US customs to check passengers at Brussels Airport from 2018

Belgium is in the final stages to conclude an agreement with the United States to allow US Customs and Border Protection to check all passengers in Brussels Airport with a direct flight to the US, says foreign affairs minister Didier Reynders (pictured) in De Tijd.

The officials will carry out 'preclearance' checks at Brussels Airport in order to shorten the queues in the US. They will perform checks, scan passports and take fingerprints and photos at Brussels Airport instead of at the American arrival airports.

"The ability to enter a customs and immigration control zone at our national airport would significantly simplify formalities on arrival in the US, which would be a competitive advantage for airports that apply the system, and therefore also to airlines flying from those airports," according to Reynders.