I'm looking at flights from the US to Stockholm, returning through Oslo. Anyone know, if I connect through Heathrow or Frankfurt going or coming back, do I have to clear customs and security or is that avoided?

I'm also thinking about a direct flight from Oslo to Stockholm on the way home, then transfering to my homebound flight, as it's $300 cheaper to fly roundtrip US to ARN than to do the open jaw, and I can fly OSL to ARN for under $100. Any estimates on the pain factor claiming bags in ARN and rechecking for the international flight? We're taklking Norwegian airlines here, then LH or SAS; not SAS to SAS.

AFAIK you will always need to re-clear Security when arriving from the USA and continuing to a destination within the EU.

Depending on whether or not you have bags to check you may be able to transit airside at LHR, which means no Immigration (which I presume is what you really mean when you say "Customs").

If you are transiting through FRA things are different because Germany is in the Schengen zone (the UK is not) so you are clearing Schengen Immigration at FRA.

Can't help with the ARN baggage question but I'm sure somebody can.

I certainly have had to re-clear security at LHR when flying from the USA and onwards. If your bags are checked the whole way, you can transit airside and need not clear immigration and customs.

So to further push, do you think a 2 hour connection in FRA from the US to ARN is feasible? Do your posts mean that even though I enter the Schengen zone in FRA, I don't clear customs with my bags till ARN?

How about a 1:25 connection in ARN from OSL to the US? I presume bags can be checked the whole way for this one, since its Schengen to Schengen and THEN to the US.

Whether or not you can check bags depends on baggage interlining agreements between airlines.

If you're on a single itinerary then 99% of the time you can check your bags all the way to your destination. (I used to think it was 100% of the time until a friend told me about the time he wasn't able to check a bag from one BD coded flight to another on the same itinerary - operating carriers were Air Canada and Air Malta)

If you're on separate itineraries much will depend on the goodwill of your first airline. If you're within the same alliance there is a reasonable chance that bags can be checked through. If you're using carriers in different alliances the chance of being able to interline your baggage is a lot less. If one of your carriers is a low-cost carrier (didn't you mention Norwegian?) you can be almost 100% certain that you will have to collect and recheck your bag.

Two hours at FRA is fine if your bags get checked all the way through. If you're arriving at ARN on Norwegian then you will almost definitely have to collect and recheck bags, and 1:25 won't be enough.

Thanks much.

The 1:25 is SAS to SAS, which appear to be in the same terminal since Norway is considered international to Sweden (not treated as domestic despite the no passport rules up there) If I give up on flying on itin home from Oslo, then I'd fly in much earlier on Norwegian expecting to have to collect bags and just feeling lucky they're both Schengen and I wont need customs/immigration.

It is not "considered" international; it IS international. Norway and Sweden are two different countries, wholly independent of each other. The Nordic Passport union allowing passportless travel between the countries does not change that, any more than the Schengen treaty makes Finland and Spain the same country since you can travel passportless between them. Actually, travel between Norway and Sweden is more international than travel between Finland and Spain or any other EU-country, because Norway is outside the EU. There are customs controls between the countries with stricter limits than within the EU, and travelling between Norway and Sweden even entitles one to shop duty free. Sorry for the rant, but independant European kingdoms should not be considered the equivalent of states in the US.

As for the question about 1:25 connection time at ARN SAS-SAS. OK when luggage on checked-in at OSL (i.e. no recheck necessary); too little if not.

Yes, I think the rant is a bit more thhan needed. It's not unheard of for international flights that do not require passport checks to fly from domestic terminals. In the US, I still sometimes see an international flight depart from a domestic gate. So it's not unreasonable to wonder if a flight from Norway to Sweden would always land and take off from an international terminal, espescially when a passport check is not required to cross the border. If the flight was permitted to land at a domestic gate at ARN, then connecting to a US bound flight leaving Scnadanavia would be a big problem.

Arriving from FRA to ARN on LH or SK will be T5, wheras DY flies out of T2 (the furthest away, since there is no T1)

With re-check of luggage, the transport of self and luggage, either on terminal buses, or walking with trolley, there will not be enough time with 1:25 to check in at DY. Remember also DY is LCC, so procedure of paying for checked luggage etc etc.

It looks like the flights from OSL to ARN will arrive into the same terminal as those departing for the US. What remains unclear to me is what level of security/customs/immigration will exist in between the 2 jetways. In the end, I decided that a 1:25 connection before the transatlantic leg was just too risky either way, so I wont be connecting back through ARN.

Thanks to the non-Scandinavians who provided help. As for the locals posting above, I hope the locals I meet in my travels are... different. Wow.

Folks, this thread turned a little ugly and I have deleted a few posts. I think the OP knows that Norway and Sweden are two different countries. Also, Norway is indeed a part of Schengen, so let's stay on topic from now on.

Thank you

tommy777

SAS and Scandinavia moderator

It's academic now as you've decided against connecting at ARN... but just for completeness (and for the benefit of anyone else who may be contemplating this):

There will be outbound passport control on leaving Schengen.

In theory there should not be another security check as you will have been screened to EU standards at OSL (these standards apply in all EU and Schengen countries), but not having been to ARN for a few years I can't tell you that for certain because there are other airports (such as AMS) where passengers in transit are re-screened unnecessarily because these airports don't properly separate arriving and departing passengers.

1:25 probably would have been OK (albeit on the tight side), but I quite understand that you wouldn't want to risk it.

I did not see any rant at all.

In CPH (and ARN too AFAIK), it is indeed entirely unheard of.


Also, please be aware that any foreign national (meaning non-citizen and non-resident of a Nordic country) must carry his passport when crossing any border in the Nordic countries. The freedom of passport free travel under the Nordic Passport Union applies only to citizens and residents of the Nordic countries.

Hasn't the Nordic Passport Union been superseded by Schengen? I remember that the Nordic Passport Union delayed Denmark and Sweden's entry into Schengen (as they didn't want to join unless Norway joined) but I thought this all got sorted in 2001 and that Schengen rules now apply when travelling between these countries.

Well, they both work and are in effect independantly of each other. Obviously, my reply is only in regards to the Nordic Passport Union. I am guessing that you are perhaps wondering, "what about citizens of Schegen countries?"

Of course, you would then be making a valid point. However, citizens of Schengen countries (when crossing the border) must still carry a valid ID, which proves their citizenship. For Danes, the only such ID is in fact the passport.