Where Will I Go Through Passport Control and Where Will I Go Through Customs?

Posted by kbosta on 05/16/17 07:42 PM

Hello Everyone!
I am flying into Belfast next week.

We are flying from Detroit to Amsterdam to Belfast.
On the return we are flying from Dublin to Paris to Pittsburgh.

I was wondering where we will have to go through passport control and where we will go through customs? I have been trying to research this, but I find it difficult, so I'm hoping someone could just let me know. I know Ireland is not in the Shengen, but both the connecting airports are. I am checking my luggage through to Belfast and checking it back from Dublin to my final destination in the US. Will I have to check them in again at any point?

Thanks!

Posted by Chris F

Basel, Switzerland

05/16/17 08:16 PM

8889 posts

The comments below assume you are doing this on one through booking, i.e. you do not have to re-check-in when changing planes, and your luggage is labelled through to your final destination.

Detroit to Amsterdam to Belfast. You will stay "airside" in Amsterdam. You will go through immigration (passport control) in Belfast. This may take 10 to 50 minutes.
Your luggage will be labelled through to Belfast. You will pick it up in Belfast and then take it through customs. The luggage label will show it came from outside the EU, and is subject to customs, but, just walk through the green "nothing to declare" door. They only do random checks, <1% of passengers are stopped.
The sequence is (1) immigration (2) Luggage reclaim (3) customs.

Dublin to Paris to Pittsburgh - same in reverse. You stay airside in Paris, I cannot comment on the procedure in Pittsburgh.

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

05/16/17 08:59 PM

27056 posts

I flew US-Amsterdam-Nice at the beginning of May on a through-ticket. My passport was stamped in Amsterdam but also examined upon arrival in Nice. It was the May 1 holiday, and there was quite a back-up for non-EU arrivals in Nice. I am assuming the double check was because France is taking extra precautions at the moment.

Posted by Chris F

Basel, Switzerland

05/16/17 09:10 PM

8889 posts

US-Amsterdam-Nice is different. Both the Netherlands and France are in Schengen, So in that case you go through immigration (and get your passport stamped) for entering the Schengen Area in Amsterdam. Amsterdam-Nice is intra-Schengen.
You are probably right, the extra ID check was heightened security.

Posted by kbosta OP

05/17/17 02:01 AM

2 posts

Thanks for the replys! Thanks Chris F for the answer! :)

Posted by dpalmier53

05/30/17 08:15 PM

227 posts

If I can jump in with a related question; we are flying on one confirmation number ticket from El Paso to Denver to Toronto to Budapest. Will we follow the same order mentioned, Immigration, then luggage reclaim, then customs when we arrive in Budapest?
We fly home from Munich to Houston to El Paso so I assume it would be Houston or will we have to worry about it when coming back to the states directly? Thank you.

Posted by Tom_MN

06/01/17 01:40 AM

4509 posts

Yes you're right about the first leg in Budapest but you might have to do something in Toronto also.

Return is easy, immigration/customs/bag recheck in Houston.