Jewelery at Customs

[Daniel A]

10 hours ago, clo said:

I'm guessing they'd have actually preferred a credit card.  If it were going to 'bounce,' they'd know it right away.

I'm not sure she really cared about what the Customs people preferred.

 

20 hours ago, CutieKakes said:

 She had a checkbook to write out the $1000 duty.  We never carry a checkbook (traveling or otherwise)...what would have happened if she didn't have her checkbook?

Old habits die hard.  She carries one or two blank checks in her wallet in case she finds herself in a situation where credit cards are not accepted.

[ger_77]

On 7/26/2019 at 7:50 AM, waterbug123 said:

 I have yet to see a customs agent randomly tell someone that they need to search their carry on. 

 

I frequently have the TSA agents go through the jewellery in my carry-on.  I bring a lot of different pieces - some expensive, some not, and carry it all in a special travel pouch.  At Chicago's O'Hare, I had one agent take every piece out of the pouch and lay it out in front of me, but not before checking it all for signs of wear.  I was then "allowed" to repack everything myself.  Argh.

 

Having said that, I would never - ever - put my jewellery in checked luggage.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[waterbug123]

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

 

I frequently have the TSA agents go through the jewellery in my carry-on.

 

Going through TSA (security) is completely different from going through customs, which is what I was talking about.  At security, every carry on goes through the xray so yes, if something looks unclear or suspicious, they'll take a look.  There is no xray for carry on bags going through customs, and it would be very rare for an agent to just randomly, with no particular cause, to randomly want to search a pax's bag.

[clo]

5 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Going through TSA (security) is completely different from going through customs, which is what I was talking about.  At security, every carry on goes through the xray so yes, if something looks unclear or suspicious, they'll take a look.  There is no xray for carry on bags going through customs, and it would be very rare for an agent to just randomly, with no particular cause, to randomly want to search a pax's bag.

I have found that some people don't understand the difference between customs and immigration.  So now TSA enters the fray.

[ger_77]

9 hours ago, clo said:

I have found that some people don't understand the difference between customs and immigration.  So now TSA enters the fray.

I apologize - I was speed-reading through the post and didn't realize the OP was talking about customs.  Mea culpa.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[Daniel A]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 12:17 PM, Daniel A said:

( I think she is mistaken about the fine.  I would suspect that the thousand dollars was duty that was assessed for the jewelry.)

I need to walk that last statement back.  I've been looking at others experiences when running afoul of US Customs.  It seems that people have been caught bringing fruit and plants (not marijuana) through customs and they have been fined and customs wants the fine paid right there as a condition of release.  There are other consequences after you get home.  One is that you may have your Global Entry card revoked and you may get flagged for future manual inspections.  So, my friend is probably correct that the $1000.00 check was for paying a fine not duty assessed for the jewelry.

[pacruise804]

On 7/27/2019 at 10:21 PM, clo said:

I'm guessing they'd have actually preferred a credit card.  If it were going to 'bounce,' they'd know it right away.

Government might require a check.  When we got our passports it had to be a check to US Dept of State, Visa was only accepted for the site fee (US Post Office, library, etc).

 

I have a question about jewelry.  It is often stated not to bring pieces with you wouldn't want to lose, but what is the sense in having those pieces if you can't wear them?  I don't have very pricy pieces, but my wedding rings (among others) have high sentimental value.  I wouldn't want to lose them, but also would feel strange not wearing them.  I have pieces from my grandmothers - likely just costume but still special to me - and cruises are one of the few times I have occasion to wear them.

[Daniel A]

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 10:21 PM, clo said:

I'm guessing they'd have actually preferred a credit card.  If it were going to 'bounce,' they'd know it right away.

 

I was looking for something else on the US Customs web site and I came across this info:

 

"Travelers / Passengers may use Credit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and NOVUS/Discover Cards only).

Note:  Not all CBP locations accept credit cards as a form of payment for duties, taxes and fees."

 

This is from a list of acceptable forms of payment to US Customs which also includes "Personal checks drawn on a U.S. financial institution"  Having a blank check or two with you when travelling is probably prudent.

[Hoyaheel]

30 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

I have a question about jewelry.  It is often stated not to bring pieces with you wouldn't want to lose, but what is the sense in having those pieces if you can't wear them

 

Everyone needs to make that decision for themselves based on perceived risk and attachment to your jewelry.  I often travel in developing countries and on those trips, I wear my wedding ring only, leave the engagement ring at home (my wedding band is metal only, no stones).  Simple (often local 😉 ) jewelry otherwise. If I'm traveling in the US or Europe, I wear what I want, as I do daily....

[clo]

2 hours ago, Hoyaheel said:

 

Everyone needs to make that decision for themselves based on perceived risk and attachment to your jewelry.  I often travel in developing countries and on those trips, I wear my wedding ring only, leave the engagement ring at home (my wedding band is metal only, no stones).  Simple (often local 😉 ) jewelry otherwise. If I'm traveling in the US or Europe, I wear what I want, as I do daily....

From what I read the US is more dangerous than a whole lot of other countries.  I don't have any info about Europe.  Wonder why you feel safe in the US but not elsewhere.

