Is Customs Clearance required in Fort Lauderdale?

We will be on the Oosterdam Panama Canal cruise departing San Diego on 4 March 2018, arriving Fort Lauderdale 20 March. Will we have to clear Customs in Fort Lauderdale?

Will we be able to use Luggage Direct "Onboard Airline Check-In"?

Our port calls include: Mexico (2), Guatemala,Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Aruba, and Half Moon Cay.

Thanks for any advice and recent experience!

rfp

Yes -- you will have to go through immigration and customs when you leave the ship.

Luggage Direct depends on your airline and flight time.

Yes -- you will have to go through immigration and customs when you leave the ship.

Luggage Direct depends on your airline and flight time.

Thanks for that! Do you - or anyone - know if American Airlines will accept Luggage Direct? And our flight is about 1:30PM - does that seem like enough time?

I looked into it at https://www.maketraveleasier.com/holland/order and Luggage Direct seems to offer the service for our AA flights home to Reno. Why didn't I just check that first?

You have your answer but the good news is, you no longer have to fill out the Customs Declaration form when arriving at Port Everglades.

You have your answer but the good news is, you no longer have to fill out the Customs Declaration form when arriving at Port Everglades.

Excellent. I wonder if the "Mobile Pass" app on my phone will be helpful there?

You have your answer but the good news is, you no longer have to fill out the Customs Declaration form when arriving at Port Everglades.

We just disembarked in San Diego two weeks ago, and I was shocked to learn that we no longer had to fill out the form. For that matter, no one even asked us if we had made any purchases. I don't understand why but it certainly made disembarkation much faster.

I, too, was surprised in early November that I did not have to complete a Customs form. I was told that if you spend over 10,000 or 15,000. dollars you do.

However, when arriving in a US port, one still has to clear immigration. In San Pedro, I just had to show passport to Immigration Officer and away I went.

That is great news. I get tired of filing them out and trying not to crumple them up while getting off the ship.

$10,000 - $15,000 spending for "trinkets" -- not these 2 people.

Last time I disembarked in San Diego the Customs Agent just took my form and didn’t even look at it.

Excellent. I wonder if the "Mobile Pass" app on my phone will be helpful there?

I had the Mobile Passporter app downloaded and all information scanned and ready to go (some of which had to be entered within 4 hours of disembarking.) When we got to customs at Port Everglades we were told they were no longer using the app.

We also were not given any paper declarations form. The agent just took a quick look at our passports and that was it. We were one of the later passengers off the ship and going through customs took less than a minute...no line whatsoever. This was on November 4 from the Nieuw Amsterdam.

Glad you were able to figure out the answer to your question.

Keith

Excellent. I wonder if the "Mobile Pass" app on my phone will be helpful there?

We used it before disembarking the ship this past November. For all the good it did us. The line (yes, only one) for the MB was the same as Global Entry (which we also have) was very, very long and slow moving. Only one agent working this queue. Once we got our turn (it was maybe 30 minutes later), he scanned our passports so not sure what good the app did after all.

We used it before disembarking the ship this past November. For all the good it did us. The line (yes, only one) for the MB was the same as Global Entry (which we also have) was very, very long and slow moving. Only one agent working this queue. Once we got our turn (it was maybe 30 minutes later), he scanned our passports so not sure what good the app did after all.

How can there be no customs ddeclaration form? How do they know if you spent above the permited limit or if you have too much liquor etc? Do they ask for a verbal declaration?

We returned on 11/29 and also didn't fill out a paper Customs form. I used the Mobile app and assumed you had to show the scan code it generated to the agent but the line monitor said to make sure the phone was turned off!

We have Global Entry and the line was only about 4 deep. We told our porter and he took us to the GE line. We were out in under 5 minutes from getting the luggage! GE was worth every penny. Just make sure you have your GE card and not just your passport.

How can there be no customs ddeclaration form? How do they know if you spent above the permited limit or if you have too much liquor etc? Do they ask for a verbal declaration?

On my Princess cruise a month ago, I asked the front desk why I had not received a Customs form and was told, they were not longer required unless one spent $10,000. or $15,000. (I can't remember the amount but it was large). I can only assume the form was discontinued.

I guess Customs doesn't care what you spent or how much liquor you have - although I suspect if you spent a lot aboard ship, the ship has to report it.

I was not asked for a verbal declaration. I just showed my passport to the Immigration Officer in San Pedro and was on my way.

In October we flew into IAD(Washington, DC). We had filled out our custom form on plane as directed by crew. In Dulles they had no one, (no stand, no people, no place), for customs. We just threw the form away later. We were surprised as we had arrived from Europe, so not surprised that cruise ports don't have it.

Well be on a cruise in Feb/Mar that calls on Key West before disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale. In another thread someone said that in this case we'd have Immigration processing at Key West.

Does this mean that Fort Lauderdale will only have Customs clearance?

Well be on a cruise in Feb/Mar that calls on Key West before disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale. In another thread someone said that in this case we'd have Immigration processing at Key West.

 

Does this mean that Fort Lauderdale will only have Customs clearance?

That is correct. You'll clear Immigrations in Key West and Customs in Fort Lauderdale.

Well be on a cruise in Feb/Mar that calls on Key West before disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale. In another thread someone said that in this case we'd have Immigration processing at Key West.

 

Does this mean that Fort Lauderdale will only have Customs clearance?

We too were confused when we weren't given the customs form on our November cruise. We went to the front desk and they said we didn't need them, but couldn't tell us why we didn't need them, so they gave us one. Customs in Ft Lauderdale never asked for it. They only asked if we purchased cigarettes or liquor.

Well be on a cruise in Feb/Mar that calls on Key West before disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale. In another thread someone said that in this case we'd have Immigration processing at Key West.

 

Does this mean that Fort Lauderdale will only have Customs clearance?

Not necessarily . We have had Immigration check in key West and next day, gain in FlL for embvarkation. ICE can have as many checks whenevver andwherever they feel the need.

Well be on a cruise in Feb/Mar that calls on Key West before disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale. In another thread someone said that in this case we'd have Immigration processing at Key West. Does this mean that Fort Lauderdale will only have Customs clearance?

Not necessarily . We have had Immigration check in key West and next day, again in FlL for disembarkation. ICE can have as many checks whenevver and wherever they feel the need.

Negative. The posts that said Immigrations in KW and Customs in FLL are correct. And it’s CBP who conducts the checks, not ICE.

We too were confused when we weren't given the customs form on our November cruise. We went to the front desk and they said we didn't need them, but couldn't tell us why we didn't need them, so they gave us one. Customs in Ft Lauderdale never asked for it. They only asked if we purchased cigarettes or liquor.

Same for us in Tampa in November. We asked our porter on the way to Customs why no declaration forms. He said they haven't been needed since September or October -- he thought the rules were changed.

Bob