Connecting from an international to a domestic flight in the US: customs, bags and TSA

When you fly into the United States from another country and connect to a domestic flight, your first US airport is where you enter the country. You clear customs there, not at your final destination. That means three steps before your next flight: passport control and customs, collecting and rechecking your checked bags, and going back through TSA security. It's the main reason an international-to-domestic layover needs more time than a domestic one.

The connection, step by step

1. Passport control. Follow the signs for arriving international passengers to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A CBP officer checks your passport and your admission to the US.
2. Collect your checked bags. Even if your bag was tagged to your final destination, CBP says you must pick it up and bring it through customs. If you don't, it won't reach your destination.
3. Customs. Take your bags through the customs exit with your declaration.
4. Recheck your bags. Follow the signs for connecting flights to the bag recheck point and hand your bags back to the airline.
5. TSA security. You then go through a TSA checkpoint to get back into the secure area, and head to your connecting gate. Your gate may be in a different terminal.

Everyone goes through this at the first US airport, US citizens included. What differs is the line: US citizens, permanent residents and some visitors can use faster options at passport control (see below).

How much time does it take?

No government agency publishes a standard time for this kind of connection. How long it takes depends on:

• Passport control lines when your flight arrives, which vary by airport, time of day and how many international flights land at once.
• Bag delivery at the carousel.
• The TSA checkpoint for connecting passengers.
• Whether your next flight leaves from another terminal.

If you booked both flights on one ticket, the airline sold you a connection it considers long enough, and it has to rebook you if you miss it. If you booked two separate tickets, allow far more: nobody will rebook you. See is a 1-hour layover enough?

Ways to move faster

• Mobile Passport Control. CBP's free app lets eligible travelers submit a photo and answer the arrival questions up to 4 hours before landing, then use a dedicated line. It's available to US citizens, US permanent residents, Canadian visitors and returning Visa Waiver Program travelers with an approved ESTA, at participating airports. You still see a CBP officer, and it doesn't replace your passport or ESTA.
• Trusted traveler programs. Government programs such as Global Entry speed up passport control for members.
• Duty-free liquids. Liquids over 3.4 ounces (100 ml) bought abroad can stay in your carry-on for a US connection only if they're sealed in a secure, tamper-evident bag by the retailer, with the receipt, bought within the last 48 hours. TSA still screens them and recommends packing them in checked baggage.

The exceptions

• Preclearance. At 16 airports abroad, including Dublin, Shannon, Abu Dhabi and most large Canadian airports, CBP inspects you before you board. You land in the US as a domestic passenger and go straight to your connection, with no customs or TSA on arrival. See connecting in Canada to the US.
• No bag recheck on a few routes. CBP is testing remote baggage screening on flights from Sydney to Los Angeles and from Incheon to Atlanta. On those flights, bags continue to your connection unless CBP refers them for inspection.
• No TSA rescreening on a few flights. TSA's One Stop Security pilot lets passengers arriving from London Heathrow on selected flights to Dallas Fort Worth and Atlanta skip rescreening after customs.

Outside these pilots, plan on rechecking your bags and going through TSA again.

Only passing through the US?

There's no "transit without a visa" in the US. Even if you're only changing planes on the way to another country, you clear passport control. Visa Waiver Program travelers need an approved ESTA (CBP says to enter "In Transit" as the US address), and other travelers generally need a visa. Canadian citizens with a Canadian passport don't need an ESTA.

Keep an eye on your arrival

Add both flights to FlyingOver before you leave. You can follow the long-haul flight offline and see its estimated arrival, so you know early how much of your layover you'll have left for customs, bags and security. Once you're back online, times update with live data.