[Hoyaheel]

I never said I didn't feel "safe". I said I don't  wear much jewelry. I'm not dressing up and it's not appropriate and those are the choices I am making.

 

Hell, if you need me to be more specific, there are plenty of places I go in the US and in Europe and even possibly other places where I am also not packing my jewelry because I don't feel it's appropriate, and one of the reasons might just be that it doesn't work with my plans or my wardrobe. 

 

No continent or country is a monolith when it comes to safety, either. There absolutely could be places you want to wear or not wear your jewelry all over. I'm not making that decision for you. I was responding to pacruise's question from my personal perspective. 

[clo]

12 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

appropriate

Maybe I don't understand how you're using the word "appropriate."  I thought you were talking about the chance of it getting stolen while you're out and about.  And in that case then it's probably best to wear it at home or on a ship or ????

[pacruise804]

@Hoyaheel I think I understand what you are saying and it does make sense to me.  While I almost always wear something on my ring finger, I don't wear anything that might lose a piece or fall off if we are snorkeling, hiking, etc.  My son got me a necklace on his mission trip to Guatemala that didn't cost much but is precious to me.  It doesn't seem high risk for theft, but I wouldn't want to lose it and probably would not take it on a cruise and only wear at home.

 

I don't wear much jewelry on a daily basis either, but if hubby and I are going out I will - and most evenings on the ship I consider a date night 😍so I pack a few pieces.

[BND]

I take and wear my good jewelry on cruises and other vacations.  After 28 cruises I have never been asked about any piece of jewelry by Customs.  I normally wear two diamond tennis bracelets, a diamond solitaire pendant, diamond stud earrings, engagement and wedding rings and right hand ring when I board.  And yes they are not small pieces.  For example, my engagement ring has a 2 ct solitaire.   I also have more in  my carry on.  I have it to wear. What exactly is the point of having it if you're not going to wear it?  I don't "want" to lose any of it, but not wearing it is no guarantee.  My MIL lost a lot of her jewelry due to a home break in.  It's what insurance is for too.  I do wonder about OP's post.  I've never heard of anyone being asked about their jewelry.  The most common thing we have been asked is about liquor and cigarettes (which we do not buy) and that's only been a few times.

 

I also would never pack jewelry in my luggage. I carry on anything of value - jewelry, electronics, cash.

Edited August 6, 2019 by BND

[Daniel A]

10 hours ago, BND said:

I do wonder about OP's post.  I've never heard of anyone being asked about their jewelry. 

Now you have heard it.  There must be a reason why Customs had this placed on their web site:  A dated copy of a jewelry appraisal, jewelry insurance policy or receipt can be used to prove ownership of the jewelry prior to your travels outside the United States. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection may accept a photo taken of you with the jewelry in your possession prior to your travels.

[BND]

4 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Now you have heard it.  There must be a reason why Customs had this placed on their web site:  A dated copy of a jewelry appraisal, jewelry insurance policy or receipt can be used to prove ownership of the jewelry prior to your travels outside the United States. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection may accept a photo taken of you with the jewelry in your possession prior to your travels.

Yes, we've only  heard it from you.    Don't you think that's a bit ridiculous?  I have not and will not travel with receipts from my jewelry purchases over the years.  Once again, in 28 cruises I have never and I have never heard of anyone having this happen to them.  Apparently no one else has either as it's not exactly a topic that's been discussed much, if ever.

 

So, you never said where she cruised from and where she re-entered the US.

 

The last 10 cruises or so, they haven't even asked any questions.  They just look at or scan our passports (or do facial recognition) and wave us through.

 

How would they know a picture was taken before your travels?  Pretty easy to take pics anywhere and anytime. 

 

In case anyone wasn't aware, anything you buy at a store that has been endorsed by the cruiseline (DI for example) is reported back to the ship and the ship reports to CBP.  So, those coupons and freebies you get to entice you into the stores come with the fact that there's a reason they always ask what ship you're on and your cabin number.  People have reported being stopped when debarking the ship for being over their limit in purchases made on the ship and at those stores in order to have duty paid.  We have always reported what we buy when over the limit, even in non-endorsed shops and only one time have we been made to pay a duty and at the time about 8 years ago, they wouldn't take a credit card.  We had to pay cash.  The rest we were just waved through.

Edited August 6, 2019 by BND

[Hoyaheel]

Checking for jewelry or electronics at customs is not a cruise specific topic. I wouldn't ever think of CC as the definitive source on travel. I've definitely been aware of this concern (as I noted earlier, more on electronics, and occasionally clothing) for MANY years. Heck, back to the mid-90s when I had been living overseas and was traveling back with a ton of stuff, including a large rug from central Asia. I've read about it from the perspective of professional photographers and of fashion editors traveling overseas for Fashion Weeks.

 

Perhaps a better perspective would be - how lucky we don't hear MORE of this from cruisers?

 

Also, photos these days are mostly digital and therefore have metadata showing date/time they were taken. Which is why CBP mentions their use, I imagine. 

