Guys,
Thank you very much for your replies.
Today I received briefing notes from Signature at Shannon that relate to the CBP procedures that permit pre-customs and immigration clearance.
Although the document states a turn around time of 60-70 mins, I have been told that it really only takes 30 - 45 mins. I will find out soon and let you know.
For those who may be interested, here is the Signature briefing notes:
CBP Private Air Preclearance Summary Shannon
Application process
• The operator must make an initial call to the CBP office at Shannon Airport via phone on +353 (0)61 771946
• A minimum of 48 hours notice is required for charter operator, a minimum of 24 hours notice is required for a Private Operator.
• The CBP office opening hours are 0600-1400UTC each day.
• The following information must be provided to CBP:
Requested date and time of the preclearance appointment.
Tail number and Decal number
Flight itinerary and times
Number of travellers on- board
Number of U.S Citizens on-board
Full contact details in order for CBP to respond with confirmation if approved
• APIS details for both crew and passengers must be submitted to CBP no later than 60 minutes prior to scheduled appointment time of preclearance processing.
Arrival process
• Upon arrival of the aircraft, the handling agent will cone the aircraft with blue cones to indicate that the CBP process is in place.
• The bags will need to be processed through the X-ray facility at the terminal, therefore all baggage needs to be offloaded – the handling agent will need to have each item of baggage identified so they can be tagged with appropriate labels. A receipt for each item of baggage is provided to the passengers and crew individually. This receipt will have to be presented to the CBP officer upon inspection of documentation in the CBP office. If the passengers travelling are all members of the same family, all bags belonging to the passengers can be tagged and all receipts can be given to the lead passenger of the family.
• All passengers and crew(except one**) will be taken to the pier building whereby they will be screened in the VIP room, then escorted to the CBP facility where they will be presented to the CBP officer.
(**one crew member can remain with the aircraft and will be cleared separately after the other crew and passengers return to the aircraft)
• As soon as all members of this initial group are cleared, they will be escorted back to the aircraft with the CBP officials present. The CBP officers will perform an inspection of the aircraft before the passengers are allowed to board.
• While this inspection is being conducted, the remaining crew member will be taken to screening, presented at the CBP office and as soon as they have been cleared by CBP, they will be returned to the aircraft.
• As soon as the CBP inspection of the aircraft is complete, all baggage can then be reloaded.
Departure process
• The CBP officers will remain at the aircraft side until the door is closed. The door must be secured until the time of departure, failure to do so may result in the cancellation of the pre-cleared status of the aircraft.
• If for any reason, including emergencies or weather, an aircraft must land at an airport different from the airport designated in the APIS transmission, the pre-cleared status of the aircraft is no longer valid.
(Overall ground time is approx. 70mins; this is dependent on the number of passengers and baggage onboard)
Contact details for Signature Flight Support Shannon:
E-mail:
[email protected]
Ph: +353 (0)61 475444
Fax: +353 (0)61 475222
Freq: 131.675