Whoa: Is this the craziest customs line you’ve ever seen?

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If you’ve ever traveled internationally to one of the countries that have a U.S. preclearance checkpoint, then you know how great it can be. Instead of waiting in a long customs line with passengers from all over the world when you land in the U.S., you clear customs before boarding the plane so you can just exit the airport when you land like you were on a domestic flight. RELATED: How travelers can beat the Global Entry and NEXUS price hike

Customs preclearance line at Dublin airport. That’s because the U.S. government has set up preclearance in six countries. According to the CBP website: “Today, CBP has more than 600 officers and agriculture specialists stationed at 15 Preclearance locations in 6 countries: Dublin and Shannon in Ireland; Aruba; Bermuda; Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates; Nassau in the Bahamas; and Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg in Canada.”

I’ve traveled through almost all of these preclearance locations and it’s usually a much more pleasant experience than dealing with customs after you’ve landed and you’re tired and cranky and especially if you have little kids.

However, Michael Kelly, an Irish travel writer and photographer shared a shocking look at the U.S. CBP line at Dublin Airport yesterday. His post on X (embedded below) had a caption with a valuable tip for those traveling from Ireland to the United States: “Flying from Dublin to the US ? Make sure you allow plenty of time to clear US Customs & Border protection This is the line yesterday Sunday 28th April, queuing to go down to the USCBP area in Terminal 2.”

Flying from Dublin to the US ?, make sure you allow plenty of time to clear US Customs & Border protection

This is the line yesterday Sunday 28th April, queing to go down to the USCBP area in Terminal 2 pic.twitter.com/nGpLjRDU3X

— Michael Kelly (@Michaelkelly707) April 29, 2024

In the video, you can see how ridiculously long the line was and if passengers didn’t show up extra early for their flight, they probably missed it.

That is, of course, unless they have Global Entry (GE) or had downloaded the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app. “Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the United States by accessing the Global Entry processing technology at selected airports.” It costs $100 for five years and includes TSA PreCheck.

Global Entry is available for lawful citizens from the U.S.A., Canada (via NEXUS) and Argentina, Brazil, Bahrain, India, Colombia, United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Panama, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and Mexican nationals.

The MPC mobile app is free and available to use at the Dublin Airport for US-bound passengers at preclearance in Terminal 2. However, it’s only available to U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents, Canadian B1/B2 citizen visitors and returning Visa Waiver Program travelers with approved ESTA. MPC is currently available at 33 U.S. International Airports, 13 Preclearance locations, and 4 seaports of entry.

I’m not sure what the problem was but I’ve never seen the line that long, although it’s been a while since I’ve been to Ireland. The good news is that most of the travelers commenting on Michael’s video were shocked as well and have been traveling through there recently. Here are a few notable comments:

Garreth: I flew to the US on a Wednesday. Flight was at 4:50pm. Went through immigration about 1pm. Took less than 3 minutes to go through security and literally no one in the queue for immigration. Weekends are a totally different deal!

Darragh Doran: Travel to US a lot. Only had similar queue once but now get to DUB extra just in case. I have Global Entry and it’s so quick that pre-clearance isn’t a factor for me in choosing flights anymore.

Srihari Vaidun: Invest in Global Entry…past immigration in less than 60 seconds

Brendan O’Sullivan: I have used pre-clearance at Dublin many times and have never seen queues like this. What was the issue?

David: Never experienced a queue there – has to be a reason

I do agree that there has to be reason for such a long line and I hope it’s not a staffing issue that’s going to linger into the busy and fast-approaching summer season. If the line is this long in April, what’s it going to be like in June, July and August?

Have you gone through U.S. customs at the Dublin Airport recently? If so, how long did it take? Please share the details like the date, day of the week and time.

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