jules4je7

Last time we went to Europe, we flew direct from Denver to London on BA...this time we're flying to Newark NJ and hopping the pond from there.

Do we go through US customs (i.e. passport check) here in Denver, or do I need to do it in Newark on the way out?

Thanks

Jules

janis

OK - you are sort of confusing terms. Customs is what you do when returning from overseas - to declare any goods you are bringing in. Immigration is also done on your return - a passport check to see whether you will be allowed back into the country. Both are done at the first airport you hit in the States.

On the trip over, all you will have is a brief passport check at the airline check in desk, and a security check for your bags.

You will face immigration at your first arrival airport in Europe.

Intrepid1

Since you aren't leaving the country when you fly out of Denver nothing is required (although your passport might be checked prior to issuing a boarding pass).

You actually don't go through US Customs at all on the way out other than the checking of your passport (by airline personnel).

jules4je7

Perfect. Thank you.

Christina

You'll do it in Newark. You do it in the first international airport you arrive at in the US, as I understand it, for customs.
But, you aren't referring to customs, it seems, which is for when you return.

I don't know what you are referring to, but all airlines want ID checks when you board now, anyway, whether a domestic flight or not. They are going to be checking your passport a lot and certainly are not going to allow someone on an international flight leaving Newark without checking their passport. They are probably going to ask you if you have it and check it in Denver, also, if they are aware you are flying internationally.

You are not going to be standing in long customs lines to go to Europe, in either case.

Why do you care about this?

jules4je7

I care because I'm not the only one flying to Europe -- and wanted to know if there would be any delay between flights while someone else needs to check my passport besides Airline personnel, and apparently that is not the case, for which I am relieved.

My Mom and my Aunt are meeting up in Houston to fly together to Paris (we're all meeting in Paris), and I wanted to make sure no one was going to get hung up between flights before we fly out of the country. Whenever I've gone direct from Denver on a non-stop flight (and it's been two years so I forgot) they checked my passport at the BA counter and that was it. A Homer Simpson slap to the forehead to me. "DOH"

Thanks for the info.

rkkwan

The US is one of the few countries in the world that doesn't have passport control for leaving the country. It's unlike most countries in the world, and is therefore not a dumb question if you haven't travelled internationally.

The agent who issues your boarding pass, in this case at Denver, will check your passport - mainly to see if you have the correct documents to enter the other country (UK in this case). And if one's a foreign visitor to the US, then the airline is responsible for collecting the remaining part of the I-94 stapled to the passport.

If you already have your boarding pass for your Newark-UK flight, then your experience at EWR will be exactly the same as you're flying Newark-Boston - no additional security or passport checks.

bob_brown

Although airline ticket agents and gate agents will most probably check your passport before you leave the US, you will not go through official customs and immigration control until you arrive at your destination in Europe.

One year I flew from Charlotte to Philadelphia before changing to an international flight. The ticket agent in Charlotte saw that I was headed for Europe. As a result, she checked to make sure I had a passport. I don't think the agent could have prevented me from flying to Philadelphia because possession of a passport is not required in the US. But I sure as heck would have had a hard time getting on the flight to Europe without one.

Other than passport possession verification and identification, I have never gone through any official check leaving the US. No TSA person looked at my passport unless I used it for ID at the security gate.

My guess is that the agent who checks your luggage in Denver will see that you are continuing on to Europe and ask to see your passport. When you board the flight overseas in Newark, my guess is that you will be checked again as you enter the aircraft.

Coming back, you get the full customs and immigration control treatment after landing in the US. Usually in Europe, there is a check to make sure you have a passport, and I doubt if you could get on the aircraft without one.

However, if you are going to and returning from Canada, everything is handled in Canada. US officials are present in Canadian airports to handle the processing of all passengers who board US bound flights. That procedure was in place long before 9/11.