CONNECTING FLIGHTS If your baggage is checked through to your final destination, that's where you clear customs. If you're collecting your baggage and checking in to your next flight yourself, you need to pass through customs at Heathrow.

Whether you need to go through customs for a connecting flight in London depends on two key factors:

1. Your Arrival and Departure Terminals
2. Your Final Destination and Point of Origin

Here’s a breakdown for the two main London airports:

At London Heathrow (LHR)

Heathrow has separate terminals for arrivals from different regions. The process is largely determined by whether you are connecting within the UK/Common Travel Area or to an international destination.

• Connecting to a flight within the UK (e.g., London to Edinburgh):

  • Yes, you must go through UK Border Control (Passport Control). This is because your final destination is within the UK. You will collect your bags, clear customs, and then re-check them for your domestic flight. You are effectively entering the UK.

• Connecting to another international flight (e.g., New York → London → Paris):

  • No, you typically do not go through UK Border Control or customs. You will follow the “Flight Connections” signs. Your bags will usually be transferred automatically to your next flight.
  • You will pass through a security screening for your connecting flight.
  • Exception: If you arrive from some countries and your next flight is to the Republic of Ireland, you may clear UK immigration in London as part of the Common Travel Area.

At London Gatwick (LGW)

Gatwick has a North and South Terminal. The process is similar:

• Connecting to a UK domestic flight: You must clear UK Border Control and customs.
• Connecting