MIA opens first U.S. passport clearance facility with facial recognition

Facial recognition boothOn February 27, officials from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Miami International Airport’s newly renovated Concourse E federal inspection facility for international arrivals.

The facility is the first in the country completely dedicated to providing expedited passport screening via facial recognition technology, which verifies a travelers’ identity by matching them to the document they are presenting. Since the pilot program began in November, the facility has been able to screen as many as 10 passengers per minute.

Photo opportunities of the facial recognition screening process will be provided.

The re-designed, technology-driven facility also offers passport clearance via Global Entry kiosks and the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app for select flights arriving at concourses E and F.

In addition to providing the latest in expedited passport screening technology, the new facility reduces the walking distance for Concourse E and F passengers who previously only had access to the Concourse D passport hall – decongesting one of the country’s busiest arrivals facilities.

“Improving customer service through technology and innovation is our highest priority at MIA,” said Miami-Dade Aviation Director Lester Sola. “We are proud to partner with CBP on this new technology, which has significantly reduced wait times for our international passengers.”