howdy yall, i got a question for all the international travelers
im flying for the very first time to a foreign country. when i land, and have to go through customs, what do i do? im not trying to hide anything, but im clueless to what i have to do. do they ask me questions? do i fill forms out? what do and dont i have to declare?
thanks for all answers and opinions
you'll get the forms on the plane. the stewardesses can help. at the airport just follow the signs.
>>1115976
You will get a form to fill out or you might want to read up on the custom regulations.
Usually you can bring anywhere without having to declare anything:
>200 Cigarets or 50 Cigars
>1l of spirits
>2l of beer/wine
>up to 300 USD/€/CHF of other duty free purchases (cloths, cosmetics, electronics, jewelry)
>usually between 5000-10000 USD/€/CHF in cash
Anything above that you have to declare it and pay import taxes on it failing to do that will usually result in:
>Your shit get's confiscated and you have to pay twice the tax as a fine.
>>1116018
and of course your personal belongings (clothing, toiletry articles, phone, laptop, tablet etc...) is exempt from that no need to declare it.
>>1115976
The answer depends very much on the country you are entering. A Google for the country concerned beforehand would be wise. As ever dealing with officialdom read the form, if any, carefully and answer both form and any questions honestly.
Frequently any meat, vegetable or food items are an issue even if saved from an airplane meal. Dirty shoes, camping gear or sports gear can cause issues so don't take stuff contaminated with quantities of mud or countryside debris, a quick wash and brush before travelling may save problems..
Prescription medicines are best in their original packaging and a note from the doc saying they were prescribed for you is a good idea. For over the counter medicine check Google for its ingredients and acceptability where you are going. For example paracetamol / codeine mix is an over the counter pain killer in the UK, but will get you in deep trouble in most of the middle east and can raise issues entering the USA. Other, particularly Chinese herbal remedies, can contain banned substances.
Expensive camera, IT kit or other stuff may need to be declared on the way into the country so that taking it out at the end of the holiday is not an issue and also to prove that 'stuff' has not been left behind as illegitimate imports.
Not OP, but does customs go through your computer/phone/tablet to look at the content? I plan on taking photos, but nothing lewd. I'm just worried I'm going to be in customs for hours as they go through all of my belongings.
>>1116383
I've never had this happen, nor have I heard about it happening to anybody I know. Some places do random physical searches at a low rate. That shouldn't take hours if you are only taking hand luggage.
>>1116040
This is the best answer, covers everything.
Customs is a breeze. As long as you're honest and nothing to hide, 99 times out of 100 nothing will happen. They might grill you for questions, but again, if you're not lying it's easy. When I went through the UK they asked me like 50+ questions about my studies, my parents, my income, where I'll be planning on going.
>>1115976
>land
>exit the plane
>go through customs in 11 pumps
>become a real traveler™
>>1116242
>it's an op acknowledges his thread and helpful responses episode
>mfw
always nice to see this, makes me glad i could help. it pisses me off when someone asks a question here and never lets anyone know they ever checked back in for an answer.
>>1115976
OP depends on your nationality/citizenship and where you're landing that makes any minor differences in the procedure, but overall, yes, the flight attendant gives you a Customs Declaration form at some point in the flight. It might be in multiple languages. Get one, or ask for one if you aren't sure what to do, if some passengers are declining, etc.
Then you're just like cattle, you follow the leader once off the plane, and you're all going to the same place, through bag claim and then through customs and immigration lines. Your citizenship/passport check and visa rights to be there, and this is where you get the question "what is your intention for the trip?" and you state quickly and decidedly your answer, whatever it is. "Business, tourist/pleasure", whatever you want to say. If you get a followup question, it'll be routine, like "how many days?" or something else. If this matches what you wrote, and you seem not to be lying, that'll be it. Do not volunteer a bunch of detail while they work their stamps and computers, appear nervous or anything else, because it sets you off as being suspicious acting. Any questions about food, money, things your transporting, they answer is nope if it's nope. If you are bringing a bottle of duty free wine, then you state whatever it is on the form. Do not be stupid and put $0, because that's suspicious too. Buy some chocolate, a local liqueur bottle, or whatever...something, everyone does.
>>1116813
Why does that bother you? Give gifts without needing a thank you card. I can see someone being curious, but not getting a thank you is silly. Stop making assumptions. I'm sure a ton of people do not come back, because replies are slow here and not everyone realizes that when they post 48 hours before a trip and nothing happens to their thread at all.
>>1116862
i appreciate the thanks, but not getting one doesn't bother me. what bothers me is when op gets a dozen well thought out responses and doesn't even have the courtesy to take 10 seconds and post something, anything, to indicate he's checked in since asking his question.
>I'm sure a ton of people do not come back
and that's what pisses me off. if you're not going to read the responses why post the query in the first place.
