I'm looking to book a flight into Rome and then catch a connecting flight to Sicily. The layover times in Rome all seem to be in the 1h25m area. I'm trying to figure out if I go through passport control/customs in Rome or at my destination, Sicily? And, if Rome, is 1h25m sufficient? I've read conflicting information. Any advice is appreciated.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
6231 posts
If Rome is your first entry to Schengen you will go thru passport control there.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8430 posts
The challenge with these sorts of questions is that the answer may differ day by day or hour by hour in terms of processing times. I made it through passport control upon arrival in Rome in less than 10 minutes a few weeks ago. Will that be everyone's experience? Probably not. You can use the e-gates which involve the electronic processing of your passport and speed up the process. However, the variables of the number of e-gates available to use and the number of passengers arriving at the passport control at the same moment mean that the processing times may vary quite a bit.
I would feel comfortable with a 1 hour 25 m connection that was booked all on one ticket. Your comfort level may be different.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11247 posts
The critical issue is, is this a single ticket booking or is it a two ticket DIY connection?
If the latter and you have checked bags, you are in deep doo-doo.
if a single ticket booking you should be OK, but the burden ( expense) is on the airline to get you to your destination if the first flight is late.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
1442 posts
I would not be comfortable with just 85 minutes at FCO to go through passport control and get to your next gate in time (20-30 minutes prior to the flight) for the flight to Sicily. As mentioned above, having all flights booked on a single ticket with the same airline will put the airline on the hook for getting you to Sicily.
Posted by
Boston
1710 posts
A yes/no answer is not going to happen, but you might find relevant experiences here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/italy/1788612-fco-rome-fiumicino-airport-merged-thread.html
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23343 posts
If a single ticket, try it. If two separate tickets, you need at least another hour. We have sailed through immigration in Rome is less than hour -- one time -- and over two hours at another time. The other times were in the range of an hour to an hour and a half.
Posted by
11232 posts
When transferring to another flight in Rome FCO , wr were sent to a small desk just for passport control for transfers, took a few minutes.