Arrivals at O’Hare International Airport

Travelers arriving from foreign countries are required to go through U.S. Customs and Border Protection security checkpoints to enter the United States. All international travelers at O’Hare arrive at Terminal 5. After exiting the gate, passengers should move to CPB processing area. Passengers who need Visa to enter the country or the first-time ESTA passengers should wait in the immigration line. All belongings of passengers may be re-checked for security reasons. Travelers will also need to go through the passport control to be allowed in the country, where their immigration status is going to be confirmed and reviewed. There are designated signs at the airport for U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens that travelers should follow respectively. Those travelers going through Passport Control should have their passports along with Custom’s declaration form ready to show it to the officer. Travelers might be asked about the purpose of their trip for security reasons. An officer might also take fingerprints and a picture of a traveler entering the United States. If you have anything to declare, inform the CPB officer.

Global Entry

Global Entry is a program by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and enables quicken authorization for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. A Fingerprint biometric technology verifies a registered member. No minimum number of trips is necessary to qualify for the program. Travelers participating in the program may enter the United States by using automated kiosks located at selected airports.

Automated Passport Control

O'Hare is the first airport in the country to offer Automated Passport Control (APC) program. The program is designed to help eligible passengers move through the U.S. border faster by filling in the information at a self-service kiosk. APC does not require pre-registration, but some of the passengers might not be eligible to participate. Currently only U.S. and Canadian passport holders, also international passengers with ESTA – Electronic System for Transportation Authorization, approval. Passengers who qualify for the program can skip the filling of a declaration card and go directly to a self-service kiosk.

Claiming a Baggage

All of the passenger who had a piece of luggage checked in, should move to the baggage claim area and take their suitcases, even those passengers who are connecting do a different flight, need to re-check the luggage if they arrived on an international flight.

Exiting the Airport

Once the passengers have gone through the CPB processing area they can exit either from the Exit A or the Exit B. There are numerous ground transportation services passengers can use to get to different parts of Chicago.