Clearing Customs at JFK

[Rob_Lesya 4]

if our point of entry is new york,or washington d.c.,and we are just connecting to our flight here to atlanta,do we have to pick up our lugguage,or will it just be transferred to the plane,and we will go thru customs,and immigration twice????

You'll go through customs and immigration once -- at your point of entry.

It may vary a little at some aiports, but generally you go through immigration first... then retrieve your bags... then go through customs.... then if you have a connecting flight you "re-check" your bags -- which simply consists of handing them to an employee who puts them back onto the conveyor belt. At many airports you then are going to go through a security screening (remove the shoes, belts, etc) again and then on to your connecting flight.

[Enigma11561 336]

if our point of entry is new york,or washington d.c.,and we are just connecting to our flight here to atlanta,do we have to pick up our lugguage,or will it just be transferred to the plane,and we will go thru customs,and immigration twice????

Several things to consider here. First is the time frame for the connecting flight. Since anything can go wong, trying to make another flight only a few hours later is going to be stressful. Why put yourself through this? There could be weather delays, traffic delays, processing delays, and more. You waited a long time so another day before you arrive back to your home is not unreasonable. She will be tired and glad to see you. Spend the night in a local hotel and take a flight out the next day.

The POE is where you go through immigration and customs. You only do his once.

Think about this logically. If you wanted to spend a week in New York, and take a bus or rent a car down to Atlanta, would you go through customs again?

I am not positive about this part, but If the connecting flight is the same airline, your bags are usually transferred to the next leg of your journey. You pick them up at your final destination. If the connecting flight is a different airline, you will need to get your luggage first, after clearing immigration, and lug them to the other terminal.

I doubt anyone gives a hoot about luggage. Its the paperwork that is important when she enters the US.

[Rob_Lesya 4]

I am not positive about this part, but If the connecting flight is the same airline, your bags are usually transferred to the next leg of your journey. You pick them up at your final destination. If the connecting flight is a different airline, you will need to get your luggage first, after clearing immigration, and lug them to the other terminal.

No matter what the airline, you clear customs at your POE. The luggage will be checked through to your final destination. You will simply pick up your luggage at the POE, and then go through customs, and then if you are continuing on to a final destination you will hand your luggage to an employee who will place it back on the conveyors to go back through sorting and to the aircraft.

[payxibka 10,045]

I doubt anyone gives a hoot about luggage. Its the paperwork that is important when she enters the US.

If nobody gava a "hoot" about the luggage then there would be no need for the "customs" component of your entry...

[clueless_in_usa 8]

I doubt anyone gives a hoot about luggage. Its the paperwork that is important when she enters the US.

If nobody gava a "hoot" about the luggage then there would be no need for the "customs" component of your entry...

You MUST cross customs (where you hand over the blue customs form) with your bags on hand. If you leave them behind, I do not know the rules, but your bags will not make them to the final destination if you do not carry them yourself.

Check the following diagram to understand the immigration process: CBP Inspection Process

[rebeccajo 14]

I doubt anyone gives a hoot about luggage. Its the paperwork that is important when she enters the US.

If nobody gava a "hoot" about the luggage then there would be no need for the "customs" component of your entry...

Exactly. Besides it isn't just the odds of the baggage being inspected. It's the time it takes moving it from one location to another. And claiming it (which you have to do after an international flight) and delivering it back for the next flight.

As has been mentioned by others, when you enter it's not called "customs". There are two steps - immigration and customs. Immigration of course is where the brown envelope is collected.

[New Beginnings 32]

I went out and met my husband and we spent the night at the hotel at JFK. I am so thankful that I did because the delay in customs due to other international flights coming it was completely obnoxious. It's not worth the stress of worrying about someone in a strange land all alone for their first night.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I went out and met my husband and we spent the night at the hotel at JFK. I am so thankful that I did because the delay in customs due to other international flights coming it was completely obnoxious. It's not worth the stress of worrying about someone in a strange land all alone for their first night.

