ORDAirport Guide

Connecting from an international flight at O'Hare: the steps in order

Immigration, bags, customs, recheck, TSA again, then the train or bus to Terminals 1 to 3. O'Hare publishes no minimum connection time for any of it.

A row of self-service bag drop positions in the Terminal 5 check-in hall at O'Hare.
Self-service bag drop, Terminal 5, O'Hare

The route from an overseas flight to a domestic gate at O’Hare runs in a set order. You clear U.S. immigration and customs in Terminal 5, hand your bags back, get screened again and ride to Terminals 1, 2 or 3. O’Hare publishes no minimum connection time for any of it. It says only that immigration and customs rarely take more than two hours.

1. Immigration comes first

Your gate leads into sterile corridors that run to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing area, where you clear Primary Inspection. Travelers from a country that requires a visa, and first-time ESTA travelers, wait in the immigration line. Only members already accepted into Global Entry or another Trusted Traveler program can use its lines. Our Terminal 5 arrivals guide sorts the passport lines by traveler type.

Some flights clear CBP before they leave. The airport says that includes several departure cities in Canada and Ireland. Those passengers may go straight to domestic baggage claim in Terminal 5, and the airport says the Terminal Transfer Bus then takes them to Terminals 1, 2 or 3 without a second screening. Others from preclearance cities land in Terminal 1, 2 or 3 instead.

2. Bags, then customs and agriculture

After Primary Inspection you claim every bag, even one tagged through to your last stop. Then you head for the exit, where a CBP officer sends you to baggage and agriculture inspection. CBP’s Clearing Customs page covers what you can bring in.

3. Recheck your bags

  • Checked through to your final stop: drop them with an airline attendant at the recheck counters just outside the CBP area.
  • Not checked through, connecting on United or American: recheck with an airline employee right after you clear CBP, so you don’t carry them to the domestic terminals.
  • Not checked through, connecting on any other airline: take them out of Terminal 5 and recheck with your airline before the domestic flight.

The airport recommends confirming with your airline on the day that your checked bags can be picked up at your final destination.

4. Train or bus to Terminals 1, 2 and 3

Terminal 5 has no secure-side walkway to the other terminals. Everyone who didn’t clear CBP before departure has two ways across.

Airport Transit System Terminal Transfer Bus
Boards at The Terminal 5 station Terminal 5, Gate M13
Screening At the checkpoint in the terminal you reach In Terminal 5 at Checkpoint 10 before you board
Runs Around the clock, every 3 to 5 minutes at peak times Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., every 15 minutes
Stops Terminals 1, 2 and 3 Terminal 1 (Gate C18B) and Terminal 3 (Gates G17 and K20)
Rule The airport lists none Connecting passengers only, with a boarding pass for a same-day flight from the terminal you ride to

Both are free. The bus has no Terminal 2 stop, but Terminals 1, 2 and 3 join on the secure side, so a Terminal 2 gate is a walk from either bus stop. Our connections page lists the Airport Transit System’s hops between terminals and the Terminal Transfer Bus’s two routes.

Before 11:30 a.m. and after 9:30 p.m., the train is your only route. The airport’s only ride time for it is about 10 minutes from Terminal 1 at one end to the Multi-Modal Facility at the other. It gives none for a single hop from Terminal 5.

The checkpoint at the far end has to be open. Terminal 1’s Checkpoint 1 and Terminal 2’s Checkpoint 5 list 11 p.m. closings, and Terminal 3’s Checkpoint 7A lists 10:30 p.m. From 11 p.m. until 3:15 a.m., Checkpoint 10 is the only one the airport lists as open. It doesn’t say what a connecting passenger does when the next terminal’s checkpoint is shut, so ask your airline before you plan a late connection. Our terminal walking guide lists every checkpoint’s hours.

5. Screening, and what to pack where

Pack liquids in your checked bags before you get to the checkpoint. A duty free purchase over 3.4 fluid ounces gets through only in a secure, tamper-evident bag that officers can screen and clear.

What only your airline can answer

  • How much time your ticket needs between flights. Ask the airline. Our connection time guide lists every checkpoint’s hours.
  • Separate tickets. The airport’s connecting page says only that passengers on two carriers should contact their airlines.
  • Your gate. The airport’s airlines page points to each airline’s website for the latest information, including flight updates, and the airport’s own site has a flight search. United flies from Terminals 1 and 2, and American from Terminal 3, as our United and American connection guides explain.

Sources