Customs question

[wandb]

We are flying from Atlanta to Amsterdam, 2 1/2 hour layover, then on to Basel. Can someone help me with the procedure here? Can we check our bags directly to Basel and just go through customs there? Do we get our luggage and go through customs in Amsterdam, then recheck the luggage on to Basel? If so do we have to go through customs again when landing in Basel?

 

Thank you for clearing this up for us.

[deec]

2 years ago we flew through Amsterdam to Budapest. our luggage followed us because we were on the same airline partners. We did Immigration in Amsterdam.

[jpalbny]

We are flying from Atlanta to Amsterdam, 2 1/2 hour layover, then on to Basel. Can someone help me with the procedure here? Can we check our bags directly to Basel and just go through customs there? Do we get our luggage and go through customs in Amsterdam, then recheck the luggage on to Basel? If so do we have to go through customs again when landing in Basel?

 

Thank you for clearing this up for us.

 

Here is what you will do, assuming you're flying DL/KLM codeshare from ATL-AMS and KLM/DL codeshare from AMS-BSL. Though we haven't flown into BSL ourselves, we have flown into ZRH so the procedure should be the same.

 

1. Check bags in ATL and they will be checked through all the way to BSL.

 

2. Upon arrival to AMS you will clear IMMIGRATION, show your passport, get an entry stamp to the Schengen zone, and exit the Non-Schengen part of the AMS airport.

 

3. You'll now be in the Schengen part of the AMS airport, where you'll find your Basel flight. From here, fly from AMS to BSL, without ever seeing or claiming your checked luggage.

 

4. Collect your luggage in BSL and exit CUSTOMS. Unless you have anything to declare, follow the green lines. There will be customs agents looking around but I've never seen them stop anyone. You do not need to hand in a form or anything, just exit the baggage claim area and welcome to Switzerland!

 

The Schengen zone is an alliance of European countries who have agreed to share a common border, so once you enter one of the Schengen countries, your flight to another Schengen country is analogous to flying between two states in the USA. No passport checks after that - UNLESS there is a security situation and one of the countries decides to secure its borders and check passports. That can happen. More information here:

 

Entering Europe, you do NOT have to do that annoying thing you have to do in the USA, where you collect bags after immigration at the first USA airport, walk through customs, and then recheck them. What a pain!

Edited March 28, 2016 by jpalbny

[wandb]

Thank you deec and jp. That is exactly what I was hoping to hear! We are hoping there will not be too many delays that day, as we need to get on to the train station as soon as possible. However, we also know that there may certainly be more security checks than usual---and that is fine. We want everyone to be as safe as possible.

 

I'd just like to get in and out of the airports as quickly as possible!