POE in Abu Dhabi - how long does it usually take?

[broppy 204]

13 minutes ago, j N j said:

 

Checked the flight detail of my above post.. is Dubai, the same as Abu Dhabi? Ive read that they are separate cities.. and hopefully not our POE.

They're different cities and different airports. Abu Dhabi (AUH) has preclearance; Dubai (DXB) does not.

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

25 minutes ago, j N j said:

 

Checked the flight detail of my above post.. is Dubai, the same as Abu Dhabi? Ive read that they are separate cities.. and hopefully not our POE.

As already mentioned above, yes they are separate cities, and no Dubai is not a POE.

[ShanghaiSurfer 135]

1 hour ago, j N j said:

 

Checked the flight detail of my above post.. is Dubai, the same as Abu Dhabi? Ive read that they are separate cities.. and hopefully not our POE.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. Dubai is just another city in the emirates. 

[j N j 50]

1 hour ago, broppy said:

They're different cities and different airports. Abu Dhabi (AUH) has preclearance; Dubai (DXB) does not.

 

58 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

As already mentioned above, yes they are separate cities, and no Dubai is not a POE.

 

9 minutes ago, ShanghaiSurfer said:

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. Dubai is just another city in the emirates. 

Thanks, its a relief knowing this as our POE can still be Orlando! We're trying to avoid a POE with a connecting flight remaining. This way we can enter at Orlando, then the short drive to Tampa.

[doggieandsam 765]

anybody at all out there who has actual experience POE'd in Abu Dhabi on a K1 visa?

 

I have used Abu Dhabi before as a POE but that was with a b1/b2 visa - not sure if there is extra screening and time required if you POE on a K1 hence my original question. thanks!

 

 

[doggieandsam 765]

4 hours ago, j N j said:

you burst my bubble with that one.. I as eyeing a flight from the philippines to Orlando, with a stop over in Abu Dhabi.. was expecting to POE to be Orlando.. The lay over for the connecting flight is only 1.5 hours. 

you may want to double-check this. because as far as i know, only people flying on Etihad can use the preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi but i could be wrong. If im right, then that means if you are flying Etihad AND stopping over in AUH then AUH will be your POE. if you are flying on another airline, then it will just be a normal stop-over and your POE will still be Orlando.

[jayjayj 571]

Correct, you can only use the Abu Dhabi POE if you are flying on a non-stop Etihad flight to the United States.

 

 

[wanderlust88 17]

US preclearance is only available for direct flights from Abu Dhabi to the US. The only airline to offer that is Etihad (and AA with Etihad codeshare). If you are flying to US through Abu Dhabi but with a stopover in another country, you won't go through US pre-clearance in Abu Dhabi.

 

Curious to know about POE formalities to US as well at Abu Dhabi. I've traveled several times on B1/B2 but I'm sure K1/CR1 entry experience is different.

[jayjayj 571]

18 hours ago, iamdegie said:

hi guys, anybody out there with experience using Abu Dhabi as their POE? 

 

I am going to be using Abu Dhabi airport soon as my POE and I am entering on a K1 visa. I am just wondering how long does the CBP take to "process" k1 entrants there? how early should i plan to arrive at the airport?

 

any advise would be appreciated. thanks! 

I suggest getting there as early as possible, but of course, you can't check in for your flight more than 4 hours prior.  The U.S. officers know this and take it into account when processing you.  They aren't going to skip over anything, but they keep your flight departure time in mind for sure.    

[doggieandsam 765]

1 hour ago, wanderlust88 said:

US preclearance is only available for direct flights from Abu Dhabi to the US.

 

1 hour ago, jayjaym said:

Correct, you can only use the Abu Dhabi POE if you are flying on a non-stop Etihad flight to the United States.

thanks - this is good info to know.

 

1 hour ago, jayjaym said:

I suggest getting there as early as possible, but of course, you can't check in for your flight more than 4 hours prior.  The U.S. officers know this and take it into account when processing you.  They aren't going to skip over anything, but they keep your flight departure time in mind for sure.    

i will of course get there as early as i can. as a rule when travelling, i always try to check-in at least 3 hours before. i expect some interview but i was just wondering if k1 entrants (versus when flying as a tourist) are automatically subjected to secondary questioning (and therefore will need to spend more time there).

 

thanks a lot for all your advises.

[jayjayj 571]

5 minutes ago, iamdegie said:

 

thanks - this is good info to know.

 

i will of course get there as early as i can. as a rule when travelling, i always try to check-in at least 3 hours before. i expect some interview but i was just wondering if k1 entrants (versus when flying as a tourist) are automatically subjected to secondary questioning (and therefore will need to spend more time there).

 

thanks a lot for all your advises.

You will have a secondary interview of sorts.  The CBP officer you interview with at the first desk will call someone to come out of a room, get your documents, and have you follow them to a second smaller area - maybe 30-40 seats.  All first time POE'ers are directed into this smaller room.  This was after he stamped some things and said "Welcome to America".  There are some more officers in that room behind a counter.  I don't remember what they asked my wife and stepson, but they did take paper/ink fingerprints.  I'm not sure if they still do the paper/ink fingerprints any longer, as this was a few years ago, or it could have just been that their electronic system happened to be down at the time.

 

Overall, it was a smooth process.  It was nice to get on the plane and not have to worry about what could happen at the POE.

[doggieandsam 765]

41 minutes ago, jayjaym said:

You will have a secondary interview of sorts.  The CBP officer you interview with at the first desk will call someone to come out of a room, get your documents, and have you follow them to a second smaller area - maybe 30-40 seats.  All first time POE'ers are directed into this smaller room.  This was after he stamped some things and said "Welcome to America".  There are some more officers in that room behind a counter.  I don't remember what they asked my wife and stepson, but they did take paper/ink fingerprints.  I'm not sure if they still do the paper/ink fingerprints any longer, as this was a few years ago, or it could have just been that their electronic system happened to be down at the time.

 

Overall, it was a smooth process.  It was nice to get on the plane and not have to worry about what could happen at the POE.

oh ok! yeah, i was thinking there might be something like this. thanks for the info. how long does this secondary interview last approximately? if i arrive and check-in 3 hours before the flight, would that be enough time even with this secondary interview?

[jayjayj 571]

On 8/23/2017 at 1:03 PM, iamdegie said:

oh ok! yeah, i was thinking there might be something like this. thanks for the info. how long does this secondary interview last approximately? if i arrive and check-in 3 hours before the flight, would that be enough time even with this secondary interview?

I would get there 4 hours early, no sense in risking it over an extra hour.  You never know how long the check-in lines and security lines are going to be.  We made our flight by about 30 minutes, but I was starting to get anxious.

[doggieandsam 765]

On 8/24/2017 at 1:58 PM, jayjaym said:

I would get there 4 hours early, no sense in risking it over an extra hour.  You never know how long the check-in lines and security lines are going to be.  We made our flight by about 30 minutes, but I was starting to get anxious.

ok thank you, i will keep this in mind.

[j N j 50]

On 8/23/2017 at 0:33 AM, iamdegie said:

you may want to double-check this. because as far as i know, only people flying on Etihad can use the preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi but i could be wrong. If im right, then that means if you are flying Etihad AND stopping over in AUH then AUH will be your POE. if you are flying on another airline, then it will just be a normal stop-over and your POE will still be Orlando.

the Emirates Flight from The Philippines goes to DBX..

Edited August 26, 2017 by j N j