Customs Charges

[navybankerteacher]

On 3/23/2019 at 9:20 AM, Krislv said:

Thanks so much for all of your responses! The item was well over $800..so based on the info you all provided, I definitely owed. I was just confused because the sales person said that there would be no further taxes or duty that had to be paid (maybe I misunderstood him). The fee wasn’t huge....and it essentially let us skip the long lines getting off the ship:)

I hope you do not really think that sales people will always tell a potential customer the whole truth — either because of intention or simple ignorance, someone selling something is going to try to make the customer like the deal.

[SRF]

22 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Do you go through immigration/customs  AFTER baggage claim in the USA??

 

Here we do the customs/immigration check prior to baggage claim so we only have carry on with us anyway

 

 

You would go through Immigration to check your passport.  Then claim your bags and go through customs.  It is that way in most countries.

 

US changed a few years ago, where they collect your customs declarations at immigration, but you still pass by customs officers who are looking everyone over.

[SRF]

On 3/24/2019 at 3:31 PM, Julie MacCoy said:

Oh, I didn't realize that.  I thought that everyone had to fill them out.  Thank you for the information.

 

You do if you fly into the US, but not for cruises.

[evandbob]

A different twist on paying customs:  About 15 years ago, we had purchased Tahitian Black Pearls in Moorea and the store noted our passport numbers on the sales receipt since the cost was way over the exemption.  We were led to believe we needed to pay tax/duty on our return to the U.S.

 

So silly us - we fill out the declaration along with a copy of the sales receipt, figuring Customs had already been alerted.  When we arrived at LAX, the CBP officers asked us why we declared the pearls.  They succinctly told us that they had better things to do like watch out for bombs, terrorists and drug smugglers, and collecting money was the least of their duties.  We even had to wait at the Pay window for a different officer to show up and grumpily take the $$$.  He whispered next time just wear them, don't bother us for silly reasons like this.

[BDRebel]

Just realize that getting caught with undeclared goods carries a penalty much higher than declaring them.

[LHT28]

Just now, SRF said:

 

You would go through Immigration to check your passport.  Then claim your bags and go through customs.  It is that way in most countries.

 

US changed a few years ago, where they collect your customs declarations at immigration, but you still pass by customs officers who are looking everyone over.

Like  I said  here in Canada  well at least in Toronto  we go to the machines  fill in the customs forms  then speak to an Official  ..he marks your card  with a secret code

then we go to baggage claim & on the way out they take the card  ..if you have the right code you keep going ..if not you get searched  😉

 

Cannot remember  how it happened in Amsterdam last year  too jet lagged 😉

 

[MicCanberra]

Honesty is the best policy.

[zqvol]

On 3/24/2019 at 3:02 PM, Julie MacCoy said:

I just checked, and the last time I took a cruise was in March of 2016, so I guess they have stopped giving out Customs forms ahead of time.  I'm going on a cruise in May, so I'll know not to expect a form to be delivered to my cabin.  I wonder if they will have them somewhere so that I can request one.  I would rather fill it out ahead of time, not as I'm actually getting off the ship.

 

You don't fill it out at all, even after you get off the ship, unless you are over your $800 per person exemption, $1200 in certain areas.

[martincath]

5 hours ago, evandbob said:

A different twist on paying customs:  ... We even had to wait at the Pay window for a different officer to show up and grumpily take the $$$.  He whispered next time just wear them, don't bother us for silly reasons like this.

Yup, similar issues with customs documentation having both Pros and Cons and not going as you'd expect, weirdly on the same trip: on our way into New Zealand we declared my travel snacks (diet-controlled diabetic, never assume that flights will be on time/have the special meal that was pre-booked/not try to murder you with excess carbs even in a supposedly-diabetic meal!) so got taken to be dealt with off to the side.

 

Nobody else declared anything so we were the only ones on that whole side of the room - and my wife's bag didn't even get opened - so the moments it took for the agent to check my food and stamp a form we were through ironically much faster than the other folks from our flight who joined a big queue (NZ being super-careful about biosecurity even 'nothing to declare' folks seemed to all be delayed with questions and much scanning of bags and shoes).

 

Coming home we came through the US, so did the Global Entry Kiosk thing, walked toward the CBP agent who was standing in front of the exit, currently speaking to another couple so we stopped at the line and waited, then walked up with our printed 'nothing owed' receipt that spat out of the kiosk and got a diatribe about 'goddamn GE members who make him take bits of paper all day when there's never anything to declare and why don't we just walk right past him while the was dealing with those other idiots and stuff them in the garbage so he doesn't have to'!?  Not the least pleasant CBP minion we've dealt with, but definitely the laziest!

