question about customs/processing in AMS
 

I'm sorry to bother yall with what I'm sure is a stupid question to you, but I've never actually done this before.

I'll be flying from the states, into AMS, then onto another EU city about two hours later. Will I need to be processed in both cities? Just AMS? Just my destination city?

Again, apologies for what is certainly a very rudimentary question -- but I've looked several places on the web and can't find anything!

Thanks

If your final destination is within Schengen, you will clear passport control in AMS and clear customs at your final destination.

Hi HeelLaw.

The answer is: it depends.

If your luggage is not checked through, you will need to clear immigration at Amsterdam, collect your luggage, clear customs, and check in again.

If your luggage is checked through (or you are hand luggage only) and you don't have a boarding pass for your connecting flight, you can check in at one of the airside transfer desks without clearing immigration or customs.

If your destination is a Schengen country, you clear immigration at Amsterdam and customs on your hand luggage, at the transfer points between E/C or D/C gates. The connecting flight is then treated like a domestic flight, except that you must clear customs for your checked luggage (green channel instead of blue).

If your destination is a non-Schengen country, you don't clear immigration or customs at all at Amsterdam, only at your destination.

If I remember correctly, all EU countries bar the UK and Ireland are now Schengen countries.

One tip - if you do go through the Non-Schengen - Schengen tranfer between E and C, and the lines are huge, walk round the corner towards the D gates, where the lines are usually much shorter.

Feel free to correct, everyone!

Great, thanks for the explanation. No wonder I couldn't find it online...it sounds pretty complicated.

As it is, I should have luggage checked through to Italy (which I believe is a Schengen country), and since I'll be arriving on a NW flight and transferring to KLM, I should have boarding pass when I arrive in AMS.

I have a relatively short connection in AMS...do I HAVE to go through customs there, or can I just sit on it and wait and do the whole thing in Italy?

If it turns out that I don't check luggage, and everything is on my person, does that change the answer?

Thanks again

As far as I know, the only way to get from your arrival gate (where you arrive from the US) to the gate of your Italy-bound flight is by going through immigrations and customs. The good news is that unless there are extremely many people waiting, the whole procedure will only take a few minutes (it's much quicker than arriving in the US).

Whether or not you have luggage checked shouldn't make a difference in AMS, only at your final destination in Italy.

- Martin

I'll follow with an observation that maybe somebody can comment on.

When i fly KLM to Europe,I usually continue either to CDG or to SVO. When continuing onto SVOits obviously not a Schengen country and I dont have to go through any sort of immigration/customs at AMS.

However, when I fly to CDG, I just go through the passport control at AMS, and then...when I arrive to CDG I never have to go through customs. I mean not once did I have to go through any sort of customs inspection check point at CDG! Is this normal? I am not complaining,I am actually quite happy about it,but everytime I get my luggage that has been checked in PHX (US) all the way through to CDG (France) I never had to go through customs! I find it interesting and rather strange...

I am flying to VIE through AMS again soon and I wonder if I will encounter any sort f customs check in VIE...not that it matters,but simple curiousity.

Any thoughts?

Customs at CDG is cursory at best... You wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking, especially at Aérogare 1...

My experience of going through AMS to FCO is that there is a passport check in AMS and then nothing, no passport and no customs upon arrival in Rome. I take my luggage and leave.

There is customs in Rome, but you don't notice it. All checked bags without green bordered EU-origin tags are subject to customs inspection. However, an Italian customs officer is sitting in a booth somewhere smoking a cigarette and watching you leave! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I do TYS-VIE 3x a year. They never checked me in last 6 years. There are 2 exits in VIE. The green one (nothing to declare) and the red one (if you have something to declare).

--Jano

[This message has been edited by Jano (edited 07-30-2003).]