Do you have to go through passport control on connecting flights Schiphol?

Most travellers at Schiphol have to pass through passport control, except those travelling to or from a Schengen country. However, you should always carry a valid passport or identity card when travelling by air. Please do not forget to check whether you need other travel documents, such as a visa.



Whether you face passport control at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol depends entirely on your origin and destination. If you are flying from one Schengen Area country to another (e.g., Paris to Amsterdam to Berlin), you will not pass through passport control. However, if you are arriving from a non-Schengen country (like the US, UK, or UAE) and connecting to a Schengen destination, you must clear Schengen entry immigration at Schiphol. Conversely, if you are traveling from a Schengen country to a non-Schengen one, you will go through exit passport control. If your entire journey is non-Schengen (e.g., London to Amsterdam to Nairobi), you typically stay in the international transit zone and avoid passport control, though you will likely still clear security. In 2026, be aware that the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has increased biometric processing times at Schiphol's border gates, so budget at least 60-90 minutes for any connection requiring immigration clearance.

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Tip: If you are transferring through Schiphol to a non-Schengen country, you'll need to go through additional security checks.

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Customs and immigration are usually required at the connecting airport for international flights. You don't always have to for domestic flights.

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Most of the time, your baggage will be automatically sent to your connecting flight. The only exception is if you're travelling on two separate tickets. In that case, your baggage will be delivered to baggage reclaim area. All you need to do is collect your baggage from the carousel and check it in again.

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It depends on how your ticket was booked. If your flights were booked under one ticket, your bags will be checked through to your final destination. If your flights were booked under separate tickets, you will need to collect your bags and recheck them before your connecting flight.

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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.

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Baggage claim is in between passport control and customs. The reason you have to claim your baggage before customs, is to give you a chance to declare the required goods. Additionally, it gives customs a chance to identify suspicious passengers, and then pick them for checks on the way through.

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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.

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Answer — Yes, You Will Make Your Flight In one word, yes, you should have ample time to make your connection. You may not have enough time to sit and enjoy a coffee or a Heineken, but – barring a late arrival from Detroit – you won't have to sprint through the airport. Schiphol is an easy airport to navigate.

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If you are transferring on a connecting flight to a non-Schengen or non-EU destination, and you stay in the transfer area at Schiphol and depart within 48 hours, make sure you have a valid flight ticket and valid travel documents so that you are able to prove that you are in transit.

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If you are the holder of an American passport, you do not need a visa to visit the Netherlands.

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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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Baggage claim is in between passport control and customs. The reason you have to claim your baggage before customs, is to give you a chance to declare the required goods. Additionally, it gives customs a chance to identify suspicious passengers, and then pick them for checks on the way through.

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5. When do you go through customs on international flights? Usually, you go through customs when you exit the airport at your final destination. However, if you have a layover in a different city in your destination country, you may need to go through customs before your connecting flight.

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Connecting flights are journeys where you have to take more than one flight to get to your final destination. If you miss a connecting flight, and arrive at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours, you are entitled to compensation.

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