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Clearing customs without bags test, CDG/GVA/ZRH to IAD to USA destination (finished)

Clearing customs without bags test, CDG/GVA/ZRH to IAD to USA destination (finished)

Old May 28, 2019, 1:47 pm
  #1  
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Clearing customs without bags test, CDG/GVA/ZRH to IAD to USA destination (finished)

Just experienced this at IAD after my flight from ZRH today. When we got to baggage claim, I was looking for the carousel for ZRH and couldn’t find it. I asked a United rep and he said that they are trialing pre-clearance from the above 3 airports for now. It was great not having to wait for our bags. ^^^

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Old May 28, 2019, 2:30 pm
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Originally Posted by FLYMSY
Just experienced this at IAD after my flight from ZRH today. When we got to baggage claim, I was looking for the carousel for ZRH and couldn’t find it. I asked a United rep and he said that they are trialing pre-clearance from the above 3 airports for now. It was great not having to wait for our bags. ^^^

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You mean a true check through to final domestic destination? I haven’t seen that one before.
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Old May 28, 2019, 2:56 pm
  #3  
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Yes, & according to the App, my bags are loaded on my connecting flight.
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Old May 28, 2019, 3:03 pm
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Originally Posted by FLYMSY
Yes, & according to the App, my bags are loaded on my connecting flight.
But you made your customs declaration at the port of entry and also cleared immgration.
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Old May 28, 2019, 3:12 pm
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I assume you are flying out of IAD on another international flight, right? If so, they are starting to mimic IAH.
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Old May 28, 2019, 3:15 pm
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
But you made your customs declaration at the port of entry and also cleared immgration.
???

Yes, at IAD using GE. Same as I did in March, but I had to collect my bags at IAD that time. Not having to collect your luggage and having it automatically checked through is new.
Originally Posted by seenitall
I assume you are flying out of IAD on another international flight, right? If so, they are starting to mimic IAH.
Nope, domestic.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; May 28, 2019 at 3:25 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
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Old May 28, 2019, 4:52 pm
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Just curious: do all bags go through agricultural screening at CDG, GVA, and ZRH? What happens if you suddenly tell the customs officer at IAD, "Oh, I forgot. I have a wheel of raw milk cheese in my checked luggage."?
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Old May 28, 2019, 5:14 pm
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In addition to the customs issue raised above, this has a few other interesting implications, such as :

* No longer able to put duty free liquids into your carry-on bags after reclaiming them.
* Hidden city ticketing just got a whole lot harder...
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Old May 28, 2019, 5:25 pm
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oh yikes ... that's nasty if you count on seeing your bag when arriving in the US. Thanks for the alert!
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Old May 28, 2019, 5:31 pm
  #10  
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This is an interesting twist, indeed

I like IAD even more now. If only I could use them more, but killing off IAD-PHL ruins connections for me, so it's EWR.
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Old May 28, 2019, 5:50 pm
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Originally Posted by docbert
No longer able to put duty free liquids into your carry-on bags after reclaiming them.
Hmm ... I suppose that one could bring along a carry-on specifically to be checked in at the arrival airport (which could be a PITA).

Originally Posted by pseudoswede
Just curious: do all bags go through agricultural screening at CDG, GVA, and ZRH? What happens if you suddenly tell the customs officer at IAD, "Oh, I forgot. I have a wheel of raw milk cheese in my checked luggage."?
Another good question. I frequently bring back hard cheeses from Italy ... and I declare them, knowing that that's not the kind of thing they're really looking for (and the last thing that I'm going to allow is to get hassled by them finding the cheese without my telling them). But I have had them take a look through my bag after such a declaration a couple of times.


I have to admit that I hadn't really looked on this as a negative when I first saw this thread ...
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Old May 28, 2019, 6:04 pm
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Originally Posted by pseudoswede
Just curious: do all bags go through agricultural screening at CDG, GVA, and ZRH? What happens if you suddenly tell the customs officer at IAD, "Oh, I forgot. I have a wheel of raw milk cheese in my checked luggage."?
OP can clarify, maybe, but I’d guess they have some sort of system similar to Canadian US pre-clearance where they can pull your bags to examine them if they are interested, though this might be on arrival?

For Pre-clearance in Canada, it used to be that you had to roll your checked bags through customs, and then left it at a baggage drop once you cleared immigration and customs. These days, you check your bag at the check in counter, and they take an image of your bag, which customs has access to. If they want to pull your bag to look through it as you clear, they can call it up, and do that. If not, it just goes onto the flight as normal. They’ve been using this system for several years now - think maybe YVR was the first and that must’ve been 5 or so years ago.
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Old May 28, 2019, 7:08 pm
  #13  
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Sounds like if coming from one of those airports, you could go to the main terminal instead of midfield customs, go through GE, then go through Pre security? Or is the midfield facility better for clearing security now? (It was awful the last time I used it, which admittedly was a long time back, when I lived near ROA instead of IAD).
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Old May 28, 2019, 7:11 pm
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This would be a very helpful, can't seem to find anything on the interwebs about it though. They have something like this in Ireland but you actually go through customs in Ireland.
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Old May 28, 2019, 7:22 pm
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Originally Posted by RoxyMountain
This would be a very helpful, can't seem to find anything on the interwebs about it though. They have something like this in Ireland but you actually go through customs in Ireland.
Dublin and Shannon airports have pre-clearance in the same sense that most Canadian airport do (along with Abu Dhabi and a few places in the Caribbean). ie, you pass through immigration and customs at your departure airport, and then basically land as if you were a domestic flight. As with any other domestic flight, you'll be let out into the departures area of the terminal and your bags will be transferred to your next flight.

This is different what was being described here where it was customs only that was being avoided at the destination.
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