More often then not I've missed my connection when going through JFK, Newark, or Philly and spent the night in a hotel. Normally its because of slow bag processing combined with a delay and its hard to create a buffer larger then two hours due to time of day/destination etc. Since being on the west coast, direct flights are always my choice.

[Chris_Жанна 11]

The plan is for me to meet them in New York and then we would travel the rest of the journey home together. There is flight that leave JFK 2 1/2 hours after their arrival and I was hoping that we would be able to make it.

I had read on one of the reviews that the Visa holder showed the Customs people that he had a connecting flight and was able to get processed quickly. Anyone had anly luck with that?

The option of spending the night in New York is on the books, but I would like to avoid the price of a New York hotel if possible. Also I like the idea of of sleeping in the next morning instead of having to wake up at 4 am to catch an 8 am flight.

I lived in Queens. And have been JFK a lot. I can tell you that anyone working in JFK is not going to care if you have a connecting flight or not. There are thousands of ppl in and out of there everyday and you are just another person to them. Not trying to be mean. I just know how busy NYer's are.

If you need to stay in the city I suggest you stay at the PAN AMERICAN hotel (They have a website) in Elmhurst, Queens. It is very easy to get to, it is in a decent neighborhood and the hotel is about $70 dollars a night (very good for NYC).

If you are in JFK you would take the airtrain to the E train. You would board a Manhattan bound E train transfer to a Manhattan bound V or R train at the Jackson Heights stop and take the V or R to GRAND AVE stop. Get out on Queens Blvd exit of the station and the hotel is right in front of you pretty much. From there you can go sight see in Manhattan or get back to JFK very easily.

[Dave-n-Oksana 49]

The plan is for me to meet them in New York and then we would travel the rest of the journey home together. There is flight that leave JFK 2 1/2 hours after their arrival and I was hoping that we would be able to make it.

I had read on one of the reviews that the Visa holder showed the Customs people that he had a connecting flight and was able to get processed quickly. Anyone had anly luck with that?

The option of spending the night in New York is on the books, but I would like to avoid the price of a New York hotel if possible. Also I like the idea of of sleeping in the next morning instead of having to wake up at 4 am to catch an 8 am flight.

I lived in Queens. And have been JFK a lot. I can tell you that anyone working in JFK is not going to care if you have a connecting flight or not. There are thousands of ppl in and out of there everyday and you are just another person to them. Not trying to be mean. I just know how busy NYer's are.

If you need to stay in the city I suggest you stay at the PAN AMERICAN hotel (They have a website) in Elmhurst, Queens. It is very easy to get to, it is in a decent neighborhood and the hotel is about $70 dollars a night (very good for NYC).

If you are in JFK you would take the airtrain to the E train. You would board a Manhattan bound E train transfer to a Manhattan bound V or R train at the Jackson Heights stop and take the V or R to GRAND AVE stop. Get out on Queens Blvd exit of the station and the hotel is right in front of you pretty much. From there you can go sight see in Manhattan or get back to JFK very easily.

Thanks for the info Chris. I have checked some frequent flyer sites also and heard the same thing. So we will be staying in New York for the night. Then catch a Southwest flight out of La Guadia the next morning (They have a special that allows 2 free checked bags per ticket) B)

Are there any hotels with shuttles to both airports in New York?

Dave

[PK and PK 13]

The plan is for me to meet them in New York and then we would travel the rest of the journey home together. There is flight that leave JFK 2 1/2 hours after their arrival and I was hoping that we would be able to make it.

I had read on one of the reviews that the Visa holder showed the Customs people that he had a connecting flight and was able to get processed quickly. Anyone had anly luck with that?

The option of spending the night in New York is on the books, but I would like to avoid the price of a New York hotel if possible. Also I like the idea of of sleeping in the next morning instead of having to wake up at 4 am to catch an 8 am flight.

