1 hour 50 minutes is ample time to go through passport control, take a short shuttle train ride from the central terminal to the E concourse and pass security in Zurich - IF your flight from Prague is not severely delayed.
From a transatlantic flight, it usually takes me 30-40 minutes max from plane landing to me exiting the customs area, including picking up luggage. From a European flight, more like 20 mins.
Customs usually takes... 30 seconds or less. Assuming your United flight arrives on time, your problem will be boredom, not lack of time. 3 hours is more than enough time.
Every person entering Switzerland must clear customs. You are required to declare all imported goods you are carrying if their total value exceeds CHF 300, and any goods that exceed the duty-free allowances for foodstuffs, alcohol and tobacco.
Do passports get checked at the airport? For international travel - always,For domestic travel, no, but you will usually have to show some form of photo ID before they let you board a plane.
Since Switzerland's accession to the Schengen Area in 2008, there have been no permanent passport controls along the border, although there can be customs controls. There are two airports near the border which have both Swiss and French passport and customs controls; passengers are free to choose one.
“Immigration” is about the people traveling from one country to another. It's sometimes called “passport control” or “border control” depending on the airport. “Customs” is about the stuff those people are carrying with them.
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