Travel
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Poll: Customs and Immigration
This poll is anonymous to protect the not-so-innocent. However, feel free to out yourself or expand below.[Poll]
Re: Poll: Customs and Immigration
For the record: the duty free limit in the US is 1 liter of alcohol, 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars a person
In Canada it's
1.14 L (40 oz.) of liquor; or1.5 L of wine; or24 X 355 ml (12 oz.) containers of beer.200 cigarettes;50 cigars or cigarillos;200 tobacco sticks; and200 g (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco.One of my friends is a customs officer here in Australia (where there are some of the toughest custom laws and fines). They already knwo before you reach customs whether you are over your limit or not (all baggage gets scanned behind the scenes) so the only place to hide it is in your hand luggage and they seem to know who to target with that as well (plus here they have those cute doggies that I always want to pat but know I can't
). They also get reports about how much liqour is brough by passengers on flights from airport duty free (which is why you have to give your boarding pass).
I have no problems if people want to try and sneak alcohol/liqour through but I have big problems with unapproved food- an insect/disease on a piece of food can destroy the argiculture of a country and with it the lives of hard working farmers. Ok rant over
I've always kind of assumed that they did a behind-the-scenes screening everywhere. The only time I remember our bag being searched was when my mom unknowingly brought something in her luggage.
She's also had things taken food taken from her luggage. It was canned meat so we either assumed it was against some regulation here in Germany or she forgot that she didn't really pack it. It's very likely, though she won't admit it, that she just didn't pack it.
LOL low tech solution to a low tech problem. I am suprised they don't use the invisible stuff like parking inspectors? Also I guess they nab more tourists than anything then- probably make up the lost fines right there.
When I studied abroad as an undergrad I did- mainly because I was under 21 and didn't think I could declare it.
One of my roommates taught me some tricks her family used to sneak stuff in.
I also might have on this last trip unknowingly I bought back quite a bit of sheesha tobacco- not sure if it was over the limit or not, but I forgot that we even bought some back.
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In the US absolutely, because as a Global Entry member I am at risk of losing that privilege and landing on the no fly list if I don't.
When entering other countries it depends on the country. In many countries I travel to for work I am never searched at customs because I'm white. I can't say I've never taken advantage of that (usually to bring stuff to friends living in that country). In a country where the consequences of lying are very stiff (eg Myanmar) I would never.
This. I love my Global Entry too much to risk it.
i'd rather bring in the allotted amount than potentially having to deal with the customs people. i mean really a few bottles of liquor are worth that ordeal? no way.
also-i always fill out my customs form on the plane so i wont know how busy the customs area is until i'm there-wtih completed form in hand.
my home airport is kennedy-there are no 'declare' or 'nothing to declare' lines. we all go through the same line-the guy looks at the form, your passport etc.. and then he determines if you can go thorugh or not.
I took Ranch dressing and Mayo in to Australia and as pp said they are for real about customs. I honestly didn't know it wasn't allowed until months later when my dad sent me more and it was confiscated.
Bio
I voted always, but not just because it's the right thing to do, but because you will get caught, and that's not worth it.
The sniffer dogs and x-rays in Australian airports aren't for bombs or drugs, they're for food.
I answered that I don't declare things, but I was talking more about customs here.
I am fanatical about declaring things in the US, because I think it's ridiculous that they make you list everything. I fight bureaucracy with bureaucracy, so I will itemize everything down to a pack of gum, because I think the form is ridiculous. It makes me feel better to watch them have to read all that junk that I wrote down.
And as for sneaking stuff in, that's what Duty Free on arrivals is for! Pack your quota in your suitcase, and buy your quota again at the Duty Free shop! (I don't actually do this, because I can't physically carry 8 bottles of wine home on the train, as much as I'd like to.) When wine is taxed $15/bottle, Duty Free becomes a shopping staple!
It most likely would have been allowed through if you'd declared it. You have to declare all food, but processed factory packaged things are always allowed through. The exception is that since the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK a few years ago there's no meat or dairy from there. Even if they confiscate things they often just irradiate them and send them on to you.
Wow! Australia is actually more tolerant than the US?! US customs over-reacted to foot & mouth, and you aren't allowed to bring any meat from any ruminant animals in Europe. So factory-sealed reindeer sausage from northern Norway was confiscated as a foot-and-mouth threat.
Both are creamy so would have been confiscated- especially mayo because of the dairy.
I had a $2 necklace from NZ confiscated because they thought it was whale bone- I said seriously $2 for whale bone? Didn't matter- I have a suspicion that it went to the custom officers home!!!!
Thats the same in Australia as well. I think tinned things like baked beans and sausage might get through because they are already irradiated in the processing. I have seen many a nonna from Italy crying as they take away their salami's.
Mayo actually doesn't contain any dairy products. It's oil, egg, and vinegar or lemon juice. I had no idea until I dated someone severely allergic to dairy.
Learn something new everyday- well the egg would rule it out as animal product then.
I have never gone over my allotment, but I always fill out my form completely and accurately. I'm one of those seriously unlucky people who would get caught if I even thought about trying to get away with something.
My French friend learnt years ago to bring in only canned pate from France, she had too many expensive ones confiscated. Aust and NZ are probably the strictest in the world, for very good reason.
Yeah, any shell or bone is dodgy. But for $2, it's worth the risk. Really, you'd be surprised what foods they let through from NZ. I've had them let me have packaged cheese off the plane from NZ. Stands to reason, though, they are as pristine as us.
I am annoyed they've stopped spraying planes, though. It seems something they've done for public relations, not good biosafety.