US resident going to St. Martin - need help with immigration/customs

[tbmrt]

We've never flown to St. Martin and I want to be clear on what will occur re: immigration/customs.

 

How does this work paperwork wise and also timewise (connecting in Miami from Tampa)?

 

Thanks for any help.

[Jborosara]

We've never flown to St. Martin and I want to be clear on what will occur re: immigration/customs.

 

How does this work paperwork wise and also timewise (connecting in Miami from Tampa)?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

If you are an outbound US citizen - no paperwork whatsoever going through Miami - you will clear customs at SXM -

 

Coming home, be sure you have at LEAST three hours connection time - maybe more for Miami - it is a nightmare. There, you will retrieve your luggage and then go through several stages of clearing customs and TSA - took us about 90 mins last year on our way home - flying through CLT this year and hoping it takes not so long... we shall see

[Karysa]

If you are an outbound US citizen - no paperwork whatsoever going through Miami - you will clear customs at SXM -

 

Coming home, be sure you have at LEAST three hours connection time - maybe more for Miami - it is a nightmare. There, you will retrieve your luggage and then go through several stages of clearing customs and TSA - took us about 90 mins last year on our way home - flying through CLT this year and hoping it takes not so long... we shall see

 

If you need at "LEAST" a 3 hr connection time for a 4 hour drive by the time you go through customs and pick up your bags you would be home so why not just drive from Miami. A four hour drive compared to waiting in the airport and another flight, I'd take the drive. :)

[gtaylor]

We've never flown to St. Martin and I want to be clear on what will occur re: immigration/customs.

 

How does this work paperwork wise and also timewise (connecting in Miami from Tampa)?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

The Tampa airport will ask to see your Passports when you check in, but there shouldn't be any paperwork or delay in Miami.

 

During your flight down, you should receive a document to fill out that shows how long you will stay, where you will stay and some additional information. A hotel/resort name should be enough. If a villa, an address should be provided.

 

When you arrive St. Maarten, you will pass through Immigration, which can take 10 minutes or 90 minutes, depending on which flights have arrived just prior to yours. We have had the unfortunate experience of arriving about 20 minutes after the Air France A320 arrived. :(

 

Smile, "good evening", "how is your day going" has never hurt us.

 

After clearing Immigration, you just find you bags on the carousel and walk outside. No Customs inspection unless you are flagged.

 

We have literally been exiting the terminal 15 minutes after entering the building. :)

 

gary

[tbmrt]

re: connecting AA flights SXM to Miami to Tampa early December.

 

AA told me that my bags will go from SXM directly to TPA on my flights home. Said I arrive in Terminal D and have to go to Terminal E to show my passport in Miami.

 

Is there a different line if I don't have to get my checked luggage and just show passport?

 

I thought I'd have to get my checked luggage in Miami to go through customs. Will I then need to go through customs in Tampa after picking up my luggage?

 

So confused.

 

I know I could find this all out when I get to the airport, but I'm a worrier and like to know things ahead of time.

 

Really dislike driving from Tampa to Miami and back, but now thinking we probably should have just done that!

 

Thanks everyone.

[Jborosara]

re: connecting AA flights SXM to Miami to Tampa early December.

 

AA told me that my bags will go from SXM directly to TPA on my flights home. Said I arrive in Terminal D and have to go to Terminal E to show my passport in Miami.

 

Is there a different line if I don't have to get my checked luggage and just show passport?

 

I thought I'd have to get my checked luggage in Miami to go through customs. Will I then need to go through customs in Tampa after picking up my luggage?

 

So confused.

 

 

 

I know I could find this all out when I get to the airport, but I'm a worrier and like to know things ahead of time.

 

Really dislike driving from Tampa to Miami and back, but now thinking we probably should have just done that!

 

 

 

Thanks everyone.

 

It is very confusing so don't feel bad... I recommended at least three hours because you and your bags must go through customs in the first US Airport that you land in - and that's the part that can take upwards of a couple of hours... You can shorten that with global entry, but unless you travel several times per year internationally, it probably isn't worth it to you.

 

Having said all of that, it is very obvious in Miami where to go and what to do... Just follow the crowd off the plane... The mobile passport app helps some, but I've never gotten it to work and I have TSA pre-check...

[Medtech2]

We've never flown to St. Martin and I want to be clear on what will occur re: immigration/customs.

 

How does this work paperwork wise and also timewise (connecting in Miami from Tampa)?

 

Thanks for any help.

Going to St. Maarten was a breeze. Your checked luggage from Tampa will go through to SXM. Coming back you'll have to retrieve it in Miami and go through Customs there. Using the new automated kiosks should make it faster, but quite honestly I don't know if it did. We did not use the mobile app because all members of your party should be on it and my adult son wasn't using it.

Here is a link to info about the kiosks. I notice there are some videos on the right side of the page:

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/automated-passport-control-apc

Edited September 25, 2016 by Medtech2

[Karysa]

Even if you don't have to go through customs at your 2nd or destination airport don't you find that IF you have bags to pick up, time-wise it really doesn't matter. In Toronto we need to go through customs but we have never not had to wait at the luggage carousel anyway. Getting our luggage always seems to be the hold up and not customs.

[Jborosara]

Even if you don't have to go through customs at your 2nd or destination airport don't you find that IF you have bags to pick up, time-wise it really doesn't matter. In Toronto we need to go through customs but we have never not had to wait at the luggage carousel anyway. Getting our luggage always seems to be the hold up and not customs.

 

Miami is notoriously bad and slow at customs - when we returned through there last winter we waited about 30mins on our bags, and then in customs lines for another hour and a half... it was every bit of two hours from plane to through customs - and they were in no hurry - and there were no special provisions for folks with planes to catch....

 

we had a NINE hour layover so we weren't worried really.. and I will say that Miami is a lovely airport with tons of stores and bars and restaurants - so there is that

[Karysa]

Miami is notoriously bad and slow at customs - when we returned through there last winter we waited about 30mins on our bags, and then in customs lines for another hour and a half... it was every bit of two hours from plane to through customs - and they were in no hurry - and there were no special provisions for folks with planes to catch....

 

we had a NINE hour layover so we weren't worried really.. and I will say that Miami is a lovely airport with tons of stores and bars and restaurants - so there is that

 

Another reason to just drive. :eek: We are lucky and can fly direct out of Toronto to most places. We even pay for a direct flight instead of using air miles rewards because of the hassles with connecting flights. We are using points to fly to Maui next year and have a connection through LAX and after reading this I am not as disappointed that our connection is 4 hours instead of the 2 I was hoping for.:)

[Jborosara]

Another reason to just drive. :eek: We are lucky and can fly direct out of Toronto to most places. We even pay for a direct flight instead of using air miles rewards because of the hassles with connecting flights. We are using points to fly to Maui next year and have a connection through LAX and after reading this I am not as disappointed that our connection is 4 hours instead of the 2 I was hoping for.:)

 

yeah - you will have to clear US customs at LAX... BUT you can start having fun in Maui immediately:-)

 

fwiw - have also cleared customs in Atlanta, Charlotte, Seattle, JFK and Minneapolis-St. Paul - Miami is by far the worst ever! Not. Even. Close