Planet-Love.com Searchable Archives

Tonight my brother raised a good question. What's the best dialogue to have with the customs folks, in the US and in Colombia? This being my second trip in a short period of time and this trip being a short (3-day) trip makes me nervous that I might get hassled in the US or more likely at the airport in Bogota? What do you frequent travelers tell the custom folks? Do you tell them the truth that you're looking for a bride? Do you tell them you're a tourist? - that would get hard to believe after a couple of trips. Does anyone know what the profile of a drug smuggler is and what I can do to minimize being harassed in Bogota? I plan to have the lady I'm visiting meet me at the airport (although I don't think coming into Colombia will cause any problems) and stay with me at the airport on the return flight until I go to the gate.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences?

Thanks,
Sol

H2-Oh

Well 3 out of the 4 trips that I took to Colombia I was stopped by customs(miami). -The downside of the skin I'm in; being able to pass for Colombian down there equates to being one of the "usual suspects" up here.

Trip #1 - Breezed right through, no questions, no problems. (Luck?)

Trip #2 - Profile treatment; While waiting for my luggage at the baggage claim the customs officers walks his dog over to me specifically and has his dog give my bags the once over. The officer then writes an "8" on my customs claim and circles it, then walks away. Upon reaching the gate, the officer escorts me over to the "search desk", and goes through my bags. "What was the purpose of your trip?" "Why were you there so long?" "What do you do for a living?" blah, blah, blah.

Trip #3 - Profile DELUXE; This time, no wonderdog routine at the baggage claim. Upon reaching the gate, the officer escorts me to the special "smuggler under glass" room where I had to wait for about ten minutes.(I assume that they watch you to see if you are sweating it) The gestapo, I mean the customs agent, finally takes me and my bags to the special "side table"(obscured from sight) and begins with the third degree..."Been taking a few trips to Colombia I see, what is it that you do?"

ps - It is surprising how polite they get after they've given you the "anything you want to tell me before I check your bags" routine, and then don't find JACK. - No thanks there officer McGruff, I already have several of the "why was I stopped" customs pamphlets.

Trip #4 - Basic suspicion; No dogs, no grilling, just waved over to the self service "x-ray your bags" line. One observation....only people of color(men and women alike) were in the LONG x-ray line. Any white guy that was smuggling that day was home free. -ALL the white gentlemen, who by chance were returning from the I Love Latins Barranquilla tour, breezed right through.

I have never had any problems with the customs in Colombia. As a matter of fact, they always say "welcome home" to me in Barranquilla(even on my very first trip).

I would say...don't sweat it. Tell them that you are going to meet ladies, they have heard it more than a few times already...they know the deal. If you aren't smuggling anything you don't have to worry about it....and if they get TOO "gung ho"....after they've found nothing, calmly take their name and badge number....they start their sentences off with "sir" after that. ;)  ...Keep your eye on your goal, and don't sweat the rest.

just .02

Tai

I was actually expecting to get stopped and questioned on the fourth trip.

I can't prove it, but I believe that customs "flagged" my passport in their system(2nd trip) after the officer put the "8" on my customs form. -After searching my bags, one of the officers took my passport and made a "notation in the system". I would be willing to bet that was the reason that I got the "Profile Deluxe" treatment on my 3rd trip.

If I had gotten stopped and questioned on the fourth trip, it would have confirmed it in my mind....however, I had to renew my passport BEFORE my fourth trip. So, with a new passport and number I couldn't validate my theory.

With the new passport, I was given the "basic suspicion" treatment and sent through the x-ray line.

Get this....after the "Profile Deluxe", the officer gave me this BS about how he himself had been stopped 5 times when he was in the "service". His encounters amounted to being stopped 5 times over the course of 25 plus years, which just provided validation to my suspicions.

Now...if not for profiling...based on customs claimed "random search" BS...what are the odds that with hundreds of thousands of people passing through each year, the SAME individual will get selected twice in the SAME YEAR(calendar) and 3 TIMES within 12 MONTHS? -I'm not a statistician, but I'm not stupid either. Knowuttamean?

Tai

ps - As obvious as it's becoming...it's only a matter of time.

Pete

As the others have said, it is unlikely you will have any trouble at all.  Always be friendly with a smile and very patient if needed. Look relaxed and even a little tired (more than likely you will be anyway!!) You will not be asked anything when entering Cali, but while returning to the USA, your travel destintation could likely raise the attention of the US customs. If they ask, I tell them I have a girlfriend down there. You don't need to volunteer anything else.  The US officals will check your passport before you exit the plane and enter the US. They may even have a dog sniff you. Once again look cool and calm.  

When arriving in Cali, they may ask to check your bags for contents. Be completely cooperative. If they ask you any questions in Spanish, pretend you don't speak a word, even if you speak good Spanish. They will get frustrated quickly, and let you pass. This works everywhere in Latin America.

Don't bring anything back from Colombia, unless you know exactly what it is and where it came from. Do only carry on, don't check any bags.

Have a prearranged taxi or van at the airport.

have a nice trip,
mike

You are a tourist.  Colombia has low priced jewelry which I might shop for but I don't mention this either.

If you have a fiancee, wait until she tries to get into the US.  Every US citizen is treated like he / she has diplomatic immunity but our customs agents and every Colombian is treated like a drug smuggler.  If the customs agents in Colombia ever decide to treat US citizens as badly as we treat Colombian citizens, our trips will be a lot less pleasant.

Jim

Later,
Mike

Well what's a devil to do!!  Lie, no NOT a smart move as the hour delay meant that they already new the answer.  So I told them the truth but acted as naive as possible inorder to avoid any complications. (-:   In the end I had to wait around at customs another half hour, the last official to talk to me said something like, "you're the guy with the cigars right, just get out of here".  I couldn't believe it.    

Well I missed my connection and had to hang around the airport another four hours but my buddy back in California was as happy as could be.

I do not know if it is the same in Sante Fe de Bogotá now, but that was by far the toughest airport to fly out of compared to Cali or Caracas.  This was a few years back, but we went through at least 3 full searches of all possessions and body pat downs.  They might have been on high alert for some reason.

I always tell anyone who asks that I am/was visiting my girlfriend and I have not had any problems yet.

If I wasn't clear, they let me keep my four boxes of Cuban's .... I may have a career as a courier!!  Just joking....

HD