Should I check passport control twice in Frankfurt and Madrid?

The easiest journey is if you have your entire trip on one ticket. This way you should check your bags all the way to your final destination, Madrid. I'm not familiar with the procedures for trasiting in the US. However, in Europe, your point of entry will be FRA where you will go through passport control. You will not see your bags if you have checked this through.

In Madrid, you will not have any passport control, just customs since this is where you will pick up your bags.

Madrid has a couple of different terminals - you just need to check which terminals the Star alliance flights use. That is where you will arrive and where your bags will be delivered.

What airline are you flying from Mexico City to Chicago?

In Europe, you will clear immigration and customs in Frankfurt since that is where you are entering Schengen. You won't have to do this in Madrid.

You don't have to have the whole trip on one ticket in order to check the luggage all the way through. If you Mexico City-ORD airline has a baggage transfer agreement with United (most airlines do) you should be able to do it.

from Mexico to Chicago (ORD) I will fly Mexicana (different airline which was former of star alliance but now no), and of course I will recheck from Chicago to Madrid connecting Frankfurt and both airlines r partners with star alliance (United Airlines and Lufthansa), so i was wondering if with the same codeshare my luggage would be arrived till final destination Madrid.

then once i enter a schenguen country (first immigration) i wouldnt recheck my passport in madrid right? if it is.

thank you for ur time :D

First, call Mexicana to see if they will interline your baggage with United Airlines (it has nothing to do with Alliance.) If they will, check your luggage through to Franfurt.

When you arrive in chicago, you will arrive at Terminal 5 and you have to get to Terminal 1. Since I've never switched in Chicago between international flights, I don't know if they have an transit program where you wouldn't have to enter the U.S. or go through immigration or customs. (I've posted this question on a frequent flyer bulletin board.)

Now, when you arrive in Frankfurt, you will go through passport control and customs. When you arrive in Madrid, it will be like a domestic flgiht and you will NOT go through passport control. Just get your luggage and go. (No customs either). Terminal 1 at Barajas is not only for international flights.

Based on what I have heard about Chicago, I am guessing you might have to go through Passport control.

Here is what I was told:

In Mexico City, have your bag checked through to Madrid. (It doesn't matter if they are part of the same Alliance)

In Chicago, you will go through passport control and customs. As you leave customs, there wil be a "bag drop" area for United. Leave your bag there. It will be put on your flight. Go to Terminal 1 for your flight to Frankfurt. (If for some reason your bag is sent directly to your United flight, then just go to Terminal 1 for your flight to Frankfurt.)

When you arrive in Frankfurt, you will go through Passport Control and Customs. Again, you will drop your bag outside of Customs and it will be put on your flight to Madrid.

In Madrid, you will NOT have to go through either passport control or customs.

thank you frank for the information and thanks to everybody for the help.
now im relaxed, i was worried because i will be in a strange continent with different culture.

:D

Frank is incorrect - you will not receive your bag in Frankfurt. You just need to go through passport control - you will only go through customs in Madrid.

If your bags are checked all the way through to Madrid, do not go looking for them in Frankfurt.

Actually, Arnold is correct. I forgot that customs is not a part of Schengen. (I haven't checked a bag to Europe since 1991.)

thanks Arnold, i take it u travel a lot to europe right? :)