TRAVEL

Flying to the US? Here's how

to clear immigration in Abu
Dhabi before you travel
The UAE is one of only six countries where travellers
can go through customs before arriving in the states

Travellers flying to the US from Abu Dhabi can clear immigration

before flying, saving time on arrival. Photo:Bloomberg

Hayley Skirka
Aug 24, 2022

The United States is a popular destination

for travellers from the UAE, and anyone
flying stateside from the capital can clear
US immigration before departing.

The UAE is one of only six countries in

the world to offer this service — the
others are Ireland, Aruba, the Bahamas,
Canada and Bermuda.

The service is available at Abu Dhabi

International Airport on daily Etihad
flights to Washington and Chicago, and
on the airline's 11 flights per week to New
York. It allows passengers to clear
security, customs and immigration before
getting on flights.

This means that on arrival in the US,

travellers are processed as domestic
rather than international arrivals, which
allows them to skip on-arrival customs
and security checks, and go directly to
any connecting flights.

All passengers flying from Abu Dhabi

must clear US immigration in the UAE,
and there’s a few things to know before
you go. Here’s The National’s guide to
navigating US pre-clearance at the Abu
Dhabi International Airport.

1. Get your paperwork in order

The documents needed for entry to the
US depend upon the reason for travel,
nationality and length of stay, so make
sure the right paperwork is organised
beforehand.

If flying under the visa waiver Esta

programme, which allows people from 40
countries to travel visa-free, apply for
approval at least three days before the
flight. This service costs $21, payable on
application. It allows travellers to stay in
the US for up to 90 days so long as they
have a machine-readable passport and a
confirmed return or onward flight ticket.

READ MORE
For those flying
on a US visa, it’s a
Everything you need to longer process,
know about travelling back
which takes
to the UAE after summer
anywhere from a
few weeks to a few months. Once the
relevant paperwork is approved, it will
reflect on the US immigration system,
and officers will be able to see it at the
Abu Dhabi airport.

2. Stay up to date on Covid-19-related

travel rules

Travellers to the US need to show proof of a Covid-19 vaccine or

an exemption certificate. Photo: Brandon Bell / Getty Images /
AFP

At present, most travellers flying to the

US must show proof of vaccination
against Covid-19, or a valid exemption
certificate. Vaccines need to be one of
those approved by US authorities and the
second dose must have been received at
least 14 days before arriving in the US.
Children under 18 and US citizens are
exempt.

Face masks are still required on all Etihad

flights, and the US Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) also
recommends wearing masks on public
transport and in closed spaces. No PCR
tests are required for travel to the US
since the country eased travel restrictions
in June.

3. Complete preflight departure forms

To clear US immigration in Abu Dhabi,
there are a few forms that need to be
filled out. Etihad’s combined disclosure
and attestation form is mandatory as per
CDC rules. It requests basic details about
the trip, such as the passenger's name,
flight number and departure date.

A contact tracing form is also mandatory

for all travellers. To complete this, a
booking reference number and an
address in the US, which can be a hotel
or an Airbnb, is needed. This must be
completed no more than 72 hours before
flight departure, and families travelling
together only need to complete one form.
It’s available on Etihad’s website.

4. Pack to US security standards

Travellers flying to the US must only carry liquids under 100 ml

that fit into one plastic zip-lock bag and cannot carry meat,
plants and other items.

US Customs and Border Protection

officers enforce strict guidelines on
liquids being less than 100ml in size and
fitting into one single zipped plastic bag.
This applies to all liquids, including those
purchased at duty free, even if they are in
sealed airport shopping bags.

Several food, plant and other products

are also prohibited from being taken to
the US, so it's worth double-checking on
any souvenirs carried on. The list of what
is and isn’t permitted on international
flights here.

5. Give yourself plenty of time

Clearing immigration in Abu Dhabi adds
a little time to the journey before
departure, but saves time on the other
end, so it's worth organising plans to
have more pre-departure time than
normal.

Check-in for all Etihad flights to the US

closes two hours before departure. After
that, there’s an initial security check —
the same one that all Abu Dhabi airport
passengers go through, followed by a
second security checkpoint located near
gates 58 and 61, reserved for US-bound
travellers.

If flying business, skip the line for

security, but the subsequent US
immigration checkpoint does not offer
fast-track for premium passengers and
lines can be long. The pre-clearance
service closes 60 minutes before
departure, so make sure to keep a little
more than an hour before flight time.

6. Expect to answer some questions

Travellers will be processed by US Customs and Border officers.

Photo: CBP.gov

The immigration desks are manned by US

border patrol officers who will ask
questions about the trip. Some basic
ones include where, why and for how
long the passenger will be in the US, and
travellers may also be asked follow-up
questions such as what their occupation
is or if they’ve ever travelled to the US
before.

If flying with more than $10,000 worth of

cash, it will have to be declared, as will
confirmation of not carrying prohibited
items such as seeds or meats.

Many travellers arrive at these

immigration point with reams of
paperwork, but in reality, if completed
properly, all that is needed is a passport,
boarding pass and visa copy, if
applicable. Travellers will also have their
picture taken for US authorities, and be
asked to identify their checked luggage —
which will be shown on a monitor by the
border patrol official.

7. Make use of Etihad's US lounge

There are a handful of gates on the other
side of US pre-clearance, as well as a
small retail kiosk. Economy passengers
can proceed directly to their gate, while
premium travellers can access a
dedicated Etihad US lounge.

This is a smaller version of Etihad’s

Business class lounge and has
comfortable sofas, bathrooms, Wi-Fi,
complimentary drinks and a small
selection of light bites and snacks. For
passengers flying economy who want to
access to the lounge, there's an eight-
hour pass for Dh185 for adults, and Dh90
for children, subject to availability.

8. Hit the ground running

When landing in the US, there’s no need
to go through any additional checks or
security clearances. Simply disembark
and follow signs to baggage collection or
connecting flights if travelling to another
destination in the US.

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