[RocketMan275]

Some customs agents can be wonderful.  I was returning from Korea in uniform.  There were three young sailors in front of me.  They had been scrupulous in filling out their forms, listing pencils, etc,.   The agent looked at the first form and then called the other two sailors forward.  Their forms were quite long as well.  The agent said:  If you guys are returning temporary duty, you won't have to pay anything.  If  you're returning permanent change of station, you'll owe about $100 each.  (This was in the late 70s and $100 was worth a bunch to junior enlisted.)  Then the agent said, are you returning temporary duty or permanent change?  All three sailors said they were on temporary duty.  (Very unlikely that three junior enlisted were temporary duty to Japan.)  The agent said that I thought so, stamped their forms and waved them through.

 

I was next up.  I was a Captain at the time and was in full  uniform.  I gave the agent my form which had very few items listed and I informed the agent I was returning temporary duty (yes, I really was).  The agent smiled and said that he'd spent 25 years as a senior enlisted in the Navy and it was just habit to keep looking out for those guys.

[SRF]

On 3/26/2019 at 4:18 PM, LHT28 said:

Like  I said  here in Canada  well at least in Toronto  we go to the machines  fill in the customs forms  then speak to an Official  ..he marks your card  with a secret code

then we go to baggage claim & on the way out they take the card  ..if you have the right code you keep going ..if not you get searched  😉

 

Cannot remember  how it happened in Amsterdam last year  too jet lagged 😉

 

 

AMS probably you did not see anyone at the customs area.  It is there, but seldom manned.

 

What would you smuggle INTO Netherlands????? 😄 😄 😄

 

[LHT28]

Just now, SRF said:

 

AMS probably you did not see anyone at the customs area.  It is there, but seldom manned.

 

What would you smuggle INTO Netherlands????? 😄 😄 😄

 

Yes  I think we just went through some machines where you put in your passport  or maybe that was when we departed

we did speak to an official at one point

[MicCanberra]

5 hours ago, SRF said:

 

AMS probably you did not see anyone at the customs area.  It is there, but seldom manned.

 

What would you smuggle INTO Netherlands????? 😄 😄 😄

 

I can think of many things but wouldn't divulge them here or they may search me next time I am visiting.😉

[SRF]

On 3/28/2019 at 2:24 AM, MicCanberra said:

I can think of many things but wouldn't divulge them here or they may search me next time I am visiting.😉

 

INTO the Netherlands?

 

Where most things are legal?

 

😄

 

 

[Bizmark'sMom]

Customs is a mixed bag. I was very glad I detailed what I was bringing in when the cute dog alerted at my suitcase.  I had properly packaged French cheese, and had declared it so there was no problem.

 

On another trip I had purchased jewelry, and had declared it. The agent told me to just wear it and say nothing next time.

[Bizmark'sMom]

Accidental double post.

Edited March 29, 2019 by Bizmark'sMom
Accidental double post.

[Philob]

30 minutes ago, Bizmark'sMom said:

On another trip I had purchased jewelry, and had declared it. The agent told me to just wear it and say nothing next time.

 

My brother and his family was touring Europe and when their tour stopped at the Rolex "factory" naturally they where taken to the "factory" store.  There he bought three watches 😱 surprising the stuffing out of the salesperson 😉 and convinced another member of his tour to buy two.

 

He, my nephew, and SIL wore the watches through US Customs, nothing was asked or said. 

 

 

[MicCanberra]

6 hours ago, SRF said:

 

INTO the Netherlands?

 

Where most things are legal?

 

😄

 

 

😎

[MicCanberra]

5 hours ago, Philob said:

 

My brother and his family was touring Europe and when their tour stopped at the Rolex "factory" naturally they where taken to the "factory" store.  There he bought three watches 😱 surprising the stuffing out of the salesperson 😉 and convinced another member of his tour to buy two.

 

He, my nephew, and SIL wore the watches through US Customs, nothing was asked or said. 

 

 

It is time that Customs watch out for that sort of wrist work. 🙂

[evandbob]

23 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

It is time that Customs watch out for that sort of wrist work. 🙂

 

 

With apologies to The Band:

 

Hey, buddy, would you like to buy a watch real cheap
Here on the street
I got six on each arm and two more round my feet
Life is a carnival--believe it or not
Life is a carnival--two bits a shot

[Essiesmom]

8 hours ago, Philob said:

 

My brother and his family was touring Europe and when their tour stopped at the Rolex "factory" naturally they where taken to the "factory" store.  There he bought three watches 😱 surprising the stuffing out of the salesperson 😉 and convinced another member of his tour to buy two.

 

He, my nephew, and SIL wore the watches through US Customs, nothing was asked or said. 

 

 

 

Many years ago I was returning from Asia via air and a man ahead of me was wearing a Rolex.  the customs agent asked 'How long have you had your Rolex'?  Didn't ask me about mine...probably could see all the scratches on it...EM

 

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

 

Many years ago I was returning from Asia via air and a man ahead of me was wearing a Rolex.  the customs agent asked 'How long have you had your Rolex'?  Didn't ask me about mine...probably could see all the scratches on it...EM

 

I have several watches, A Seiko, a Rolex, an Omega, 2 Rollex's and a Sieko. all have very varying purchase prices