Can I leave the airport?

PJ4

Hi all,

I'm planing to visit Chile in February and on my return journey I have to change in Miami. There is a 9 hour and 30 mins wait between flights. Can I leave Miami airport and visit the city or am I restricted to waiting at the airport?

Thanks

Fr Tod Umptious

PJ4 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm planing to visit Chile in February and on my return journey I have to change in Miami. There is a 9 hour and 30 mins wait between flights. Can I leave Miami airport and visit the city or am I restricted to waiting at the airport?

Thanks

Hi
To the best of my knowledge you can

I went to Lima, Peru via Miami a few years back and I went through US immigration and customs between the flight from Europe and the flight to Peru.
That gave me the 90 day US visa waiver which meant I was now in the US and could stay 90 days

After immigration and customs you walk out of arrivals and drop your bags to a location where they transfer them to your next flight.

Then you can just walk out of the building or where ever you want

PJ4

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Hi
To the best of my knowledge you can

I went to Lima, Peru via Miami a few years back and I went through US immigration and customs between the flight from Europe and the flight to Peru.
That gave me the 90 day US visa waiver which meant I was now in the US and could stay 90 days

After immigration and customs you walk out of arrivals and drop your bags to a location where they transfer them to your next flight.

Then you can just walk out of the building or where ever you want

Thanks, how far is the airport from the city? Is there public transport or will I need to take a taxi? Any idea how much a taxi would cost?

Fr Tod Umptious

PJ4 wrote: »

Thanks, how far is the airport from the city? Is there public transport or will I need to take a taxi? Any idea how much a taxi would cost?

Sorry I've no idea, I did not leave the airport

edeldonlon

There is a train to downtown that costs a couple of dollars. In the city you can get on the mono rail that's free or you could pick up a hop on hop off bus if you have time.

rossie1977

once you pass through immigration in miami you can leave the airport

assuming you mean miami international (not hollywood fort lauderdale) it costs about $21 in a cab to downtown miami and $32 to south-beach. there are cheaper methods of getting to either area from the airport but if you only have a few hours i wouldn't bother with the airport bus.

endofrainbow

not unless you have a valid ESTA as the US does not have an *in-transit* facility.

It's probably not 9.5 hours as you will have to clear US Immigration and Customs which can take forever in Miami and assuming you are later taking an international flight, you will need to be at the gate at least 1 hour before departure. TSA lines in Miami can be notoriously long so I would factor these in.

I would take a cab to Bayside and have a wander around the Marina and maybe a quick bit of lunch and a cab back to MIA ($18/20 each way).

PJ4

endofrainbow wrote: »

not unless you have a valid ESTA as the US does not have an *in-transit* facility.

It's probably not 9.5 hours as you will have to clear US Immigration and Customs which can take forever in Miami and assuming you are later taking an international flight, you will need to be at the gate at least 1 hour before departure. TSA lines in Miami can be notoriously long so I would factor these in.

I would take a cab to Bayside and have a wander around the Marina and maybe a quick bit of lunch and a cab back to MIA ($18/20 each way).

How long does it take in the taxi to Bayside? Thanks.

endofrainbow

no more than 10/15 minutes

PJ4

endofrainbow wrote: »

not unless you have a valid ESTA as the US does not have an *in-transit* facility.

It's probably not 9.5 hours as you will have to clear US Immigration and Customs which can take forever in Miami and assuming you are later taking an international flight, you will need to be at the gate at least 1 hour before departure. TSA lines in Miami can be notoriously long so I would factor these in.

I would take a cab to Bayside and have a wander around the Marina and maybe a quick bit of lunch and a cab back to MIA ($18/20 each way).

Will I get the ESTA form on the airplane?

ProudDUB

No. You complete your ESTA application online before you travel.

Under the visa waiver program, Irish citizens no longer need a visa to visit the US, or transit through it. But you do need to fill out the ESTA application form before you travel. This states that you meet the criteria whereby you don't need to have a visa to enter the country. (The things that would stop you from qualifying for admittance into the US under the waiver program, would be if you were convicted of serious crimes here, or you ever over stayed a visa in the past.There are others, but they seem to be the main stumbling blocks for most people who are denied a ESTA.)

As long as you meet the criteria, you are good to go. You will be issued an ESTA that is valid for 2 years.

You apply here https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html

SoulTrader

endofrainbow wrote: »

It's probably not 9.5 hours as you will have to clear US Immigration and Customs which can take forever in Miami and assuming you are later taking an international flight, you will need to be at the gate at least 1 hour before departure. TSA lines in Miami can be notoriously long so I would factor these in.

Went through Miami last month and they have drastically improved. It took 22 minutes from stepping off my incoming flight to arriving at the departure area for my outgoing flight. That 22 minutes took into account customs, immigration (wasn't flying from a pre-clearance territory) and security. They have a lot of machines there now which ESTA holders can use, although I think (not sure though) that you need to have entered the US at least once before on your ESTA to use the machines. I also didn't have any baggage to collect and drop off.

Did the same journey last year and it took a full two hours to get through - that was before the machines were in place.

Calahonda52

PJ4 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm planing to visit Chile in February and on my return journey I have to change in Miami. There is a 9 hour and 30 mins wait between flights. Can I leave Miami airport and visit the city or am I restricted to waiting at the airport?

Thanks

What route are u taking pls?

PJ4

I was able to leave the airport in Miami. Thanks.