USA entry requirements

I am putting together my first trip to the USA from the UK.

 

One of the guide books I have suggests that I need to list equipment

being brought into the country. I can see this is good practice to

prevent problems on exit/re-entry into the UK for import tax

purposes, but is this a legal requirement to have a detailed list of

equipment being brought into USA for vacation purposes

I have never done so and take in the volume of equipment that an amateur on vacation might reasonably expect to take (SLR, 3 lenses, tripod, compact camera, misc. bits and pieces). If you are taking vastly more stuff it could become important, but I don't personally know of anyone who has been asked to provide such a list or evidence of prior ownership.

No. A detailed list is more for your protection. If the airlines manage to 'misplace' your luggage, you will want to list your contents for a claim. Plus the new security levels may inquire what you are bringing in although you will probably get everything x-rayed by Customs. Super large amounts of 'cash' are suspect, too.

 

 

The U.S. government probably has a web site for incoming visitors, you may want to search for it on the Web.

If the rule exists I've never heard of it being enforced.

 

If it does exist I suspect it may be intended to prevent the illegal importation of goods without paying tarrifs. If they know what you brought in, they can check you're taking it all out again. However I've never heard of that happening either!

 

You can have a list of items you take OUT of the US validated by customs to prevent any problems bringing it back IN without being charged import duty. I've actually done that, though again, I doubt it's really necessary. Nobody has ever checked when I came back in.

I just came back to the US from Japan and had the pleasure of being randomly selected to have my bags microsearched by US Customs in Detroit (I'm a US citizen, though that doesn't matter in this case). I was carrying a lot of gear: MF body with five lenses, 35mm SLR body with two lenses, and a 35mm RF with two lenses, as well as a concomitant amount of film and such. While I had to empty my pack so they could search it, there was no question of whether the equipment was being brought in new or not. As it was, I had a list of the equipment with serial numbers that I brought for my own protection that I was ready to hand over, but customs seemed much more interested in contraband that might be hidden somewhere in my luggage/gear bag than the equipment itself.

 

The upshot of that little story is that you should probably bring a list of gear for your own protection, as others have suggested, but there is no legal requirement that you do this.

About five years ago when I returned from Japan, I was stopped on re-rentry at O'Hare Airport here in Chicago. I spent about thirty minutes with an inspector convincing him that my 80 - 200 AFD was bought at B&H much prior to my leaving the country with it. He entered a computer data base, which I couldn't see and finally let me go with the warning to take all my equipment down to Customes to have it listed so I could take it out of the country and bring it back in safely. Otherwise, they charge you with being over on the allowed import for each traveler.

 

I haven't done the documentation because it is very inconvenient to do so as well as cumbersome.

 

Conni

I've traveled in and out of the US regularly for the last twelve years, usually with a lot of photo gear.

 

First of all, I've never had anyone question the photo gear, even though I carry a fair amount and ask for hand check on the film.

 

Secondly, the only times I've been searched are a) when I took a non-scheduled flight into an airport primarily used by drug traffickers, b) when I entered Bermuda, and c) when I had an umbrella that looked like a gun at Heathrow. I have no idea about b), but the others were obvious.

 

I think it has a lot to do with how you look and act at Customs. I always try to shave before the flight and wear decent clothes. I try to keep the bags clean. And I'm always incredibly polite to anyone at Customs. Seems to work.

Jeff:

 

I have always practiced the tips you menntion and still do. And they always worked for me -- until they didn't. This has never happened again and I did not behave nor look any different than I di on any of the many other airline flights I have taken.

 

Conni

I did take my stuff once to customs at O'Hare. What a hassle! Never again! Afterwards, if I am concerned about it, I bring copies of the purchase invoice which has serial numbers and date purchased. Only if the equipment looks pristine do customs seem to be interested. (My stuff never looks pristine.) It is usually foreign customs that want to make sure that I am bringing all my stuff out and have not sold any.

Just too add to the chorus, I've flown between the US and UK carrying plenty of gear many times and never even thought about this... nor has anyone ever questioned me about it in either country.

Everything should be fine unless John Ashcroft is working US Customs that day.

I carry my original receipts. I have never had to use them but I still bring them all on every trip.