For the vast majority of international travel, you go through security before your flight and customs after you land. When departing, you pass through security screening to ensure no prohibited items enter the aircraft. Upon arrival in a foreign country, you first go through Immigration (Passport Control) to verify your identity and visa. After collecting your checked luggage, you then pass through Customs, where you declare any goods you are bringing into the country. In some rare "pre-clearance" locations—most notably for flights from Canada, Ireland, or the Bahamas into the United States—you go through both U.S. Immigration and U.S. Customs before boarding the plane. In these specific cases, you essentially "arrive" as a domestic passenger. However, in standard international operations in 2026, the sequence remains: Security (Departure) -> Flight -> Immigration (Arrival) -> Baggage Claim -> Customs (Arrival).