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JFK - LAX - SYD Where is immigration clearance?

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Old May 27, 2018, 6:08 pm
  #1  
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JFK - LAX - SYD Where is immigration clearance?
Hi all,

sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn’t find a thread or post on it. We’re flying DL 212 JFK - LAX then DL 41 LAX - SYD. This gives us not quite 2 hours in LAX. My question is where do we clear customs/ immigration? I’ve read some (qantas flights) info that seems to indicate that customs/ immigration is cleared in JFK and it’s just a straight transfer of metal in LAX, but I can’t find anything indicating if this is the same for DL. Could anyone enlighten me?

Thanks!
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:12 pm
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Originally Posted by Jenny Mason
Hi all,

sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn’t find a thread or post on it. We’re flying DL 212 JFK - LAX then DL 41 LAX - SYD. This gives us not quite 2 hours in LAX. My question is where do we clear customs/ immigration? I’ve read some (qantas flights) info that seems to indicate that customs/ immigration is cleared in JFK and it’s just a straight transfer of metal in LAX, but I can’t find anything indicating if this is the same for DL. Could anyone enlighten me?

Thanks!
You will clear in SYD. Australia doesn't have a pre-clearance system
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:16 pm
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Originally Posted by kjnangre
You will clear in SYD. Australia doesn't have a pre-clearance system
And USA does not have exit controls/emigration
At JFK DL may check that you have legal entry to Australia (= Ozzie passport?). Or at LAX

You can get VA ff points for DL flights
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:20 pm
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Originally Posted by kjnangre
You will clear in SYD. Australia doesn't have a pre-clearance system
Sorry, I should have been clearer, I know I clear customs/ immigration into Aus in Sydney (I’m Aussie and have done it many times), but I’ve never flown JFK -LAX - SYD, so I’m wondering where we do our exit clearance from the USA. I’ve only ever flown out of LAX to SYD before. Apologies for the confusion.
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:25 pm
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Originally Posted by Mwenenzi
And USA does not have exit controls/emigration
At JFK DL may check that you have legal entry to Australia (= Ozzie passport?). Or at LAX

You can get VA ff points for DL flights
Ah, so there’s no exit controls out of the US? Thank you. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been, so I couldn’t remember. Thus, check bags through at JFK to SYD, clear security and off we go, with another potential security clearance at LAX depending on terminals we fly into and out of. We’re both Aussie so the legal entry into Aus won’t be an issue.

And, yep, got our VA ff numbers in for the DL flights. Thank you for the info!
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:26 pm
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Originally Posted by Jenny Mason
Sorry, I should have been clearer, I know I clear customs/ immigration into Aus in Sydney (I’m Aussie and have done it many times), but I’ve never flown JFK -LAX - SYD, so I’m wondering where we do our exit clearance from the USA. I’ve only ever flown out of LAX to SYD before. Apologies for the confusion.
There is no exit clearance. The airline will quickly ask to see your passport when you check in and/or as you board, but they aren't doing any kind of clearance, they just want to make sure you have one and are carrying it with you.
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:26 pm
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Originally Posted by Jenny Mason


Sorry, I should have been clearer, I know I clear customs/ immigration into Aus in Sydney (I’m Aussie and have done it many times), but I’ve never flown JFK -LAX - SYD, so I’m wondering where we do our exit clearance from the USA. I’ve only ever flown out of LAX to SYD before. Apologies for the confusion.
As previous poster noted, the US does not have any exit clearance. Your connection is basically like a domestic connection. The only difference is that a DL agent will need to check and verify your passport info at some point. Once this is done, you boarding pass will show "DOCS OK" on it.
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:27 pm
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Originally Posted by kjnangre
There is no exit clearance. The airline will quickly ask to see your passport when you check in and/or as you board, but they aren't doing any kind of clearance, they just want to make sure you have one and are carrying it with you.
Thank you. 😊
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:28 pm
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Originally Posted by Jenny Mason

Ah, so there’s no exit controls out of the US? Thank you. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been, so I couldn’t remember. Thus, check bags through at JFK to SYD, clear security and off we go, with another potential security clearance at LAX depending on terminals we fly into and out of. We’re both Aussie so the legal entry into Aus won’t be an issue.
Correct! You won't even have to worry about the additional security clearance at LAX, Delta runs "airside" buses between the terminals so you don't have to exit the secure area
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:30 pm
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Originally Posted by kjnangre
Correct! You won't even have to worry about the additional security clearance at LAX, Delta runs "airside" buses between the terminals so you don't have to exit the secure area
Oh, nice! 😊
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:36 pm
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Two hours is more than sufficient, although it's nice to have some time to spare rather than running to the next gate.
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:50 pm
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Originally Posted by kjnangre
There is no exit clearance. The airline will quickly ask to see your passport when you check in and/or as you board, but they aren't doing any kind of clearance, they just want to make sure you have one and are carrying it with you.
For international flights it is a lot more than that. The airline must check you have a visa/passport for entry to country you are flying to. The passenger is the airlines (big) problem if they let them board without the appropriate documentation/passport/visa.
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Old May 27, 2018, 6:56 pm
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Originally Posted by Mwenenzi
For international flights it is a lot more than that. The airline must check you have a visa/passport for entry to country you are flying to. The passenger is the airlines (big) problem if they let them board without the appropriate documentation/passport/visa.
OP is Australian. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Australians don't need a visa to travel to Australia.
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Old May 27, 2018, 7:59 pm
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When the airline sends outbound international flight passenger manifests to Homeland Security, a form of exit clearance happens behind the scenes in the sense that persons traveling on international passports are 'logged out' of the country electronically upon the transmission of that document rather than DHS having to pay for people to physically do so at the airport.

There's actually a different form that non-Canadians and non-Americans supposed to use if exiting the USA at a land border where there isn't that kind of passenger manifest to note your departure.
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Old May 27, 2018, 8:14 pm
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Originally Posted by kjnangre
OP is Australian. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Australians don't need a visa to travel to Australia.
Yes but they don't know for sure OP has Australian passport until they physically verify it.
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