Customs and Immigration: What is the Difference?

When you travel abroad, customs and immigration checks usually take place when you arrive at an airport, but what do they involve, and what is the difference between them?

A quick glance at social media or travel forums shows that many people don’t actually know the difference between customs and immigration, as the terms are often used interchangeably.

So let’s take a look at what customs and immigration actually involve, so you can understand the difference between them!

The difference between customs and immigration

Customs and immigration procedures occur when you travel internationally and arrive in a foreign country, whether you fly into an airport, cross a land border by car, bus, or train, or reach a foreign port by cruise ship or ferry.

In simple terms, immigration procedures apply to people crossing an international border, while customs checks any baggage or goods you bring into the country.

Usually, you will pass through immigration first, followed by customs, when you arrive at a new destination.

It is always the traveller’s responsibility to ensure they comply with all regulations when crossing a border.

This involves making sure you have all the documents required to enter a country legally and that any goods in your baggage are permitted.

Customs and immigration in the Schengen Zone

A big part of the confusion between customs and immigration among less-experienced travellers seems to arise from the unique political entity that is Europe’s Schengen Zone.

The Schengen Zone is a group of European countries that have formally abolished internal border controls.

From a traveller’s perspective, you should note that you go through immigration at the first Schengen country you arrive in.

For example, if you fly with Delta or Air France from Atlanta via Paris to Berlin, you will pass through immigration at Paris Charles de Gaulle, as this is the point where you first enter the Schengen Zone.

You will then essentially travel from Paris to Berlin as if it were a domestic flight.

Customs checks are always carried out at your final destination when you fly into Europe’s Schengen Zone.

In the example of our Atlanta-Paris-Berlin flight itinerary, this means that customs takes place in Berlin rather than in Paris, as your bags will be checked through to your final destination.

Immigration procedures

Immigration, sometimes called passport control, exists to verify whether you are entitled to enter a particular country.

This can sometimes be a five-second process, involving just a quick glance at your passport by an immigration officer, or a lengthy procedure of checking various documents and questioning you about your intentions.

Of course, how quick immigration procedures are will depend on the country you are visiting and the strength of your passport.

If you are an American, British or EU citizen visiting Turkey, you will usually pass through immigration with ease, needing nothing more than a valid passport.

Within seconds, an immigration officer will scan your passport, flick through it and stamp you into the country.

However, for a Turkish citizen visiting the US or UK, the process is much more demanding, as they must obtain a visa before they are even allowed to fly.

Even with all the required paperwork in order, they are likely to face many more questions and checks when arriving at the airport and standing before an immigration officer.

How to check immigration requirements

Before travelling abroad – or probably even before booking your tickets – you should check the entry requirements of the country you plan to visit.

It is your responsibility to ensure you meet these requirements, as failing to do so could result in being refused entry by an immigration officer.

A good starting point is to check the websites of your own foreign ministry, your embassy in the country you plan to visit, or the embassy of that country in your home nation.

For example, the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has an excellent website showing the entry requirements for British citizens for each foreign country.

However, I would always double check this with some official source of the country you plan to visit, especially in the case of developing countries where immigration requirements are more prone to sudden change.

What is required by immigration

At a minimum, you will need a valid passport, or in some cases a national ID card, to cross an international border and enter a foreign country.

Always check passport validity rules, as some countries do not accept passports older than ten years and many require that your passport remains valid for at least six months for the entire duration of your stay abroad.

It is also important to ensure your passport is undamaged, particularly the plastic page containing your photo and the biometric data stored in its embedded chip.

Although slight damage to your passport may be overlooked in some countries, even a small tear or defect could result in being denied entry in nations known for strict checks.

Other common entry requirements you may need to meet at immigration when travelling abroad include:

– A valid visa stamped in your passport, or confirmation of an e-visa.
– Completing an online arrival card.
– Holding a return ticket to your home country, or to a third destination that you are allowed to enter.
– Proof of sufficient funds to support yourself for the duration of your stay.
– Proof of medical insurance valid abroad.
– Medical or vaccination certificates.
– Confirmed accommodation for the duration of your stay.
– Proof of the purpose of your visit.

Make sure your documentation is in order and be ready to show proof – either on your phone or, preferably, in printed form – that you meet the entry requirements when requested by an immigration officer.

Even if you can enter a country visa-free and with minimal to no documentation, you must check the maximum permitted stay as a visitor.

It is your responsibility not to overstay the allowed duration in a foreign country and to ensure you do not engage in activities prohibited for visitors, as failing to do so could result in fines or entry bans.

For example, even if you are permitted to stay for 90 days as a visitor in a foreign country, this may be limited to tourism and visiting purposes, as studying, working, or conducting business abroad may require different entry requirements, such as obtaining a full visa.

