Customs and INS

[kimpossible]

Ever had a problem returning through U.S. Customs or INS? For that matter, any immigration line in any country. Any legal issues catch you by surprise? I was surprised that birth control pills aren't legal in Japan. You can only take in a limited personal supply.

[amietron]

I've never encountered any problems.

[kasia]

the latest device that the department of transportation is implementing in airports now is the face-recognition scanner. this camera can scan 10-15 faces per second and check them against a database of over 10,000 criminals, missing children, terrorists, etc. this device was already tested last year at the tampa bay superbowl, so some of you may have already heard about it in the papers.

how would you guys feel having your face scanned and checked at the airports? would you feel that your privacy is invaded? or would it not make a difference to you?

[axi0m]

Getting my face scanned wouldn't bother me because well, I'm not a terrorist, or a criminal, or even a missing child. They can scan me all they want. :)

-Satoshi-

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally posted by kasia@Dec 31 2002, 06:05 PM
how would you guys feel having your face scanned and checked at the airports? would you feel that your privacy is invaded? or would it not make a difference to you?
eh. in public areas, maybe I'd feel it's an invasion of privacy. but we're talking about airports here. having my face scanned is no more an invasion of privacy than any of the other stuff security routinely does, and it's worth it to have safe skies.

as for customs ... it doesn't say so on the declaration forms, but the US customs inspector who looked through my stuff on my way back from HK into the US said that the duty-free limit on importing foreign goods has increased from $400 to $800 value per person. Don't quote me on this one, check out their website first ...

anyway, some advice to people travelling through HK: careful of the freakin ridiculous duties on alcoholic beverages. I didn't get caught (I brought 8 cans of grapefruit sours on my way from Japan to HK, which is about 3 liters over the 1 liter duty-free limit for alcohol), but I know people who have had to pay hefty fines. On the other hand, I got them into the US just fine, the customs inspector looked at the cans, but he couldn't read them, and I told him it was soda ... hehe.

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Jan 1 2003, 12:49 PM
as for customs ... it doesn't say so on the declaration forms, but the US customs inspector who looked through my stuff on my way back from HK into the US said that the duty-free limit on importing foreign goods has increased from $400 to $800 value per person. Don't quote me on this one, check out their website first ...

Yes. There are parameters on the personal exemption but the limit was raised to $800 from $400. Here are the details.

Traveler's Standard Duty-Free Exemption (http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/travel/travel.htm)

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Jan 1 2003, 03:49 PM
eh. in public areas, maybe I'd feel it's an invasion of privacy. but we're talking about airports here. having my face scanned is no more an invasion of privacy than any of the other stuff security routinely does, and it's worth it to have safe skies.

as for customs ... it doesn't say so on the declaration forms, but the US customs inspector who looked through my stuff on my way back from HK into the US said that the duty-free limit on importing foreign goods has increased from $400 to $800 value per person. Don't quote me on this one, check out their website first ...

anyway, some advice to people travelling through HK: careful of the freakin ridiculous duties on alcoholic beverages. I didn't get caught (I brought 8 cans of grapefruit sours on my way from Japan to HK, which is about 3 liters over the 1 liter duty-free limit for alcohol), but I know people who have had to pay hefty fines. On the other hand, I got them into the US just fine, the customs inspector looked at the cans, but he couldn't read them, and I told him it was soda ... hehe.
i always just declare $100 when entering the US no matter how much stuff i bought. :P
i'm more worried about the dried food that my grandparents always make me bring whenever i go from HK to the US. i have no idea if some of those are allowed through customs. luckily they've never looked through my bags because i also never delcare that i'm bringing in any food. one day i'm going to get caught by sniff dogs.

[applehead]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Jan 1 2003, 03:19 PM

i'm more worried about the dried food that my grandparents always make me bring whenever i go from HK to the US. i have no idea if some of those are allowed through customs. luckily they've never looked through my bags because i also never delcare that i'm bringing in any food. one day i'm going to get caught by sniff dogs.
once my mom made me take 500 dollars worth of frozen and vacuum packed kalbi and oxtail when i was going to seoul.
that was a hellish experience.

[iris]

Originally posted by axi0m@Jan 2 2003, 04:02 AM
Getting my face scanned wouldn't bother me because well, I'm not a terrorist, or a criminal, or even a missing child. They can scan me all they want. :)

-Satoshi-
True that Satoshi. I live in New York City so I say scan all you want. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

[iris]

Originally posted by applehead@Jan 2 2003, 10:22 AM
Originally posted by SunWuKung@Jan 1 2003, 03:19 PM

i'm more worried about the dried food that my grandparents always make me bring whenever i go from HK to the US.  i have no idea if some of those are allowed through customs.  luckily they've never looked through my bags because i also never delcare that i'm bringing in any food.  one day i'm going to get caught by sniff dogs.
once my mom made me take 500 dollars worth of frozen and vacuum packed kalbi and oxtail when i was going to seoul.
that was a hellish experience.
My mom always has me carry back Chinese medicine which I don't know if the USA considers drugs or illegal or not. I just try not to look suspicious, but I think the nervous glances sometimes give me away. :lol:

[applehead]

wow. iris. wtf. is that CHUCKY?
that's freakin creepy.

