Comments on: Getting through customs: 10 tips

By: stevo

stevo — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:24:06 +0000

hi this page is great .ok im realy stock with this and i dont no who to ask but im heading to canada in july from england for a 5 months travel stay . but i have a criminal record of drunken disorderly about 5 years ago.do you think costoms will stop me and bring me in a room and question me and refuse me entry and send me home. like i have a return ticket and all so its not as if im gona stay over my date of leaveing .id love to no if anybody has gone threw this before r even been threw this thereself id love the help plz .

By: smacquart

smacquart — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:02:06 +0000

I will be entering the US at LAX from Thailand. My dog will travel with me in the cabin. What procedures will I have to go through to get my dog through immigration and whatever else needs to be done?

By: Andrew Lopez

Andrew Lopez — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:58:29 +0000

My wife, a resident alien, always gets stopped by customs because her name matches the name of a person who is wanted. This often causes us to miss our connecting flight. She has a valid resident alien card, passport, and other IDs but this isn’t enough to stop her from getting pulled into a room for additional questioning. What can we do to remedy this problem?

By: Bill Windsor

Bill Windsor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:37:26 +0000

Excellent advise. I am going to add this as a reference in my http://www.RoundAmerica.com Travel Blog.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:04:10 +0000

Here’s a tip– try to enter the US in Denver. Both times, we actually had great conversations with the immigration officer!
This last time wasn’t so great through customs, though– I ate my apple, but my wife didn’t, and for some reason I thought I’d find a place to throw it away before reaching immigration. Shoulda left it on the plane. So i declared it, to be honest, and we ended up having to scan all our stuff. One control officer was nice enough to help pull a cart of luggage, since my wife had the baby in her arms, but when I remarked about all this hassle over an apple, he said: “That’ll teach you not to do it next time.” I couldn’t tell if he was being funny, or actually scolding.
One complaint, though: Why on earth do airports have to dump transferring passengers on the wrong side of security? We had to get scanned 3 times in one leg of the journey– as if we’re magically going to acquire something illegal INSIDE the airport?!

By: Luke

Luke — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:45:37 +0000

Great article and I totally agree with point 6; If you’re not sure – DEECLARE IT! Re-entering Australia for example, you’re not supposed to bring any food from your flight . And declare your own prescription medicines – even though they’re in a bottle with your name on them. They’ll probably roll their eyes and wave you through but it could be worse – and it has been!

By: Skip

Skip — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:35:23 +0000

In SJU, I had a customs agent approach me just as I retrieved my bags and was heading toward the lines. She wanted to chat me up about my trip; it seemed friendly enough, but at one point I thought she was personally interested. I now know she was just sizing me up to see if I got nervous or something, but it’s something else to consider.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:13:46 +0000

Good advice and well written.

I’ve found that doing research is helpful too….you can always ask customs before you travel what you can bring back.