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US citizen flying Rome to JFK to Vancouver, BC- Immigration and Customs questions??

Posted by (Seattle, Washington) on

HI All-

My teen is returning from a trip to Italy, and I am hoping some experienced travelers can help me explain to her what to expect on this rather confusing route home! She is a US citizen, but will be starting in Rome (Aitalia), going through JFK, and then transfer to a Delta flight to go to Vancouver. BC.

She leaves Rome and arrives at JFK on Aitalia to terminal 1. Does she then go through Immigation? Then does she collect her luggage and go through Customs (any details of what she should be looking for)? I assume she then takes her luggage and goes to Terminal 4 (is there an easy train or shuttle?), and checks in at Delta and checks in her luggage for that flight, correct? Or does she give her luggage to someone right out of Customs at Terminal 1 so that it continues on the path to Vancouver?

She then boards plane to Vancouver, and when she arrives in Vanoouver she goes through Immigration again, then collects her bag and goes through Customs, then exits. Do I have this all right?

She is a US citizen but we find it is less expensive often to travel through Vancouver, so we will be picking her up there.

Any info you can offer as to what to expect along the way so she knows what to look for would be great! She has unfortunately a 6 hour layover in JFK (was originally 3 hours but they changed her flight time to Vancouver)

Thanks!

Posted by
11 posts

Hi Karen,

I just flew through Vancouver, BC and JFK this week. I landed at JFK at 6am on Monday morning and it took me a full 2 hours to get from my plane through customs and security. I ended up missing my 8:10am connection. So it's a good thing that your daughter has a long layover!

Here's how it worked for me: once I got off the plane at JFK I had a long walk to immigration/customs with my carry on bags. I got in the "US Citizen" line and was directed to a machine, which asked me to scan my passport and then took my picture and asked me a few questions (if I had fruit, etc). The machine printed a slip of paper with my photo on it. I then got in line to have my passport checked. Then I went to baggage claim and got in yet another line to go through customs (I didn't have any checked baggage). That's when they took the slip of paper with my photo on it. The line to go through customs was super long but moved quickly.

Immigration/customs was a zoo and I spent most of my time just standing in line. There were several people directing traffic, so to speak, so if your daughter has any questions or isn't sure where to go, she can easily ask someone.

Once I left customs I had to find my way back to the check-in area and then go through security again before I could go to my connecting gate. I passed by a place that takes checked bags for those with connecting flights, it should be easy to find. If your daughter has to change terminals, she can take the shuttle. I didn't have to check in again (was also flying Delta) because I already had my boarding pass. I just went right to security.

I'd have your daughter allow 2 hours for the process, if not longer. Both times I've flown international through JFK I've missed my connecting flight so a long layover isn't a bag thing! :)

Finding my way around the Vancouver, BC airport was super easy. It was a short walk from my flight to immigration/customs. I was asked a bunch of questions at immigration but there was hardly any line (I'd flown in on a commuter flight from PDX) and it was easy to find my way around. Right after going through immigration I was at baggage claim and then customs right after that.

Hope that helps!

Posted by
13 posts

Wow that is such amazingly helpful detailed information! Thank you so very much, my daughter will love having this info! Thanks a million :)

Posted by
15784 posts

Tell your daughter to ask for both boarding passes in Rome (assuming the flights are on the same ticket). It should be routine, but it isn't always. I always check the baggage tag when they put it on my suitcase to make sure it's the right airport - that's often how luggage gets lost. As soon as she gets through US customs, she should look for a Delta representative and find out where to go with her luggage. One would hope that it was nearby so she wouldn't have to schlep it around the terminal (or to another terminal) to recheck it.

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