What happens after you land at CDG

Once your flight lands at Paris Charles de Gaulle, the sequence is the same in every terminal: you follow the Sortie / Baggage Reclaim signs to passport control (for arrivals from outside the Schengen area), then collect checked bags, clear customs, and exit into the public arrivals hall. The live arrivals board above shows each flight's terminal, status and, once bags are being unloaded, the baggage carousel number.

Passport control and EES

If you are arriving from outside the Schengen area you must clear passport control. Non-EU travellers are now processed through the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which records a photo and fingerprints on your first entry — allow extra time for this, particularly during the busy morning long-haul arrival wave into Terminal 2E. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and many others, can use the automated PARAFE e-gates to speed through.

Baggage reclaim and customs

Checked luggage is delivered to the baggage reclaim area on the arrivals level of your terminal; match the carousel number on the screens to your flight. After collecting your bags you pass through customs: use the green channel if you have nothing to declare and the red channel if you are carrying goods above duty-free limits. Lost or delayed a bag? Report it at your airline's baggage service desk in the reclaim area before you leave.

Connecting flights at CDG

For connections, follow the purple Connecting flights / Correspondance signs rather than exiting to the arrivals hall. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are linked by the free automated CDGVAL shuttle train, which runs about every four minutes. Allow at least 60 minutes for a same-terminal connection and 90 minutes or more if you change terminals or clear passport control between flights. Check the terminals guide to see how the halls connect.

Meeting point and getting into Paris

Drivers, private transfers and greeters wait in the public arrivals hall after customs; taxi ranks, the RER station and bus stops are all signposted from there. The RER B train reaches central Paris (Gare du Nord, Châtelet) in about 30 minutes, a taxi runs on official fixed fares of €56 to the Right Bank and €65 to the Left Bank, and Uber and other buses also serve the airport. Compare every route, with prices and times, in our guide to getting from CDG into central Paris. Flying out instead? See the live CDG departures board.