What is the transit procedure in AMS when en route from a Schengen country to the USA?
My wife and I are planning a trip to France with my family in September, and we're looking at flight options. My wife will need to return before I do, flying from Toulouse (TLS) to Boston (BOS). She is not the best at dealing with travel hassle, so we are trying to minimize the hassle of her connection.
The cheapest options seem to be to connect via LHR or AMS. We found this question describing procedures at Heathrow, but we wanted to ask the same question about AMS. Specifically:
- Will she have to clear immigration in AMS? (I assume not, since both France and the Netherlands are Schengen, but I haven't been able to find anything that specifically confirms this.)
- Will she have to claim & re-check baggage?
- Will she have to change terminals? (The airlines in question are KLM CityHopper for TLS-AMS & Delta for AMS–BOS.)
- Will she have to pass security again?
- Is there anything else unusual about the transfer procedure that we should know about in advance?
If it matters, she is a US citizen, and speaks fluent English along with small amounts of French and (Brazilian) Portuguese. The flights would be booked on one ticket.
Best Answer
Will she have to clear immigration in AMS?
Yes, it will be done in Amsterdam and NOT in Toulouse, as Toulouse-Amsterdam effectively counts as a domestic route.
Will she have to claim & re-check baggage?
Since it's in one booking, no.
Will she have to change terminals? (The airlines in question are KLM CityHopper for TLS-AMS & Delta for AMS–BOS.)
There's only one terminal, but with different piers.
Will she have to pass security again?
No, she's arriving from a "safe" country, which includes but is not limited to all EU/EFTA states
Is there anything else unusual about the transfer procedure that we should know about in advance?
No, AMS doesn't have any peculiarities really.
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Do I need to go through customs for a connecting flight in Amsterdam?
You won't be going through customs at Schiphol until you return from your trip. Unless you're travelling to another Schengen country, you'll be going through passport control after the security check. And that process is handled by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, not Dutch Customs. Feeling like a confused customer?Do I have to go through security again for connecting flight Schiphol?
The minimum required transfer time at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is 40 minutes for Schengen flights and 50 minutes for non-Schengen flights. Please note, though, that if you travel to a non-Schengen country, you'll need to go through additional security and passport checks.Do I have to go through security again for connecting international flight?
Yes, a security check is mandatory when you take a connecting flight. This is because there is a time lag between getting off one aeroplane and getting on-board another to reach your destination.Do you need a transit visa for connecting flights?
Most countries that normally require that you have a visa, do not require the visa if you are a transit passenger, someone who is only transiting through the airport. As you don't go through immigration, and you don't enter the country, hence no visa is needed.Schiphol Airport Amsterdam Terminal Tour, Entry and Exit, How to Transfer and Complete Transit Guide
More answers regarding what is the transit procedure in AMS when en route from a Schengen country to the USA?
Answer 2
I've been on a similar itinerary last year with KLM Cityhopper transferring in AMS to a Delta flight to the US. While the other answers are correct, they fail to point out one detail that I found surprising even though I consider myself a frequent traveller:
After clearing immigration but prior to arriving at the gate there is an additional security interview, at gate D1 or E4. Apparently this happens for all U.S. bound flights or at least those on U.S. carriers.
In the interview I was asked about what I was doing for a living, my intentions in the U.S., whether my luggage had been out of my sight at any instant of time and similar stuff. The interviewer then briefly went off with my passport and boarding pass and it came back with a sticker on it and I was allowed to proceed to the actual gate.
I am not a U.S. citizen so the process might be shorter for you. The interview was friendly and nothing to worry about, I was only initially startled about its existence, but it was well in place for everyone.
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