Do I have to go through UK customs for a connecting flight?
CONNECTING FLIGHTSIf you're collecting your baggage and checking in to your next flight yourself, you need to pass through customs at Heathrow.
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You will need to go through passport control (and customs if applicable) and then check in again as normal for your connecting flight, so please ensure you have enough time.
Everyone who boards an aircraft at Heathrow has to be security screened to UK government standards. Even if you've already been through security checks at another airport, we're obliged to screen you again before you fly from Heathrow.
If you're a connecting passenger from overseas you'll have to pass through UK border controls to get to your hotel, so please ensure you have any required visa to enter the UK.
Customs and immigration are usually required at the connecting airport for international flights. You don't always have to for domestic flights. In most cases, passengers on layover flights must clear customs and immigration at the first point of entry.
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.
You might have to go through customs during a layover, especially if your layover is in the Schengen Area (which consists of most countries in the EU). For example, if your final destination is Paris, France, but you have a layover in Madrid, Spain, you will actually go through customs in Spain, not France.
UK and Ireland flights connecting to internationalFollow signs to Baggage Reclaim – you will need to pass through Passport Control on your way, then go to check-in for your next flight. If you need to change terminals, you can take our free shuttle 24 hours a day. Note that in some cases, you may need a transit visa.
If you're arriving at London Gatwick from an international flight and are connecting to a destination within the UK or Ireland, you will need to go through immigration. If your hold bags are through checked or you're travelling with hand luggage only, you can then go straight to security.
How long does it take to clear customs at Heathrow? On average, it takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour to clear customs and immigration at Heathrow Airport.
When you're connecting from an international flight to a domestic one, you'll always have to exit and reenter security as you'll need to go through customs and immigration (unless you have gone through preclearance aboard, which is rare).
If you have been delayed for more than five hours and no longer wish to travel then you are entitled to a refund. If you are a transfer passenger and missed your connection flight because your first flight was delayed, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point.
This means that if you fly into Heathrow and have a connecting flight out of Gatwick, Stansted or Luton airport you will need a Visitor in Transit visa to catch your connecting flight.
Everyone arriving in the UK has to clear customsAs you leave Baggage Reclaim and head out into the public Arrivals area, you'll see different channels relating to the type of goods you're carrying. Choose the green customs channel if you have 'Nothing to Declare' or the red 'Goods to Declare' channel if you do.
Passport Control: Everyone arriving at Gatwick has to go through passport control. This can mean wait times of 5-20 minutes or an upwards of 1 hour depending on the amount of travelers.
You do not require a passport to travel within the UK, but you will need to carry one type of photographic ID when travelling with us. Examples include: Valid passport. Valid driving licence, either provisional or full.
What is a good connection time? Travel advisers say there's a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries.
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.
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.