[DaBestSpooner]

I always underdeclare. Worse comes to worse you pay 10 bucks for every 100 bucks of stuff you didnt declare. I noticed that if you're getting off a plane full of asians, they always stop and search the white folk.

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by applehead@Jan 2 2003, 04:52 AM
wow. iris. wtf. is that CHUCKY?
that's freakin creepy.
oh WOW, i thought the same thing. *lol*

[iris]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Jan 3 2003, 12:08 AM
Originally posted by applehead@Jan 2 2003, 04:52 AM
wow. iris. wtf.  is that CHUCKY?
that's freakin creepy.
oh WOW, i thought the same thing. *lol*
Hey! That is not Chucky! And it has nothing to do with Chucky! It's just a little sweet doll that wants to cuddle with you at night.

"Hello Apple and Hapa"....is what it'd say....

[applehead]

Originally posted by iris@Jan 2 2003, 09:32 AM

Hey! That is not Chucky! And it has nothing to do with Chucky! It's just a little sweet doll that wants to cuddle with you at night.

"Hello Apple and Hapa"....is what it'd say....
yeah iris. a little sweet doll that's looking for his butcher knife!!

[angel nympho]

I don't care if they scan my face. As long as they don't take my illegal substances.

[kasia]

i don't like the feeling of being watched...even if i'm not doing anything wrong.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Jan 2 2003, 07:19 AM
i always just declare $100 when entering the US no matter how much stuff i bought. :P
i'm more worried about the dried food that my grandparents always make me bring whenever i go from HK to the US. i have no idea if some of those are allowed through customs. luckily they've never looked through my bags because i also never delcare that i'm bringing in any food. one day i'm going to get caught by sniff dogs.
eh, well, be more careful in the future cuz Customs is looking a lot more closely these days. off my flight from HK to SF they checked every single person's bags by hand, unpacking the whole damn thing and looking at every item. the group coming in from Bangkok at the same time also got the same treatment, so I don't think it's just random.

they were also really suspicious that the stuff I was carrying was actually worth as little as $400 (maybe cuz i was carrying in enough TV series and movies to start my own rental business :dance:). fortunately i brought a bunch of receipts written in Chinese (mostly used meal tickets from the school cafeteria) and claimed it was the receipts for all that stuff.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Jan 4 2003, 09:36 PM
Originally posted by SunWuKung@Jan 2 2003, 07:19 AM
i always just declare $100 when entering the US no matter how much stuff i bought.    :P
i'm more worried about the dried food that my grandparents always make me bring whenever i go from HK to the US.  i have no idea if some of those are allowed through customs.  luckily they've never looked through my bags because i also never delcare that i'm bringing in any food.  one day i'm going to get caught by sniff dogs.
eh, well, be more careful in the future cuz Customs is looking a lot more closely these days. off my flight from HK to SF they checked every single person's bags by hand, unpacking the whole damn thing and looking at every item. the group coming in from Bangkok at the same time also got the same treatment, so I don't think it's just random.

they were also really suspicious that the stuff I was carrying was actually worth as little as $400 (maybe cuz i was carrying in enough TV series and movies to start my own rental business :dance:). fortunately i brought a bunch of receipts written in Chinese (mostly used meal tickets from the school cafeteria) and claimed it was the receipts for all that stuff.
yeah for some reason i never had problems with customs. i flew to toronto (maybe canadians don't care?) in Nov. 2001 just a couple of months after 9/11, and they didn't look through my bags at all. and i forgot which international airport i landed in when i moved back to the states (either SF or LA i think), but you'd think with all those bags, they'd check me. nope.

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Jan 4 2003, 06:36 PM
eh, well, be more careful in the future cuz Customs is looking a lot more closely these days. off my flight from HK to SF they checked every single person's bags by hand, unpacking the whole damn thing and looking at every item. the group coming in from Bangkok at the same time also got the same treatment, so I don't think it's just random.

they were also really suspicious that the stuff I was carrying was actually worth as little as $400 (maybe cuz i was carrying in enough TV series and movies to start my own rental business :dance:). fortunately i brought a bunch of receipts written in Chinese (mostly used meal tickets from the school cafeteria) and claimed it was the receipts for all that stuff.
That was smart.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Jan 6 2003, 12:30 AM
Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Jan 4 2003, 06:36 PM
they were also really suspicious that the stuff I was carrying was actually worth as little as $400 (maybe cuz i was carrying in enough TV series and movies to start my own rental business :dance:). fortunately i brought a bunch of receipts written in Chinese (mostly used meal tickets from the school cafeteria) and claimed it was the receipts for all that stuff.
That was smart.
ever since my sister got nailed at the Canadian border, of all places (for carrying too many beanie babies), I take a lot more precautions with regards to Customs.

edit: damn it all, why kan't I spel todaay?

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Jan 5 2003, 05:28 PM
That was smart.
ever since my sister got nailed at the Canadian border, of all places (for carrying too many beanie babies), I take a lot more precautions with regards to Customs.

edit: damn it all, why kan't I spel todaay?[/quote]
What? Don't you have Customers? Too bad, I was about to ask you "How much?" for your services.