how much wine can we take?
Apr 3rd, 2007 | 03:05 AM
#21
Joined: Jan 2003
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as posted by Cicerone:
<b>If you are NOT staying in San Francisco but are only changing planes to go on the Canada, then you won’t go through Customs (or Immigration) and don’t have to worry about the wine.</b>
That's incorrect. US requies all travelers even the ones that only transit through, to go through US immigration and customs.
<i>Travelers arriving in the U.S. in transit to a foreign location are required to clear customs and immigration and they are subject to U.S. regulations and laws.</l>
http://tinyurl.com/2lvwq4</i>
<b>If you are NOT staying in San Francisco but are only changing planes to go on the Canada, then you won’t go through Customs (or Immigration) and don’t have to worry about the wine.</b>
That's incorrect. US requies all travelers even the ones that only transit through, to go through US immigration and customs.
<i>Travelers arriving in the U.S. in transit to a foreign location are required to clear customs and immigration and they are subject to U.S. regulations and laws.</l>
http://tinyurl.com/2lvwq4</i>
Apr 3rd, 2007 | 04:23 AM
#25
Joined: Feb 2003
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Ahh, but AAAFrequentflyer, you left out the MOST imporant part of that information in the url:
"travelers in transit are not subject to duty on their personal goods and other items in their possession."
Therefore, if the OP is only in transit in the US, the wine is NOT subject to duty. I don't know if a visa would be required to transit; very curious situation to me, as I have never transited in the US. And also given what a pain in the butt it is to get a visa for the US these days....
"travelers in transit are not subject to duty on their personal goods and other items in their possession."
Therefore, if the OP is only in transit in the US, the wine is NOT subject to duty. I don't know if a visa would be required to transit; very curious situation to me, as I have never transited in the US. And also given what a pain in the butt it is to get a visa for the US these days....
Apr 3rd, 2007 | 05:20 AM
#27
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If a visa is required for citizens of your country, then yes, you will need a visa for transit. After all, you are officially entering the country for few hours.
I was not disputing the customs duty issue, I was just correcting your one statement about not having to go through immigration and customs for transit passengers.
Unfortunately they do.
Fortunately this really does not apply to most Europeans as most are visa exempt.
It works pretty much the same way everywhere with one big exception. In Europe, if the US originating passenger is connecting, let's say in Paris, to fly to Barcelona, s/he has to go through immigration at the first point of entry (Paris) but customs is done at the final destination (Barcelona). US does both before allowing you to fly to a different foreign destination, where once again you will have to go through the same procedure. So there is a difference, but if you don't require a visa then it's easier for US citizens to transit then for foreigners to transit through US.
For anybody that needs a visa, the process is different anyways although I will admit that it's usually a great deal easier to be granted a visa to a European country by citizens that need it, then it is to US.
That said, I would like to find out how easy/hard it is to get a visa to Europe for citizens of many African countries?
I was not disputing the customs duty issue, I was just correcting your one statement about not having to go through immigration and customs for transit passengers.
Unfortunately they do.
Fortunately this really does not apply to most Europeans as most are visa exempt.
It works pretty much the same way everywhere with one big exception. In Europe, if the US originating passenger is connecting, let's say in Paris, to fly to Barcelona, s/he has to go through immigration at the first point of entry (Paris) but customs is done at the final destination (Barcelona). US does both before allowing you to fly to a different foreign destination, where once again you will have to go through the same procedure. So there is a difference, but if you don't require a visa then it's easier for US citizens to transit then for foreigners to transit through US.
For anybody that needs a visa, the process is different anyways although I will admit that it's usually a great deal easier to be granted a visa to a European country by citizens that need it, then it is to US.
That said, I would like to find out how easy/hard it is to get a visa to Europe for citizens of many African countries?
Apr 3rd, 2007 | 05:36 AM
#28
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When I transit through India on my way to Dubai, I do NOT need to have a visa for India, even though I am in the country for a few hours. When I transit through Beijing on my way to Seoul, I do NOT need a PRC visa. I am talking about international transits, not a US or EU transit. That is the difference. Paris to Barcelona is within the EU (and two Schengen countries); they have agreed that they will share immigration, 5 years ago you would not have gone through immigration in Paris on a transit to Barcelona. You would simply have changed planes (but not been allowed out of the transit area). When you transit in Frankfurt for a flight to the US, you don't go through German immigration (but you aren't allowed out of the transit area). That is what confuses me about the US, when someone flies from Australia to San Fran, and changes airplanes in San Francisco to connect to a flight to Canada, do they really need a US visa to do this.
Apr 3rd, 2007 | 05:49 AM
#29
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As you said it yourself. You are technically NOT entering those countries in your examples. You are in sterile area only.
In US they decided that you will have to enter the country, even for transit, so if you do need a visa to begin with, then yes you do need a visa for transit. There is no sterile areas in US airports, although I see one at the new MIA terminal after they completed the rebuilding of the terminal, so maybe it's in the future works.
Many US based airlines complained to the government that they are loosing much business, because as you said, for many citizens of the world a visa is required to enter US and if a passenger has a choice to fly through MIA to get to Buenos Aires then they will pick an airline that connects somewhere else just to avoid the visa problem.
In US they decided that you will have to enter the country, even for transit, so if you do need a visa to begin with, then yes you do need a visa for transit. There is no sterile areas in US airports, although I see one at the new MIA terminal after they completed the rebuilding of the terminal, so maybe it's in the future works.
Many US based airlines complained to the government that they are loosing much business, because as you said, for many citizens of the world a visa is required to enter US and if a passenger has a choice to fly through MIA to get to Buenos Aires then they will pick an airline that connects somewhere else just to avoid the visa problem.
