Worst Customs Experience

[Nick Flowers]

Travelling across international borders with film and video equipment has always been a bit of a pain. Local Jacks-in-office have it in their power to make life tedious for us and sometimes they really excel themselves. Fortunately within Europe carnets are now no longer necessary and it is relatively painless to travel around within the EU. But travel elsewhere and it is best to prepare for dismal delay. The worst time I had was travelling from the USA into Canada - worse, much worse than landing at Moscow or Istanbul. Every bleedin' serial number checked, everything rummaged through: superiors summoned and the carnet gone through with a fine tooth comb; made to wait for hours. Maybe our English accents didn't help, but we were all very careful not to say anything inflammatory knowing how badly flippant remarks go down in situations like this. Which reminds me of an irascible English celebrity's attempt to enter the USA at the height of the McCarthy era. When asked the standard question at immigration whether it was his intent to overturn the United States Constitution, abet the enemies of the USA and assassinate the President, he replied: "Sole purpose of visit". That went down, as they say, like a cup of cold sick.

Any horror stories from members about indignities suffered at Customs? 

[Jack Norflus]

I've traveled internationally quite a bit and the worst customs experience I have had as well was entering Canada from the US.

[atheisticmystic]

"Sole purpose"...brilliant.

I shot in Matamoros, Mexico with a dear friend who had dual citizenship. Moving from Brownsville to Matamoros, we passed thru customs at an arranged time when "a friend of my uncle" was on duty. Now THAT is the way to do it...lol.

Best,

Steven

[pindrop]

Hmm! Interesting perhaps Canadian customs are bored? Anyway in decades of international travel to dozens of tricky countries and I've only ever been completely turned over once, entering former Yugoslavia from Austria, a lorry load of sound, camera, grip, lighting gear for a Ford commercial laid out in the road and gone through in meticulous detail, took many hours........

Local fixers (often with mysterious access airside) on mates terms with customs officers are THE answer in many, many countries, (carnet or no carnet) and of course production companies who take the trouble to sort that out properly.

Edited October 11, 2015 by pindrop

[Constantin]

I don't need to travel much for work these days, so my worst experience was on a private trip with my parents many years ago from West Germany into East Germany when the wall was still up. 

Regular waiting time was several hours anyway. They had several checkpoints where they looked at the passports which travelled on their own conveyor belt from one booth to the next, where they inspected the car (like they were searching for drugs), and us. A family of five with luggage for three weeks vacation plus five bicycles on the roof they needed ages for this alone. 

Then they didn't want us  to take our bikes, because they were afraid we wanted to sell them to someone and thus introduce citizens to the pleasures of capitalism. They suggested to leave the bikes with them and pick them up when we left the country again. But we wanted to leave via another city after visiting some friends and travel on to our main destination where we needed the bikes. It took us hours and literally hours, several phone calls to and visits from various superiors as well as my mother's best performance as a worried, crying mother to finally actually convince them to actually let us pass with our bikes. 

Then, at our friends house, my father manages to destroy all five bikes in one swift move by backing into a garage with too low a ceiling. 

While it's fun to look back on this now, it was a very unpleasant experience then, and I'm certainly glad those borders are gone (never would've met my wife otherwise)

[Philip Perkins]

Canadians: very tough if you are coming from USA, but make a bigger deal about work permits etc than gear.  Australians: same deal, but more handsy  with the gear.  Indonesia: emptied every case and bag.  Weren't mean, I think, just curious.   

p

[Pat Slater]

On a recent job where we air traveled through about 30 airports the most thorough checking was exiting Israel, so many questions and every box scroooted.... but very efficient and pleasant about it......

On the other hand a security official at my home town in Melbourne Australia wanted to see an authorisation letter from the airline that they were happy to have our lithium batteries on board. We had a printout of the IATA lithium battery rulings but he wanted airline specific clearance. We had traveled a gazillion kilometres and never been asked for this letter! He wouldn't budge on it, "If they catch fire on board I won't be held responsible!"... He eventually accepted a verbal OK from the airline representative, we had to literally run for our flight.

I think I will ask the line producers to get an airline specific acceptance note from now on....

 

[David Waelder]

My most harrowing experience with customs came early in my career and occurred as I was returning home.

