Rome Airport Customs Time
 

Hi,

I am landing in Rome Airport (Fiumicino) at 2:30PM on a Sunday in June. I was wondering how long it would take to get through customs to the train (Leonardo Express) that would take me to Roma Termini. I am traveling with a US Passport and only carry-on baggage (won't need to go to baggage claim).

I'm trying to figure out what time train I can take out of Roma Termini on to my final destination. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Last time I went through FCO (earlier this year on Sunday afternoon), passport control took minutes (I am EU citizen but US passport holder shouldn't have to wait much longer) and customs are non-existent - just walk through the green channel. Walk to the train station perhaps takes about 5-10 minutes using escalators and footbridges.

Leonardo Express is a very basic regional express train; goes every 30 min to Roma Termini and costs 14€. FM1 regional train runs more often; cost 8€, goes to Roma Trastevere, Roma Ostiense, Roma Tuscolana & Roma Tiburtina (connectable to metro or bus). Also there is a cheaper but slower bus to Termini @4€ http://www.terravision.eu

Hi ew,

At Customs just walk through the door that says "Nothing to Declare".

If you are held up it will be at Immigration.

As noted, however, the LDV runs every 1/2 hr.

((I))

A month ago, it took us less than 15 minutes to get through customs.

And if you're destination is Trastevere, follow hkto's advice and take the FL1 regional train. It boards at the same place as the Leonardo Express. Much easier (and more direct) than getting off at Termini and then having to take a bus to Trastevere.

"I am EU citizen but US passport holder shouldn't have to wait much longer"

This has absolutely not been my experience at FCO on my last 3 trips. It has taken a minimum of 30 minutes, if not 45, to get through passport control at FCO in the non-EU citizen lines. The EU citizen line is always (enviously) short.

It depends on when you arrive. At Terminal 3 (where all non-Schengen arrivals are filtered through), when several longhaul flights from outside Europe have just landed, then non-EU lines will be long and slow moving. But at other times, since most passengers are EU/EEA, non-EU line tends to be shorter and moves fairly quickly. At times EU line is considerably longer, and while it moves fast, it's no faster than the shorter, non-EU line.

I am non-EU, and had no probs a month ago.

As stated it is generally pretty quick. Once several years ago on arrival it was loaded with lots of people in line from Middle Eastern Countries. After about 15-20 min in line that was going nowhere an offical stood on a bench and said who is American? who is a Canadian? show your hands. Hands went up - he pointed to the door and simply said "Use it" no stamp, no customs.

Thanks for the responses! Do you think an hour is (more than) enough time to get to the Leonardo Express then? I am hoping to catch a 17:10 train out of Roma Termini.

You should be ok, unless your flight is somehow delayed. To get the cheapest fare, you have to buy a ticket for a specific train out of Termini in advance (this doesn't apply to regional trains). If your flight is delayed and you miss your train, there's no refund and you have to buy a new ticket.

Could I buy a ticket at the Leonardo Express platform so I know what time train I will be able to take from Termini? I heard would be places to buy Trenitalia tickets there.

Yes, there are a couple of ticket windows plus automated ticket machines.

We have never purchased tickets ahead of time. I have no idea how much cheaper it is to do so, but I wouldn't want to worry about timing. In any case, purchasing your tix right there is easy as pie.

We bought tickets at the airport all the way to Firenze, changing at Termini.

Advance purchases are cheaper, of course, but the lack of worry is worth the cost to us. YMMV.

Are advance tickets cheaper?

My experience is they're not, and "bookings" for specific trains are meaningless. You can't reserve seats anyway, and the ticket inspectors don't check the theoretical time you've indicated: the system requests a time merely because that's how Trenitalia's system works. It's Italian and state-owned: you don't expect any sense in it, for god's sake. Cosa vuoi? as they say locally: Siamo in Italia.

There's obviously a case for having the tix in your hands before arriving(though it's the work of about 0.3 nanosecs to buy them at the platform). But you can enter any time you like and it just doesn't matter.

Actually savings for advance purchase tickets on fast (Le Frecce) train can be quite significant but not on regional ones.