US pre clearance tip

Snoopy1

When entering pre clearance there are about 5 machines upstairs that are slightly out the way. Use these, scan your passport, get your receipt. Then you get to skip all the queue downstairs and are straight to an official.
I was through in 2 minutes flat.

Special Circumstances

Snoopy1 wrote: »

When entering pre clearance there are about 5 machines upstairs that are slightly out the way. Use these, scan your passport, get your receipt. Then you get to skip all the queue downstairs and are straight to an official.
I was through in 2 minutes flat.

I peesume you're talking about Dublin, not Shannon?

Thought they had started urine testing from the thread title!

Snoopy1

Yea Dublin.

endofrainbow

can you tell us where these machines actually are ?

Snoopy1

God I'm only trying to be nice and give a tip and everyone jumps down my throat.
When you go downstairs at us pre clearance there are 6 machines at top of staies to the right and out the way..
Put your passport in, approval is 90 seconds, then head down get your bags scanned as normal, then skip all the queue straight to a us officer.

endofrainbow

nobody jumping down your throat - I only asked where the machines were.....

jme2010

Snoopy1 wrote: »

When entering pre clearance there are about 5 machines upstairs that are slightly out the way. Use these, scan your passport, get your receipt. Then you get to skip all the queue downstairs and are straight to an official.
I was through in 2 minutes flat.

Great tip. Is this for Irish people on ESTA visas too? I remember last time we were told to join a queue regardless of what we told them.

Snoopy1

It's for anyone with an esta. I couldn't believe how quick I got through. There are loads of machines downstairs too.
The process has really improved. Last year I queued for 90 minutes

lynchie

Snoopy1 wrote: »

It's for anyone with an esta. I couldn't believe how quick I got through. There are loads of machines downstairs too.
The process has really improved. Last year I queued for 90 minutes

The APCs can only be used if you have an ESTA and have traveled to the US at least once since 2008. It cannot be used by a first time traveler

jme2010

lynchie wrote: »

The APCs can only be used if you have an ESTA and have traveled to the US at least once since 2008. It cannot be used by a first time traveler

So that covers a lot of us reading and posting here :-)

What queue do I join I've used the machine?

Does this fast track me past the paper form guys before final metal detector or does it fast track me to the emigration officer ?

Thanks

RobertKK

OK so I was in the US in 2001, I will be going again next month.
So I just stay downstairs?

endofrainbow

I just went through this morning. Upstairs machines were for US Citiizens only.

jack presley

endofrainbow wrote: »

I just went through this morning. Upstairs machines were for US Citiizens only.

That's what I thought when I went through in May but wasn't paying too much attention so wasn't sure. Maybe that sign is just to deter loads of non-Americans clogging up the space.

endofrainbow

They were actively monitoring it and telling non us passport holders they couldn't use it.

Snoopy1

Well I'm not American, and I used the machines. Anyway it was only a tip, as I was trying to be helpful. Go and queue if you want to.

coylemj

endofrainbow wrote: »

I just went through this morning. Upstairs machines were for US Citiizens only.

endofrainbow wrote: »

They were actively monitoring it and telling non us passport holders they couldn't use it.

Since nobody has said so explicitly - is there a permanent sign saying that the machine upstairs are for US citizens only? I'm wondering was the restriction a temporary measure because there was extra US citizens travelling for the Labor Day weekend?

jme2010

coylemj wrote: »

Since nobody has said so explicitly - is there a permanent sign saying that the machine upstairs are for US citizens only? I'm wondering was the restriction a temporary measure because there was extra US citizens travelling for the Labor Day weekend?

I remember seeing a bunch of machines downstairs right infront of the emigration officers. It looked like only U.S citizens where allowed to use them. Maybe if youre sneaky you'd get away using the ones upstairs.

[Unrelated]
I'm heading out to L.A on Friday 16th at 3pm. That should be late enough to avoid the bunch of early JFK /Chicago flights that go out earlier that day right? So it shouldn't be too busy in the queues.

Anybody know the schedules roughly?

coylemj

jme2010 wrote: »

I remember seeing a bunch of machines downstairs right infront of the emigration officers. It looked like only U.S citizens where allowed to use them. Maybe if youre sneaky you'd get away using the ones upstairs.

That's the opposite of what people have been saying here which is that it's the machines upstairs that are restricted to US passport holders.

jme2010 wrote: »

I'm heading out to L.A on Friday 16th at 3pm. That should be late enough to avoid the bunch of early JFK /Chicago flights that go out earlier that day right? So it shouldn't be too busy in the queues.

Anybody know the schedules roughly?

This is what you need to do....

1. Install the Dublin Airport app on your smartphone

2. Open the app tomorrow (Wednesday), click on 'Departures', 'Terminal 2' and 'Friday'. If you run the app on Thursday, obviously you will need to click on 'Tomorrow'.

3. Scroll down to 12 noon and beyond to see how many flights are going to the US in the afternoon.

The Dublin Airport website has removed the facility to filter by terminal for flights so the app is now the only place where you can drill down and look at a filtered set of departures.

faceman

endofrainbow wrote:

I just went through this morning. Upstairs machines were for US Citiizens only.

Same for me a few weeks ago. US citizens only.