I'm traveling to two different American airports before my airport. Because there is a 4-hour connecting time between flights, where would I pass through immigration? Or do I do that on all of them? Thanks.
1 Answer
You will go through US immigration and customs at the first airport where you enter the United States (the exception would be if you're coming from a Preclearence airport, but there aren't any of those in the UK).
If you have checked bags, you'll need to claim them at the baggage claim in the customs area, bring them through customs, and then return them to the airline staff to be checked on to your final destination. Your next connection will simply be between two domestic flights, and you will not go through customs at that point.
Have a good trip!
-
1This is true in general, not just for the US. When a flight from Paris to Berlin unloads, the passengers will not be checked by immigration, so the passenger who transferred onto that flight from a flight from the US will have to clear immigration in Paris. What is different about the US, is that if you fly London-Dallas-Mexico, you will have to clear immigration in Dallas; whereas if you fly Washington-London-Paris, you can stay airside in London, and only clear immigration in Paris. Commented Apr 30, 2018 at 9:23
-
3The reason for being able to stay airside in the Washington-London-Paris example is that UK is not in Schengen (had the trip gone through Frankfurt instead of London you'd have to go through immigrations in Frankfurt), and that UK allows airside transfers. US does not allow airside transfers so you have to go through immigrations in the London-Dallas-Mexico example.– BentCommented Apr 30, 2018 at 10:20
-
1@MartinBonner: The second paragraph of the answer, about checked bags, is not true for the EU customs area. Commented Apr 30, 2018 at 11:09
-
@Bent: Yes indeed; that was exactly the point I was trying to make. Commented Apr 30, 2018 at 11:48
-
@HenningMakholm Are you saying that I can fly from Washington to Berlin via Paris, and have my luggage checked all the way through to Berlin? Actually, that makes sense: customs in the EU is after immigration and baggage claim and common to all flights. It has three lanes "Nothing to declare"; "goods to declare"; and "EU departure", and it is up to you to walk through the right lane. Commented Apr 30, 2018 at 11:52