Darius4

Hi everyone,

I will fly to New York in December this year leaving from Bucharest, Romania I will have a connection probably in Istanbul / Amsterdam / London or another major airport, I have not booked my ticket yet still trying to find a good connection time and a good fare for that.

However, some friends of mine told me that when you are traveling to USA you might get a short (security ?) interview on the connecting airport.

What questions do they ask ? How long this interview will take in order to calculate a safety connection time.

I am visiting some friends of mine in New York.

Thanks

bdemaria

The length of time can vary - but it shouldn't be more than a few minutes - and the questions are no different than one finds at any int'l airport these days.

LondonElite

I believe as a Romanian citizen, you will still need a visa. I assume you have this sorted out. In time Bulgaria will benefit from the Visa Waiver Program, but I believe this is not in place. The questions you will be asked (if at all) are about why you are going, where you are going, why you are going, if you have enough money...etc. Nothing to worry about.

Darius4

Well I haven't flown that much outside Europe so I am not familiar with any type of interview. I was not asked any questions whatsoever in Europe ...

@LondonElite: I am a Romanian citizen and have a B2 tourist visa valid for 10 years, issued 2 years ago.

Do I have to carry the money in cash ? I'm not really comfortable with that. I can take $1000 in cash but can I keep the rest on my credit card and print a statement ?

beachmouse

Too much cash can actually be kind of suspicious for assorted reasons. A credit card and bank statement are generally seen as preferred if you need to prove funds for some reason.

Darius4

Alright. Thank you

LondonElite

My apologies Darius4, I read your post quickly and then typed from memory...now corrected! The same immigration procedures apply for Romania, but you are sorted out there.

Don't bring cash (at least not too much!) They just want to see that you have the means to support yourself (ie credit cards, return tickets, etc). Just having a credit card will be fine. Thousands of travellers go through every day.

MSPeconomist

Other typical questions include who paid for your plane ticket, what is in your luggage, when/where it was packed, maybe questions about the purpose of previous trips abroad.

There's some overlap with potential immigration questions when you land in the USA, such as purpose and duration of trip, do you have enough funds, do you have a job and family back home, etc.

Typically the questions take only a few minutes, but there can be lines for this step. At AMS they ask the questions at the gate, so if you are still in line, airline personnel can see the line so that it's very unlikely that you would miss a flight due to the security question lines. Still, it can be wise to go immediately to your gate to allow time for any problems that could arise.

Darius4

Thanks everyone.

I was concerned about this because I am that kind of guy that gets easily intimidated by people who do these type of interviews. Must be because of all the crazy stories you read online these days ...

I don't want to appear nervous and raise suspicions just because I tend to be more emotional (usually is because I am tired). I do have an answer for everything mentioned here, hopefully there won't be any issues.

beachmouse

If you've already got the B2 visa, then you've been judged a reasonably low risk for crime or overstay at some level, and while there are no guarantees on anything in life, you should be just fine.

Darius4

Alright, this makes me more confident.

wrp96

No guarantees but these security questions are more likely to happen on a US based carrier than a non-US based carrier, so since you haven't booked your ticket, consider flying on a European or a Middle Eastern carrier rather than a US carrier.

TheEmirate

I've got hit by the pre-question American Customs guys while flying AMS-JFK.

Its usually not very hard hitting stuff.

What is the purpose of your trip?
Who are you travelling with?
What do you do for a living?
etc.

They were must more thorough then our pre-clearance US customs here in Canada though.

In Canada USA pre-clearance it goes like this:

USA Customs dude:"Where are you travelling?"
Me: Miami Beach
USA Customs dude: "You're all set, have a great trip".

JPG3392

You should not be worried. Do not carry too much cash, as doing so would raise suspicions. But be sure that your bank card (debit card; not a credit card) can be used in the USA.

bdemaria

One should also recognize that there is a difference between the security questions that will be asked before boarding any TATL flight and the questions that will be asked by US immigration upon arrival in the states.