20 November 2008

Irish airports to offer first European full US immigration checks

Irish airports are to become the first country outside the Americas to provide full U.S. immigration checks available before departure, reports Reuters, in an attempt to increase the number of stopovers in the country.

Currently, Dublin and Shannon have checkpoints for travellers to America so they can prematurely go through US immigration clearance.  These passengers still have to land at international airports in America, as they stil must clear customs and agriculture inspection. 

Officials are hoping to have installed full immigration checkpoints in Shannon by next summer and in Dublin by 2010, essentially making them like domestic flights within America, so that international passengers can land at smaller and less expensive airports and have cleared all necessary customs prior to landing.

Currently, only Canada and the Caribbean have installed the full US immigration services outside of America.

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The American Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in American visa and immigration services.

Article by Jessica Bird, American Visa Bureau.