About thirty years ago (ouch, maybe forty years ago) I traveled to Nova Scotia for one or two days of work on a documentary. I was traveling with my associate in the venture and, for only two people, we had quite a lot of gear. We brought two 16mm Éclair cameras (an ACL and an NPR), lenses, tripods, a rented Angenieux 12-240 lens with electric zoom motor, a Nagra, a shotgun microphone and the usual assortment of accessories. We were young and less sophisticated and didn't appreciate the need to get customs documents for a very brief excursion into Canada.

All went well on the project. In those days, we were even able to book all that gear without incurring crippling excess baggage charges. The trouble came when we landed in Boston and collected our belongings. Customs officials demanded documentation that all that camera gear belonged to us and that we had carried it out to Nova Scotia rather than acquiring it there for import into the U.S. They were unmoved by the obvious evidence that the gear was well used. That none of the gear was manufactured in Canada or available there at lower cost was of no interest to them. They impounded all of the equipment and held it until we could provide the documents they demanded.

Our discomfort was compounded by their refusal to put all that expensive equipment in a safe place pending our return. We understood that they wouldn't accept responsibility but expected that they might lock up the cases in a closet or some other suitable place. We expected them to exercise due diligence. Nope. They simply dragged it off into an office accessible to many people.

We promptly secured the services of a customs broker and provided him with copies of original sales receipts. It cost us a bit of money - not really that much if I remember correctly - and we secured the return of all our gear. I've always thought that the customs officials, if they'd applied some common sense, might have been more cooperative given the circumstances. But ever since, I've been scrupulous about attending to the details. Lesson learned.

Israel, by the way, was no trouble at all. (With a Carnet)

David

[karlw]

On my way into Mexico a few years back, I was bringing some wireless microphone systems and a 688 with me for some important demos in conjunction with our dealer in Mexico City. I had to pay import duties on all items, in cash, even though I had planned to bring them back. The language barrier made it more difficult, of course. Our dealer there bailed me out, which was great.

On the way out, I tried showing the documentation to their agents so I could recoup this money, since I was taking every single item back to the US with me. Nope - no dice. Very shady.

Like David said above - lesson learned!

[BWilson]

Going into Egypt we needed lots of paper grease, and as the producer opened his wallet, the number of staff magically quadrupled.

[Freeheel]

I'm going go against the grain and say that Canada Customs (in Vancouver, anyway) is always nice to come home to.  Never have to worry about a final hurdle.  My worst customs experiences have been in Italy with a customs official who literally would not stop yelling at us and making us jump through random hoops, and an officer who in San Francisco made me convert every item (45 items) on the Carnet into US dollars and after screwing us over for 45 minutes, gave me his personal phone number and a knowing look as he said, "If you ever have any questions about Carnets and you're back at SFO, give me a call....   Yeah, thanks dude, for sure, maybe after we miss our plane... 

Moscow was fine since we were working with a branch of the interior ministry previously known as the KGB, amazing how doors opened when we mentioned who we were working with.

Best one was heading to Iraq and asking Canada Customs for some paperwork to prove that the gear had left Canada and was "registered" in some way.  They found some form with customs letterhead, attached my gear list to it and stamped it all over.  We all chuckled about the wacky papers we had invented as we left Customs.

That sheet of paper was the only thing that got my gear out of Iraq.  Despite being a non carnet country, they demanded paperwork that proved that the gear was not stolen in Iraq and being removed to sell!

So now, I always have a gear list stamped when I go to Non Carnet countries...

[codyman]

Rwanda (a non Carnet country) were clearly just baffled by all of our equipment... they looked at it all, and then would look at our itemized equipment list, then back at the equipment, repeat, repeat, repeat.  About 20 minutes later the poor guy just gave up and just let us into the country.

[atheisticmystic]

Rwanda (a non Carnet country) were clearly just baffled by all of our equipment... they looked at it all, and then would look at our itemized equipment list, then back at the equipment, repeat, repeat, repeat.  About 20 minutes later the poor guy just gave up and just let us into the country.

lol

I love it.

