US Immigration in Ireland

[AndyDRHuddleston]

Hey Folks,

I seem to remember reading a few years back that if you travel to the USA via Ireland, you are actually passed by US Immigration before boarding in Ireland! Is this true? ...and if so, which line do you stand in at the American airport? I cant see the benefits of passing thru Ireland if you still have to wait in the queue at the other end!

I am looking at travelling out via SNN from the UK and this would help a lot if this was the case.

Any Info greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

[Cyrano]

Andy:

It is still as you recall. In Dublin Airport, for example, you fill in your US immigration and customs forms, you go through a (small) US DHS facility downstairs in DUB Terminal B, and then you're in your boarding lounge. When you arrive in the US (for example, at EWR, the one I did most recently), you're shepherded past the queues for immigration (a pleasant feeling :) ), straight into the baggage claim hall. You still - as the previous poster mentions - have to go through customs with your baggage.

Personally I find this a great time-saver - I would much rather wait in (normally a relatively short) line at DUB before my flight than a usually much longer line at a US airport when I'm tired and impatient to be on my way. And somehow the whole process seems less intimidating when you're still on Irish soil rather than jetlagged and surrounded by menacing officialdom!

If I recall correctly the DHS desks open about an hour before the flight so you may want to factor that into your connection plans. Note that Dublin now (at last!) has an airside transfer channel open which means you can avoid the often hellish queues at security to get airside in the first place.

Hope that helps.

Brgds
C.

[patdavies]

Personally I find this a great time-saver - I would much rather wait in (normally a relatively short) line at DUB before my flight than a usually much longer line at a US airport when I'm tired and impatient to be on my way. And somehow the whole process seems less intimidating when you're still on Irish soil rather than jetlagged and surrounded by menacing officialdom!


Also, if for any reason you are refused entry, you are still on home soil.

[10secondsurvey]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but don't Icelandair do something similar?

It's been many many years since I travelled with Aer Lingus to USA, and at that time, flights from Dublin would fly to shannon, where everyone would get off the 747, go through immigration, then get on the plane again.

[Cyrano]

10ss:

Not sure about Iceland: according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._border_preclearance) Ireland, Canada, Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda are the only countries/territories with US preclearance.

Your experience getting off the plane in Shannon probably dates back to the olden days when Shannon was the sole designated Irish transatlantic airport and all flights had to stop there, so there was no point having preclearance at any other Irish airport. The Shannon stopover restrictions have been looser (though still in effect) for many years and these days there are ample transatlantic non-stops from Dublin (and preclearance there too).

Brgds
C.