How long to get through customs and immigration?

Can someone tell me roughly how long it takes to get through customs and immigration at JFK. I%26#39;m not sure wether to take a taxi or book carmel cars, if i book the car service i%26#39;m not sure how long to book it for after we land.

Thanks.

How long to get through customs and immigration?

The time just depends on how many other planes land when you do and how many immigration officers are working. If you book Carmel they will ask you to phone them (there%26#39;s a courtesy phone near baggage claim) when you have your baggage and then they show up within 5-15 mins. OR, you can pay a lot extra and get ';meet and greet'; service which is when they stand inside with a sign with your name.

How long to get through customs and immigration?

If you%26#39;ve not been to the US recently it may take longer than usual as you will have to have your photograph and fingerprints taken. NYC immigrations and customs is undoubtedly the most ';unfriendly'; of all the cities I%26#39;ve visited in the US. Don%26#39;t try to be amusing or chatty just answer their questions and hopefully you%26#39;ll get through quickly.

I think we were the only plane that arrived at that time and so it was just our plane%26#39;s passengers that were in the queue. it was moving all the time and we were only there for about 15 mins. i guess it is pot luck really. had to only queue for 10 mins to get a cab. both queues were well organised. i think cars are more expensive. you will get lots of offers of taxis from men in the airport and approaching you when you are in the ';real'; queue for the yellow cabs. dont take them. take only a yellow one. we paid about $60 which included a tip.

Thanks for all that advice, its my first visit to the states so i didn%26#39;t know any of this. I think the taxis work out about just the same as the car service with the tolls and tips so i may actually opt for the taxi. Can%26#39;t come to New York and not get in a real yellow cab, just wouldn%26#39;t be right!!

Cheers.

our flight was the only one in also, so took maybe 20mins if that to go thru immigration, and 10 min for the cab.. the customs guy i had was really keen on me- he wanted to know why i was here, why i was alone, how long i was in NYC, what i was planning on going to see.. and there i stood just mumbling along getting v.nervous- yet i had nothing to hide, then i had to do the pic and prints and woo hoooo got the stamp in my passport lol :o)

I had heard a lot of BS scarestories about immigration at JFK so was a wee bit worried myself. The stories turned out to be groundless. True the envirnoment in the immigration hall is a bit grim but thats becuase of its age-it needs a makeover. The actual process probably took about 15-20 minutes,no hassle,flash passport,have pic taken,quick fingerprint scan and thats it-job done. The people on duty were efficient and courteous. As for transport to Manhattan,well the easiest option is proably just to make for the yellow cab taxi rank. Its well organised-taxis come and go in plentifull numbers and there is a person there to marshall the taxis and sort them out so it works really wll. In addition ,the fare to Manhattan island is a flat fee, i think is 45$ and its quite a lengthy journey so its good value even including the tip. Make sure you are equippend with the name and exact address of your hotel/accomodation and you cannot assume that your driver will know. It all works well-dont worry,,!

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