SFO customs warning

[bangkoksins]

Should also be added that Australia is notoriously tough when it comes to customs. They even have the question whether you have visited a farm etc on your travels on their immigration form. Or at least they did.

Last time I went to Sydney I knew I was going to be stopped as one customs official was looking at me too much.

I just went up to him and asked him whether he needs to see me, he said yes, I told him to just wait till my bag arrived and would come directly to him.

One advantage to being pulled like that is I missed the long queue to get through customs.

[Guest]

(bangkoksins @ May 21 2006,15:15) Should also be added that Australia is notoriously tough when it comes to customs. They even have the question whether you have visited a farm etc on your travels on their immigration form. Or at least they did.

Last time I went to Sydney I knew I was going to be stopped as one customs official was looking at me too much.

I just went up to him and asked him whether he needs to see me, he said yes, I told him to just wait till my bag arrived and would come directly to him.

One advantage to being pulled like that is I missed the long queue to get through customs.

The one advantage australia has is we are so far from the mainland americas, asia ,africa and europe we do not have the livestock issues such as mad cow etc so thats why we are strict and it works.

So a little pain is good no tourist industry because over seas diseases have come into australia is a pain. Many of our native wildlife and forna are not infected if they where no wildlife.

[bangkoksins]

I hear you david23au - but I must admit I laughed at the question when I first read it.

They are still one of the strictest customs in the world and if it works good for them.

[BAM]

(bangkoksins @ May 21 2006,15:15) One advantage to being pulled like that is I missed the long queue to get through customs.

Yes that€™s the one and only good thing about being searched... you get escorted out of that big lineup of people waiting to go through Customs and taken for a private search. 10 minutes later you€™re out of the airport. Much faster then waiting in that long lineup. The funny thing is I remember a time where I was waiting for a long time in that huge line and started to hope that they would come get me again for a search so I could get out of there qucker.... but no such luck that time... I just had to wait like everyone else.  

[Guest]

(Bam @ May 21 2006,17:11)

(bangkoksins @ May 21 2006,15:15) One advantage to being pulled like that is I missed the long queue to get through customs.

Yes that€™s the one and only good thing about being searched... you get escorted out of that big lineup of people waiting to go through Customs and taken for a private search. 10 minutes later you€™re out of the airport. Much faster then waiting in that long lineup. The funny thing is I remember a time where I was waiting for a long time in that huge line and started to hope that they would come get me again for a search so I could get out of there qucker.... but no such luck that time... I just had to wait like everyone else.  

Maybe next time should organise with newcomer to be be given the vip treatment but i remeber he was saying something about rubber gloves

[Road Runner]

(newcomer @ May 21 2006,06:37) Hint for you Mai-kee, fly out from London or Paris  after you get there by train, bus, tunnel or anything except airplane and take all your fake DVD's and then you won't be questioned.

Had a good laugh at that  -  yes it's true the UK Customs seem to take no interest in fake goods.   I've seen them get upset about having 200 cigarettes too many and ignore the rip-off DVD's  

Customs role has changed in recent years from largely revenue protection (making sure the government gets it's cut of alcohol and tobacco taxes) to being the front line against terrorists and drugs.
Most of the 'lesser' infringments will be ignored in most western countries. It's not worth doing the paperwork as one customs officer said to me.

Although some could definately do with a session of customer relations training - they are not out to get you.  As long as you are not breaking the law that is.

But with the modern system of profiling some will get pulled when they are entirely innocent. As Newcomer says it's the ones that are not pulled we should worry about  
You are wasting your time with the dildoes/dirty clothes etc. I'm sure that all gets mentioned in their training. In fact you are drawing their attention that you have something to hide.

One of the guys I worked with for years used to get pulled by customs every time.  He looked like he had something to hide. He gets stopped by the police fairly frequently too
If I had to chose someone to look after All of my money it would have been him!  He was the most honest of all.

RR.

[katoeylover]

Terminal 3 Heathrow - 8am

at least 10 planes arriving at the same time from the US and Asia.
Immigration - at least 1hr wait for non residents (UK & EU), 20mins for UK nationals.

Customs - at least 10 officers hanging around the Nothing to Declare Channel.
Me - 1 case, 1 hand luggage, 10 ctns cigarettes and enough fakes to fill a small market stall!!

walked straight through as they pulled the Asian guy behind me!!!

Gotta love it!!!

[Guest]

Hey KL,

Slick move through Customs. Love it when you beat the system!

Racial profiling is still going to be around forever as Customs Officer are too lazy to do their background checks by searching databases for pre-flight information. ie. name, criminal history, visa status, times in and out of the country, etc

Those regularly picked for random searches include:

Asians on non-asain flights, west africaians anytime, scruffy looking dudes, those that look like they have a drug problem, first off the plane with no luggage, nevous behaviour, clothes that dont match their grooming or luggage are just a few and of course the big one is men who wear tee-shirts saying "I love Ladyboys".

Not a bad tactic, squeeze in bewteen an African wearing loose baggy clothes and Asian dude with no luggage whose sweating up and you will be invisible.

