Immigration and customs requirements on entering JFK (self-transfer)

Question

We are an Australian and Canadian citizens travelling from Dubai UAE to the Syracuse NY airport, via JFK, and have a 4-hour stopover before our flight to Syracuse. At what stage would I clear immigration and customs on arriving in the USA? We arrive in Terminal 4 and leave from Terminal 4. How long would it take to clear customs and immigration?

Answer 1

As dda wrote, you will undergo immigration and customs checks at your first port of entry into the US, JFK in your case.

Since you have separately ticketed flights, things will go like this:

• Deplane
• Get to passport control
• Queue and be processed
• Wait for your checked luggage and pick them up
• Go through customs (usually very quick)
• You cannot drop your bags right after customs
• Go to departures, find check-in area for your next flight
• Queue
• Check-in before the check-in deadline.
• Go through security
• Go to your gate
• Board before the gate closes.

The whole ordeal up to (and including) customs used to often take 2 hours and more for non-US citizens/PRs, but with the introduction of kiosks etc. this has reduced a lot, and most airlines consider that 1 to 1.5 hours are enough. The exact time will depend on specifics such as the type of visa (visa waiver aka ESTA, B-1/B-2, other types of visa...), whether it's your first time on that visa, whether you have had your biometrics already taken, etc. and more generally whether you can use the kiosks or not, and of course the date and time.

JFK gives the current passport control wait times here. Scroll down to "Security & Customs Wait Times" and click on "Customs". I believe this is for people actually seeing an agent, it should be shorter if you can use the kiosks.

Historical wait times are available here, and show a lot of variability, with the average for non-US citizens ranging from 0 to 155 minutes, and the max from 4 minutes to nearly 4 hours.

Since you are flying to Syracuse from Terminal 4, I suppose you're flying with Delta. The check-in deadline for domestic flights with checked baggage for Delta at JFK is one hour before scheduled departure.

In general, if you checked in in time, you should be able to get to the gate in time, but again, that may depend on the date and time. Current wait times are available on the JFK site as well, in the other tab.

This means you have 3 hours to get from your seat in the plane to the check-in counter.

If there are no delays, it's in most cases perfectly doable, with some margin, though if you travel on a busy day/time, can't uses kiosks, or your incoming flight is delayed, that margin can quickly be used up.

Remember, since the flights are booked independently, if you miss the check-in deadline, you are considered a no-show. Contrary to some other US airlines, Delta does not have a clear "flat-tire rule", so they may or may not allow you to be rebooked (standby) on the next flight for free. My guess in this case is that they wouldn't (since you chose not to buy the full itinerary from them).

So, if you miss the check-in deadline, in the worst case, you may have to buy new tickets at the last minute, at last minute prices (for instance, there are no flights below $249 per person today or tomorrow, and some exceed $400). In the best case (if they rebook you for free, but standby, aka waiting list), you may have to wait for a flight with available seats. In all cases, if the flight is the next day (the aren't many flights on that route, and the Delta flights are operated by third parties using small aircraft with limited capacity), you will have to pay for any hotels, transfers, meals, etc.

Answer 2

You enter the US on the first stop, unless you have been pre-cleared by US CBP at departure. CBP has pre-clearance in Abu Dhabi, but not in Dubai, I believe.

So you'll have to pass through passport inspection in JFK, pick up your luggage, and drop it off at the drop-off counter (which should be right outside the luggage hall).

As for how long it'll take (including security checks for your next flight),no clue.