Amsterdam airport, customs, and Schengen. HELP! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Hi! I have a layover in Amsterdam soon (Atlanta to Amsterdam to Prague) and I am trying to figure out if we will have to go through customs and re-check our bags and all that craziness or not. I've never had to do any of that until I got to my final destination country, but I was just reading online about the Schengen agreement (still not entirely sure what that is or between whom). It sounds like we might have to go through customs in Amsterdam even though it's just a switching point? I have no idea. We only have an hour and five minute layover, but Delta (KLM) said that was fine because their minimum changing time is only 40 minutes for that airport. I am starting to get a little concerned now however. I'd love to hear from someone who's changed planes at this airport recently. Thank you!!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I haven't changed planes there recently - we flew in there, but I will tell you it's a massive airport. However, the good news is if you're flying KLM, as far as I recall, they're the main operators there, so I'm sure the distances between your gates won't be much.
I'm not sure about customs - personally I'm more concerned about immigration. As far as I'm aware, you have to clear immigration to get into the European Union (of which the Netherlands is part) as soon as you land - you don't do it at your final destination. That's the question I'd ask them, as immigration can be the bit that takes the most time.
I'm not sure about customs - personally I'm more concerned about immigration. As far as I'm aware, you have to clear immigration to get into the European Union (of which the Netherlands is part) as soon as you land - you don't do it at your final destination. That's the question I'd ask them, as immigration can be the bit that takes the most time.
I think I was using customs and immigration interchangably (over here we just tend to call everything "customs."), so that's the part I am concerned about too. It is the whole "Schengen" treaty that is confusing me, because from what I read it seemed like only some of the EU countries were in the Schengen agreement, and only if your final destination was one of the Schengen countries did you have to go through immigration when you landed in your first Schengen country. (I hope that made sense) But all the info I find is worded really strangely and I can't even find an updated list of just who is or isn't part of the agreement. I've not seen anything that lists Czech Republic as being part if it, but the most updated thing I saw was 2009, so who knows if it's changed since then. I'm just hoping that with Amsterdam airport's "40 min change allowance" they are taking that into consideration. We do land there really early in the morning (like 5:00 something), so maybe that will help it not be too backed up? I have no idea.
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
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If you're that early in the morning, then you should be OK - I'd also take faith from the fact you've questioned your airline and they've told you it will be fine. Do you have that in writing just in case - then if you do miss the flight and have any further problems, you've got a way of taking it up with them.
By the way, I'm 99.9% sure that the Czech Republic aren't part of the Schenegen arrangement. If I'm remembering right, that started out with just Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - i.e. the Benelux countries as they're otherwise known and that was it. I don't remember many others joining it?
If you're that early in the morning, then you should be OK - I'd also take faith from the fact you've questioned your airline and they've told you it will be fine. Do you have that in writing just in case - then if you do miss the flight and have any further problems, you've got a way of taking it up with them.
By the way, I'm 99.9% sure that the Czech Republic aren't part of the Schenegen arrangement. If I'm remembering right, that started out with just Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - i.e. the Benelux countries as they're otherwise known and that was it. I don't remember many others joining it?
Yes, we had to reschedule our flights when they did away with our direct Atlanta to Prague flight () that we had originally purchased. They "re-routed" us originally on this ridiculous path that had us stopping and changing planes FOUR times. I don't think so. So we called them and said we wanted a more direct route, and this is what we got. They fully approved all of our changes though. I'm not overly concerned about it if we miss our Amsterdam - Prague flight...it's a short flight and there are many others during the day, so I know we'll be able to get on another at some point. I just want to be prepared that that might be something we have to deal with.
As for the Schengen thing - you may be right, because I have no idea who's involved or what's involved with that. The last time I had to change planes in one European country while actually heading to another European country was in 1995. Things are a bit different now, so I guess we'll sort of learn as we go.
It's starting to make me nervous though now for coming home. We have 1hr 40 min to change in Paris (Prague - Paris - Atlanta), but now I am wondering if we will have to clear immigration there instead of in Prague? In the US if you leave from one US destination (let's say you are going from Dallas to NY to Paris), they check your passport at your starting point and you are checked all the way through getting out of the US. Is that the same in Europe? If you check in at one European country, and are just changing planes at another until you get out of Europe, do they check you through at the first one or is the first one just treated like a domestic flight and then they do the international checking at the place you are actually leaving Europe from? Ok that sounds like it probably doesn't make any sense to anyone but me... but maybe someone can decipher it and knows the answer.
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
It's starting to make me nervous though now for coming home. We have 1hr 40 min to change in Paris (Prague - Paris - Atlanta), but now I am wondering if we will have to clear immigration there instead of in Prague? In the US if you leave from one US destination (let's say you are going from Dallas to NY to Paris), they check your passport at your starting point and you are checked all the way through getting out of the US. Is that the same in Europe? If you check in at one European country, and are just changing planes at another until you get out of Europe, do they check you through at the first one or is the first one just treated like a domestic flight and then they do the international checking at the place you are actually leaving Europe from? Ok that sounds like it probably doesn't make any sense to anyone but me... but maybe someone can decipher it and knows the answer.
Your passport should be checked before you board your flight in Prague, in the same way that you'd need to provide ID on an internal flight in the States. They will check it again when you board your Paris flight, but honestly, the checks are nowhere near as strict when you're leaving Europe as to when you arrive. We always find the longest waits anywhere - be it the States or coming home to the UK are always entering a country, not leaving.
Your passport should be checked before you board your flight in Prague, in the same way that you'd need to provide ID on an internal flight in the States. They will check it again when you board your Paris flight, but honestly, the checks are nowhere near as strict when you're leaving Europe as to when you arrive. We always find the longest waits anywhere - be it the States or coming home to the UK are always entering a country, not leaving.
Thanks!! I've been lucky to not have long waits lately whether I am leaving a country or entering one...but I'm sure that luck will only hold out so long.
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I've never had any lines whatsoever at customs/immigration flying into Europe. It's only when I arrive at a U.S. airport that I encountered long lines. Well, then again, I'm a EU citizen so entering the EU is usually a breeze...
Sorry, not very helpful. But as you said there are several flights that day to Prague so I wouldn't worry too much.
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However, the good news is if you're flying KLM, as far as I recall, they're the main operators there, so I'm sure the distances between your gates won't be much. 
) that we had originally purchased. They "re-routed" us originally on this ridiculous path that had us stopping and changing planes FOUR times. I don't think so. So we called them and said we wanted a more direct route, and this is what we got. They fully approved all of our changes though. I'm not overly concerned about it if we miss our Amsterdam - Prague flight...it's a short flight and there are many others during the day, so I know we'll be able to get on another at some point. I just want to be prepared that that might be something we have to deal with.
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