Timeline for Why do some countries require everyone entering to see a customs officer, and some don't?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
23 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Sep 2, 2019 at 14:08 | comment | added | Volker Siegel | @CJDennis I think it is more about invasive species that they want to keep out. That makes a lot of sense, because Australia was isolated in terms of evolution for a very long time, and there are lots of animals and insects that would love to eat native species. Bringing a small insect in can be totally invisible, like in pores of a piece of wood. Read about what small wasp species can do if you like real life horror. | |
| Sep 24, 2015 at 16:40 | comment | added | Relaxed | @MSalters It's not really Schengen, it's just British insularity. You have trains leaving for Russia through Belarus on regular platforms in France. And before Thalys or Schengen, trains to Belgium, Switzerland, etc. were cleared while crossing the border or at the destination. Only the UK has the luxury to rely on advance border controls and a full airport-like check-in procedure almost everywhere (including ferry crossings now). | |
| Jul 13, 2015 at 1:40 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackTravel/status/620407298398269440 | ||
| Jul 6, 2015 at 11:33 | comment | added | O. R. Mapper | @MSalters: That's true concerning train stations. However, I have regularly seen customs officers be around at the exit of the baggage claim on German airports when arriving back from within the Schengen zone, and once, baggage claim was even seriously delayed (> 40min) because our intra-Schengen flight had been randomly chosen for a thorough customs check (presumeably, all suitcases were scanned before being handed out). | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 11:30 | comment | added | MSalters | @O.R.Mapper: I was actually thinking of trains, having just travelled to Gare du Nord where the French have to differentiate between Eurostar (to London, outside Schengen) and Thalys (inside Schengen). There are no more checks to board Thalys than there are on domestic trains. I think the customs check on some airports is mostly because those airports get their pax flows mixed up, on small airports with only Schengen flights I think they don't bother you with customs. | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 11:22 | comment | added | O. R. Mapper | @MSalters: This question is not about border controls (passport, visa, ...), but about customs. While within Schengen countries, airports usually do not guide you through any passport control booths, they still very much do guide you through the customs gates (nothing to declare/goods to declare) as described in the question. | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 8:55 | comment | added | MSalters | It might be useful to mention the Schengen area; within that area border controls are much reduced. So it's not just arriving in France, but also the country you left which explains the lack of border controls. | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 7:59 | comment | added | Gagravarr | @Prateek I've only ever entered India through Bangalore, but there I've been required to queue up and hand my form to a customs officer ever time, there was no green channel option available. Maybe it varies by airport? | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 7:12 | comment | added | reirab | For what it's worth, I actually don't remember talking to a customs agent when I entered the U.S. at Detroit last month. At LAX 2 years ago and SFO one year, ago, though, I did have to wait in a long line just to hand a guy a form, as described in the question. It's also possible that I just entirely forgot about having spoken to a customs agent at DTW after 24+ hours of flying, though. | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 6:57 | comment | added | Prateek | India falls in the first category, not second. You can walk out of the baggage area from the green channel. | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 6:55 | comment | added | CJ Dennis | Australia takes a tough stance on foreign diseases which can be brought into the country in wooden items, food stuffs, etc. As Australia has no land borders with any other country it is relatively easy to screen everyone who arrives from overseas and almost guarantee that new diseases (with the exception of most human diseases) don't take hold. This is why Australia still doesn't have rabies. My parents usually put something small and "safe" (e.g. unopened, commercially bought, packaged food) in their luggage and then declare it to skip the "nothing to declare" line which is always longer. | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 5:44 | comment | added | O. R. Mapper | @Gagravarr: Even though not suitably licensed, you can at least link to a page that officially and legally depicts the customs channels. | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 2:42 | answer | added | hildred | timeline score: 4 | |
| Jul 6, 2015 at 2:29 | history | edited | hippietrail |
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| Jul 6, 2015 at 0:29 | comment | added | Mark Henderson | For what it's worth, Australia does have a "nothing to declare" line at Sydney airport now. You just fill in your form and follow the line, and hand your form to the guy at the door. Not sure who is permitted to use it though. | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 22:51 | comment | added | Gayot Fow | @Gagravarr, the HMRC site says to get useful images from Flickr and attribute them. The only image HMRC carries is their logo. See gov.uk/guidance/content-design/… | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 22:32 | comment | added | Gagravarr | @Calchas Pretty sure it isn't customs people looking under the lorries in Dover, but immigration! In Dover, the customs officers are the ones looking at the heavily-loaded rented transit vans... | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 22:29 | answer | added | Relaxed | timeline score: 10 | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 22:28 | comment | added | Calchas | If you know why, perhaps you can provide an answer? But really isn't this a political question rather than a travel question? It's a bit like asking "why does the UK send all its customs officers to look under lorries at Dover?" | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 22:15 | comment | added | Gagravarr | @Calchas Ideally something that goes beyond the 2 paragraphs wikipedia has on the topic and explains a bit more as to why. I largely know why, but based on discussions offline this week I've discovered quite a few travellers don't and are confused by it! | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 22:05 | comment | added | Calchas | What kind of answer are you expecting? Surely it is a matter of politics and money. Some countries believe the deterrent or theatrical effect of an officer interviewing every entrant is a useful expense. Other countries do not have the resources or the inclination to do this. | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 21:53 | comment | added | Gagravarr | I couldn't find any suitably licensed photos of European-style Green and Red customs channels, but if someone does have one, please edit my question to add a photo in! | |
| Jul 5, 2015 at 21:52 | history | asked | Gagravarr | CC BY-SA 3.0 |