When do we pass through Customs/Immigration?
 

Hello Everyone,
I have a question that I apologize may seem naive. For you seasoned travelers though, I’m sure you will know the answer. It is regarding passing through Immigration / Customs.

Here are our 3 flights.
We reside in the United States.
Air France: LAX –LHR via CDG
EasyJet: Edinburgh-CDG
Delta: FCO-LAX via Atlanta

At which points do we go through Customs / Immigration? I’m just trying to plan for time issues.

Thank you for your help,
Michele

Since the UK isn;t in Schengen I believe you won;t go through immigration until you get to London (you should stay airside at CDG - and never go landside). You will also go through Customs there - assuming your luggage is checked through. (Just don;t understand why you would want to add so many hours to a trip from LAX to London).

Coming back you will go through immigration and customs in Atlanta - since the flight from ATlanta to LAX will be domestic.

You will also got through passport control in Edinburgh upon departure, and at CDG through immigration and customs if you are not flying to FCO. If you are flying to FCO you will go through immigration in Paris and customs at FCO.

Hi nytraveler,
Thank you for your reply. So we will not go through customs coming from Edinburgh to Paris? Different countries and all? I just don't know how this works.

Trust me I didn't want to route through CDG but we booked the tickets using Delta points and originally it was nonstop from LAX-LHR, 10 hrs. Yippeeeee!!! I thought.

Then last week we were notified that Air France has discontinued the nonstop and we now have a three hour layover in CDG. But I can't whine too loudly, as we got over $3000 in tickets for under $100 per person.

I'm just looking so forward to this trip that nothing is going to put a damper on it. After everything we have been through this past year this is minor.

Thank you,
Michele

Technically, going through customs means these days that you pick one out of 2 or 3 possible exits:

Red: Goods to declare
Green: Nothing to declare
Blue: Intra EU flights (which would also include the UK)

This system of self declaration by choosing one of those exits plus random spot control replaced one-by-one inspections.

Since allowances for travel within in the EU are really high (e.g. 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine..), you will hardly to able to "smuggle" anything unintentionally between Edinburgh and Paris :-)

Hello,
Soooooo...we will go through customs at LHR and then in Atlanta on the way home.

Also, in CDG after arriving from Edinburgh? We will not have anything except some souvenirs, no alcohol or tobaco etc, and not expensive ones at that, coming from Edinbugh so how long do you think it will take at CDG that day?

Thank you,
Michele

Once your flight from EDI has landed at CDG, you will go thru passport control. There may be a wait.
Go to baggage claim and pick up your stuff.
Walk out of one of the color-coded exits. No wait.
Done, your landside.

What can take time is security check that you have to go through at various points. Often the lines are a lot longer and slower moving than passport or customs. At CDG coming from LAX, you will go through security before going to the gate for LHR flight because you are transfering from longhaul to intra-European flight which comes under a different regulation. Security lines at CDG are notoriously slow. There will be security before boarding flight at EDI, and you will go through security at FCO and again at ATL on your homebound flights. Also there will be a US immigration check prior to boarding at FCO, and again on landing at ATL, which can be slow.

The United Kingdom doesn't have passport control for exiting passengers. So, at EDI, you will go through security check, but you won't go through immigration.

Hello,
Thank you all for your most helpful answers. I guess I'm glad we have a longer connection time at CDG coming from LAX, so we won't have the chance to miss our flight to LHR. Now I will know what to expect at each step along the way.

Again, the experienced Fodors come through for us less experienced travelers.

Thank you again and have a great day,
Michele

Since your LAX-LHR trip via CDG is all on one ticket, if worse came to worst and you came in too late from LAX to make the switch in Paris, you would get put on the next available flight. Ditto on the return in ATL.

But if you were to fly into FCO on, say, EasyJet, too late to make the ATL flight, you would be considered a no-show since neither airline owes the other (and you) anything.

Hi DalaiLlama,
Thank you. I understand. We will be getting a lease car once we are done in Paris, after arriving from Edinburgh. Then we will drop the lease car in Rome before our time there and then fly home to US from FCO. So, no chance of a flight delay with that regards.

Thanks for the help,
Michele