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Passport control for connecting in CDG for inter-Schengen travel?

Hi folks,

Currently planning a trip from the US to Reykjavik for a few days stop over and then to CDG, all on same ticket on IcelandAir. We're hoping to fly from CDG to Venice on a separate Air France ticket on the same day. What I'm trying to figure out is whether we'll need to go through Passport Control in CDG Terminal 1 to get to CDG Terminal 2F via landside (and if so, is it the same line as others even if we're coming from a Schengen area) or if we can transfer terminals airside. This is assuming we only have carry ons (I understand that if we check baggage, we'll have to go through Passport Control, pick up our luggage, and go to T2F via landside). Any advice is much appreciated, it's been a very long time since I've been to CDG. Thank you!

Posted by
7873 posts

Yes you will go through passport control at CDG to take that separate flight to Venice
Moreover France has passport checks for all flights leaving France since the state of emergency

Posted by
8889 posts

Iceland IS in the Schengen Area, so there are normally no passport checks when you fly from there to other Schengen countries.
However France is doing extra random passport checks at the moment, so they may be an extra ID check after you land.

If you already have your boarding pass for the second flight (Paris to Venice), you can then go straight to the gate. If you have to check in again that takes extra time. Figure a security check (X-ray bags, walk through metal detector) in both cases.

If this is as you say a separate ticket, it is not a guaranteed connection. I hope you have allowed enough time, as if you are late from the first flight and you miss the second one to Venice, you will have to buy a new ticket.

Posted by
1532 posts

At CDG, you should assume separate terminals to be like separate airports - a connection in a separate terminal, including all the sub-terminals of #2 means that you will be getting out in the open air and reenter in a different building. Not only you will have to take again the safety controls - that could take more time than passport control - but also that it could take some time to get from a terminal to the other (a lot of time if one of the the terminals is 2G that is 15 minutes of bus shuttle riding from the closest building). Plan to leave plenty of time between flights. I once had a 60 minutes connection on a single ticket and I remember it as a race against time.

Posted by
51 posts

Not sure if you will encounter the same, but we had a 2 hour wait in " line" arriving at terminal 2. We had no checked luggage, and were told it didn't matter (since the luggage pickup was past customs control). Actually there was no line -- but rather crowds very slowly moving toward the control point. We thought having no checked luggage would be helpful, but instead it was a burden to carry for the 2 hour wait. About 20 across eventually narrowed down to about 5-6 at which time they split the crowd into two, and directed those behind us into another queue. Of course that meant we were now at the END of the crowd, and had to wait another hour. Only those with EU passports could move ahead (if they could). Eventually it narrowed to a single queue line, but was totally unorganized for most of the wait. Thankfully we were arriving, and not connecting! Hope your experience is far better, but perhaps plan for a long delay.
The rest of our trip was a breeze compared to the arrival. Based on that experience, and advice, we arrived approx. 4 hours before departure, anticipating multiple checks. There were no lines at all, and all checks were very fast. But it was also obvious they were getting ready for multiple queues.

Posted by
8889 posts

We had no checked luggage, and were told it didn't matter (since the luggage pickup was past customs control).

KJ (and others) it is important not to mix up customs and immigration. What you were queuing for was immigration (passport control). This is where they check whether you are allowed in, check your passport and if necessary stamp it. There is no way to avoid this.
Then you pick up your bags, then you go through customs. Customs must be after bag pick-up, because customs is the check on the goods you are carrying, that is the contents of your bags.

And, KJ, where were you flying from? I guess from outside the Schengen Area. mujimo is flying from Iceland and so will already have entered the Schengen Area on landing in Iceland.
Iceland to France there is no immigration, but there may be a security check due to the state of emergency. Customs (after luggage pick-up) will occur because Iceland is not in the EU.

Posted by
10207 posts

We flew Nice to Rome a few weeks ago and only had to show ID at check in. We did have European passports and ID, but there was no separate passport control for anyone. It must depend on the airport.

Posted by
8889 posts

It must depend on the airport.

It depends on where you are flying from. Nice to Rome is within Schengen, so no immigration. London to Rome or USA to Rome is from outside Schengen, so there are immigration checks.

Posted by
10207 posts

I think Brad has answered this today in a different post I stumbled upon. He says he has now come through Reykjavik three times and each time he was able to walk off the plane without a passport control at CDG because he went through passport in Iceland. He also said that with only carry on, you can just walk straight out.

Posted by
4527 posts

Far above posts are correct that there is an additional passport check for all flights arriving/departing France inter-Schengen, but it is an abbreviated check, not the full immigration check, but the line may be the same. Anyway you will need to do it twice, once on arrival at T1 and again departing T2.

You're looking at 3 passport checks. Arriving Schengen (with stamp and interview), arriving France (no stamp, visual scrutiny), departing France (no stamp, visual scrutiny).

Posted by
10207 posts

Okay--I'm really confused now. We arrived at CDG from Rome last week and walked off the plane. No checks, just like any interior flight. What's the deal?

Jazz says they will go through passport control from CDG to Venice, but we didn't when flying Nice to Rome. Chris says there may be a visual check but no stamp arriving France from Iceland, but Brad says he's walked off the plane three times, while we walked off just last week. So, With all this variable information, perhaps you should report back to us.

Blockquote

Posted by
8889 posts

Bets, Jazz has got it wrong. For travel within the Schengen Area (whether by land or air) there are no passport checks (immigration). There is an immigration check when you enter or leave the Schengen Area. The Schengen Area is a "passport union".

The "but" is that the French are currently doing random ID checks on all people entering France, due to their state of emergency. So you may (repeat may) have someone ask to see your passport after you land, even if you are arriving from another Schengen country. This will not be a passport stamp, because your passport is already stamped when you entered the Schengen Area.

Posted by
10207 posts

Chris--more questions. So does this mean that some flights are directed to "international" gates to send those passengers through the random checks? Do those passengers mix with initial entry passengers from other planes?

Most internal flight passengers, being EU nationals, would get through quickly with their national ID cards. Only non-EU will be carrying a passport, and go to a non-EU line.

Posted by
2512 posts

I don’t see why there’s all this confusion. When one enters the Schengen there is immigration control. When travelling within the Schengen there is no immigration control. So, from Rome to Paris no immigration control - it’s an internal flight within the Schengen. Likewise, Iceland to Paris.

The fact that certain authorities (whether it’s the police, the airline or just some bloke in a hi-vis jacket) are checking traveller’s passports for security reasons shouldn’t be conflated with border control. These days security is a moveable feast, and what you read about on travel forums may be different from what you experience on the day.

Posted by
4527 posts

All I can you is what happened to me at Marseille.

Arriving from AMS our plane was mingled with passengers arriving from Casablanca and the so the “security check” experience was indistinguishable from a full immigration experience except no stamp / no questions.

Leaving the passport check was also indistinguishable from our experience leaving Schengen in AMS except no stamp.

And the irony that we had to queue for immigration twice BECAUSE of the Schengen treaty was not lost on us (pre-Schengen we would have been able to transit AMS without immigration).