POE Question

[BananaButton5 175]

Quick question about POE. Our flight is tomorrow early morning leaving from Ottawa to Toronto and then on to our destination in the US. I see a lot of people saying they had their bags at customs, but we will have checked them at Ottawa to go on to Toronto. Since he won’t go through customs until Toronto we won’t have his baggage at customs. We do have a list of everything in the checked bags and they could search our carry ons. Is this going to present any issues? 

[d24v 200]

It shouldn’t. They will have x-rayed the bags, have record of the number checked, and will ask you questions about them if needed. If anything you would have a slight delay at customs while they wait for your bags to arrive (though this normally doesn’t happen in Toronto by the time you walk through the airport and wait in the inevitable line at US connections). 

[BananaButton5 175]

4 minutes ago, d24v said:

It shouldn’t. They will have x-rayed the bags, have record of the number checked, and will ask you questions about them if needed. If anything you would have a slight delay at customs while they wait for your bags to arrive (though this normally doesn’t happen in Toronto by the time you walk through the airport and wait in the inevitable line at US connections). 

Thanks for your reply. I’m getting a lot of mixed messages right now. We called the airport who said we would somehow have to get our checked bags at Tornto before customs but that makes no sense to me since it should just go straight through the connection, I don’t even know how we’d get the checked bags there. Then some people seem to say the checked bags can go all the way through and we just need a list of what’s in them. I’m still pretty confused but we’re just gonna show up and go with the flow. 

[C90 376]

52 minutes ago, BananaButton5 said:

Thanks for your reply. I’m getting a lot of mixed messages right now. We called the airport who said we would somehow have to get our checked bags at Tornto before customs but that makes no sense to me since it should just go straight through the connection, I don’t even know how we’d get the checked bags there. Then some people seem to say the checked bags can go all the way through and we just need a list of what’s in them. I’m still pretty confused but we’re just gonna show up and go with the flow. 

I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you have to 're-check' your bags at your lay over, they will tell you when you first check in. Just make sure you have enough time between the flights. When I flew from the Netherlands to the US on K1, my layover was in Dublin (overseas POE) Usually you have to re-check your bags yourself when you fly from Europe to the US, but because the POE was overseas it got re-checked for me. I never saw my bags until I landed in the US and going to customs was a breeze. It was easier then when I landed with an ESTA in the US lol.

[TeamWarlock 29]

https://www.torontopearson.com/Mobile/ConnectingGuide/Detail.aspx?arr=3

 

From what I'm reading in this link (and from what I recall of my own encounters through Pearson), your bags will be checked in Ottawa, but because your connecting flight is through Toronto, you'll have to collect your bags at Pearson and bring them through to the area where the Connecting Baggage belt is. You should be fine though, as they will have x-rayed the bags (in Ottawa and in Toronto) by the time you're at the Customs area anyway.

[AstroCanada 206]

Actually there's been a bit of an update in Pearson lately.  Most Canada -> US flights actually have a weird system where your bags are automatically transferred.  You scan your boarding pass and briefly wait in a room for it to be transferred.  In most cases (at least with AC), you won't actually physically reclaim your bag.

 

I would ensure that you have plenty of time for your connection in Toronto.  You will definitely go to secondary for paperwork and depending on the wait, it might take a while!

[d24v 200]

I fly through Pearson all the time and have never had to pick up my bags before connecting. 

[BananaButton5 175]

Here’s the update. We did not have to collect our bags first. Once we got to the customs area they went and got our bags for us for the check and then put them back, we never had to see them again until we got them at baggage claim at our final destination and there was a paper in each one stating it had been checked. 

 

As for the actual processing of the K1 we only had a one hour and 45 minute lay over and we figured we would miss it, but it ended up only taking thirty minutes to get through the K1 processing and I was able to stay with him the whole time. It was all smooth except for the officer processing the visa made my fiancé very uncomfortable by saying weird things about how he must have been searching online for an internet girlfriend from the US (we met online) and further gave him grief about wanting to leave Canada. He was very off put by the experience with the officer, but all and all the system they had in place was smooth and effective.