Passport-Free Screening Is Coming to Every US Airport

US Customs and Border Protection wants travelers walking through American airports without ever showing a passport, relying instead on facial recognition to clear them automatically — a passport-free screening system the agency says it plans to roll out at every US airport within the next few years.

The plan is laid out in CBP’s Office of Field Operations Strategy 2026-2030, published by the agency on August 6. CBP’s Executive Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations said the long-term goal is for travelers — starting with Global Entry members — to walk through checkpoints at every US airport “without perceivable engagement,” meaning no stopping to hand over a document or answer questions unless something flags for review.

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What’s Already Live With Passport-Free Screening

CBP isn’t starting from zero. Two systems already in use are the foundation for the wider rollout:

• Enhanced Passenger Processing (EPP): Auto-capture facial recognition kiosks now installed at 33 US airports, processing a traveler’s face in 2.5 to 8 seconds instead of a manual document check.
• Seamless Border Entry (SBE): Available to Global Entry members at select major hubs, this lets travelers walk through a designated corridor while a camera scans their face in under 3 seconds — no kiosk stop at all.

CBP is also expanding International Remote Baggage Screening, where officers review checked-bag X-rays while a flight is still in the air, a change the agency says can cut connection times by up to 20 minutes for travelers making tight transfers.

Who Benefits First

Global Entry members are first in line for the fastest version of this system, since Seamless Border Entry already exists for that group at a handful of hubs. CBP says the multi-year plan is to extend passport-free, facial-recognition clearance to standard travelers at every US airport — not just Global Entry members and not just major hubs — but has not published a firm date for when that broader rollout completes.

For diaspora travelers who fly to the US regularly for family visits, business, or to manage investments back home, enrolling in Global Entry now is the most concrete way to benefit from the faster processing already available, rather than waiting for the wider system to reach every airport.

The Privacy Trade-Off

The expansion isn’t without pushback. Privacy advocates have raised concerns about the scale of biometric data DHS is collecting and retaining as facial recognition becomes the default rather than an opt-in convenience. CBP maintains that officers retain full authority to intervene at any point — a watchlist match, a flagged bag, or an irregular travel pattern still triggers manual review regardless of how smoothly the facial scan goes.

The agency has not detailed how long facial images are retained for travelers processed this way, or what recourse exists for someone who believes they were incorrectly flagged. Those questions are likely to shape how much resistance the wider rollout meets as it moves beyond Global Entry members to the general traveling public.

Can You Opt Out of Passport-Free Screening?

US citizens currently retain the right to decline facial recognition screening and request a manual document check instead — a right CBP has not signaled any plan to remove as the system expands. Travelers who prefer not to be scanned should ask an officer for the manual line before stepping into an automated corridor, since opting out mid-process is harder once a scan is already underway. Non-citizens, including green card holders and visa holders, generally do not have the same opt-out protection at the border, so the passport-free rollout will affect that group differently as it widens beyond Global Entry.

The shift mirrors moves already underway elsewhere: the UK’s ePassport gates, the EU’s incoming Entry/Exit biometric system, and the UAE’s Smart Gates all replace manual passport checks with facial or iris scanning for arriving travelers. CBP has not said whether its passport-free system will eventually extend to non-US citizens holding valid visas, or whether that group will keep facing manual processing indefinitely as the rollout expands.

What This Means for Now

Nothing changes immediately for travelers without Global Entry — passports are still required at the vast majority of US airports today. But CBP’s own strategy document makes clear the agency views passport presentation as a temporary, not permanent, feature of US entry, and that Global Entry enrollment is the fastest way to get ahead of a system the rest of the traveling public will eventually be routed into anyway.