U.S customs check?

[Guest]

LeoTex:

I think we got the same probelm, the "clever" remarks come out easily. ( and maybe only clever to us)

 

the female inspector?

maybe she thought you were cute

did she ask for ur phone #

the few times I have been inspected and was carrying a case, they seemed really interested in the walls of the case.( solid plastic)

I cound not imaging anything of importance being hidden in a 1/16" layer of plastic.

( maybe the secret microfilm or such) but with the use of email now, I think the spy vs spy stuff moot.

for me, they seem to have "look" that makes me feel guilty. regardless of what I have with me.

( kind of like watching ur speed when u noitce a cop in ur mirror, regardless if you are speeding or not)

[Guest]

HDrider--

Come on now.. I think that I did pretty darn well for a non-civil servant.. LOL

"PSR's are not Senior Inspectors, they are Supervisory Inspectors"...

Ok.. But I still think that the PSR's do a pretty good job.. I've seen them "handle" some pretty ugly stuff and smooth out some very upset tempers..

My hat is off to all those who work the various american POE's everday. Hard job and never gets easier.

--UPSer

[Guest]

LeoTex

I really can't answer why the inspector asked those questions. Every inspector has a different way on inspecting and questions they ask. We ask questions to get a response out of the traveler and to see there reaction to certain question. We also might ask the same question, but in a different way, to see if the traveler give us the same answer or different answer. This is done to see if the traveler is lying or not. Sometime the questions seem uncalled for, and sometime they are, but there is a reason for our madness sometimes. If you have been inspected once out of 20+ times, I would ask your pretty lucky. Like I said before, there is a random computer system we use and you might have been selected by that, that what it sounds like to me. Beleive it or not, most of our seizure is because of the inspector asking certain question and getting certain responses that rise the "red flag". That is why most likely the inspector was doing, asking question to see if you raise the "red flag".

Pasasthai

About the CF6059B and the $400.00 declaration. U.S. residents returning to the U.S. are allowed a $400.00 free duty exemption per family member, for the most part (there are certain counteries that we allow more and certain we allow less). I haven't read the CF6059B for a while (I probably should, since that is part of my job to know these thing, lol) so I am not 100% sure, but I beleive you have to claim all purchase on it. The reason I say that is because you are required to declare all purchase outside the U.S. either in writting (CF6059B) or orally (maybe I shouldn't say orally to the members on this board, lol). If you don't, you can be charged with smuggling. Since written declaration is the only form used at the Airport, I would beleive that you have to declare all on the 6059B. Just to play it on the safe side, just write your purchase on it. It will save you the hassel if you get inspected.

Smittyjp

I know of the name of George Roberts in Hawaii. I beleive he was the District Director of Hawaii. He retired at few year back. I never met him personally. Jack Harriman, I never heard of. Where did he work?

Lemock

Remember, we are concerned about what you bring into the country. If we believe the merchandise you importing is for commercial use, there are procedure you and we have to follow before the merchadise is imported. One way we might determine if the merchadise is for commercial use, is the quanity you are importing at the time. Remember, we deal with personal quanity of merchande (merchadise the a reason person would believe is for your and your families personal use). So if you are importing 6 CD of the same title, we would NOT believe there for your own use. If the title are counterfeit then that opens up a whole new can of worms. Now if you bring 1 or 2 title back, ok thats most like personal. What you do with the stuff once you get home, we can not regulate.

I hope this answers your questions. I don't mind answering question concerning Customs issues because I don't want anyone to get in trouble with us. But remember one think, every Port of Entry does things a little different. What we do at my Port might be done different at another Port. So I can answer the "why did they do this or that" question directly. I can give you an idea why thats all. I work at a land border and I have only work Airports briefly, so I am not that familiar with their technical operations. I will stated whether I know the answer or whether I am making an edecational guess.

HDrider

[Guest]

UPSer

I was just giving you a hard time. I are very knowledgable for a civilian puke, lol. All kidding aside, you hand out excellent information and I have no problems with what I say. I take it that you deal with us on a regular basis. Hell, you know more about us then some inspectors I know, lol. If the only think that I can bust you balls on is the PSR thing, then you know that you giving good info. Hell, I am a Senior Inspector, and if I had the PSR job, I would tell some travelers to shove it up there 4th point of contact (you Airborne people know what I mean, lol). I have heard some very, very, very studid compliants and the PSR's have to talk to these people to calm them down. I had one compliant where the person was pissed cuz I sent him in for inspection (a rish bastard) and the supervisor (before there was a PSR program)asked the person if I was rude or did I curse at him and he said "no" so the supervisor asked him why was he complianing on me and he stated because he's "a U.S. citizen and he pays our salaries through taxes and that he believes that he should be exempt from inspection". The supervisor pulled out a nickle from is pocket and gave it to the man. The man ask why he was given a nickel and the supervisor said that he was repaying the portion of the inspectors salary that the traveler paid through taxes. Then he told him "get out of my office and go to you car and get inspected". I witness all this. I thought it was the funnist thing I ever saw. The traveler was so dumfounded, he didn't know what to say and he left to go back to his car.

HDrider

UPSer, if your in LOS from Feb 20 tp Mar 1, first round is on me. PM me if you are.