[ducklite]

On 7/25/2019 at 1:35 PM, Hoyaheel said:

I've not heard this about jewelry but definitely about electronics and coming back from Asia (esp in the 90s, early aughts - haven't really seen this being recommended recently?) You can register your equipment with customs prior to travel to avoid this problem https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/368/~/registering-equipment%2C-computer%2C-camera%2C-laptops%2C-etc.-prior-to-traveling

 

CBP also has information on how jewelry (which typically doesn't have serial numbers) can be handled https://showfloor.io/map?q=qAC3m9A38

This is the most correct answer on this entire thread.  

 

I only have one "expensive" piece of jewelry, a strand of black pearls that we bought in Moorea.  I wore them when I had my passport photo taken.  That's about as much evidence as they could ever need.  That said, should I ever take them to Asia or the South Pacific, I'll also take a photocopy of the appraisal final evaluation page along with a photocopy of the receipt where I paid the duty entering the US with them the first time.

[DeeDee Groff]

Am catching up reading posts that I missed while I was away.  I have found very interesting and instructive material discussed here.

 

One piece of information I did not see covered in the posts is that when any of us passes through TSA checkpoints, one has the right to ask for "a private screening for valuables."  I ask the TSA officer as I approach the conveyor to screen me and my valuables in private to maintain my security.  What I have just stated can be found on www.tsa.gov

 

Please remember I am a "golden senior" who is mainly flying international routes from Logan Airport in Boston to board long cruises (at least a month), I am polite, and I always make clear that while I recognize TSA has the right to inspect the contents of my carry-on bag (and sometimes a small backpack that I use as a "personal item"), the items being inspected (jewelry, camera bodies and lenses, and prescription medication in original containers) are my property. 

 

When the screening is about to be conducted in a private room, I very nicely ask that only one officer touch the items and that he or she keeps his or her hands visible to me at all times.  I have never been denied such an inspection and have never needed to wait to have the inspection performed.

 

To add some levity to this post, during one such inspection last year, I had the female TSA officer remove necklaces and bracelets (one at a time), hold them up to her colleague who was standing off to the side, whistle (in appreciation, I think), and ask me, "Girl, don't you know you're crazy to be traveling with all this stuff?"  I informed her that I had no intention of leaving the jewelry at home in a safe, and when I wear a piece, I am honoring the memory of my mother or my aunts who left me the pieces because each had reason to believe I would wear a given piece--and not keep it in a safe or safe deposit box.  Her reply was, "Girl, now you go on, get out of here, and wow 'em!"  Some would find her remarks offensive, I found them hilarious.

[waterbug123]

6 hours ago, DeeDee Groff said:

when any of us passes through TSA checkpoints, one has the right to ask for "a private screening for valuables."  I ask the TSA officer as I approach the conveyor to screen me and my valuables in private to maintain my security.  What I have just stated can be found on www.tsa.gov

 

 

To each his own, but I really don't understand why you do this.  TSA is looking for large liquids and weapons, not rings and necklaces.  If you put your carry on through the scanner, there is little chance it would ever be opened, assuming you don't have prohibited items inside. 

[DeeDee Groff]

waterbug123, I follow this procedure because the first time I was stopped, it was the jewelry that triggered the stop, and the TSA officer wanted to open the bag and do an inspection in front of everyone in the immediate area.   Every time I go through the scanner at Logan, the TSA officer manning the screen calls for an inspection.  Because I've never seen the screen myself, I have no idea what the jewelry in cases looks like to him or her, but when the screening is conducted, each officer has told me it is the jewelry and not the cameras and camera bodies nor the prescription medication that needs to be "closely examined."

[waterbug123]

7 hours ago, DeeDee Groff said:

 Because I've never seen the screen myself, I have no idea what the jewelry in cases looks like

 

Ah, that might explain it.  Perhaps whatever the cases are made of doesn't allow the xray to penetrate so they can't see what it is.  

[Floridiana]

35 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

Ah, that might explain it.  Perhaps whatever the cases are made of doesn't allow the xray to penetrate so they can't see what it is.  

 

I think so too. Maybe put your jewellery in cloth bags. I also use older silk scarves for necklaces. 

Personally I never bring more than can fit in my personal item with the small camera, medication, passport and money. I might put additonal jewellery made of shells etc. in the carry-on, but nothing of real value. We often combine land trips and cruises. Land trips require more caution.

[Daniel A]

9 hours ago, DeeDee Groff said:

waterbug123, I follow this procedure because the first time I was stopped, it was the jewelry that triggered the stop, and the TSA officer wanted to open the bag and do an inspection in front of everyone in the immediate area.   Every time I go through the scanner at Logan, the TSA officer manning the screen calls for an inspection.  Because I've never seen the screen myself, I have no idea what the jewelry in cases looks like to him or her, but when the screening is conducted, each officer has told me it is the jewelry and not the cameras and camera bodies nor the prescription medication that needs to be "closely examined."

Why not just ask the TSA Officer the next time you are searched what exactly is causing the added scrutiny?

[JanineM]

I've got an insurance rider for jewellery and other valuable possessions and it would take about 2 minutes for my insurance company to provide proof.