{"id":393413,"date":"2026-09-08T05:52:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T05:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/393413\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T05:52:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T05:52:57","slug":"flying-into-tampa-facial-recognition-is-changing-the-customs-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/393413\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying into Tampa? Facial recognition is changing the customs process"},"content":{"rendered":"

Customs officers still make the final decision, but some international travelers may no longer need a manual passport check. Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 The cameras at airport security checkpoints and customs inspection areas aren’t there by accident. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expanding its use of facial recognition technology<\/a> to speed up international arrivals, and Tampa International Airport has already begun using similar tools.<\/p>\n

In February, TPA launched Enhanced Passenger Processing<\/a> (EPP) for U.S. passport holders arriving from international destinations. According to the airport, the program has significantly reduced screening times.<\/p>\n


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EPP uses facial biometrics to verify travelers’ identities and complete portions of the customs process before they meet with an officer. CBP describes the system as a faster, largely touchless way to process arrivals.<\/p>\n

But facial recognition doesn’t replace customs officers.<\/p>\n

“The technology is not a ‘fully contactless’ replacement for the inspection process; rather, it is a tool that supports the CBP officer’s decision-making authority,” a CBP spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

CBP says officers remain responsible for verifying identities, determining admissibility and addressing any law enforcement concerns. Travelers who choose not to participate in EPP can request standard processing instead.<\/p>\n

The technology is part of CBP’s broader airport modernization effort, which uses biometric tools to reduce administrative tasks and allow officers to focus on inspections and security concerns.<\/p>\n

If the system is unavailable or cannot verify a traveler’s identity, officers revert to traditional inspection procedures, including manually reviewing travel documents.<\/p>\n

The rollout varies by airport based on factors such as passenger volume, facility configuration and operational needs, CBP says.<\/p>\n

TPA says the program is not expected to affect the airport’s regular TSA security screening process.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, facial recognition technology is expanding elsewhere at the airport. In October, TPA will launch its partnership with CLEAR, which uses biometrics to help travelers move through TSA checkpoints more quickly.<\/p>\n

CLEAR allows members to verify their identity using facial recognition or fingerprint technology instead of presenting a physical ID to a TSA officer. Similar to TSA PreCheck, travelers must pay $219 per year to use the CLEAR service \u2013 although the two programs are separate.<\/p>\n

The agreement will run from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2031, with the option to extend it through Dec. 31, 2033.<\/p>\n

RELATED: CLEAR biometric screening coming to Tampa International Airport in October<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Customs officers still make the final decision, but some international travelers may no longer need a manual passport…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-393413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=393413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=393413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=393413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=393413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}