San Francisco International Airport (SFO) said this week it has launched the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Simplified Arrivals, a facial comparison technology that reduces wait times by automating the process of matching international arriving passengers with their travel documents.
Simplified Arrivals, already in place at other major U.S. airports, enables international travelers to pause for a photo when arriving at the primary inspection point in the SFO Customs facility. Facial comparison technology matches the photo to images the traveler has already provided via passport and visa documents.
“SFO is committed to a safe and healthy travel experience, and Simplified Arrivals creates a more touch-free arrival for our international travelers, while also making the process faster and easier,” said Ivar Satero, SFO director. “We appreciate the partnership with U.S. Customs & Border Protection to make this a reality.”
If a traveler cannot be matched to a photo on record, the CBP officer will process the traveler manually. U.S. citizens and passengers meeting other criteria may request to opt-out of the new facial comparison process.
CBP has introduced this biometric facial comparison technology for entry into the United States at 10 other airports prior to SFO. To date, CBP has processed more than 52 million travelers and captured almost 300 imposters using this technology.
