Do you go through customs on a layover? At your first airport in the country.
You clear passport control and customs at the first airport where you enter a country, not at your final destination. Arriving in the US from abroad, that's always your layover airport, even if you're flying on to another country, and you collect and recheck your bags there. At most other international hubs, an international-to-international connection stays airside, with no passport control or customs at all.
Updated October 2026
Who clears what, and where
Passport control is about you, customs is about your bags. They usually happen together, but not always.
| Your connection | Passport control | Customs |
|---|---|---|
| Arriving in the US from abroad, any onward flight | First US airport | First US airport: collect bags, clear customs, recheck them |
| Precleared flight to the US (e.g. from Dublin, Toronto, Abu Dhabi) | Before you board, abroad | Before you board, abroad |
| From outside Europe into the Schengen area, then a Schengen flight | First Schengen airport (with EES) | Usually at your final destination, for checked bags |
| Between two Schengen-area flights | None | None |
| International to international at hubs like LHR, DXB, DOH, IST, SIN, AMS | None, you stay airside | None, just transfer security screening |
| Into a country, then on a domestic flight there (e.g. Canada, Mexico, Australia) | First airport in that country | First airport in that country |
| Domestic flight, then an international departure | At your destination | At your destination |
Connecting in the United States
The US has no airside international transit. Every passenger arriving from abroad clears US passport control and customs at the first US airport, picks up checked bags at baggage claim, hands them to a recheck belt just after customs, and goes back through TSA security before the next flight. That's true even when the next flight leaves the US again. Plan on 2.5 to 3 hours for the whole connection.
The exception is US preclearance: at airports like Dublin, Shannon, Abu Dhabi and the big Canadian airports, you clear US immigration and customs before you board, and land in the US as a domestic passenger.
Connecting in Europe
Europe splits the two checks. Passport control happens at your first airport in the Schengen area, which is where non-EU travelers now register in the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES). Customs for checked bags usually happens at your final destination, where you collect them. Connections that stay outside Schengen, like a US–Asia trip through Frankfurt, stay airside with no passport check. The UK isn't in Schengen: international transfers at Heathrow stay airside with transfer security screening.
How LYVR handles it
Save your flights and LYVR lists exactly which checkpoints your connection passes, in order: passport control, baggage claim, customs, bag recheck and security. Each becomes a step in the layover plan, with live US customs waits from CBP data and EES queues at European airports, so your time to spare already allows for the lines.
Airports where customs is part of the layover
Each guide says what a connection there involves.
The rest of the answer.
Do you go through customs on a layover in the US?
Yes. Arriving from abroad, you clear US passport control and customs at your first US airport, collect and recheck checked bags, and go through TSA security again, even if your final destination is outside the US. Flights from preclearance airports are the exception.
Do I go through customs at my layover or my final destination?
At the first airport where you enter a country. In the US that's your layover airport. In Europe, passport control is at your first Schengen airport and customs for checked bags is usually at your final destination. On an airside international transfer, you don't enter the country at all.
Do I have to go through customs on a connecting flight in Europe?
Only when you enter the Schengen area. Flying in from outside Europe and connecting to a Schengen flight, you pass passport control at the connecting airport, and checked bags clear customs at your final destination. International-to-international transfers stay airside.
Do I go through customs on a domestic to international connection?
No. Leaving the US there's no exit passport check or customs. You fly to your connection as a domestic passenger and clear customs when you arrive in the destination country.
How long does customs take on a layover?
Anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour, depending on the airport, the time of day and your passport. In the US, LYVR shows the usual wait for the hour you land from CBP data, split by US citizens and visitors.
Do I have to pick up my bags at customs on a layover?
In the US, yes: you collect checked bags at your first US airport, take them through customs and drop them at the recheck belt. In most other countries, bags checked through on one ticket go straight to your final destination.
See every checkpoint your connection passes, timed.
Free, in your browser. LYVR finds the layover, times every walk and fills the gap.
Plan my layover →About these numbers
Times here are general rules of thumb from airline connection rules and LYVR's own walk-time and checkpoint data, not official minimums. Entry rules depend on your passport; confirm with the country's immigration authority and your airline before you travel.