Conventional models of the HIV-1 replication cycle have considered that reverse transcription and disassembly of the viral core are cytoplasmic events. In this study, Campbell and colleagues set out to explore the spatio-temporal staging of reverse transcription and capsid disassembly. They used an inducible nuclear pore complex blockade to inhibit HIV-1 infection at the nuclear entry stage and determined nuclear import kinetics of infectious HIV-1 particles. Surprisingly, the data suggest that HIV-1 nuclear import occurs hours before the completion of reverse transcription. In addition, they found that uncoating is also completed in the nucleus. Finally, the authors provide evidence that HIV-1 can use distinct nuclear import pathways during infection. In the future, this experimental system may provide insights into cytoplasmic and nuclear events during infection by other viruses.