Customs and Animal Contact
 

We will be visiting several wildlife/nature parks/zoos on our 2 week trip in October to Australia.<BR><BR>My fiance is currently in Germany and was reading his customs information he got on his flight last week.<BR><BR>ALSO how strict are they on bringing alcohol back? It says 1 bottle per person. I was planning to bring back several bottles of Aussie Wine (my favorite!).<BR><BR>OR is it affordable to SHIP it home? We will be going thru customs in LAX. <BR><BR>APPARENTLY if you have been around any animals they can strip search you and check you for FOOT and MOUTH disease.<BR><BR>SO has anyone gone thru customs in the US lately? Had to answer questions regarding animals from another country? Were you searched for signs of disease??<BR><BR>According to the documentation no country is exempt (I thought it was just Britain).

APPARENTLY if you have been around any animals they can strip search you and check you for FOOT and MOUTH disease.<BR><BR><BR>someone has been telling porkies!<BR><BR>Then again, nothing the immigration people in the USA do would surprise me anymore.

Shannon- I thought the liquor restriction was by the total amount (not number of bottles)but I may be wrong. <BR>We've come through customs on 2 foreign trips this year-from Japan,and from Mexico- as well as having exchange students come in from India and Japan. None of us were strip searched or even patted down. (drat! At my age that might be fun...) <BR>

Hi, Shannon!<BR>First, to Lcuy: next time you are coming back through Australian customs, give me a call first, and I will trot out to the airport and make sure you're not disappointed.<BR>Shannon: the wildlife parks and zoos in Australia do not constitute a risk of foot-and-mouth. Australia is free of many of the diseases that afflict Europe and the States, thanks to our location and the strict rules on bringing things in. I can't imagine you'd have the least bit of trouble here.<BR>Can't help you with the wine problem, except to say that Australian postage rates are pretty high, and about to get worse (I hear) on September 1, so you may not feel that the postage idea is economical. Sea mail is now a thing of the past, I hear. My own experience of LAX was that the customs officers were pretty rude and made you very conscious that they had the power and you didn't.

Shannon - We just came through Customs & Immigration at LAX last weekend. It took longer to get our baggage than it did to clear Customs. After going through Immigration, you'll get your bags then go a line where the Customs officer will ask you what you have to declare. Based on your answer, you'll either be directed to a line for further questioning and/or inspection or you can just leave. <BR><BR>We visited many zoos & wildlife parks during our trip to Oz. Nobody at LAX ever asked us if we had ever been around any animals. <BR><BR>As for strip searching - I think someone is messing with you. <BR><BR>John in Miami<BR><BR>

Shannon...Australian wine is VERY reasonably priced in the U.S. Why go through the bother of hauling it back here. Enjoy Australia, it's a wonderful place.