Going to Edinburgh, Scotland in 10 days. I am leaving from Minneapolis, to Amsterdam, then on to Scotland. Do I go through immigration in Amsterdam or Edinburgh? Then on the way home, I go through immigration in Minneapolis, right?
I go through Amsterdam frequently - both business and pleasure:
1) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a transit (aka, pass through) airport for you.
. . . get off arriving flight
. . . you move between piers (aka, airside terminals) freely
. . . walk to international waiting area
. . . walk to next flight waiting area
2) You do not go thru any security or customs or immigration
3) However, before getting aboard next flight, there is a passport check.
. . . in the waiting area, they announce your flight
. . . before you go anywhere, you line up for passport check
. . . there is no formal booth, line, counter - just a lineup
. . . a pair of agents look at your passport
. . . they may ask a couple of questions to verify you match the passport
. . . then, satisfied, you proceed directly to your gate
4) They are just checking for illegals trying to get into the next country.
. . . these agents are actually paid by the airline
. . . it is part of your airfare
. . . in your case, KLM (going to EDI), Delta (returning to MSP)
. . . they are there as a requirement of the country you are flying to
. . . it is another layer to prevent illegal immigration
NOTE1: As a white, American couple, my wife and I were asked for our
passports on our way to UK. The agents took them, looked at the hologram
with a special magnifier glass ring on their finger and colored glasses, and
asked ONE question ("Americans on vacation?"). We said yes, and they
passed us immediately. Others, many non-whites, went through MANY
questions. ("Where you going? How long are you staying? Your birth-date?
Your place of birth? Where are you coming from? Agents even compared
the eye color of several people against the passport. Almost interrogation.)
NOTE2: If you really want to check out the transit rules and why, look up
the "Schengen Area" or "Schengen Treaty" regarding travel, passport and
non-passport rules for Europe. Especially where UK and Ireland did not sign
the treaty.