[Guest]

According to the "THE AMOUNT OF DUTY TO BE PAID" section on the reverse of the 6059B customs declaration form:

"If the value of goods declared in line 14 EXCEEDS $1400 PER PERSON, then list ALL articles below and show the price paid in U.S. dollars or, for gifts, fair ratail value."

My interpretation of this has always been that if you do not have in excess of $1400 worth of goods to declare, then you simply write the value of the goods in line 14 on the front of the form and don't bother with the "DESCRIPTION OF ARTICLES" section on the reverse. Even if the value of your goods exceeds the $400 exemption, as long as it does not exceed $1400 you still do not have to make out a detailed list (but you will have to pay duty on the amount over $400).

[Guest]

cm_spot--

You are corect, HD- back me up here....

The law reads that if you are entitled to a $400 exemption (that being you are away from the US for the minimum period and have not used your personal exemption within a specifi period of time) then you need only state the value of your items if they fall between $0 and $400..

The assesed duty is (unless you have items that are subject the a specific tariff schedule) a flat 10% of the amount over US$400 up to US$1,400. From $1,400 and up your items will be subjected to duty based on individual items and the corresponding duty rate imposed. [less the base exemption of US$400] Some items have a very low duty rate (ex: hand crafts) and some carry a very high rate (ex: cotton materials)

There are some obscure special cases (Carribean Economic Basin Act) that allow for greater imports than US$400 but these are not very common for the average tourist.

These rates are all spelled out in the Federal Tariff Schedules that are available for inspection and examintion at all POE's. USCS personnel may not alter the duyt rate imposed.

As a matter of practice, for me personally, I always make it a point to have a sheet of paper that spells out what I have with me, where I bought it, where it is manufactured and what was the local purchase price. I always show this to the USCS inspector upon examintation. The more info he/she has the quicker I'll be out of there.

HD.... In our ANC gateway, we use the Red light/Green Light examination method. Since there are only 8 Inspectors at the Cargo side of ANC, we see the same faces day in and day out.. to avoid any possible perception of "bias" we use the random "red you get inspected, green you go" system.

--UPSer

[smittyjp]

Hi HD. George was the director in Hawaii. I never met him either but he used to set up good training for us and he undersigned a couple of awards I hang on the "I love me" wall in my house. Jack was the USCS Advisor for the Pacific. Worked for him in Korea and the PI. He was ex USSS and one of the most interesting guys I ever met, learned alot from him.

Was limited duty myself, and then settled here in Japan. I did try to get back in the traditional way, but it's very hard outside the US. Had to fly back for the Treasury Enforcement Exam and the structured interview, then do all the medical paperwork at my expense and the background through the consulate here. Finally got it all and mailed it in. God knows where the package ended up, maybe the anthrax scare was a sign that it wasn't meant to be. Oh well, I really enjoyed the time I did have and business here is ok.

Smitty

[Guest]

Ok...lets try this again..

UPSer, your absolutely right on your statements about the exemptions.

A returning resident is allowed a $400 exemption, IF they were outside of the U.S. for 48 hrs, they didn't use there exemption in the past 30 calander days, and the merchadise is for the own personnal use. That is under 19USC1203 (for you lawyer savy people).

From $401 to $1400, you will be charged a flat rate of 10% that you are over your exemption. Over $1400, you will charge the duty rate that is specified in the Tariff Schedule.

I can see why the back of the 60559B states that if you are over $1400, you have to itemized you purchases. This is why, like I said above, $401-$1400 is a flat 10% charge. So if you have $1000 worth of purchases, you will be charged 10% of $600 ($1000-$400=$600) which would be $60, correct. So we really don't need to know what items you bought, just the total price because it is simple math.

Now if you are over $1400, this is what we do and this is why we need an itemized list of you purchased items. First we will minus your exeption from the toal cost. In that exeption, we will use the items that have the hightest duty rate and use those for your $400 exemption therefore you will not pay duty on those hight duty items. Then for the next $1000, we will go to the next items that are hightest duty rate of whats left, and charge you the flat 10% rate so now your are left with the least expensive duty rate items, and those are the items we will go by the actual duty rate in the Tariff Schedule. If this is done right, it should be the least cost to you and most of the items left over, that actual duty has to be paid, hopeful are items that are duty free.

Duty free item are items that in the Tariff Schedule states no duty rate assessed. The are like handcrafts, and painting. Now with the poorer nations in the world a lot of the items bought there are duty free

I hope this helps out.

HDrider

[Guest]

HDrider,

I'm still a little confused here. If we bring back say $350 of merchandise we only need to put down the total price. We would not need to list the times at all. On my first trip to the LOS, I had returned with a few watches, but the total of all goods was below the $400 duty free limit. So my question would be, did I need to list the watches (I did) on the form?

Also the first trip I had Thai coffee and a few bags of Thai snacks, that I listed on the form. I was told that didn't count as a "food item". On my second trip I didn't list the food and almost got in trouble because I didn't declare it. I know different agents, different time.

[Guest]

I'm not trying to sound like a smartass on this, but it does seem to me that the few lines on the cust. form do seem easily to intrepret several ways.

( kind of like listening to a politician on the news, after he is done you think "what did he say" and the commentators on each station after have a different view of it)

why not say ( on the form) list all the stuff you bought, and be done with it.

maybe it was written to give the inspectors some leeway in "hasseling" us.

agin, not trying to be a smartass, but seems gov. does go out of its way to confuse us.

( maybe they just single us out after returning from because of the goofey grins we all have)