customs at CDG
Dec 22, 2007 | 10:52 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: DC
Programs: DL gold; UA - 1k; AA gold; Marriott Platinum; Hyatt Diamond; SPG gold; Groupon Falcon;
Posts: 747
customs at CDG
Can someone tell me how customs at CDG works - are there forms to fill out, like the US, or is it more like German airports where you just kind of walk through?
Thank you
Thank you
Dec 22, 2007 | 11:01 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM1K,AA EXP
Posts: 1,192
CDG customs
You will have to fill out a yellow immigration card that is handed to an agent before proceeding to the luggage carousels. Customs is to the left of the carousels and you just wheel your luggage through. 99.9% of the passengers just wheel through---no questions, no inspections. It's pretty easy.
Dec 22, 2007 | 11:36 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: OMA
Programs: UA
Posts: 342
Like Willie said during your inbound flight you will be given a yellow card to fill out . You hand the yellow immigration card and your passport to the agent and you are done. Several times there hasn't been anyone at the customs stations at all.
Dec 24, 2007 | 4:03 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ICN / 평택
Programs: AA, DL Gold, UA Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 8,713
It does beg the question, Why does one Schengen nation (France) require a landing card and another (Germany) requires none upon entry?
Both countries have been in my experience a painless immigration process. I've never been asked so much as a single question to immigrate into France, Germany only a question once or twice. Usually it is a passport scan, a stamp, and on my way.
Both countries have been in my experience a painless immigration process. I've never been asked so much as a single question to immigrate into France, Germany only a question once or twice. Usually it is a passport scan, a stamp, and on my way.
Dec 26, 2007 | 8:33 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,337
Two things. The yellow landing card is rarely required even though some airlines give it out. The CDG immigration agents only recently started stamping passports on a (nearly) regularly basis.
The other thing is that IME brown-skinned people do not get waived through French customs. This is true of most other Euro countries too.
The other thing is that IME brown-skinned people do not get waived through French customs. This is true of most other Euro countries too.
Dec 26, 2007 | 9:27 am
#7
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Paris, France, AF F+ Rouge pour toujours, Flying Blue whatever, LH FTL, HHonors Gold, formerly proud SCC Executive, now IC Ambassador, BA down to nobody, Grand Voyageur Le Club
Posts: 12,515
I am of Asian descent and I have been stopped by customs at most twice over the last nine years when travelling in European countries.
Dec 26, 2007 | 9:32 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,337
Well IME means "in my experience" and I was mostly referring to people who appear to be of African nationality or descent. And I have witnessed this many times, including to French citizens who have African heritage. Including people I travel with. Yet I as a white person have never been stopped after hundreds of entries into Europe.
You can sit by the entry port any time, any day and witness this yourself.
You can sit by the entry port any time, any day and witness this yourself.
Dec 26, 2007 | 9:40 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,335
Well IME means "in my experience" and I was mostly referring to people who appear to be of African nationality or descent. And I have witnessed this many times, including to French citizens who have African heritage. Including people I travel with. Yet I as a white person have never been stopped after hundreds of entries into Europe.
They do seem to be stamping passports pretty regularly now.
Dec 26, 2007 | 9:46 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,337
Dec 26, 2007 | 5:55 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 573
Never gotten a stamp in my passport, though....
Dec 27, 2007 | 6:17 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Programs: KL Gold, SQ KF Gold, CX Green
Posts: 9,524
Ok, white guy here, carrying European passport -- and stopped an avg. of 1/year at CDG over the past decade and a half. Not that much of a hassle, compared to waiting for baggage delivery (when having checked-in bags, that is).....
Never gotten a stamp in my passport, though....
Never gotten a stamp in my passport, though....
Dec 27, 2007 | 6:32 am
#13
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: near DTW
Posts: 247
However, on returning from FRA later that week, the German official wanted to know why I didn't have a stamp and when I entered Europe.
Dec 27, 2007 | 3:34 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
I flew into CDG on NW-50 on Dec.15th -- they gave us the yellow card onf the flight but the French officials didn't take the card and no stamp in US passport. It was just walk through and look at the passport.
However, on returning from FRA later that week, the German official wanted to know why I didn't have a stamp and when I entered Europe.
However, on returning from FRA later that week, the German official wanted to know why I didn't have a stamp and when I entered Europe.
Unless you have only a few stamps in your passport, did the officials scruntinize your passport that carefully? [My passport was issued in 2001 and I have stamps over stamps over stamps on many pages...it would be difficult for anyone to make out what is there.
Dec 27, 2007 | 3:46 pm
#15
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: NY Metro Area
Programs: AA 2MM Yay!, UA MM, Costco General Member
Posts: 50,865
