Do I have to go through immigration for a connecting flight in JFK?

This is not just at JFK but at any airport in the USA after immigration and customs. Yes, if JFK is your USA point-of-entry, you will go through Immigration/Passport Control, retrieve your luggage, head through Customs, then, if the luggage is through-checked, you will just hand it off.



If you are arriving at JFK Airport on an international flight and connecting to any other flight (domestic or international), you must go through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Unlike many international hubs in Europe or Asia, U.S. airports do not have a "sterile transit" area for international passengers. This means you will go through immigration (passport control), collect your checked luggage from the carousel (even if it is tagged to your final destination), and clear customs. After clearing, you will immediately find a "Baggage Re-check" counter to drop your bags back off. You will then need to take the AirTrain to your departure terminal and clear TSA security again to reach your next gate. The only exception is if you are arriving from an airport with "U.S. Preclearance" (like Dublin or many Canadian cities), where you clear U.S. immigration before take-off and arrive at JFK as a domestic passenger. Travelers should allow at least 3 hours for this process during peak times.

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Flight Connections at JFK For international-to-international or international-to-domestic connections, passengers will have to clear Immigration, claim baggage, and then clear Customs. After passing through Customs, there are recheck counters available for bags tagged to an onward destination.

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Kennedy International Airport. If you're connecting with another airline, you may need to change terminals. If you're arriving on an international flight, you need to clear US Customs checkpoints before entering the United States and collect your baggage (even if you're in transit and have connecting flights).

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You will need to reclear TSA security once you arrive in your departure terminal. For international arriving passengers, you must claim all checked bags at Customs and recheck with your departing airline, even if the bags are checked to your final destination!

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A port-of-entry is the first airport you land at in the US Even if you have a connecting flight, you need to go through the immigration procedure, pick up your luggage, re-check it and get on the next flight.

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A direct flight is identified by a unique flight number. A transit flight, with a connection, has two distinct flight numbers. A flight that is not direct, or connecting flight, involves a change of aircraft.

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Yes, there might be exceptions, but most often than not the airline won't wait. What you can do is to try to avoid missing your connection. But if you do miss your connection, don't worry, the airline will book you on a new flight for free (if it's an airline-protected connecting flight).

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You'll need to clear customs and immigration. Next, you'll recheck your luggage for the domestic flight. Finally, you'll need to go through Transportation Security Administration screening. This may include a physical inspection of your luggage and personal items with a metal detector or a full-body scan.

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Is 1 hour enough layover time in JFK? Not if you have a connecting flight to catch. Especially if the connecting flight is from a different terminal. Make sure you have enough time if you have a connecting flight from JFK.

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If you must connect via JFK, make sure you have sufficient time: For connections from domestic (US or Canada) flights to other destinations in the US or Canada, allow 2–3 hours; for transfers from domestic to international destinations, allow 3–4 hours; for international to domestic, 3–5 hours; and for international to ...

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You will go through customs when exiting your destination airport, not when transiting. Usually, in Schengen airports, going through customs doesn't involve much. You may not even notice it. Just pass through a door under a green sign that says something to the tune of “nothing to declare.”

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By default all connecting passengers have to go through security and plenty of airports do this for everyone regardless of where you come from (London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Doha (DOH), etc.)

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The TSA checks passengers' identity and whether a passenger has a boarding pass; generally, they are not screening for immigration status.

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Apply for TSA PreCheck
TSA PreCheck is one of a few government-run trusted traveler programs, designed to allow members to use expedited security lanes at more than 200 U.S. airports. With TSA PreCheck, you can speed through security without removing your shoes, laptops, belts or jacket.

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As a U.S. citizen, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. As a foreign citizen, expect at least an hour to more than several hours, depending on how busy it is.

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To put it simply, having a connecting flight means you will have to change planes. You will not be flying directly from A to B, but there will also be C. You will fly from A to C, and then from C to B. Sometimes there will be more than a single stop.

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If you miss your connection booked with the same airline that your were on for your first flight, and the issue is due to a delayed take off or anything else that's in the hands of your airline, it's the airline's responsibility to rebook you on the next available flight.

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If your flight is canceled or a delay causes you to miss your connection, we'll rebook you on the next flight with available seats. We will reroute your bags automatically when you check in for your new flights. There are 3 ways to view your new trip or to choose a different flight: Open the American app.

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We will rebook you on the next available flight on Delta at no additional cost. If a Delta flight is unavailable, we will arrange an alternative flight operated by another airline with which we have a ticketing agreement at no additional cost.

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For international layover flights booked on one airline, two hours is often recommended to make your connection. For international flights on different airlines, the connection time will need to be even greater as you may have to change terminals between the two flights.

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