CLT Tests Enhanced Primary Processing, Cuts Customs’ Wait Times
If you’ve recently traveled internationally through Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), you may have noticed how quickly you breezed through the U.S. Customs process. You can credit a new three-letter test program called “EPP,” or Enhanced Primary Processing, that has reduced wait times for most travelers.
“It was super quick,” said Munich to Charlotte passenger Zane Pendleton. “I’ve only been through Customs once before at LAX, and it was the longest day of my life. It was just so packed.”
Testing Sites
CLT is one of four sites, along with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is testing the new biometric screening. CLT joined the test program in early February 2025.
CBP calls it a game changer for travelers in Charlotte. “We can get passengers through faster while completing our CBP processes, and the likelihood of a passenger missing their connecting flights is significantly reduced,” said Acting Port Director Cherrise Montgomery.
The facial comparison technology is designed to create a more secure and seamless process for U.S. citizens entering and exiting the country.
It also prevents CLT’s federal inspection station and primary inspection hall from becoming overcrowded with passengers arriving simultaneously on multiple international flights. During peak times, there can be as many as ten arriving flights, each with an average of 200 passengers on board.
In 2024, 16,283 international arrival flights (including preclearance flights) landed at CLT Airport. That number is projected to increase by 2.1% in 2025.
How it works
Travelers who have not already completed their CBP processing in another country will arrive at CLT and present themselves for processing by walking up to one of the designated kiosks. (Global Entry holders will visit a different area.)
A camera linked to CPB’s Travel Verification System compares live facial images with existing photos from the passengers' travel documents and the airline manifest, which the airlines transmit 24 hours before arrival.
Once past the kiosk, the traveler is directed to a CBP officer to complete their declaration of items purchased or obtained while abroad that they are bringing back with them. Then the passenger is cleared to exit and continue their travels or directed to complete further inspection.
Passengers who choose not to have their photo taken will be redirected to a CBP officer to complete their processing.
Even though only U.S. citizens are eligible to pass through EPP, the benefits, including shorter wait times, indirectly extend to non-U.S. citizens.
Since the EPP test program began at CLT in early February 2025, wait times for U.S. citizens (USC) have been reduced by up to 51%. The average wait time for USC went from 16 minutes to 8.63 minutes. The current average wait times for non-U.S. citizens (NUSC) have also decreased from 22 minutes to 14.33 minutes.
By the Numbers (*Updated through 4/6/25 by: CBP Office of Field Operations)
- Up to 51% reduction in (USC) wait times
- Wait times reduced from16 minutes to 8.63 minutes
- Non-USC wait times reduced from 22 minutes to 14.33 minutes
How is this different from Global Entry?
There is no cost associated with using the Enhanced Primary Processing; however, Trusted Traveler Programs like Global Entry, which costs $120 for a five-year membership and requires a background check and interview, provide advantages to trusted travelers.
Passengers who are Trusted Travelers and have Global Entry can bypass EPP, receive TSA PreCheck benefits and access expedited entry benefits during their travel to other countries, making it appealing to frequent overseas travelers.
CLT International Numbers Growing
CBP estimates that approximately two million international travelers will pass through CLT in fiscal year 2025 (Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025), exceeding last year’s total of just under 1.9 million. Approximately 85% of international arrivals into CLT are USC and are eligible for Enhanced Primary Processing.
The implementation of EPP as a test allows CBP to test technology advances that support the efficient and accurate processing of passengers arriving in the U.S., while continuing to ensure mission-critical actions are accomplished in the execution of CBP’s National Security Mission.
Photo Caption: CBP officer processes an arriving international traveler at CLT using Enhanced Primary Processing. Photos courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection