• Why Was I Charged Duty on My Duty-Free Purchases?
• How Do I Apply for a Passport?
• I'm Here on a Visa. Can I Leave & Come Back?
• What Gives U.S. Customs the Right to Search Me?
• Why Did U.S. Customs Take My Food?
• How Can I Prove I Didn't Buy My Watch/Camera During My Trip Outside the United States?
• What Can I Take into France, China...?
• Ask Us a Specific Question?

Q: Why Was I Charged Duty on My Duty-Free Purchases?

A: Many travelers are confused by the term "duty-free" as it relates to merchandise they buy in duty-free shops.

Buying an item in a duty-free shop does not mean that you will not have to pay duty on the item when you take it into your destination country. It only means that the item you are buying does not reflect the cost of duty or taxes that would have been added to the item if it had been formally imported into the country where the duty-free shop is located.

Duty-free shops are shops where taxes on commercial goods are neither collected by a government, nor paid by an importer. An English-made wool sweater purchased in a clothing store in Germany may cost you $39%.00, a price that includes the duty and taxes that the importer paid to import it. The same sweater purchased in a duty-free shop may only cost $225.00. That's because as long as the sweater stays in the duty-free shop, or exits the country with the purchaser, it has not been formally imported into the country. There has been no duty charged on the sweater, and the duty-free shop owner has been able to pass that savings on to you. Its price is free of duty, or "duty-free".

Now, when you bring that same sweater back home with you to the U.S., you may have to pay duty on the sweater if you exceed your personal exemption.

Q: How Do I Apply for a Passport?

A: Passports are issued by the Office of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Q: I am Here on a Visa. Can I Leave & Come Back into the United States?

A: There are many types of visas issued to visitors to the United States. Each visa has certain restrictions placed on it. The Office of Consular Affairs has general information about travel restrictions associated with each visa. The Immigration and Naturalization Service is the agency that enforces those restrictions. If you believe you have a situation that is not covered by the general guidelines, you should contact them for more information.

A: This is certainly a normal question to ask when you have been referred to our secondary inspection area for an intensive examination.

The Congress of the United States has given the U.S. Customs Service broad authority to conduct searches of persons and their baggage, cargo, and means of transportation entering the United States. This authority is contained in Title 19 of the United States Code, Sections 482, 1467, 1496, 1581, and 1582.

The courts have also held that this search, seizure, and arrest authority is not dependent upon either probable cause or a search warrant as is required by police officers. One reason for this broad authority is the vulnerability of our borders to the illegal entry of a vast amount of dangerous and prohibited items.

We endeavor to use this authority wisely and with respect for human dignity. It is, however, the responsibility of a trained, professional Customs officer to determine the actual parameters of an examination. The officer is not permitted to release a traveler for entry into the U.S. until he or she is satisfied that no Customs or related Federal or State laws have been violated.

PAGE CONTENTS:

• WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?
• WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO?
• THE EXAMINATION

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?

WHY DOES THE CUSTOMS SERVICE SEARCH PASSENGERS?

Customs officers must stop contraband, such as narcotics (drugs) from entering the United States. The narcotics are often found in cargo, but they are also found on passengers or in their baggage. Sometimes people swallow narcotics or insert them in their bodies to hide them.

The only way to be sure of finding narcotics that are hidden in baggage is to open the bags and examine them thoroughly. The only way to find narcotics hidden on or inside a person is to do a personal search of the person's clothing and body.

HOW DO OFFICERS DECIDE WHICH PASSENGERS TO EXAMINE?

When a Customs officer stops a passenger, it doesn't mean the person is accused of committing a crime. The examination process is a way to confirm the passenger's U.S. Customs declaration and to allow innocent passengers to continue on their way as quickly as possible. Customs officers receive regular training in methods of identifying passengers who may be smugglers. In addition, through on the job experience, Customs officers have acquired knowledge and expertise in detecting smugglers in action. Officers are often looking for narcotics when they choose passengers for examination. This may result in innocent passengers having to undergo a personal search.

DID I FIT THE PROFILE OF A SMUGGLER?

If all smugglers shared the same characteristics, it would be easy to identify them. Smugglers, however, are continually adapting their ways of bringing contraband into the U.S. Since all cases of smuggling vary, there is no "profile" of a smuggler.

The Customs Service does not tolerate discrimination. Customs officers are not permitted to use race, gender, religion, or ethnic background to select a passenger for examination.

HOW MUCH AUTHORITY DO OFFICERS HAVE TO CARRY OUT EXAMINATIONS?

Customs officers have been given special authority by federal statutes and court decisions. The United States Congress and the courts recognize the extreme importance of protecting the United States from narcotics. Officers may examine all conveyances (car, boat, airplane), all persons and their baggage, and all cargo entering the United States. They may also conduct personal searches of passengers.

WHY AREN'T ALL PASSENGERS EXAMINED?

Our aim is to make our Customs officers highly professional at finding smugglers. Although officers have the authority to examine everyone and everything entering the U.S., there are two reasons why they don't. First, most passengers entering the U.S. are law-abiding travelers. Second, Customs resources are limited. Therefore, Customs officers concentrate on finding the few passengers who are breaking the law. So, for most people entering the U.S. there is little or no examination.

WHAT CAN I DO IF I THINK THE EXAMINATION WAS NOT CONDUCTED IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER?

If you are still in our facility while you read this, ask to speak with a supervisor immediately. Customs supervisors are responsible for ensuring that officers behave in a professional manner and treat all persons with dignity.

This facility may also employ a Customs Passenger Service Representative (PSR). The PSR is a supervisor specifically assigned to handle any concerns or questions you may have. Go to the Customs office and ask if there is a PSR.

If you have left the Customs facility, we still want to hear from you. You may write directly to Customs Headquarters. We will review your comments and respond in writing in a timely manner. If you provide your daytime phone number, we will also contact you directly.

Director, Passenger Operations
U.S. Customs Service
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Room 5.4D
Washington, D.C. 20229

WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO?

Examinations help protect:

• You and your family from narcotics and dangerous drugs,
• Your job and employer from unfair foreign competition,
• Our agriculture industry from devastation by harmful insects and diseases,
• The health of you, your family, and community from contaminated foods and medicines,
• You from very serious criminal elements bent on entering this country,
• Random examinations allow us to validate compliance rates by the traveling public.

Of course, these are only a few of the many examples of what Customs accomplishes through our examination process.

THE EXAMINATION

A: Each country's laws are different. Check with the nearest consulate office for information on a particular country that you will be visiting. The airlines that fly to the country you are interested in may also be of assistance.