Do they no longer make you fill out the paper arrival cards to hand to the customs officer? On my flight in April from Munich to Chicago they did and it asks on this card if you have exceeded your limit and how much you spent. I declared on my card on arrival and I was over and told that I may get a request in the mail for payment.... never got one but I did declare.
US Customs discussion - airports, importing
- Thread starter esyee
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They got rid of the paper declaration forms a while back in NYC JFK airport.
On my last trip I went to Global Entry like I always do. There was a kiosk with an agent and she said take your photo. So I did and expected the usual checklist on the kiosk where I would report that I had to declare. But after the photo was accepted the agent sent me to another desk and that agent asked me my name and said good to go. Then I never saw another person. So while I was willing to declare, I never had the opportunity. Now I did not spend much - since there was nothing to buy at H and I did not get an appointment haha - so I was barely over the limit anyway. But I was still going to declare.
But they probably replaced them with the kiosks where you still have to declare your spending. Chicago only had kiosks for global entry everyone else had to go to the custom officer which is why there were paper forms. It is my understanding that you have to declare on the paper form or at the kiosk if you exceeded your exemption.
They probably knew that you just over and so waived you through. May have been a different story if you got a quota bag.
Global Entry has started to shift (I believe it started at JFK or Newark) to a facial recognition system where you do not even need your passport nor to fill out anything. So, depending where you enter the US and whether you have GE, you may or may not have a) an entry card b) a questionnaire in the kiosk. I mainly enter the US in NYC and haven't used my passport nor had a questionnaire in a couple years (I am a US citizen even though I reside in the EU).
All that aside...
You are still required to declare purchases over the exemption whether asked or not.
CBP does receive notice of detaxe filings.
If you don't declare (whether asked to or not) you may receive a bill or a summons from CBP as noted many times earlier in this thread. No idea if "no one asked me" would fly or not !
The facial recognition is not just for global entry- I have a home and permanent residence in Canada (US citizen) and it is facial recognition going into the US from Vancouver for everyone not just global entry. It is great and makes the lines so much shorter. Sounds like this may implemented everywhere soon.
As you pointed out CBP gets electronic notice of VAT filings- so there is an electronic link/trail to all your purchases. CBP knows if you owe, so as noted throughout the thread declare. Not declaring could result in costly fines and/or revocation of global entry.
At GE I had facial recognition at the kiosk, no questionnaire / form. Had to locate an officer prior to exiting the airport.... wait... declare... then wait again for another officer to process the payment. It seems i was the only one one from two internatuonal flights declaring, but can't know for sure.
The last time I declared coming from Paris, there were only two of us declaring. It took over an HOUR. The CBP officer was laughing about all the people they had to track down and bill later from the filings they get from France.
ETA: While obviously I don't support breaking laws and I have always declared my purchases, if they want more people to declare, they should make it easier. For business travelers or people with connections, an hour delay is a deal-breaker.
Now that I live here, I don't bother to do detaxe anymore and so don't take new items to the US. For something really huge I might do it, but it's generally not worth the time.
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Hi. Same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. They said I’ll receive the bill in the mail but have not received anything and it’s been over a week. Did you ever get a bill and how long did it take.
As of today I have yet to get the bill- but I am looking out for it as I have been told it often is delayed by 4-6 months so it will likely arrive in the next couple of months.
Re all of the above about GE - at a number of point of entry airports, GE kiosks are now photo snapping only for facial recognition. You still get into a dedicated line to go to booth with officer and by the time it’s your turn, they already have your ID and info onscreen. My experience (mainly CA airports and a couple of times through Newark & JFK) they already see where you have arrived from, they ask whether you have food items or whether you did any shopping or bought anything like nice designer bags lol. My standard reply is yes we bought [such and such] and total is roughly $x and exceeded the 800/1600 limit. I have been waived/waved through more than I have had to go see another agent to calculate the duty. I never received a subsequent bill in the mail and most of my purchases were automatic PABLO scanned and accepted.
PS the regular lines at these airports are also facial recognition now but I’m not sure how they work.
PS the regular lines at these airports are also facial recognition now but I’m not sure how they work.
I guess it depends on the officer. I was flying from Paris to JFK a week ago. We spent around $19k at Hermes ($10k for Birkin, and rest clothes, shoes and mini Evelyne). All purchases were in our carry on because I wouldn’t dare to risk anything be stolen from checked baggage. At CDG airport I scanned all tax refunds and all were green except the Birkin. I went to officer and she asked to show the bag. I opened my suitcase and took off the bag from the box. After she saw it she just clicked something on her computer and said we are good to go. I asked if I need to stamp the form and put it in mail box. She said no, everything is good. I kept all receipts, since she said it’s all went through. Before the trip I did some research on if I have to declare Birkin and decided it’s safer to declare than risk it to be forfeited. When we arrived at JFK, officer who checked passports asked if we have anything to declare. My husband tried to play fool and said “we did some shopping, but we don’t know what have to be declared.” She asked what we bought, and I answered “a bag”. She asked the price, and I honestly said €9800. She said “you have to declare it, I’m going to take you passports to custom officer, after you pick up your checked baggage, you go to him and declare your purchases”. We picked up the baggage, and went to custom. Another officer was holding our passports and asked what we bought. We said an Hermes bag and some other stuff. He asked to see it and asked what else we bought. I opened a box and handed receipts to him, there was receipts for shoes, Evelin with zig zag shoulder strap, and Birkin. Receipts for clothes was at other bag. He calculated €13700, converted to dollars, subtracted $3600 non taxable for 2 people, and said he gave 4% rate. So we paid $450 duty. He didn’t go through all the baggage. Although he saw me holding LV and Fendi bags that I bought at CDG duty free airport (but those were twillies only) he didn’t ask what were inside or include them. So technically we didn’t pay for clothes and twillies, but only because I forgot to put receipts with the rest. But my only concern was that I didn’t want my Birkin be forfeited. Other stuff I didn’t care that much anyway comparing the difference between sale tax in DC which is 6% and 4% duty at JFK it’s basically like you paying sales tax. All process took around 20 minutes for us. We were only one there.
Btw I received tax refund 5 days after I left the Paris. I was pleasantly surprised. Last year it took longer. But last year I think tax refund was more than 10% but global blue took commission. This year, Hermes made 10% but no commission was deducted I think. Although hard to tell because I don’t know what conversion rate a bank used.
Also funny fact: I packed my Birkin and all the purchases in original packaging before going to scan tax refund forms because I know there is a rule that if you get red light and go to an officer, (s)he might ask to show it and it should be unused and in original package. but I saw a lady before me showing her Birkin to the officer on the crook of her arm staffed with personal belongings. So clearly she was using it already. But officer didn’t care and dismissed her with a green light I guess. I’m curious if there were cases that people were refused in tax refund because an item was already in use.
Hi, did you ever get the bill and how long did it take for you to receive the invoice?