Ntspelich From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 764 posts, RR: 0 Posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 2916 times:
Next month I will be lucky enough to travel to a couple of destinations throughout the EU. My initial flight will be from BWI to DUB; then connecting service from DUB to various locations within the EU. My question is this: will I only have to go through customs once upon arrival to DUB. Or will it be necessary on intra-European flights also? My only previous experience with US-EU customs has been on final destination flights, so I wanted to know how much time I should allot myself since I will be making my own arrangements.
I am assuming that a formal customs process is only necessary on the initial US-EU flight. Thus, less time is needed for intra-EU flight connections. Am I correct?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
NS
United 717 heavy, you're facing the wrong way. Any chance you can powerback to get off of my deice pad?
F.pier From Italy, joined Aug 2000, 1517 posts, RR: 11 Reply 1, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2893 times:
The EU is made by 15 states, but one of these is a little bit "special", the UK.
In the whole EU there are no more custom checks except with the UK and Ireland.
Here's the list of the EU states without custom checks within them
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
+ 2 countries non EU members but without custom checks with states listed above:
Iceland
Norway
As you can see, if you go to Dublin and then to Rome for examble, there will be custom checks, but them, from Rome to Frankfurt for example, there will not be any kind of custom checks.
Bik From New Zealand, joined Mar 2003, 57 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2850 times:
I was just in London 3 weeks ago and since i was coming from an non-EU city (but still a European city) i expected to see customs control.
I was pleasantly suprised to see no customs at all. We did get to go through the red and green exits but there was no one waiting for us at all. We just walked through the deserted customs area.
So now im wondering if UK maybe stopped customs checks alltogether for Europe arrivals?
Jwenting From Netherlands, joined Apr 2001, 10213 posts, RR: 21 Reply 4, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 2783 times:
I think people are confusing customs checks and passport control...
Customs checks are cursory for all arriving passengers from anywhere unless there is a high-risk flight come in in which case they are strict (for example, a flight from the Netherlands Antilles or Colombia as that is a hotbed for drugs trafficking will cause customs officials to be extra alert at Schiphol).
Passport check depends on where you arrive from. When travelling from one Schengen signatory nation to another there is no passport check.
You can then also take the green lane always (and customs officials will see from your luggage tags that you arrived from a Schengen signatory country and not stop you, if you have no checked baggage your ticket will do if you're stopped).
In some airports there may be special terminals for Schengen arrivals without any customs checks at all, in other airports this is the procedure.
Ntspelich From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 764 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 2768 times:
Thanks for the help
NS
United 717 heavy, you're facing the wrong way. Any chance you can powerback to get off of my deice pad?
Airsicknessbag From Germany, joined Aug 2000, 4723 posts, RR: 38 Reply 6, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 2763 times:
>>>I think people are confusing customs checks and passport control...
But now you´re doing exactly that, confusing "Schengen" with "travelling without being checked by customs"
>>>You can then also take the green lane always (and customs officials will see from your luggage tags that you arrived from a Schengen signatory country and not stop you, if you have no checked baggage your ticket will do if you're stopped).
In some airports there may be special terminals for Schengen arrivals without any customs checks at all, in other airports this is the procedure.
No. You might be on a JFK-CDG-FRA connexion: your passport will be checked by immigration at CDG, your baggage, provided it´s checked through all the way, will be delivered into the same hall as the o/d passengers´. Then everybody goes through customs, but only YOU may be subject to a closer inspection, not those who only originated at CDG.
I´m afraid it gets more and more confusing for poor ntspelich
Ntspelich From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 764 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 2747 times:
I´m afraid it gets more and more confusing for poor ntspelich
doh!
NS
United 717 heavy, you're facing the wrong way. Any chance you can powerback to get off of my deice pad?
N6376m From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 2706 times:
Jwenting -
I guess I'm a bit confused by the explanation of passport control procedures.
I've flown into AMS 10 - 15 times in the past three years from a variety of places (the US, the UK, Eastern Europe). Every time, passport control was a "communal" sort of queue with passengers from flights from all origins (inter-European and intra-European) joining the same lines. At times there are special lines for EU passport holders but all non-EU holders join the same line(s) regardless of their point of origin.
I will say that AMS passport control seems to be much more efficient than immigration in the US where lines for colleagues of mine who are non-US citizen have waited up to 3 hours to clear customs in ATL. I've never waited more than 5 minutes at AMS.
Same goes for customs - though I've never seen anyone stopped.
Rickb From United Kingdom, joined May 2003, 243 posts, RR: 10 Reply 9, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2698 times:
Ntspelich,
On intra European flights - your passport will be checked and you will have to proceed through customs - as others have pointed out - there is a specific 'blue' channel through customs if your flight originated in another Eu country. Usually the customs side of things involves nothing more than walking through the blue aisle - occasionally people are stopped and searched but not often - you dont need to make any declarations prior to landing as you would do if you land in the US from a foreign country.
The passport side of things is slightly different and entirely based on the visa requirements of an individual country. In the UK - you would have to fill in a landing card before passing through immigration. This can vary from one EU country to another so its worth checking out if any EU countries have any specific entry - although the chances are you will be fine.
I very much doubt you will have any problems with intra european flights - relax and have a nice trip !!
DFWLandingPath From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 211 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2692 times:
I felw from CDG-MAN and was checked by UK customs at MAN. (the agent was quite confused as my connecting flight was to LHR) When I flew CDG-LHR I would have had to go through customs at Heathrow if I wasn't connecting to IAD.
Jwenting From Netherlands, joined Apr 2001, 10213 posts, RR: 21 Reply 11, posted (9 years 8 months 3 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 2654 times:
yes, at AMS there is no separate handling of Schengen and other arrivals.
At some other airports there is.
Same with customs checks, those too can be either separate or combined.
The main difference is at departure, where Schengen passengers are now concentrated in different areas where there are no tax-free shops (at least that's the situation at Schiphol).
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