Zurich airport - passport control and time required
 

Hi everyone,

For the return leg of my vacation, I will be departing Prague and arriving in Zurich - from Zurich I fly back to Chicago.

1. Will I go through passport control in Prague or in Zurich?

2. I have 1 hour 50 minutes between arriving in Zurich and departing for Chicago -- in your opinion will this be enough time (to go through security and passport control if required)?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/advice.

Hi bdt13

1. You will go through passport control in Zurich, as Prague to Zurich is within the so-called Schengen zone, which is handled like a domestic journey in the US.

2. 1 hour 50 minutes is ample time to go through passport control, take a short shuttle train ride from the central terminal to the E concourse and pass security in Zurich - IF your flight from Prague is not severely delayed. If you miss your connection, the airline (Swiss I assume) will re-accomodate you on a later flight, probably via JFK. Should you be flying on 2 separate tickets however, such an itinerary is risky - the airline would not be obliged to re-accomodate you on another flight if you miss your connection in Zurich.

Hope this helps,
Andre