I’ll be returning from Bergen, Norway to the US in July 2025 on Delta Airlines. Arrive in Amsterdam Schiphol at 12:15 PM and connecting flight to JFK departs at 1:25 pm, a 50 minute or less layover. I believe I have to go through immigration at Schiphol ,correct? What does this entail and how much time does it usually take? The rest of this flight is good and fare is lowest I could find. Please advise.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8175 posts
Well, 50 minutes is the minimum amount of time most airlines allow at Schiphol when traveling to a non-Schengen country (like the US).
You can do a few things to speed things up. The first is to make sure that your carry-on liquids are in a clear see-through zip lock bag that does not weigh more than 100ml. I would also check your main bag as that will speed things up going through security. If by chance your bag doesn't make it, it's not as bad as if you were just beginning your vacation.
Schiphol is an efficient airport that is relatively fast moving. Of course, you will be traveling in July, which means lots of passengers are coming through. Worst case, if you miss your flight, there's a good chance you can get another one that same day.
Posted by
London, UK
420 posts
From the times you’ve given us, it’s actually 70mins - a little better for you.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2764 posts
Yes, 50 minutes is the "legal" connection, but there are so many variables (like, will your Bergen flight be on time?) I personally prefer a longer connection. You will go through a passport check and a secondary check at the gate before boarding your US bound flight. That process starts an hour before the departure time, so boarding will be well underway when you land, and potentially the gate could be closed by the time you get to it if things don't go to plan. If you check luggage it could be iffy. If your Bergen to Amsterdam flight is on the same ticket, then if you miss your connection the airline will put you on the next flight that has an available seat, which during peak summer may not be for awhile and could potentially be the next day (which would erase any savings you might have obtained on your fare).
This is an often asked question in the forum, you may want to do a quick search on "connection Schiphol" and it should pull up answers, including many references to how to check how busy the airport will be on your travel day, etc. https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=connection+schiphol&utf8=%E2%9C%93
Posted by
San Diego, California
5654 posts
Check the airport website, as you can make an appointment for the security line. I believe you can do so three days in advance of your flight. Good luck and safe travels!
Posted by
9 posts
OP has a typo, it's 50 minutes (arrives 12:35). I don't think the AMS security reservation system is for connections, just for origin @ AMS. There's no security check for AMS so no need to worry about clear bags (till you arrive in JFK).
You should announce yourself to the staff member stationed for this purpose at immigration as having a tight connection so can be moved to the front of the line. It wouldn't hurt to have a map of the airport printed out and use flightaware.com to get a current sample gate to gate layout.
You may have better connections that you will get put on to Ohio via Detroit and maybe MSP if you miss your flight.
Also the transatlantic flight is KLM, not Delta.
Posted by
Portland, OR
46 posts
As toby said, it will be important to show your connecting boarding pass with the time to the attendant at passport control and they will move you ahead in line. They also announce flight times at regular intervals while in the line & let those with close times move up. We had a delayed flight last week and made our connection from a far gate in 15-20 minutes with luggage, backpacks and we are in our 60’s - but we had to really hustle (some jogging and dodging of the masses of slow moving crowds). It is a long way between arrival gate to international departure gates. We were last to board the flight - they knew about our delay & were amazed we made it that fast.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1211 posts
As others have said, there isn't a security check - just immigration. You would be better off checking your bag so you can move faster through the airport. Also, try to reserve a seat toward the front of the plane from Bergen. There is a fairly good chance that you will be bused from the plane to the terminal.
Schipol is quite large, and all under one roof. It is divided into sections for Schengen and non-Schengen flights - you will encounter immigration control as you move to your non-Schengen gate - this could be a fairly long walk. If there is a long line at immigration they should have people working the queue, and may pull people with short connections out. When I went through last April there was a separate short connections line, with a monitor showing the flights eligible to use the line.
With a short line at immigration, I made it from arrival to departure gates in approximately 30 minutes. Look on YouTube for videos documenting connections there, so you're familiar with the layout.
Also, with the current state of air travel, with flights so far in the future, there's a very good chance that the times of your scheduled flights could change, so monitor them periodically, as the airlines may not notify you of the change.