I lived in Queens. And have been JFK a lot. I can tell you that anyone working in JFK is not going to care if you have a connecting flight or not. There are thousands of ppl in and out of there everyday and you are just another person to them. Not trying to be mean. I just know how busy NYer's are.

If you need to stay in the city I suggest you stay at the PAN AMERICAN hotel (They have a website) in Elmhurst, Queens. It is very easy to get to, it is in a decent neighborhood and the hotel is about $70 dollars a night (very good for NYC).

If you are in JFK you would take the airtrain to the E train. You would board a Manhattan bound E train transfer to a Manhattan bound V or R train at the Jackson Heights stop and take the V or R to GRAND AVE stop. Get out on Queens Blvd exit of the station and the hotel is right in front of you pretty much. From there you can go sight see in Manhattan or get back to JFK very easily.

Thanks for the info Chris. I have checked some frequent flyer sites also and heard the same thing. So we will be staying in New York for the night. Then catch a Southwest flight out of La Guadia the next morning (They have a special that allows 2 free checked bags per ticket) B)

Are there any hotels with shuttles to both airports in New York?

Dave

When I normally clear customs, I have nothing to declare and then just let me through the green line. I just don't bring unprocessed food or any other items on their list. Is customs a bigger issue when immigrating? Would not carrying certain items help?

[Dave-n-Oksana 49]

The plan is for me to meet them in New York and then we would travel the rest of the journey home together. There is flight that leave JFK 2 1/2 hours after their arrival and I was hoping that we would be able to make it.

I had read on one of the reviews that the Visa holder showed the Customs people that he had a connecting flight and was able to get processed quickly. Anyone had anly luck with that?

The option of spending the night in New York is on the books, but I would like to avoid the price of a New York hotel if possible. Also I like the idea of of sleeping in the next morning instead of having to wake up at 4 am to catch an 8 am flight.

I lived in Queens. And have been JFK a lot. I can tell you that anyone working in JFK is not going to care if you have a connecting flight or not. There are thousands of ppl in and out of there everyday and you are just another person to them. Not trying to be mean. I just know how busy NYer's are.

If you need to stay in the city I suggest you stay at the PAN AMERICAN hotel (They have a website) in Elmhurst, Queens. It is very easy to get to, it is in a decent neighborhood and the hotel is about $70 dollars a night (very good for NYC).

If you are in JFK you would take the airtrain to the E train. You would board a Manhattan bound E train transfer to a Manhattan bound V or R train at the Jackson Heights stop and take the V or R to GRAND AVE stop. Get out on Queens Blvd exit of the station and the hotel is right in front of you pretty much. From there you can go sight see in Manhattan or get back to JFK very easily.

Thanks for the info Chris. I have checked some frequent flyer sites also and heard the same thing. So we will be staying in New York for the night. Then catch a Southwest flight out of La Guadia the next morning (They have a special that allows 2 free checked bags per ticket) B)

Are there any hotels with shuttles to both airports in New York?

Dave

When I normally clear customs, I have nothing to declare and then just let me through the green line. I just don't bring unprocessed food or any other items on their list. Is customs a bigger issue when immigrating? Would not carrying certain items help?

Sadly it can be a bigger issue as the Officer has to processes the mysterious brown envelope that will come with the Immigrant. It can be fast or it can be slow depending on the time of day and how many international flights arrived at the same time or close by.

[lenaandbilly 0]

I am going to Kyiv to be with Lena at the interview, does anyone know if I can go thru customs with her when we arrive in the US or will I have to go through separately from her in the line for "citizens?"

Thanks in advance for any help!

Edited October 20, 2009 by lenaandbilly

[payxibka 10,045]

I am going to Kyiv to be with Lena at the interview, does anyone know if I can go thru customs with her when we arrive in the US or will I have to go through separately from her in the line for "citizens?"

Thanks in advance for any help!

not only customs but passport control as well