Please help! Question about customs in Munich!

You will go through immigration/passport control in Munich and customs in Berlin assuming your luggage is checked through to Berlin. Immigration can be time consumer depending on the number of officers on duty and the number of arriving planes. However, you SHOULD clear immigration within an hour or so. Germany is a part of the Schengen zone and agreement. Customs in Berlin will be a walk through the Green Door -- Nothing to Declare.

Thank you so much for your lightning quick reply!

If we do not end of having to check our luggage, will we do customs in Munich and then not have to do it in Berlin?

Is there any scenario where we will have to go back through security in Munich?

Thank you!!!

Is there any scenario where we will have to go back through security in Munich?

Yes, if your luggage is only checked through to Munich, you will have to retrieve your luggage at baggage claim in Munich, and that will be outside security, and you will have to recheck it and have to go through security again to get to your gate for Berlin. Make sure your luggage is checked through to Berlin.

Or, if you go through immigration in the main building and then accidentally go down to the baggage claim room, you'll end up outside of security and have to go back through it to get to your gate.

When you arrive in Munich you will be in either the original Terminal 2 building (H gates) or the Terminal 2 satellite (L gates). This is the out-of-Schengen zone. After going through Immigration (passport) you'll go down one floor to the G or K gates. That's the in-Schengen zone.

For the in-Schengen G or K gates, depending on which building your departing flights are using, you might have to use one of the shuttle trains to get to/from the satellite building to the main one. No worry, these two train are segregated as to in- or out-of-Schengen levels. You'll stay in the right zone.

you will be in either the original Terminal 1 building (H gates) or the Terminal 1 satellite (L gates)

Guess you wanted to say Terminal 2?

Correct. Terminal 2, H & L gates for arrival, G & K gates for departure.

Another question, SLA. It looks like there is immigration in both the main T2 building and the satellite T2 building, and the shuttle trains between the buildings are for either in- or out-of-Schengen. Do you recommend going through immigration in the building of you arrival and then taking the in-Schengen shuttle to the other building, or should one take the out-of-Schengen shuttle to the other building and go through immigration there.? Is the in-Schengen shuttle busier and therefore longer taking?

Or, is immigration faster in one building than the other? It looks like most flights from the US arrive at H gates. Does that make immigration in the main building (H gates) busier and take longer? Maybe it's better to go through immigration in one building regardless of which building you arrive in.

Customs in Europe is not like customs in the US. Customs in Europe takes place at your final destination (Berlin). You literally walk through a door. No one stops you or interacts with you.

Immigration/passport control is what is time consuming. You will go through immigration at the entry point into the Schengen zone (Munich).

Security can vary by airport, but 4 hours is more than enough time.

The above assumes that you have one ticket that gets you through to Berlin.

FYI our layover in Munich is 4 hours. I am hoping that’s enough time?

Four hours ought to be plenty of time if your flight arrives on time. You can never tell on a trans-Atlantic flight. For instance, according to the schedule on the MUC website, the UAL flight from Denver arrived 2 hrs and 40 minutes late today.

Another question, SLA. It looks like there is immigration in both the main T2 building and the satellite T2 building, and the shuttle trains between the buildings are for either in- or out-of-Schengen. Do you recommend going through immigration in the building of you arrival and then taking the in-Schengen shuttle to the other building, or should one take the out-of-Schengen shuttle to the other building and go through immigration there.?

I am sorry, but I have never thought about that and I always go through the nearest passport control (last time I came back from the US I used that ones in the satellite terminal) Besides, since some time you can use those automatic control gates (also with an US passport), and that rarely takes more than 5-10 minutes, unless you catch the unfortunate day at the end of the Bavarian school vacations, when all the Mallaorca vacationers are bringing their sunburn home.