How Long Does It Take to Get Through Customs?

You finally get off an international flight, follow the signs toward Customs and Border Protection, and discover one of the great mysteries of air travel:

How long is this going to take?

For most uncomplicated arrivals into the United States, plan on about 45 to 90 minutes from leaving the aircraft until you are through the international arrival process.

Sometimes you’ll sail through in 20 or 30 minutes. Other times, especially when several international flights arrive together, you have checked luggage, or additional inspection is required, it can take two hours or more.

The confusing part is that when travelers say “customs,” they usually mean everything that happens between getting off an international flight and walking into the public arrivals area.

Technically, that’s several different processes.

And the actual conversation with a Customs and Border Protection officer may be one of the shortest parts of the whole thing.

How Much Time Should You Allow?

For a U.S. international arrival, these are useful planning ranges:

Arrival situation	Time to plan
Quiet period, carry-on only	20–40 minutes
Typical uncomplicated arrival	45–90 minutes
Checked bags during a busy period	60–120 minutes
Several large international flights arriving together	90 minutes–2+ hours
Global Entry or Mobile Passport Control	Often faster, but not guaranteed
Secondary inspection	No dependable estimate

Those times describe the whole international arrival process, not simply the amount of time you spend talking to an officer.

That’s an important distinction.

You might clear passport inspection quickly and then stare at an empty baggage carousel for 30 minutes.

What Does “Going Through Customs” Actually Mean?

At a typical U.S. international airport, your arrival may look something like this:

You leave the aircraft and walk to the international inspection area.

You go through passport or immigration processing with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

If you checked luggage, you collect it.

You make any required declarations concerning purchases, food, agricultural products, currency or other items.

You proceed through the customs portion of the inspection process and exit into the public arrivals area.

If you’re connecting to another flight, you may have additional steps after that, including rechecking your luggage and going through TSA security again.

The exact order can vary by airport, so follow the signs and instructions where you actually land.

But that’s why a traveler can truthfully say, “Customs took me an hour,” even though the conversation with the CBP officer lasted three minutes.

The hour included everything around it.

Customs and Immigration Aren’t Quite the Same Thing

People use the terms interchangeably all the time, and in the United States both functions are handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

But they’re asking different questions.

Immigration or passport inspection is primarily about you.

Who are you? What document are you traveling with? Are you permitted to enter the United States? If you’re visiting, what is the purpose of your trip?

Customs is primarily about what you’re bringing with you.

Did you buy anything abroad? Are you carrying food or agricultural products? Do you have merchandise, gifts, restricted items or reportable currency?

In a modern airport, the two processes can feel blended together.

For estimating your arrival time, that’s fine. You don’t need a stopwatch for each government function.

You just need to know that the line marked Passport Control is part of the journey you were mentally calling “customs.”

Where Does All the Time Go?

Suppose you have an ordinary international arrival with one checked suitcase.

You spend 15 minutes getting off the aircraft and walking to passport control.

You wait 30 minutes for passport processing.

Then you spend another 25 minutes waiting for your suitcase.

Customs and declarations take another 10 minutes.

That’s already 80 minutes, and nothing went wrong.

No lost passport.

No interrogation scene.

No suitcase filled with mysterious tropical fruit.

Just ordinary airport steps.

That’s why planning around the fastest customs experience you’ve ever had can get you into trouble.

Passport Control Can Be the Big Line

This is often the part people remember.

A quiet inspection hall may have very little wait. Then two or three wide-body aircraft arrive close together and hundreds of passengers suddenly enter the same facility.

Your own flight can even arrive at an inconvenient time because other flights were delayed earlier.

CBP publishes airport wait-time information for many major U.S. international airports, which can help show historical processing patterns.

But historical wait times aren’t a reservation.

They cannot tell you that your suitcase will take 35 minutes to appear or that three delayed flights will reach immigration five minutes before yours.

Checked Luggage Can Erase Your Head Start

You can breeze through passport processing and still go nowhere.

Your suitcase has its own travel schedule.

Checked bags have to be unloaded, sorted and delivered to the international baggage area. Oversized items, strollers, mobility equipment and other special baggage may arrive separately.

This is one reason travelers with only carry-on luggage can sometimes get through an international arrival much faster.

