Customs Officials

[Sol]

Hi,

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]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001

Just tell them the truth. They don't care if you want to find a bride. I've been to Colombia 18 time in the last 17 months and I don't get hassled. Just let the dogs sniff you and walk away. Stay calm and relaxed and you'll have no problems.

H2-Oh

[Tai]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001

Sol,

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

[Keith Smith]

... in response to Re: Dialogue?...with Customs?, posted by Tai on Jul 17, 2001

Tai, I want to discuss my incident with U.S. Customs (in Miami) with you. My e-mail is VCultist@aol.com.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Dialogue?...with Customs?, posted by Tai on Jul 17, 2001

Tai, I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like they've really run you through the mill. I don't know what you can do but it sounds like your experiences merit a formal complaint. I know another guy of color who has had similar experiences.

[Tai]

... in response to Re: Re: Dialogue?...with Customs?, posted by Cali vet on Jul 17, 2001

Hey Cali-Vet,

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.

[DallasTexas]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001

I have been to Cali 3 times in the last month and never been asked a question coming or going. Does that mean I look innocent?

[Jeff S]

... in response to Re: Customs Officials, posted by DallasTexas on Jul 17, 2001

No - just lilly white. LOL. All kidding aside, I've traveled all over the world and never had a problem with customs anywhere. On the other hand, a report came out in the LA Times a couple weeks ago that over 17,000 arriving passengers coming through LAX last year were strip searched and made to take "strong laxatives" and no contraband of any kind was found. That would sure ruin your day.
-- Jeff S.

[Pete E]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001

When you enter Colombia they give you this paper to fill out about anything you are bringing in.If you declare anything you get a side trip through a customs station where they decide how much duty they should charge you,so I have always been told to declare nothing.When we went back last christmas my wife took a lot of gifts and I was a little nervious about it.We declared nothing.They did send us through an X-ray machine,they you head towards the stations where they look in your bags.If you just walk out there and look like where do I go next they will wave you over.My advice,hire one of the guys with a cart to haul your luggage.He will just wisk you around them.Any hesitation here increases your chance of them searching your bags.Of course they are looking at you doing their own form of profiling.
Has anybody ever had a hassle for not declaring items?
Us customs is more consistant.They will usually look in your bags but may wave you by if they like your looks.If you have alot of stamps in your passport I would be more specific than "visiting friends".I would tell them exactly why you have been going.

Pete

[denvermike]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001

Hi Sol,

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

[pack]

... in response to Re: Customs Officials, posted by denvermike on Jul 17, 2001

i do the same thing , anytime i have been asked questions in cali i just shruge my shoulders and say "mi espanol is poco. once i even got out my electronis translator and started fooling with it...he rolled his eyes and waved me on. got stopped once in miami and bags searched and asked me a few questions but was sent on my way after about 5 or 6 minutes.

[Richard Smith]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001


Your making it more complicated then it is.  At Cali they never asked.  But, I was actually stopped by an undercover agent at the Miami Airport.  I just told him that I went to a marriage agency and he accepted my explanation.  At Cali, an acquaintance I met at one of the agencies who was latino was rounded up with some Colombians and taken to the prison 45 minutes from Cali to have his stomach X-rayed.

[JimSimon]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001

I am always friendly to the customs people.  In Colombia I talk to them in Spanish.  They basically have a very boring job to do.  Being friendly would not help me if I were smuggling drugs.  

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

[JunFan68]

... in response to Re: Customs Officials, posted by JimSimon on Jul 17, 2001

Hey Jim,
Could you give us some of the examples of the Colombianas being hazed by US Customs?

Later,
Mike

[cjweir]

... in response to Customs Officials, posted by Sol on Jul 17, 2001

unless you got something illegal, the truth always works! i have been threw customs over 100 times, occassionally i might have brought extra liquor or cigars not cuban ;-). the best way to approach them, is with eye contact, and ask him "how is it going". if you have something, you shouldn't it is hard to look him in the eye, and they know it, they are trained to look for it