Arrival checks

Whether any of the above entry requirements are checked at immigration depends on the country and the strength of your passport.

For example, if you hold a strong passport, such as from the US, Canada, the UK, or an EU country, you are usually not asked to show proof of sufficient funds.

If it is requested, showing a few bank cards may be enough.

However, under stricter checks, you might need to present a recent bank statement or show your funds in your banking app.

In countries where immigration officers may suspect that travellers are attempting to enter under the guise of tourism while actually intending to work or illegally overstay their visa, they may question you about the purpose of your visit to ensure your explanation is consistent and supported by evidence.

Although many Westerners believe this does not apply to them, they are mistaken, as they may also be thoroughly vetted in some countries.

This may occur in countries where tourism is rare, or in those with heightened security due to internal conflicts, elections, or war.

Even in popular tourist destinations – Thailand being a notorious example – this can happen, as the authorities are wary of Western travellers overstaying their tourist visas and either ignoring or forgetting that a prolonged stay requires arranging a residence permit.

It is worth noting that the final decision on whether you are allowed into a foreign country always lies with the discretionary authority of the immigration officer on arrival, and even if you managed to get a valid visa and formally meet all other requirements, you could still be denied entry.

Airline checks

Immigration officers are not the only ones checking whether you meet the entry requirements of a particular country.

Even before you board your plane, bus, train, or ship to a foreign country, a transport worker may already verify whether you fulfil the entry requirements.

This is especially common at your departure airport, where airline staff at the check-in desk or gate will check your passport and documentation to ensure they meet all entry requirements set by immigration at your destination.

Airlines do this because they are responsible for deporting passengers who are denied entry, and they can even be fined by the immigration authorities for transporting someone who does not meet the entry requirements.

Of course, airline personnel do not know off the top of their heads which country has which rules for which passport holders.

To check whether you meet all entry requirements, they verify your details using specialised software, which indicates what a passport holder of a particular country must show to travel to a specific destination.

Airlines use Timatic or TravelDoc to verify entry requirements for international travel.

By entering your nationality, travel dates, documents, and ticket details, airline staff can see on their screen the passport, visa, and health requirements, and whether you need to provide any additional proof for verification.

For example, if you have booked only a one-way ticket to a destination that requires proof of an onward ticket, a check-in or gate agent at the airport will ask to see it, and failing to provide one could result in being denied boarding.

It is therefore always smart to run your details through Timatic or TravelDoc yourself to see what documentation your airline will require from you to be able to board the flight.

Immigration on connecting flights

If your itinerary includes connecting flights, the point at which you go through immigration depends on your exact route.

When connecting from an international to a domestic flight, immigration takes place at the airport where you make your connection, not at your final destination.

The situation can be more complicated when connecting between international flights and only transiting through a third country on your way to your destination.

In some cases, it is possible to transit through an airport without meeting the entry requirements of that country, provided your flights are booked on a single ticket.

If you book separate flights, for example from Cairo to Rome and then from Rome to New York, you must ensure you meet the entry requirements for both your transit country and your destination, in this case Italy (Schengen Zone) and the United States.

Some countries – the United States being the most notorious example – require all passengers with a connecting international flight through a US airport to meet their own immigration requirements as well.

This means that if you fly from Frankfurt, Germany, via New York to Montreal, Canada, you must also have a valid US transit visa – or, if you are from a country eligible for the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application.

If your connecting flights include a domestic segment between international flights, you must always meet the entry requirements for the country of that domestic flight as well.

For example, on a Saudia flight from London via Jeddah to Dubai, a British passport holder can travel without a Saudi Arabian visa, whereas on a London-Jeddah-Riyadh-Dubai flight, a visa for Saudi Arabia would be required for the domestic connection.

The bottom line is that you should always check whether you can transit through a third country without a visa or other special entry requirements – Timatic and TravelDoc work well for this, as you can enter transit points when checking your itinerary.

Customs

Although travellers often lump immigration and customs together, they are not the same.

Customs and immigration are both part of the arrival process at a foreign airport, border post, railway station, or port, but apart from that, they serve different purposes.

At customs, officers inspect your baggage and any goods you are bringing into the country.

Every country has its own customs authority, responsible for ensuring that arriving passengers do not break any import rules.

It is your responsibility to comply with all customs rules, including which items are prohibited in the country you are visiting and which goods have a maximum allowed limit, usually the amount considered for personal use.

These limits are particularly strictly enforced for alcohol and tobacco, but they can also apply to other items, such as electronics.

Many countries also strictly limit how much cash you can bring in without declaring it.

