ATLAirport Guide

Customs at ATL: Global Entry, Mobile Passport Control and kiosks

International arrivals clear passport control on the Arrivals level. CBP runs the lines, not ATL. Global Entry is $120, Mobile Passport Control is free.

The empty customs hall in the International Terminal at Atlanta airport, with a wave of blue light overhead and Global Entry kiosks in the middle distance.
Customs hall and Global Entry kiosks, International Terminal

Arriving international passengers clear passport control and customs on the Arrivals level of the International Terminal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) runs those lines, not the airport, and ATL doesn’t publish a customs wait. CBP’s Airport Wait Times site is the official place to look, and Global Entry and Mobile Passport Control are two ways to shorten the line.

From the aircraft to the Arrivals hall

  1. A corridor from the aircraft leads to escalators down to the Arrivals level.
  2. You enter the CBP and immigration processing hall.
  3. Next comes baggage claim. Its seven carousels take bags for every arrival at Concourse F and for Atlanta-bound passengers arriving at Concourse E.
  4. Past baggage claim is a transition area on Concourse F. Atlanta-bound passengers turn right into the Arrivals hall, where friends and family wait.

Connecting passengers turn left to the baggage recheck counters instead. After they recheck bags, signs lead to the Concourse F Plane Train area or the pedestrian walkway, and both connect with all other concourses and the Domestic Terminal. The terminal page shows where those concourses sit.

CBP’s wait times, hour by hour

CBP’s Airport Wait Times site reports by airport, terminal, date and hour. For each hour it gives the average and highest wait for U.S. citizens and for everyone else, and the number of staffed booths. Pick ATL, a date range and the hour your flight lands to see what earlier arrivals met. Take the landing time from your airline’s app, because live arrivals and departures aren’t on our flights page.

If you’re connecting on Delta, the connecting guide lists the help desks and the Plane Train wait, and the bag recheck adds to your time.

Global Entry, Mobile Passport Control and the kiosks

Global Entry Mobile Passport Control Passport kiosks
Cost $120 for five years Free Free, per CBP’s release on the Atlanta passport kiosks
Sign-up Application, background check and a first-time interview None. Download the app and scan your passport None, and no pre-approval, per the kiosk release
Who can use it Pre-approved, low-risk travelers U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, Canadian B1/B2 visitors and returning Visa Waiver travelers with approved ESTA U.S., Canadian and ESTA-approved travelers, per the kiosk release
At ATL ATL is on CBP’s list of Global Entry airports ATL is on CBP’s list of MPC airports The kiosk release puts them in the Concourse E and F inspection stations

CBP says most Global Entry applications are reviewed within 2 weeks, though some can take up to 12 months or longer, depending on criminal history. Membership includes TSA PreCheck, and members can still be pulled aside for further examination. ATL’s directory lists a Global Entry point on the International Terminal’s arrivals level and doesn’t publish hours for it.

With Mobile Passport Control, you submit your details in the app up to 4 hours before landing, and the submission stays active for 4 hours. Groups of up to 12 can go together. After landing, take your passport to the marked MPC line and finish with an officer. CBP says the app doesn’t replace your passport or an ESTA. It also says you skip the paper declaration form.

The kiosk release describes the steps. You scan your passport, take a photo and answer the biographic and Customs Declaration questions on the touch screen. The kiosk prints a receipt that you hand with your passport to the officer. CBP marks that release as archived content that may be out of date, so the kiosks may not match what it describes.

After customs, pickup is right outside the Arrivals hall

The ground transportation area and the hourly parking are also right outside the Arrivals hall. A free shuttle on the Arrivals level goes to the Domestic Terminal, which has MARTA. For a rental car, a direct shuttle runs from the Arrivals level to the Rental Car Center, or you can take the ATL SkyTrain there from the Domestic Terminal. If you need help, ask at the information desk at International Arrivals.

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