Traveling and US Customs

[ray.fallen]

*"Most commercially made ham gear looks like some kind of cell phone and is
usually passed in the USA.  I have found great variance in inspection by
airport; generally tighter in small airports.  I always carry my license
and a business card attached to the radio.  Going into Canada you want to
bring along your invoice to prove it was purchased in the US to get thru
customs on return.  You need a passport to travel to Canada these days."*
Sorry Ed...your advice when traveling internationally misses the mark a bit.

Just remember folks...when you are traveling inside the USA, you probably
won't run into any problems.  I have to question how much my K3 looks like
a cell phone...but I digress.  Ed's right...it's probably not a bad idea to
have your license with you.

Ed's advice on going into Canada and returning through US Customs is a
little shaky.  As a US Customs Agent in Bermuda told me, "anybody with a
scanner and a color printer can dummy up an invoice."  To extend that
thinking, and remember you are dealing with Homeland Security, your license
means that you have a license...period.

It means absolutely nothing to the Customs Agent regarding what you are
bringing into the US.

Officially, your papers, as they say, are not in order.

If you are planning on taking your gear out of the good ol' US of A (even
to Canada)...the only way to guarantee that you'll clear US Customs with no
problems, is by showing the agent a Department of Homeland Security CPB
Form 4457 aka Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken
Abroad.  This form is available the the web...you can Google it.

You complete the form describing the articles you're taking overseas
including serial numbers...then you have to go to a Customs Office to have
the items inspected.  I live near Youngstown, Ohio...the nearest Customs
Office was at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Pain in the ass?  Certainly!  But remember, US Customs has the right to
impound anything they deem as questionable...it's up to YOU to prove it's
not.


*73, Ray-ND8L, occasionally ND8L/VP9*
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[ab2tc]

Hi,

Bringing a few pieces of ham gear to Canada by car and bringing it back has never been a problem for me and I would never dream of getting the forms alluded to. We have done numerous trips into Ontario from New York and never encountered any problem. U.S. customs agent do not care much about personal belongings. What they do care about is people, drugs, vegetables and meats. The sign at the border says to declare all items *obtained* in Canada, not items returned to the U.S. Sometimes they will inspect the interior of the car and they never lift an eyebrow at the sight of radio equipment. Now, given, we cross at the Thousand Islands bridge which is a very easygoing border crossing on both sides and they know us from multiple crossings (they surely keep records). Your mileage may vary.

AB2TC - Knut

Ray Fallen wrote

<snip>

If you are planning on taking your gear out of the good ol' US of A (even
to Canada)...the only way to guarantee that you'll clear US Customs with no
problems, is by showing the agent a Department of Homeland Security CPB
Form 4457 aka Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken
Abroad.  This form is available the the web...you can Google it.

You complete the form describing the articles you're taking overseas
including serial numbers...then you have to go to a Customs Office to have
the items inspected.  I live near Youngstown, Ohio...the nearest Customs
Office was at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Pain in the ass?  Certainly!  But remember, US Customs has the right to
impound anything they deem as questionable...it's up to YOU to prove it's
not.


*73, Ray-ND8L, occasionally ND8L/VP9*

<snip again>