Customs kiosks installed at LAX

Travelers arriving in the United States can now use automated kiosks at Los Angeles International Airport to go through immigration and customs without standing in line.

Officials on Thursday unveiled the kiosks at four LAX terminals where federal officers process passengers from arriving international flights. Three are in the Tom Bradley International Terminal while Terminals 2, 4, 5, and 7 have one each.

Cristina Gamez, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the devices scan passports, immigration documents, photos and fingerprints of passengers who have qualified for the agency’s new Global Entry Program.

Interested travelers can sign up for the program at www.globalentry.gov and schedule appointments to go to the federal enrollment center on the third level of the Bradley terminal.

During the qualifying process, federal officers will record an applicant’s passport, immigration records, photos and fingerprints for use in the program, which is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents only.

Arriving passengers will be able to activate the kiosks with their passports. The kiosk then takes a photo and screens fingerprints, which it automatically checks against information already on file. The machine also will ask the traveler questions typically posed by immigration and customs officials.

-- Dan Weikel