What is the arrival process in international air travel?

Here is a summary I wrote for a novice traveller of mine who will be landing at YYZ soon. Most of it applies elsewhere as well:

• First, you check in online 24 hours before (your airline may vary.) Use the airline’s web site, and your reservation code (from a confirmation email, most likely.) Even if you can’t print the boarding pass, check in online.
• Second, work out when you need to arrive at the airport – probably 2 or 3 hours before departure. Then work back from that to see when to leave
• You get on the plane and you sleep. Even if it’s daytime.
• At some point on the flight they will hand out landing cards. You will need to know the address where you’re staying, and how much stuff you are bringing (eg gifts for your hosts) that will stay in Canada. You will need the value in Canadian dollars.
• As the flight concludes, your passport should be handy. Put away in your bag but handy
• If you have a local SIM or can roam, you can turn on your phone while the plane is landing. You can’t use it while you are at the booth with the border officer but other than that you can. Many airports have free wifi. You can check the schedule of your next transportation (train, bus) or communicate with the person who is meeting you.
• When you land there is a tiny chance border officers will be in the jetway saying “passports”. They do that for China flights sometimes. If so, a quick showing of your passport should be enough.
• Then there is a long walk and some escalators and eventually down to a lineup place. [While airports vary, the long walk generally leads to a place you line up.]
• Check the signs because the Canadian citizens line should be faster (if you’re not a citizen, don’t waste lineup time being in the wrong line.)
• When you get to the officer you hand over your passport and landing card. They ask you stuff you told them already. Where are you coming from? How long were you gone (or will you be here?) What are you bringing in?
• The officer then writes a code on the card and gives it back. Put the passport away safe. You go past the booth and line up to show the card to someone
• Specific to YYZ, just after the CBSA booth before you go down to the baggage claim, there is a screen where you can find out what carousel your bag is at. And it’s much easier to see the numbers from upstairs so take a moment, look up your flight, and look down there for your carousel. Then go on down and wait for your bag
• At baggage claim, wait for your bag. Look around at other people while you’re waiting. If you see people you recognize from the flight, you can be more confident you’re waiting in the right place.
• When you get your bag, leave the baggage claim area. You line up one more time to show the card to someone as you leave
• Watch for signs that say “Exit” or “Ground Transportation.” Don’t follow signs that say “Connections” if you want to leave the airport.

The airport is designed for people who have never been there before and can’t read signs in the local language. Since you can read English, you should be fine in just about every airport in the world. Just stay calm and unhurried and follow the signs, as well as directions from uniformed people who tell you which way to go, when to wait, and so on.

There are really plenty of variations but the main events are: Exiting the plane, leaving the secure terminal area, immigration, baggage claim and customs. The order of the last steps vary by location but it is difficult to go wrong. Signs indicate the way at each step plus doors and guard ensure that passengers do not do the wrong thing accidentally or intentionally. Once you leave an area, you cannot backtrack.

• Planes are disembarked roughly following a front-to-back order or sometimes middle to front and back simultaneously. This is getting less common but it happened to me this year in Europe. You have to make sure to leave with all your belongings.
• A path will lead you from the plane to the terminal. Sometimes you walk outside and airport people will guide you to make sure you stay safe. Most often now, the plane is connected by a movable tunnel called a jet-bridge which gets you into the terminal quickly. Another common method is to wait for a bus to drive you from the plane to the terminal. Again, airport employees are there at all times to ensure safety and that everyone follows instructions.
• From the terminal you are to follow the exit signs. Those will pass through the proper steps in sequence according to the airport you are at. Most international airports make you go through immigration first where you are to show your documents, including passport and visa if needed. There will be a number of kiosks, sometimes some are dedicated for nationals and residents, group of nationalities and the rest, so make sure to choose the appropriate one. They usually have a few questions for you to judge your intentions. Be honest and as clear as possible.
• The next step is often baggage claim, although is some places you pick up your luggage before or as you disembark from the plane. In the latter case, you will see people waiting for luggage to be taken out of the plane. This is also the case if you were required to check carry-on items or infant strollers at the gate. In most large airports though, your luggage will be delivered to a carousel as you leave the immigration area. Keep your flight number handy as large airports have a number of carousels and you have to find the right one for your flight. An electronic sign indicates which is the right one. It may also be announced by the flight crew before landing.
• There is sometimes but not always also a customs check. In some places it is optional and there will be two paths, one marked Nothing to Declare and another. If you do have nothing to declare, follow the indicated path. You may still have to show your luggage, let it be inspected and even pass it through an X-Ray machine. In some airports this is done systematically, in others it is done randomly, either based on a random light or at the discretion of custom officials. If you do have things to declare, such as when importing good which will stay in the country or bringing in commercial merchandise, you have to follow the other path where you will be asked to fill out an official form. They may demand duty on the goods or a guaranty to ensure that the good depart with you at the end of your trip.

There are indeed a few steps but they are usually easy to follow because the majority of passengers have to go through the same steps and the order is dictated by the policies of the airport at which you are arriving.

If something goes wrong, notify an official immediately before proceeding the the next area. Should your luggage not arrive, for example, you usually have to fill out a form before proceeding to customs. At customs you will have to mention this to them because you will probably return to collect your stuff once the airport contacts you when your belongings are located. In some cases, they will send them via courier but that is usually the exception.

Once you have cleared all the necessary steps, you will need to locate transport to your destination, unless someone is picking you up. In any case, I recommend two more steps before leaving the airport: Use an ATM to get local currency, Pick up complementary maps and guides to the area.

Adddendum

As comments mention, you will often be supplied the customs form on the plane so you you can fill it in advance, which you should as it saves time later. They will also sometimes give you a different form based on your nationality. Citizens of the arriving country or countries allied with it (EU or Andean for sample) get one form and the rest get another. When there is one form, there will usually be sections to fill out for arriving nationals and tourists, plus common ones.

Having to pass immigration and customs is not universal, sometimes they are done in a single step too. The most common reason to skip those steps though is to have done them before. This usually happens if the last leg of your journey is domestic. For example, when flying to Galapagos (Ecuador) from another country, you will usually land in Guayaquil or Quito, do immigration and customs there and then switch planes for your final leg. A few places have such traffic between countries that you do immigration on departure, this happens when travelling from Montreal (Canada) to the the USA and from Nassau (Bahamas) to the USA. Probably other places do this too but those are the ones I’ve seen.

Each country is a bit different, so letting folks know where you are leaving from and going to would help get a more specific answer.

In general when you get off the plane, you follow the crowds to immigration and do whatever procedures they require, then go claim your checked bags if any, then go through customs and do whatever procedures they require, then you enter the public arrivals hall and get swarmed by touts.

Some countries stick a health desk in the middle somewhere.

Once you get off the plane, you’ll follow the sign to Arrivals; sometimes it will also say Baggage Claim.

You will get in line with everyone else at the immigration counter. There, the officers will check your passport and/or your visa for validity. They may also ask you questions as to the purpose and nature of your visit.

Once they are satisfied with your documents, they will stamp your passport with an entry stamp. This marks your legal entry into the country.

After that step, you have cleared immigration – next you have to collect your luggage and go through customs control. Customs is where they check your luggage and items to make sure you aren’t carrying any restricted or forbidden items.

Once you pass customs – you have arrived at your destination country.