If I Clear Immigration in London Do I Have to Clear It Again in Athens

Layovers can exist stressful. Whenever possible, I prefer nonstop flights, fifty-fifty if they're a little more expensive. But sometimes the cost divergence is besides large to justify, and sometimes it's just not possible to get where you're going without a connecting flight. So how do layovers work? What happens with your checked luggage on a layover? Do yous take to go through community and immigration if you're only in the airport for a layover? Here's everything you need to know about layovers and how layovers work to assistance make your journey a little less stressful.

How do boarding passes work with layovers?

Domestic layovers are usually pretty uncomplicated. Whether you're flying inside the U.s., Australia, Canada, or somewhere else, domestic layovers are relatively similar.

Assuming you booked both flights together on 1 itinerary (as opposed to two split up itineraries) you will get both boarding passes when you check in for your offset flying. When y'all state at your layover airdrome, yous need to look at the departures board and find the gate for your next flight.

International layovers can become a petty more tricky. With so many variations of international layovers, there are besides a multifariousness of situations you could stop up dealing with.

If your itinerary is entirely with 1 airline or even ii airlines that are partners, in about cases, you will go both boarding passes when you lot bank check in for your first flight.

But if you used a booking engine and your flights are with two different airlines, especially airlines that aren't really partners, you might just get your get-go boarding pass when you check in.

Then, at your layover aerodrome, you'll have to detect a ticket counter for the airline that operates the second flight to become your 2d boarding pass.

Not sure if your flights are with partner airlines? Just ask at the ticket counter when you lot bank check in if you will be getting both boarding passes or if y'all volition need to go the second 1 at your layover airport. They'll tell yous what to do.

>>Check out these layover perks you never knew about.

What happens with checked baggage on a layover?

For domestic layovers, your checked baggage will be tagged to your final destination, and then there's null for you to practice while on your layover. Your numberless volition go taken off the first flight and loaded onto the second flight.

For international layovers, this varies depending on the airport and the country where your layover is.

If you fly from somewhere exterior the US or Canada to an airport in the U.s. or Canada, you lot will accept to collect and recheck your baggage no matter where you're going on your 2nd flight.

In most other countries, as long as both of your flights are on the same airline or partner airlines, your baggage will become transferred from the first to the second flying for you.

Again, if yous're not sure, just ask the agent when you're checking in if you will demand to collect and recheck your luggage at your layover airport.

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Do you have to go through border control/immigration and customs on a layover?

This only applies for international layovers. Whether you lot have to go through immigration and customs really varies on the airport and the country.

As with checked baggage, if you have a layover in the US or Canada, you will take to go through border control at the first point of entry into the Us or Canada, fifty-fifty if your concluding destination is somewhere else.

So for example, if you are flying from Europe to Mexico with a layover in the US or Canada, you volition take to get your passport checked and fill out the customs class, as well as collect and recheck your baggage, even though you're not staying in the country or even leaving the airdrome.

Transit passengers

You are a transit passenger if you lot are not leaving the airport and not staying in that state. In this instance, yous oft don't accept to go through immigration or customs. Look for a sign that says transit or transit passengers or transfer or connecting flights.

I've been able to exercise this in many airports, such as Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Bangkok, and there are many more. If you lot don't go through edge command, yous're non technically entering that state.

Nonetheless, if you lot have a actually long layover and you want to go check out the city, you will take to go through clearing and customs in order to leave the airport.

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Transiting through the Schengen Zone

Transiting through the Schengen Zone tin can exist a little different since a flying from one Schengen country to another is considered domestic.

So for instance, if you lot're flight from the US to Paris and then onto Rome, you will go through immigration and customs in Paris but not in Rome.

If you accept two layovers, information technology gets even trickier.

Let's say you're flying from the Usa to Frankfurt to Rome to Istanbul. When you lot get in in Frankfurt, you will have to go through border control.

This is considering domestic flights, which includes your flight from Frankfurt to Rome, are in a different section of the airport, so you're leaving the international department and entering Germany, even though you're not leaving the drome.

You won't go through border control to enter Italian republic considering you were already cleared in Frankfurt. Simply you will have to go through passport control in Rome to exist stamped out of the Schengen Zone, and you lot'll get through customs and clearing in Istanbul since Turkey is exterior of the Schengen Zone.

Information technology'south usually pretty obvious once you lot arrive. When you get off the plane, look for signs that say transit, transfer, or connecting flights. If you don't meet whatsoever, and the but option leads you lot to a passport check line, and so you actually don't accept a option.

If you want to know ahead of time, ask the agent when you check in, or even one of the flying attendants on your offset flight, if yous will take to get through clearing and customs on your layover.

Do you have to go through security on your layover?

Like nigh things, this varies on the airdrome. The unproblematic answer is yous will probably have to go through security.

For near domestic layovers, you won't take to go through security over again. However, some airports accept separate security checkpoints for each terminal, and so if you lot state in one terminal and your next flying is in another, you lot would have to go through security again.

On international layovers, even those where in that location is a transit area, you will well-nigh likely have to go through security.

Some airports in other countries have security checks for each individual gate or a small group of gates. In this case, you lot volition accept to go through security again, but it should be a short line.

There'south too the chance your first flight lands in the same area your second flight leaves from, in which case you might be able to stay within the secured area and not accept to go through the security check again.

Unfortunately this means any liquids you purchased beyond security at the starting time airdrome won't arrive through security at the layover airport.

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Do y'all need a transit visa for your layover?

Note: I cannot respond visa questions. Delight refer to the embassy website for the country you are visiting or transiting through to see if you crave a visa.

Some countries require certain nationalities to become a transit visa in order to transit through the airport. It doesn't happen oft, but it'due south worth researching before you book a flight with a layover, or at to the lowest degree before you board the flight.

For most nationalities, if you have a layover within the Schengen Zone and your concluding destination is outside of the Schengen Zone, you don't need a transit visa. Over again, verify this for your nationality.

The US requires transit visas for many nationalities, unless your nationality is on the list eligible for the visa waiver program. For more info, see here and here.

Since this is such a complicated expanse subject to variations based on your nationality, the country you will be transiting through, and how long your layover is, exercise a few online searches and check the website for the diplomatic mission of the land where your layover is to see if you need a transit visa.

If you're notwithstanding not sure, it's also a proficient idea to bank check with the airline or even contact the consulate or diplomatic mission of the country y'all will be transiting through earlier yous book your flight.

Whenever possible, I think it's best to avoid layovers that require transit visas since there's usually a fee involved. The hassle of filling out an application and paying a fee for a state you're not fifty-fifty actually going to just doesn't seem worth it.

Brand sure your layover is long enough, and don't let layovers get you stressed out. Hopefully these tips and explanations of how layovers work will help y'all transit smoothly from one flight to another.

You lot might also be interested in:

• Best Carry-On Luggage
• 8 Things to do If You Think Your Layover is As well Short
• How to Maximize a Long Layover
• Tin can I Leave the Airport During a Layover?

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Source: https://travel-made-simple.com/how-do-layovers-work/

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