Approximately how long does it take to clear immigration in MAD ?

[JonathanC]

Hello all,

For travel in October, I’m looking at booking an Avios seat for a long haul flight that departs Madrid at just before midday. I’ve had a look at the options, and BA456 which I’ll buy as a cash ticket has a secluded arrival time of 09:40, although that doesn’t take into consideration any potential delays, and us British passport holders can no longer take quick and easy queues EU passport control queues, and we’ve now got to use the world passport queues for processing.

If anyone has a good idea of processing times to mainly clear passport control at Madrid, please do say.

I’m thinking that maybe a late night flight before the flight date then stay right near the airport might be a good idea, as then I won’t be lumbered with trying make an already tight connection where delays won’t be under anyone’s control, but I’ll ultimately end up missing my main flight if things don’t go as planned…

I’d also consider buying the two flights together, but it increases the fare cost by a factor of around 2.5x … definitely cheaper to fly the day before then stay overnight near the hotel, although saying that I’ve nog looked at Madrid hotel options for a stones throw distance to the airport !

Anyone who can help, thank you

[Scott]

Don’t try a tight connection, go the day before.

You don’t have to overnight at an airport hotel, transport links are great into centre of Madrid or even one of the neighbourhoods nearer the airport (Barajas town metro stop is actually between T1/2/3 and T4 stops.)

[JDB]

@JonathanC – as above, I would be looking at an overnight in Madrid. The answer to your specific entry immigration question is how long is a piece of string. You could get through within five minutes but equally be waiting 45 mins plus if a flight from an exotic destination arrives at the wrong moment. Don’t forget that you need to pass through security and exit immigration to return to T4S and that can be painfully slow. If you need to check bags and check them in again that’s yet more time.

[davefl]

Assuming you have checked luggage then you have to collect, change terminals and recheck, You need 3 hours for an international flight so your 9.40am doesnt work for that. If you’re hand luggage only you might scrape it.

I don’t understand why (and this isn’t directed at you personally) people keep asking this same kind of question. How long is a piece of string, what aircraft delayed or otherwise arrived before you, how many border control officers went sick that day, what’s the weather going to be like. There’s a million random factors that can make it 2 min or 2 hours and they will vary from day to day, morning to afternoon etc.

You can never rely on a guestimated immigration time so plan for it to be the absolute worst.

[Optimus Prime]

If you have to collect bags, don’t even think about a tight connection. Luggage always takes ages to be delivered at MAD T4.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Indeed. A Mid day departure is going to mean bag drop closes around 11 so 1hr 20 fo deplane, immigration, collect bags and then
get an IB checkin desk dealing with the inward flight.

Recipe for disaster.

[NorthernLass]

I usually add in a mini-break to this kind of itinerary; it gives me an opportunity to do/see something new and means I’m not stressed about missing a connection. Of course, time constraints may mean this isn’t possible.

[JonathanC]

Thank you for the help everyone, it would be incredibly silly of me to chance such a short layover on two separate tickets, so I’ll be booking a hotel close to the airport and fly in the night before. I would allocate some time to Madrid itself, but I’m limited on time, as this adventure is going to be long one… !

[SamG]

Absolutely the best decision – Madrid T4 is huge so just covering the distances required takes quite a bit of time! It is rather blessed with cheap decent airport hotels vs other cities so that is the way forward

Enjoy!

[yonasl]

If you are flying with Iberia you can drop your bags the day before. Therefore I would do what most people recommend, get there, pick your luggage, check in for the next day and enjoy the city with just a small hand luggage.

I would do a same day but would give myself 6hrs min. I use MAD a lot and have cleared customs in 1min and also 45min when many flights arrived and people didn’t know where to queue clogging everything. Your luggage could also take 10 min to arrive but I have waited more then 1 hr sometimes!

[NorthernLass]

@yonasl, this sounds good. So for example, I am flying MAN-MAD, then the next day MAD-ACE so we have a nice early arrival into ACE before the northern European flights start landing – plus it’ll be also a domestic arrival so hopefully minimum stress!

Our MAN-MAD flight lands about 3pm, so does this mean that after we clear immigration and collect our bags, we can transfer terminals and check the bags in for our ACE departure the next morning? This would save a lot of hassle lugging them to and from our hotel.

[JDB]

@NorthernLass – you should be arriving and departing from the same terminal. T4S is just a satellite of T4 (and essentially for non Schengen flights) but further from the main building than the T5 B&C satellites. You will arrive from MAN in T4S and clear immigration there before taking the train to the main part of T4 where you will collect your luggage.

Check in and luggage collection is all in the main T4 building.

[Richie]

BTW there are Novotel and Pullman Accor hotels near Feria metro station.

[NorthernLass]

@JDC, thanks, you are correct. I just recalled there’s some sort of train journey involved! It’s 25 years since I used MAD so I it’s going to be a lot like a new experience.

[can2]

It is rarity for me post-pandemic that my intra-europe flights would be delayed less than an hour.
stay the night, worth not stressing about it.