Customs also collects any import duties on certain goods and can impose fines if you bring in prohibited items or fail to declare amounts exceeding the import limit.

Prohibited items aren’t always just the ones people usually think about, such as drugs or firearms.

Some countries have strict import rules regarding food items to prevent the introduction of harmful pests and diseases.

In countries such as Australia, customs officers could even fine you if you put a sandwich you got on the plane in your bag and take it into the country!

How does customs works at the airport?

At most airports around the world, customs is typically carried out after immigration and after you have collected any checked baggage.

Again, the exact customs procedure and the strictness of checks depend on the country you are visiting.

In some countries, only random checks are carried out, in others all arriving passengers’ bags are put through a scanner, and in others every passenger is subject to a manual inspection.

Many airports around the world have a green and red channel between the baggage reclaim area and the arrivals hall, with the green channel for passengers who have “nothing to declare” and the red channel for those declaring goods to a customs officer.

If you are bringing in goods above the import limit or otherwise taxable items, you must pass through the red channel and declare them, as failing to do so could lead to serious trouble if you are caught.

Some countries still require customs cards that you must complete and hand to a customs officer upon arrival.

Depending on the country, this may be an online form completed before you travel, or a paper card provided on the plane that you need to fill in.

Make sure to fill out any customs declaration card honestly, as making false statements may be a punishable offence, potentially resulting in a fine or worse.

Customs at connecting flights

Customs can become more complicated if your itinerary involves connecting flights.

As a rule of thumb, if the airline can check your bags through to your final destination, customs checks will take place there.

However, in some countries, you must reclaim your luggage at the international point of arrival before rechecking it onto a connecting domestic flight, meaning customs checks will take place at your first point of entry rather than at your final destination.

If you have connecting flights through a third country, there may also be customs checks at the airport where you change flights, even if you are only transiting.

When your luggage is checked through to your final destination, only your hand luggage may be subject to a customs check at your connection point.

However, when you are travelling on separate tickets and your bags are not checked through, customs checks may apply to all your luggage.

It is therefore advisable to take into account any customs restrictions in third countries if you have a connecting flight.

For example, if you have a connecting flight with Saudia, such as London via Jeddah to Bangkok, you cannot carry duty-free alcohol in your hand luggage, as it is not permitted even when you only transit through Saudi Arabia.

When you arrive at Jeddah Airport, you will need to pass through security again to get to your connecting flight, and any bottles of alcohol will be confiscated.

Travelling with animals

It is worth noting that customs is typically the authority responsible for checking whether your pet, or any animal you are travelling with, meets all health and import regulations.

Not all border posts are equipped to handle live animals, so check in advance whether you can cross a particular border point when travelling with your pet, as this is sometimes limited to a few designated entry points.

Make sure to research all documentation and health requirements for pets thoroughly.

It is one thing to have a few packs of cigarettes confiscated by customs, but you definitely do not want that to happen with your pet!

Border checks on foreign soil

While the above explanation of immigration and customs procedures applies to most countries, there are a few unique exceptions that deserve attention.

Some countries conduct border checks on foreign soil to simplify travel, allowing passengers to complete immigration and customs procedures before departure.

Perhaps the best-known example is the US preclearance facility, which is located at certain airports around the world, including Abu Dhabi, Dublin, and various airports in the Caribbean and Canada.

For instance, on a direct Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Boston, you would pass through the US preclearance facility at Dublin Airport, where US immigration and customs officers are stationed.

Once you have successfully cleared this, you enter a secured waiting area from which you can board your flight to the US, arriving there as if on a domestic flight.

A similar arrangement applies for Eurostar trains to and from London.

If you take a Eurostar train from London to Paris, French (Schengen Zone) immigration takes place at London St Pancras station, where French border guards are stationed.

Once your train arrives in Paris, you can simply walk off and leave the station, just as you would on a domestic French high-speed train from Lyon to Paris, although random customs checks may still occur on arrival.

The same applies in the opposite direction, as travelling on a Eurostar train from Paris to London involves passing through British immigration at the station of Paris Gare du Nord.

Conclusion

Travelling internationally involves going through both immigration and customs upon arrival at the airport, and there is an important difference between the two.

Immigration concerns you as a person and whether you meet the entry requirements of a particular country, whereas customs deals with the baggage you carry and any goods you might be importing.

It is your responsibility as a traveller to be aware of all entry requirements for your destination, as well as any countries you may transit through on the way.

Failing to do so could result in deportation from a country, or being denied boarding at the airport before you even begin your journey.

It is equally important to be aware of the customs regulations of the country you plan to visit.

In particular, make sure you are aware of any prohibited items, as well as the maximum amounts of goods or cash you can bring into the country without needing to declare them to a customs officer.