Time to go through customs at O'Hare?

[Anonymous]

Flying back from CA to DC with a stop in Chicago. There are no direct flights. Just realized we will need to do customs in Chicago so our1 hour is likely not enough. How long do we need...we do not have global entry.(And don't plan to get it ..rarely leave the country)

[Anonymous]

CA is Canada not California

[Anonymous]

Where in Canada are you flying out of? If it's Pearson in Toronto, you go through immigration in Canada before boarding your flight. It's called preclearance.

I'm not sure about other Canadian airports from firsthand experience since I've only been to Toronto, but google says it's also true in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where in Canada are you flying out of? If it's Pearson in Toronto, you go through immigration in Canada before boarding your flight. It's called preclearance.

I'm not sure about other Canadian airports from firsthand experience since I've only been to Toronto, but google says it's also true in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg.

Yes all Canadian airports with flights to the US have a PreClearance facility. OP it will be like connecting in the US. But need to get to airport in Canada 30 minutes earlier to allow time for customs and passport control.

[Anonymous]

Oh great! I will look into that. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh great! I will look into that. Thanks!

Nothing to look into you don't have a choice, you go through US Immigration/Customs at the airport in Canada.

[Anonymous]

It means one should allow extra time before departure from Canada.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where in Canada are you flying out of? If it's Pearson in Toronto, you go through immigration in Canada before boarding your flight. It's called preclearance.

I'm not sure about other Canadian airports from firsthand experience since I've only been to Toronto, but google says it's also true in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg.

Yes all Canadian airports with flights to the US have a PreClearance facility. OP it will be like connecting in the US. But need to get to airport in Canada 30 minutes earlier to allow time for customs and passport control.

It's currently available at 8 Canadian airports, not all. It's coming to Billy Bishop, but is not operational yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where in Canada are you flying out of? If it's Pearson in Toronto, you go through immigration in Canada before boarding your flight. It's called preclearance.

I'm not sure about other Canadian airports from firsthand experience since I've only been to Toronto, but google says it's also true in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg.

Yes all Canadian airports with flights to the US have a PreClearance facility. OP it will be like connecting in the US. But need to get to airport in Canada 30 minutes earlier to allow time for customs and passport control.

It's currently available at 8 Canadian airports, not all. It's coming to Billy Bishop, but is not operational yet.

Ah good clarification, thanks! Have never flown there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where in Canada are you flying out of? If it's Pearson in Toronto, you go through immigration in Canada before boarding your flight. It's called preclearance.

I'm not sure about other Canadian airports from firsthand experience since I've only been to Toronto, but google says it's also true in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg.

Yes all Canadian airports with flights to the US have a PreClearance facility. OP it will be like connecting in the US. But need to get to airport in Canada 30 minutes earlier to allow time for customs and passport control.

It's currently available at 8 Canadian airports, not all. It's coming to Billy Bishop, but is not operational yet.

Ah good clarification, thanks! Have never flown there

It's very close to downtown and easy to access by tram.

[Anonymous]

2 hours.

[Anonymous]

I know that OP's specific situation might render this question irrelevant, but just to close the loop, if one is indeed connecting through O'Hare and needing to clear immigration as part of that, I can attest that it ranges significantly.

I live in Chicago and before I got global entry it could take my family a full 90/120 minutes JUST TO CLEAR IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS if we got unlucky. That would be if you're in the back of plane, you land at gate M25 (a full 10/15 minute walk to the main immigration entry point), and your flight landed at the same time as other planes. Then you need to grab and recheck your bags, and THEN you need to make it to another terminal which also means clearing security again. I never need to do that part because I live here, but I always look at the sad transfer passengers with pity.

I'd give it no fewer than 3 hours to be safe. If you have global entry, that 90 minutes becomes more like 30 because you probably still need to collect your bag. I got global entry for my kids as well for precisely this reason. You kind of feel like a celebrity walking past the epically long lines.

Also, O'Hare is notorious for long taxis. I assume it'll be like 30 minutes post wheels-down before we make it to the gate, and I'm pleasantly surprised if it's better. I've heard flight attendants muttering about the "long ground time" at O'Hare, and this is why.

Welcome to H***. I mean O'Hare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that OP's specific situation might render this question irrelevant, but just to close the loop, if one is indeed connecting through O'Hare and needing to clear immigration as part of that, I can attest that it ranges significantly.

I live in Chicago and before I got global entry it could take my family a full 90/120 minutes JUST TO CLEAR IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS if we got unlucky. That would be if you're in the back of plane, you land at gate M25 (a full 10/15 minute walk to the main immigration entry point), and your flight landed at the same time as other planes. Then you need to grab and recheck your bags, and THEN you need to make it to another terminal which also means clearing security again. I never need to do that part because I live here, but I always look at the sad transfer passengers with pity.

I'd give it no fewer than 3 hours to be safe. If you have global entry, that 90 minutes becomes more like 30 because you probably still need to collect your bag. I got global entry for my kids as well for precisely this reason. You kind of feel like a celebrity walking past the epically long lines.

Also, O'Hare is notorious for long taxis. I assume it'll be like 30 minutes post wheels-down before we make it to the gate, and I'm pleasantly surprised if it's better. I've heard flight attendants muttering about the "long ground time" at O'Hare, and this is why.

Welcome to H***. I mean O'Hare.

All true- we flew Southwest to O'Hare last year and I knew it was a long walk from those outer T5 gates, but holy cow it's a long walk down an annoyingly narrow hallway, of course with random carts selling shit blocking the path. And that was on ground level! I assume if coming in to passport control you have to do the same walk underground through the secure corridor.

To be fair, they are finally moving ahead with building the new "Global Terminal", which will add a massive immigration/customs facility that will serve United and American and their partners. But yeah I think that's going to be done in like 2033.

https://chicagoyimby.com/2024/09/69654.html