Immigration check

Ok here's the deal. My partner (has a Polish passport) is traveling to Kolkata from Toronto and we are totally confused as to where we need to do the immigration check. Her flight from Toronto (Air India AI 188) arrives at Terminal 3 of Delhi Airport, the connecting flight (Air India AI 22)to Kolkata leaves from the same terminal. We have been told by different AI staff that she "may choose" to do the immigration check in Kolkata (advantage being that the luggage at Toronto can be booked directly to Kolkata - not sure if that is accurate info either). Common experience suggests that immigration check is at Port of Entry. Though AI 22 is a code share flight with BMI, will there be an opportunity to do the immigration in Kolkata at all?

Hi, and welcome to IM.

If your airlines have a codeshare,you can presume that your luggage will be transported automatically to your onward internal flight in India.

Therefore you will proceed straight from arrivals without having to pass immigration to your connecting flights gate.

Kolkata is an International airport.You can be sure of a smiling immigration officer there 24/7.Head for international arrivals.

If there isn't one then wait till one shows up.

I don't think you'll have any choice. Sooner, or later, you'll find yourself standing in a queue for immigration.

What you need to be sure about is what happens to your luggage. Is it booked through, or do you need to collect it from the international arrival and carry it to the domestic departure.

Possible in Delhi? I have no idea, having never arrived there. I don't think it is in my city airport (but then, I have never transited here).

If international passengers go straight to a domestic flight, how do officials handle that flight, will will carry a mixture of of passengers?

Good point.
I actually presumed that the code share works in India the same as europe,otherwise what would be the point?

Sure it might be a lot simpler too to get the immigration over and done with whilst in Delhi.

Then stand at the carousel watching.If your luggage don't show up its probably on the way to Kolkata

Got me there! But, now I come to think of it, I think that baggage clearance is going to go with customs, and customs and immigration is going to happen at international arrivals, and that none of this stuff happens at domestic terminals.

I've arrived in India many times; I've flown within India a couple. I've never combined the two.

I've arrived at Delhi and taken internal flights straight from aforementioned.
But Finnair has no codeshare with any Indian airline as yet.(though this might change soon as Helsinki -Delhi is one of Finnairs more popular routes at 6 hrs 30 mins making it it a good option for international stopovers)

I think codeshare 'should' mean that baggage will be transferred to the end point.Maybe nycank can put this one to bed

Sorry, I should have clarified better - the AI 22 is codeshare with BMI, but we are not in BMI. We will be flying Air India all the way from Toronto to Delhi and then Delhi to Kolkata.

So I take it that you meant that the internal (meaning domestic?) flight you took from Delhi got you to your final destination and it was only at that last airport you had immigration check?
Question then is - did you find a channel in that last airport that was meant for international travelers, or did you take a different transit bus from the aircraft to the international terminal? I have not traveled to India before but I have been told that domestic and international terminals are completely separate in Kolkata. If that's true I'd just want to make sure that there is an immigration counter set up for domestic arrivals too (in Kolkata airport that is).

You will be given immigration cards on Canada-Delhi flight,so i think you will have to do the Immigration check in Delhi,even though your baggage may be transferred automatically to Kolkata.
To be sure you can ask at check-in in Canada they surely will be able to advise.

Have a good trip

It doesn't work like that, because immigration check is not a voluntary thing. A passenger does not choose to check in with immigration or to pass through customs control. Simply, they do not get to set foot outside the airport unless they do. The model you seem to have in mind would be wide open to abuse: it would be an open door into the country, and, wow, would people use it. You can be sure that this will not happen in any country, except those that have more-or-less open borders with their neighbours.

You needn't worry about immigration checking: it will happen. Forget immigration, and just be sure you know what is happening to your bags.

well, what are the things that a first timer should keep in mind or follow & if I can get some knowledge about this "immigration" & "customs" too

The fine art of standing in a queue!

I hope to learn other artistic things too

The checked luggage will be seen at Kolkata airport.
Definitely AI has been very good in letting their passengers get home in the shortest time. Last year I took AI from N america,
to delhi and ai 22 to kolkata. It was immigration done at Kolkata, delhi was a short 2 1/2 hrs wait at terminal, you do not have to look for your checked luggage at delhi, as you have mentioned 'can be sure of a smiling immigration officer there 24/7. Head for international arrivals.' It was a great AI service, the luggage were even loaded on trolly carts by the porters, great service done by AI.

I refuse to speculate on AI and its strange ways. However, AI being a gummint airline bleeding taxpayer monies is resorting to stupid pet tricks.

Your partner will *know* only at the time of a checkin if she can or cannot. Here is the reason why.

1. AI 22 leaves DEL at 2000 hrs while AI 188 arrives at 1510 hours from YYZ, a layover of 5 hours and 10. Long transit area shared with, and intermixed with other airline's transit people is *not* done.

2. AI 22 maybe a connector flight which is what AI does to shuffled and herd pax from one international to another international airport in India, they might bundle pax from other international arrivals, so it is possible that transit pax has to suffer in the holding pen called transit lounge.

3. AI 188 definitely will let some pax clear immigrations at Amritsar as it is an onward flight. Dunno about CCU.

4. The pax can know the connector status at the checkin counter. It is all or nothing, which means you cannot change your mind in the middle of a flight when you are over Europe you want to have checkin done in DEL etc...

Good luck.

BTW: Codeshare in this case is only for BMI to sell tickets on AI metal. Nothing to do with immigrations & customs.