entering at Boston (where they have a lovely set of automated kiosks), US citizens can queue up with the hoi polloi and have their passport looked at by a human. No suggestion has ever been made (in my earshot) that she should not have done this.
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Who can use automated passport control?
Who is eligible to use APC? U.S. citizens, U.S. legal permanent residents, Canadian citizens, eligible Visa Waiver Program participants, and travelers entering with B1/B2, C1/D, or D visa can utilize APC kiosks.Who can use mobile passport control?
Who can use the app? Mobile Passport Control is limited to U.S. citizens with a valid passport and Canadian citizens with a valid passport and B1 or B2 visa status. You must have your passport in your possession in conjunction with the app.Is mobile passport as good as Global Entry?
Global Entry comes with TSA PreCheck \u2013 which is a huge perk if you travel frequently within the US. Mobile Passport is completely free and you get nearly the same benefits of using Global Entry (minus the TSA PreCheck part).What do immigration officers see when they scan your passport?
Information on the crossing\u2014such as name, date and country of birth, and other biographical information; the dates and locations of previous border crossings; citizenship or immigration status; and a host of other related information\u2014is stored in the TECS database, which contains a master crossing record for every ...Automated Passport Control (APC) Kiosks at Tampa International Airport - August, 2014
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Answer 2
The kiosks are optional, though neither the signs nor employees tell you that. I've used the non-US line tho I'm a US citizen. No hassle from the CBP inspector, a couple of times a curious question as to why I used that line, once the standard " what is the purpose of your trip to the US?" because he hadn't noticed I had a US PP.
Bottom line, it's unusual but OK.
Answer 3
Yes, they are most definitely optional, it’s in the CBP internal site:
APC kiosks are only intended to facilitate processing entering the United States. There is no requirement that you must use them. If you do not wish to use them, you should inform the Airport Official or CBP Officer directing the lines or watching the kiosks and ask where you should go to be manually processed. You can also ask to speak with a Supervisor if you are denied manual processing.
The problem is, many times it’s an “airport official” or in other words, a minimum wage employee that obviously isn’t aware of all the policies.
I refuse to, as I typically pay outrageous fees as part of my airline ticket, and I don’t want to spend $54 to do a federal employees job by using a machine.
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