So more than a review, this post is meant to inform. I’ll be honest, if I were to review the pre-Clearance facility, I would flat give it a -100/10. I hated it that much.
For information wise, the pre-clearance facility is an intense security procedure that passengers go through ONLY IF they are on a flight from Abu Dhabi to any city in the United States of America. In my case, I was flying to Los Angeles so I would need to use the pre-clearance facility. Basically, once you get through the pre-clearance facility, you are in a separate part of terminal 3 where you cannot go back and only US flights leave from there, which includes gates 58-61. Here is how it goes:
So upon entering the facility, you will be given an immigration card to fill out, which you don’t have to fill out if you have a US passport. There will be a couple counters that will verify your passport and boarding pass, then will direct you to the lanes leading to another security checkpoint.
This other security checkpoint you will go through will be far more intense. You will have to remove all electronic devices and power them on and pass them through the x-ray machine. However, I traveled through here before the electronic ban was made a law so I’m not sure how your laptops and tablets will be handled after. Each of your bags will be searched thoroughly. And they will inspect every inch of it. They took close to 5 whole minutes just to inspect a tube of crest toothpaste and a can of Aveeno moisturizing cream. But after searching through the bags, then they scan you yourself and let you go through.
Next is the immigration stuff. If you have a US passport, there are special electronic kiosks you can use and it will ask you several questions about what you are carrying, origin and destination, etc. Then it will take a photo of you and print a special receipt, which will be stamped by an immigration officer. If you don’t have a US passport, then you will have to fill out the immigration card given upon entering the facility. After all that, you are now in a quiet and separated section of the terminal where only US flights depart from.
There is a premium lounge is to the right just after exiting the facility. Other than the premium lounge, there was a small snack shack that sells hot/cold foods and beverages. The whole process took about 45 minutes for me alone, so I’d keep an entire hour aside just in case.
Hope this helps and sorry for the lack of photos, I did not want to risk getting caught for anything, given my past experience of AUH staff telling me to delete photos and videos I have taken. But otherwise, please let me know if you ever have any questions. Onto the return flight to LAX.