[BAM]

(newcomer @ May 24 2006,07:50) first off the plane .......

Seems in my experience that First Class passengers are treated better....  

2 years ago I came down on a horrible Qantas flight. They sat me next to some 6 year old kid that was drooling on me half the flight. He falls asleep and then ends up falling in my lap! I look at his mother and she says "Oh he really likes you" I wanted to kill them both. I ask the steward if I can have a different seat and he tells me very rudely "It's a full ship Sir!"

I can't get any sleep on this flight and after 15 hours I'm going crazy! As soon as the plane hits the ground and is still rolling to a stop I just jumped up out of my seat and started to walk forward... I made my way into the Galley and stopped there for a second then came out the other side and kept walking through the business section.... (the plane is still moving) then slipped into the next galley and just waited there looking at the controls of the flight entertainment system. They use DV tapes BTW.
I hear a door open and people get up and start to make their way out... I only then realize I'm exiting the plane with the First Class passengers. No one seems to have even noticed me slipping my way up into this part of the plane.... so here I come out with all the old farts from First Class and as we waited in line at Customs I started to talk to this same old couple I was talking to in the Air Port in Toronto... seems they were FC passengers, hahahha well I know while you wait in the line waiting for Customs they are watching you... as they now think I'm with the old couple... we hit the Customs booths all together and they didn't ask me a thing! Just stamped my passport and said "G'day"

[SamplerDoc]

Great thread,  Now I must say I am both nervous and intrested in all this.

What about any problems I may have flying into and out of JFK in NY?

I have never been overseas...only USA, Canada and Mexico.

Only had 1 problem ever with Canada customs ...the guy at the booth wanted me to take off my sun glasses and I repeated back to him.."take off my glasses"?

Next thing you know my car and I were searched to no end, they even asked me where I work , what kind or work I do, how much I get paid a year...etc


I really was bent out of shape on the questions about do you have weapons asked 5 times, maybe cause I am coming from the states they assume we all carry guns?
He then went on to ask several times if I was ever arrested or convicted of a crime...its hard to recall that was last year.

At one point he asked salary I refused to answer anymore questions.   He typed like mad on all the answers and I figured they made me a nice profile that I will get the crap treatment everytime I cross

I have not been back cross the border in a year now.

So will flying out of JFK to Hong Kong and then thru BKK and back be a flag or problem?

What should I do with a cell phone and pics to take with? Use a cell from BKK only and discard it maybe? and how the hell do I take pics and bring em back without another flag?

[Guest]

(dummy_plug @ May 16 2006,21:04)

(relpax @ May 16 2006,17:35) not a bad reason to have one of the gray haired posse around. hehe. "

Hear that Incher, you're good for something!  

Sorry for the delay in a reply D_P, I was still in Pattaya In your case I would just bring "bail money"! You would have to bow to the white haired mafia!

incher

[BAM]

(SamplerDoc @ May 28 2006,01:24) Canada customs ...the guy at the booth wanted me to take off my sun glasses and I repeated back to him.."take off my glasses"?

you should have said "But sir Corey Hart wears his at night and he's a Canadaian!"

[Road Runner]

Hello Samplerdoc,

Don't get paranoid about it  -  unless you are an international drug dealer or terrorist  

My knowledge of the profiling system is not that great but in any case you can work some of it out yourself.

ie. If you book several weeks in advance and also use a credit card you are a tourist  -  immigration/customs are not interested.
Book at the last minute and use cash  -  then maybe you have something to hide immigration customs will be interested.
A single male passenger travelling on their own to Thailand is either a buiness man or a sex tourist.  So then they check what business you are in.

Even they know that this is not 100% reliable - they have to stop you and check.

In most western countries the immigration now use a computer face recognition system.  It sounds nearly like science fiction but its here now and it works pretty well.
It picks out a series of points on your face and tries to match them against a database of wanted persons.  If you wear a hat/sunglasses then the system does not work.
If you 'obstruct' them then they will think you have something to hide.

The gun thing I guess is the difference between Canada and the US.  Remember the Canadian murder rate is nearly the same as the UK  -  less than 1000/year.

If they tried asking me my salary I'd tell them it's none of their business!

Don't worry about the cell phone/sim card/or pics on your computer.  Customs are not going to be interested unless they get the impression you have something to hide.
Even if they find pictures of ladyboys they won't care.  They will only take notice if it's child pornography or there is real evidence of violence being used.

The more strangely you act - the more paranoid you look - the more likely they will take notice  

In short - don't worry - just be yourself  

RR.

[SamplerDoc]

Bam,

You work Customs in Canada?

How in the hell did you get my security photos from the border

[SamplerDoc]

Don't get paranoid about it  -  unless you are an international drug dealer or terrorist  

Hmmm that may have been part of the problem

I did cross the border at the Peace Bridge near Buf NY going into Canada with No hotel and only cash and a credit card with a single overnight bag  and answered him that I was just there to tour for the weekend

I could not very well tell him it was just for the weekend to get drunk   and have sex  

 I see my error now.

Thanks Road Runner