Customs Adapts Electronic Forms to Speed Up the Border Crossing Process for Travelers

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are modernizing their procedures by switching from paper to electronic forms in an attempt to decrease the time it takes for both citizens and foreign travelers to cross the border, according to USA Today.

The form that declares a foreign traveler's immigration status and employment authorization, the I-94, is among the forms making the change. The information about the traveler that is requested on the form has already been collected by the agency at the point when the form is filled out by hand, negating the necessity of the paper form.

International travelers arriving at airports east of Houston began being processed electronically on Tuesday. Customs will be able to look up traveler's I-94 number on the customs web site instead of stapling it to their passport. That number is used by immigrants when applying for a driver's license, as well as for other documents.

Airports in the rest of the country will be making the switch by next Tuesday.

"In addition to saving millions of dollars for both CBP and the travel and tourism industry, automating the I-94 and going paperless will save valuable time for both travelers and CBP officers," Thomas S. Winkowski, the acting customs commissioner, said.

U.S. citizens will have the option to process their passports at kiosks within the airport.

This process will also begin Tuesday in Canada, when the passport preclearance center in Vancouver will begin allowing travelers to scan their passport at a kiosk and then respond to questions on a touch screen device about whether they are transporting fruits and vegetables and what souvenirs they have purchased. It will then print out a receipt, which the citizen will present to a customs official who will then confirm the passport. Whether this will actually result in a faster process has yet to be seen.

The program "is a tangible example of the benefits technological solutions can have in improving the international arrivals process for passengers," Greg Principato, the president of Airports Council International-North America, said.

The first airport to get passenger kiosks will be Chicago O'Hare. They are expecting them within the next few months. The expedited customs processing will strengthen the city's reputation as a global destination, according to the city's mayor, Rahm Emanuel.