CDG T3 Arrival Wait Times in Autumn 2024

Customs takes seconds. The wait is at passport control which can be anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour.

I am not familiar with any "family priority lane". Many passport holders, such as those from the US and Canada, now have facial recognition lanes which can speed things up, or really slow thing down if the system is not working.

Prior to the new face recognition/scanner & by country lanes were put in and all Non-EU or French citizens were in one line/zone, I have seen passport control agents pull families out of the main line when very busy and place them in the Aircrew/Assisted Mobility/Wheelchair line/window.

it can take from 15 minutes to two hours -- it has taken us both in the past two years. We average about an hour. FWIW. luggage is often very slow at CDG so if you get through immigration quickly you may discover that the luggage won't be out for half an hour.

I have watched several families have meltdowns because there wasn’t a special line for them and their child. Interestingly, it’s generally the mom and dad that are having a meltdown not the kids. . I And even if there is one you probably need for your child to be in a stroller not 10 years old.

You might get lucky, but I certainly wouldn’t count on it

I do recommend everyone make a pit stop before you get into the Immigration line. I've not come thru T3 as I come in to 2E and the bathrooms are on the left right before you enter the lanes. I can almost guarantee that if you have full bladders it will be a long wait but if everyone is comfortable you'll breeze thru the passport lanes, lol.

We came into CDG right after the terrorist attacks in Israel last year and the plane load ahead of us was families fleeing. Many had lots of kids and strollers etc; they were not put in any sort of special line -- the arrivals were divided by passport -- EU vs elsewhere. I seem to recall on one of our arrivals that Canadian, Australians, Americans and Brits were herded through a different line than non EU passports from other parts of the world. Sometimes it is just non vs EU but sometimes more finally divided. I have never seen a special bypass for families.

Long-time forum reader.....thought I might finally post something useful.

We flew into CGD from Canada in March of this year and there was, in fact, a family priority line. We were flying with another family and all of us were ushered into that line. I wasn't surprised that our friends were directed there, given that their children are younger than ours. It was surprising, however, that we were given such priority, as our son is a very tall, older teen. If said priority line still exists, I can't imagine why your family wouldn't be directed there, given that you will be with your 10 year old.

Hope that helps.

With biometrics in widespread use now, passport control takes much less time than it did even three years ago. Most of my trips have taken less than five minutes to clear in the past two years. Disclosure: only one of these was at CDG.

The reason you might not be ushered into that line, is because it’s hit or miss if it exists. I know they existed a lot of airports. But I’ve also been to the same airports where on some flights and there’s not one this time

My last flight into CDG because of staffing or technology (got both answers). there was a one line for everybody and it was chaos. And I got to watch mama bear yell at people because her princess didn’t actually stand in lines. That’s what she was screaming all about how Her daughter would be upset and upset the rest of is. now the whole time she’s having this fit her daughter is happily sitting in a stroller playing with her toys. The French airport staff were not impressed with mama bear’s hissy fit

With biometrics in widespread use now, passport control takes much less time than it did even three years ago. Most of my trips have taken less than five minutes to clear in the past two years. Disclosure: only one of these was at CDG.

And indeed, every once in a while, they don't have the biometric lanes open at CDG. You can't count on them.

@Sue - the difference could be Air France v Air Canada though, too (or Airtransat), and what terminal you fly into.

Airtransat T3