In April, Travel Agent brought you news that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) planned to add pre-clearance operations in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, by 2017.
On Friday, that news became official as the United States and the Dominican Republic signed an agreement in Santo Domingo to implement CBP pre-clearance operations at Punta Cana International Airport. U.S. Ambassador James Brewster signed on behalf of the U.S. and Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Vargas Maldonado signed on behalf of the Dominican Republic.
With pre-clearance, travelers undergo CBP immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections before boarding a flight to the United States at a foreign airport rather than upon arrival in the U.S. More than 11,000 flights from Punta Cana International Airport carrying nearly 1.6 million travelers flew to the U.S. in fiscal year 2016.
"We need to continue to build pre-clearance,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson in a written release. “We should take every opportunity we have to expand our homeland security beyond our own borders.”
The agreement must now be brought into force after the governments have completed all necessary internal procedures. Pre-clearance operations may begin at Punta Cana International Airport as early as 2017.
Pre-clearance offers a strong economic opportunity for both the host country and the U.S. as it can increase capacity and growth opportunities for airports and air carriers, while improving the traveler experience.
Pre-clearance also allows law enforcement to identify potential threats at the earliest opportunity.
Punta Cana International Airport submitted a letter of interest to add Pre-learance operations during the first pre-clearance open season in 2014. In May 2015, Johnson identified the airport as a prioritized pre-clearance location.
Pre-clearance is the process by which CBP officers stationed abroad inspect and make admissibility decisions about passengers and their accompanying goods or baggage heading to the United States before they leave a foreign port.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires that passenger and accessible property screening at a foreign pre-clearance airport conforms to U.S. aviation security screening standards in order for the U.S.-bound aircraft to disembark passengers at a domestic U.S. air terminal without needing to be re-screened. CBP officers retain the authority to inspect passengers and their accompanying goods or baggage after arriving in the U.S.
Pre-clearance operations began in 1952 at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Today, CBP has more than 600 law enforcement officers and agriculture specialists stationed at 15 air pre-clearance locations in six countries: Aruba; Freeport and Nassau, The Bahamas; Bermuda; Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, Canada; Dublin and Shannon, Ireland; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Last year, CBP cleared more than 18 million passengers through these pre-clearance locations.
Visit www.cbp.gov