I thought that since the spring and summer travel season is upon us that I would put out a few pointers for those filling out customs forms for their international travels.These are just a few of the problems my fellow flight attendants and I run into everyweek traveling to and from overseas:

Always have your own pen to fill out the form-don't expect everyone else to give you a pen.

If you are asked your nationality-put the COUNTRY down.Florida or California are NOT a country.

If I ask you if you have a VISA while passing out the customs forms-PLEASE don't tell me that you have a MASTERCARD or DISCOVER instead !

Know what your SURNAME is!

Know the address of the hotel,cruise ship or friend's apartment that you are staying in so you won't have to wait in the line searching your bag.

Don't ask me to hang your jacket or stow your purse without getting your glasses and passport out before giving it to me-seriously saves alot of time for both of us.

Please read the customs form carefully so I don't have to get 4 or 5 more to you during the flight because you made a mistake.Also please don't ask for a customs form as you are leaving the plane as our forms are all in the DOC kit which is handed to an agent upon arrival for customs procedures.
Good tip for filling out the form-It is almost easier on the US customs form to start from the bottom of the page as the boxes and answers will match correctly.

Customs people do not want you listing everything you bought if it is under the $800 limit.Remember that salamis from Italy;ham from Spain,veggies from France,etc. CANNOT come in. The agriculture beagle and the rest of the agriculture team will be sure to get you at baggage claim so don't buy them no matter what the shops and dutyfree shop tell you overseas.

Thanks for reading.Happy travels!

good post.

What a great post - it gave me my afternoon laugh!

Haven't filled one out in a long time [will be doind so next month].

"Port of embarkation" [POE]is where you <i>started</i> your trip/got on plane. I am guessing this is still asked for on the form. Always seemed like a stumper for some folks.

How many people on the plane don't know what their NAME is?

(I admit there may be a few based on some of the things I have seen passengers do. On my lst trip the dodo next to me put HIS briefcase under the seat in front of ME because he "has long legs". And thought I was joking when I told him to move it.)

nytraveler, I always have trouble remembering the difference between Surname and Prename. Wish they would just put first name and last name...but they don't.

One other hint: if you have food items, prepare a list in advance to give the agricultural inspector. That can save you a lot of time, and a detailed list lets the agent quickly decide whether your suitcases need to go through the big inspection machine.

On our last trip, having the list handy let us go right through the agricultural inspection; the agent could easily see that we didn't have any prohibited items.

The problem with asking for first and last name is that for some people the "last" name is not actually their surname, but rather their mother's family name. Sophia Hernandez Rodriguez's surname is actually Hernandez, but the last name is Rodriguez. And in other cultures, the surname is listed before the given name.

Embarkation always screws me up too.

november moon, I do know that. My husband is Korean. But I still mix them up!
I always have to check on my passport. But since they always ask for the passport #, I have it out anyway.

As a rule, I usually have anywhere from 12 to 30 who ask the questions about "their country" or "their surname" on my flights everyweek.

Last week while passing out newspapers in business class, I offered a woman a USA TODAY newspaper. She wanted to know if it was in English?

And you wonder why I drink.....

At least you know who pays for your drinks LOL

<Know the address of the hotel,cruise ship or friend's apartment that you are staying in so you won't have to wait in the line searching your bag.>

Question: I know the address of my Hotel in Bath that we will be traveling to, will I have to list all the Hotels we plan on visiting?

Most of the customs personnel in Europe and elsewhere just want a town and address of your first stay. I may be wrong but I have never put down all of the hotels that we have stayed at when we are on vacation in a country.

And always be truthful about any food/plant items you are bringing back into the US if asked when leaving the baggage claim area. if she had anything

A woman shared with me recently that she was asked when handing her form over, she denied having anything and then they x-rayed her bags and found her chestnuts...incurring a very large fine. They told her that if she had "fessed up" when asked the fine would have been waived.

So if in doubt that what you are carrying is allowed, write it down or at least do not deny having food items if you get asked on departure from baggage carousel area.

dutyfree,
Precious. Best Fodor's post in ages. Of course, judging by your profile you have an advantage on us. Thanks for sharing.

Isn;t "pre" a clue that it's the first name? And wouldn;t the other choice be family name (surname)?

As for where you are going to stay - they just want the name of the first place - to know that you won't be a charge on society.

Thanks Spaarne for the compliment!

Thanks for sharing.

I am a fairly frequent traveler so am a bit embarrassed to ask this, but can you clarify that if I have less than $800 in purchases, I DO NOT have to list them on the back? Just sign the form and state the amount of the purchases?

(Last week my form read something like: 3 pimenton tins @ $1.50 each; 4 saffron @ $5 each; espadrilles ($25); bag of Bomba rice @$5. etc etc. )

I'm always under $800 - under $100 usually - and I don't remember bothering to list items. I worry that the officials will be suspicious because I'm returning to the US and I'm not a shopper, lol!

Good post, dutyfree. In economy I always put my carry-on under the seat in front of me, but I can't do that in biz anymore, and find I have to dig out a pen for the forms - I know the passport number by heart.