Flying to Canada through EWR - Short layover - Do I clear customs in Newark?
Dec 15, 2018, 9:13 am
#1
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,684
Flying to Canada through EWR - Short layover - Do I clear customs in Newark?
I searched the forum and can't find any posts about this. I'm flying to Canada through Newark. I have a short layover. Am I going to have an issue getting through customs? Is Canada customs in Newark? Will my transit through Newark be the same as any other domestic itinerary?
Dec 15, 2018, 10:41 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Luxembourg
Programs: KLM/AF Platinum for life, IHG Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 1,026
Customs for flights from the US to Canada are cleared in Canada.
Customs for flights arriving in the US are cleared in the US. There is no "in transit" in the US. You arrive, you go through Immigration and Customs.
Customs for flights arriving in the US are cleared in the US. There is no "in transit" in the US. You arrive, you go through Immigration and Customs.
Dec 17, 2018, 10:12 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold, Hertz PC, National Exec
Posts: 6,736
I searched the forum and can't find any posts about this. I'm flying to Canada through Newark. I have a short layover. Am I going to have an issue getting through customs? Is Canada customs in Newark? Will my transit through Newark be the same as any other domestic itinerary?
Dec 18, 2018, 11:09 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,498
There are two possible scenarios:
As cestmoi123 said, if you're flying from Canada to EWR, you will usually preclear US customs/immigration in Canada before boarding, but I don't think any foreign governments have customs preclearance at US airports. Here's a list of the airports in Canada (and a few other countries) that have US customs/immigration preclearance:
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/...s/preclearance
- US-EWR-Canada: no immigration/customs in the US; clear Canadian immigration/customs on arrival Canada.
- Third country-EWR-Canada: clear US immigration/customs on arrival at EWR; clear Canadian immigration/customs on arrival in Canada.
As cestmoi123 said, if you're flying from Canada to EWR, you will usually preclear US customs/immigration in Canada before boarding, but I don't think any foreign governments have customs preclearance at US airports. Here's a list of the airports in Canada (and a few other countries) that have US customs/immigration preclearance:
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/...s/preclearance
Dec 30, 2018, 9:56 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,122
Your checked bags will be transferred straight on to your Tokyo flight.
Dec 31, 2018, 1:13 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,498
Note that if you are flying back through EWR to Canada from Tokyo, you WILL have to clear US customs and recheck bags at EWR on that trip.
Dec 31, 2018, 6:20 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Most Canada-to-US flights undergo US preclearance at their Canadian departure point. Passengers arriving on those flights from Canada are treated as standard domestic arrivals.
As a matter of information, CBP publishes a list of Pre-Clearance ports in Canada, the Carribean, Ireland, and UAE:
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/...s/preclearance
Jan 1, 2019, 6:35 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,122
Assuming you are flying to EWR from one of Canadian airports with US CBP preclearance, then you will not have to recheck bags at EWR. If you are arriving at EWR directly from another Canadian airport (if UA even flies to any other Canadian airports...) then you will have to clear customs and recheck bags at EWR.
Note that if you are flying back through EWR to Canada from Tokyo, you WILL have to clear US customs and recheck bags at EWR on that trip.
Note that if you are flying back through EWR to Canada from Tokyo, you WILL have to clear US customs and recheck bags at EWR on that trip.
Jan 1, 2019, 8:38 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: California
Posts: 463
For the person asking the question... you don't recheck your bags after clearing US customs in Newark. They will already be tagged by United for their final destination so all you have to do is hand them back over to United after carrying them through the exit of customs. There's a bag drop right there.
Jan 1, 2019, 12:06 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Luxembourg
Programs: KLM/AF Platinum for life, IHG Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 1,026
This is incorrect.
Most Canada-to-US flights undergo US preclearance at their Canadian departure point. Passengers arriving on those flights from Canada are treated as standard domestic arrivals.
As a matter of information, CBP publishes a list of Pre-Clearance ports in Canada, the Carribean, Ireland, and UAE:
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/...s/preclearance
Most Canada-to-US flights undergo US preclearance at their Canadian departure point. Passengers arriving on those flights from Canada are treated as standard domestic arrivals.
As a matter of information, CBP publishes a list of Pre-Clearance ports in Canada, the Carribean, Ireland, and UAE:
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/...s/preclearance
The question was not from Canada to the US, but from EWR to Canada. All canadian destinations from EWR have preclearance and thus my statements are correct.
Jan 1, 2019, 1:27 pm
#14
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,122
There isn't any Canadian pre-clearance for immigration and customs. They're all done at the Canada point of entry.
Jan 1, 2019, 2:03 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Luxembourg
Programs: KLM/AF Platinum for life, IHG Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 1,026