And it’s worth remembering if you use Global Entry or Mobile Passport Control.

Those programs may help you move through the passport-processing portion more efficiently.

They do not make your suitcase come off the airplane faster.

What Do You Need to Declare?

One of the easiest ways to make customs more stressful is trying to decide whether something “really counts.”

If you’re unsure whether an item needs to be declared, declare it and let CBP determine whether it can enter and whether anything else is required.

Food and agricultural products are especially important.

Something being packaged does not automatically mean it doesn’t need to be declared.

Purchases and gifts may also need to be declared, including items bought at a duty-free shop. “Duty free” doesn’t mean “declaration free.”

And carrying more than $10,000 in currency or covered monetary instruments isn’t automatically illegal, but U.S. reporting requirements apply when entering or leaving the country with more than that amount.

The goal isn’t to memorize the entire customs code on the flight home.

It’s to answer questions accurately and not hide something because you’re afraid declaring it will slow you down.

What Is Secondary Inspection?

Sometimes a traveler is directed away from the normal processing area for additional review.

That is called secondary inspection.

CBP may need to ask additional questions, examine luggage, review documents or records, resolve an immigration or identity issue, or look more closely at an agricultural or customs matter.

Being sent to secondary inspection does not, by itself, mean that someone has done something wrong.

It does mean that your timing becomes much harder to predict.

A simple question might be resolved fairly quickly. A complicated issue can take considerably longer.

There isn’t a useful “average” you should rely on when planning around secondary inspection.

Can Global Entry Make It Faster?

For approved members, Global Entry can significantly streamline the entry process.

But it isn’t a magic tunnel from the airplane to the parking lot.

Members are still subject to inspection, and Global Entry does not control how quickly checked baggage arrives.

If you’re making a connection, it also doesn’t control the TSA line you may encounter afterward.

So Global Entry can remove one potential bottleneck without removing every other bottleneck in an international arrival.

What About Mobile Passport Control?

Mobile Passport Control, often called MPC, is another option for eligible travelers at participating locations.

It is not the same program as Global Entry.

Global Entry is a Trusted Traveler Program requiring advance application and approval. MPC is available through an app to eligible travelers and doesn’t use the same enrollment process.

When available and appropriate for your trip, MPC can make the passport-processing portion faster.

Again, though, your luggage remains unimpressed by your technological achievement.

If the bag isn’t on the carousel yet, you’re waiting.

Connecting to Another Flight After Customs

This is where timing becomes much more important.

If you’re arriving from overseas and your first U.S. airport is also where you connect to a domestic flight, you generally complete the U.S. entry process there.

That can mean:

Passport processing.
Collecting your checked luggage.
Completing customs.
Rechecking the luggage for the connecting flight.
Going through TSA security.
Traveling to the next gate.

So a two-hour connection isn’t really two free hours.

The clock is being eaten by one airport process after another.

For many travelers, 2½ to 3 hours is a more comfortable international-to-domestic connection window. Three to four hours may make more sense at a large or unfamiliar airport, when traveling with children or checked luggage, when mobility assistance is needed, or when the consequences of missing the connection are high.

A shorter connection can certainly work.

It just leaves less room for ordinary delays.

And if the flights are on separate tickets, consider an even larger buffer. The second airline may not protect you if you miss its flight because the first trip ran late.

What Is U.S. Preclearance?

There is one very useful exception to the usual arrival routine.

At certain foreign airports, travelers complete U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection before boarding the flight to the United States.

That’s called preclearance.

After that flight lands in the United States, passengers normally arrive much more like domestic travelers because the U.S. inspection has already happened.

That can make a connecting itinerary considerably easier.

If your airport offers preclearance, allow the necessary time before departure instead. The border process didn’t disappear. It simply moved to the other end of the flight.

Why Can Customs Suddenly Take Two Hours?

International arrival times can change dramatically even at the same airport.

Several large flights can arrive together.

A delayed flight can suddenly join the normal arrival rush.

Passport-processing lines can grow.

Baggage delivery can slow down.

Computer systems can have problems.

A traveler may need an agriculture inspection or secondary processing.

And airport layout matters more than people realize. Some international-arrival routes involve surprisingly long walks before you even reach passport control.

