kirstenleigh

I am flying from airport A in the US with a layover at airport B which is also in the US and then my connecting flight is to Airport C in Europe that connects me to final destination of Airport D. So my question is: because my first flight isn't technically the international flight, will I go through customs at airport A or B?

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Neither. If you are a U.S. citizen, there are no exit formalities for leaving the United States.

You don't say which countries Airports C and D are in. That will make a difference where you go through passport control and customs upon arrival in Europe.

If your return itinerary is the same but in reverse, you go through U.S. immigration and customs in Airport B on the way back.

kirstenleigh

That is strange because I was told that I would have to go through customs before leaving the United States. C & D are Germany & Italy. Thank you for the help.

J62

Perhaps you're confusing the word customs with passport control. Customs is the control of importing goods INTO a country. Immigration is the control of people into a country.

As jeff said there are no emigration, or exit formalities leaving the US. If flight A-B and B-C are on the same airline then you WILL be required to show your passport to the airline at 1st checkin, at airport A. Sometimes you need to show your passport before you get on the plane at B. This is not a government requirement, but rather a check by the airline. If you are turned away from entering Germany at C then the airline is responsible for flying you back home.

You will go through immigration (passport control) in Germany, and customs in Italy.

qwovadis

travel.state.gov good info exit entry info on all your countries

Generally I just clear customs on the way in at first US airport

Happy Travels!

qwovadis

As long as you do not try what this guy did

odds are u will be fine...

Man hid 7 snakes, 3 tortoises in pants trying to board plane, MIAMI - The Transportation Security Administration says a man tried to board a flight from Miami ...
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...kes-pants.html

Kay2

"That is strange because I was told that I would have to go through customs before leaving the United States."

You weren't told that on this board in your previous post. Everyone here and on your previous post has given you consistent, correct information.

Leaving US, USAirways will check your passport for identity and to make sure you have one to enter your destination country.
Arriving in FRA, their immigration officials will check your passport, may ask where you are going, how long you are staying, why are you going to Italy, etc.
Arriving in Italy, their customs officials will check whether you are bringing in items that are not allowed.

Departing Italy, the airline will check your passport.
Arriving in PHL, US immigration official will check your passport, may ask where you went, why, etc. and will make sure you have completed a customs declaration form.
Then you will retrieve your luggage and US customs officials (and perhaps a sniffing dog) will check whether you are bringing in too much in value so you have to pay duty, or you are bringing in items that are not allowed such as fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.

J62

I wish you hadn't pointed this out to us Kay2. I feel duped into answering the same questions for the same person - makes me a bit annoyed I bothered to take the time when they obviously aren't paying attention to the answers already provided.

Kay2

As a new poster, Kirsten just doesn't realize what an expert you are, J62 Everyone has to learn who the reliable sources of information are and the person who told her misinformation isn't on this board.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I'm going to give the OP a complete pass on this. If you took the time to read through her previous thread, this is a totally new question. It wasn't asked or addressed there.

This is a question here about what happens when you fly out of the U.S. I've traveled enough to know that the answer is "Nothing, if you're a U.S. citizen, beyond showing your passport to the person at the airline counter when you check in." But if you've never done this before, intuitively you'd think you had to do more, that there must me some type of official exit procedure. Indeed, many countries do do that, but not the U.S. for its own citizens.

There's no reason for anyone to feel ashamed for asking a new question.

Kirsten, have a great trip. Things will go fine.

suze

<I was told that I would have to go through customs before leaving the United States.>

Well you don't. You were "told" wrong. Customs is upon entering a new country.

suze

J62, Chill pill please. I hardly think you were "duped".

P_M

Isn't the flight from Germany to Italy treated as a domestic flight since both countries are in the Schengen zone? Last year I flew from France to Italy and I went through no checks at all when I arrived in Venice.

J62

You may not have noticed it, but you did actually pass through customs upon arrival in Venice. For all intents and purposes it's nothing more than walking out the exit door after baggage claim, but here are customs officers.

You are supposed to exit through the red lane if you have goods to declare. Whether you saw them or not, there are customs officers watching people, and they can stop you if they choose. I don't think I've ever stopped or been stopped for customs in Europe. Asia, yes, but never Europe.

The Schengen zone is primarily about the free movement of people. Customs covers goods, not people. The transportation of goods between countries is governed by a different set of EU agreements, not the Schengen treaty.

kirstenleigh

Thank you all for the help. I wasn't saying that anybody on here told me that I would have to go through customs in the US, one of my friends told me that. All of this information was very helpful and I think I will be okay at the airports now.

rkkwan

Maybe your friend is carrying over US$10,000 worth of cash, which the US Customs require reporting.