1st time international traveler
 

Hello everyone, first time international traveler here! I am looking to have some questions answered...
Background--I am traveling to Rome at the end of July from Minneapolis with a connection in Amsterdam and have questions about immigrations/customs.

1) at what point in my journey will I have to go through immigration/customs? will I go through immigration at Amsterdam or once I reach Rome? at what point on my return trip will I go through immigration/customs?
2) do I need to go through customs if I do not have any checked bags and just carry on luggage?

Hi rynezuzi,

Welcome.

I'm sure that someone here will correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, you will go through Immigration when you first enter the Schengen area, i.e. when you land in Amsterdam. As you are then traveling onto Rome, so long as you stay airside, and remain "in transit", you will not go through customs until you exit the airside at Rome, where you will have to go through immigration again, but as you are already within the Schengen area, that should be a formality.

On the way back, customs doesn't really come into it until you get to the US, where they have their own rules. You will have to go through passport control at Rome, and again at Amsterdam as the airlines need to make sure that you are travelling legally else they get heavily fined.

You still need to go through customs whether you have checked luggage, carry on, or no luggage at all, but you can safely go through the Green "nothing to declare" gate [assuming that to be true of course].

is your connection with the same airline or an internal EU flight?

bilboburgler, yes it is the same airline (well Delta/KLM)

You will go through passport control in Amsterdam, and walk through the green channel for customs in Rome. You don't have to go through immigration gain in Rome.
Leaving you will go through passport control in Amsterdam.
The airline will want to see your passport, to check it is valid, at check-in in Rome but you will get your Schengen exit stamp in Amsterdam.
You will go through security at Amsterdam before your Rome flight, and both airports on departure.

It's been awhile since I flew with Delta through Amsterdam, but at that time the airline ran its own security check at the departure lounge for the flight west apart from the airport's overall procedure. That means a little more time is required before you enter the aircraft.

Southam - they all do that now. At CDG we were checked endless times, including at the gate AND at the top of the steps down to the aircraft, [which were about 2 meters from the gate] by people who had seen us being checked 5 seconds earlier.