So the fact that you got through the same airport in 35 minutes last year doesn’t mean you should schedule this year’s connecting flight as though 35 minutes is guaranteed.

Airports have a sense of humor about that sort of confidence.

How to Make the Process Easier

You can’t control the line, but you can avoid creating extra problems for yourself.

Before traveling, make sure your passport and other required documents are current.

Keep receipts or a simple record of purchases made abroad.

Know what food or agricultural products you’re carrying.

If you’re using Global Entry or Mobile Passport Control, make sure you understand the current eligibility and instructions before arriving.

Keep your passport accessible when you leave the plane rather than buried underneath everything you bought on vacation.

And if you have a connection, know what happens to your luggage at the first U.S. airport.

Don’t assume a bag will automatically continue to the final city simply because the baggage tag has that city printed on it.

Follow the airport and airline instructions for your particular itinerary.

When Should Someone Pick You Up?

International arrivals are especially difficult to predict from the scheduled landing time.

If your flight lands at 4:00 p.m., telling someone to pull up to the curb at 4:15 is optimistic.

You still have to deplane, walk to inspection, clear passport control, retrieve luggage if you checked it, finish customs and reach the pickup area.

A better approach is to give your driver the flight number and send an update once you’re through passport processing or have your luggage.

For an uncomplicated international arrival, 45 to 90 minutes after leaving the aircraft is a reasonable planning range.

But if someone absolutely cannot wait, build in more time rather than less.

If you are preparing for international travel, these related guides may also help:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get through customs after an international flight?

About 45 to 90 minutes is a useful planning range for an uncomplicated U.S. arrival. A quiet carry-on-only arrival may take 20 to 40 minutes, while busy periods, baggage delays or additional inspection can push the process beyond two hours.

Is 30 minutes enough to get through customs?

It can happen under favorable conditions, but 30 minutes isn’t a good assumption for an important connection. Walking, passport processing, baggage and customs can easily take longer.

Do I collect my checked bag before customs?

Usually, at a traditional U.S. international-arrivals facility, you retrieve your checked baggage as part of the arrival process before completing the customs exit. Procedures can differ with preclearance and certain airport programs, so follow the instructions at the airport.

Do I go through customs at my connecting airport?

If it is your first U.S. airport after arriving from overseas, you generally complete CBP processing there. Connecting passengers may also need to retrieve and recheck luggage and clear TSA security again.

Does Global Entry guarantee fast customs?

No. It can expedite entry processing for approved members, but travelers remain subject to inspection, and Global Entry doesn’t control baggage delivery, flight delays or subsequent TSA lines.

What happens during secondary inspection?

CBP may ask additional questions, examine baggage, review documents or records, or resolve an immigration, customs, agriculture or identity issue. There is no dependable time estimate for secondary inspection.

Do I have to declare packaged food?

Food and agricultural products can still be subject to declaration requirements even when packaged. When uncertain, declare the item and let CBP determine whether it is admissible.

Quick Summary

Getting through a U.S. international arrival usually takes about 30 minutes to 2 hours, with 45 to 90 minutes being a useful planning range for an uncomplicated trip.

A quiet carry-on-only traveler may finish in 20 to 40 minutes.

Busy arrival periods, checked luggage, several international flights arriving together, or additional inspection can push the process beyond two hours.

What travelers call “customs” usually includes several separate steps: walking from the aircraft, passport or immigration processing, baggage claim, declarations and customs or agriculture screening.

Global Entry and Mobile Passport Control can make passport processing faster for eligible travelers, but neither controls baggage delivery or every other part of the airport.

And if you’re making a connection, remember that you may still need to recheck your luggage, clear TSA security and reach another gate.

The best plan isn’t to assume customs will be slow.

It’s to leave enough time that it doesn’t matter if it is.

Sources & References

Editorial Review

Reviewed by Claire Bennett, Managing Editor
Last reviewed: September 2026

Quick Answer Guide publishes practical, research-based answers to common questions about money, technology, health, travel, home improvement, and everyday life. Content is reviewed using official government resources, educational institutions, industry publications, carrier documentation, and other authoritative sources when appropriate. Articles are updated periodically to improve accuracy and usefulness.