I was flying out of Medellín Colombia, and my boots, my boots mind you, caught the attention of a security agent. My Doc Martens as below but in black:

He picks them up, and nervously calls out for the owner. He asks me in Spanish why I need "boots of Frankenstein"...lol

I tried to describe what field production was like, then gave up and apoogized with laughter and told him I didnt know why I needed them, seriously, why do I need these boots ?

best,

Steven

[Nate C]

Damn Steven those are some ugly boots. I'd probably call you over for the "boots of Frankenstein" and take a photo of you holding them. That photo would go up in the security lunch room for all to have a good laugh at. Sometimes I can be a jerk like that. 

[daniel]

The wonderful country of Ghana didn't have any problems letting us in with kit - so long as we left a large amount of USD (iirc 10k) with them until we left the country with what we had brought in.

Steven (post #3); I didn't know the unfortunate name Matamoros made its way across the Atlantic to Mexico from Spain (i pressume). Another Spanish town recently voted to change their name from Matajudios. Their are probably examples of names like this around the world but its not nice - and well done to those that change their name.

Edited October 14, 2015 by daniel

[chriskellett]

I have had many different issues with "customs" all over the world that are not worth repeating mostly but I will tell you a trick that has worked for us a few times now.  Check you personal bag in first before going to customs with your carnet, have your fixer ( if you have one )  make sure they know this and have them get an airline rep to go to the customs office if you start to have issues or time is ticking away.  What this does is it allows them to load this onto the plane first.  Why is this important? Because international flights will not fly with bags on board if the passenger is not on board but has already checked in ( Positive Passenger Bag Match System ). And airlines are generally too busy to reverse the loading process to pull bags if they can help it. This is a trick I learned in the airport in Rome and it has paid off a few times since.  The first time in Rome they held the flight for an extra 45 minutes until we cleared customs.  YMMV.

 

 

 

 

[atheisticmystic]

Damn Steven those are some ugly boots. I'd probably call you over for the "boots of Frankenstein" and take a photo of you holding them. That photo would go up in the security lunch room for all to have a good laugh at. Sometimes I can be a jerk like that. 

ROTFLMAO

Thanx for that, Nate !

Steven (post #3); I didn't know the unfortunate name Matamoros made its way across the Atlantic to Mexico from Spain (i pressume). Another Spanish town recently voted to change their name from Matajudios. Their are probably examples of names like this around the world but its not nice - and well done to those that change their name.

Youre 100% correct, Daniel.

I highly doubt "Arabkiller, GA", or "Killer of Jews, CA" would have survived through to today's map. 

Best,

[Freeheel]

Hey Chris,

Checking a personal bag first is a good idea and often works.  Just be aware that they can and will take your bags off if they have the personnel to do it.  Once, I was 2 minutes late for the aircraft doors closing and they wouldn't let me on. (wasn't my fault- producer was late... )   It took them 45 minutes to take the bags off after that, and they had to hold the plane for that length of time, but somehow it made more sense to the airline that instead of letting me onto the plane, they would delay everything further and also screw up my schedule completely...

Cheers,

Brent Calkin

Edited October 14, 2015 by Freeheel

[new mexico]

 

Damn Steven those are some ugly boots. I'd probably call you over for the "boots of Frankenstein" and take a photo of you holding them. That photo would go up in the security lunch room for all to have a good laugh at. Sometimes I can be a jerk like that. 

True, people do stare. Only, because you do not see them much out in 'public.'

The flap, that covers the vamp, on the upper, over the laces, is a Metatarsal protector.

The easiest way to explain it, OSHA-wise, is ... It's 'usually*' for guys who work with sheet / plate glass. (*among many other job-types.)

It is also (typically) a steel-toed boot.

I got mine when working on a series of projects @  the Intel plant in Rio Rancho, years ago.

The fact that mine had a Metatarsal protector on it was not a part of my safety requirement for the jobs.

It was simply: "If the shoe fits, wear it." My pair were the most comfortable ones I had tried on. So, I bought them.

 

As you might be able to tell ...

These, below, have become the most comfortable shoes for working in my shop. Or, out @ the chopping block, etc etc.

Obviously, if I were to need a pair of comfortable safety shoes for any safety requirement on a sound-related production - (Don't think these will shine-up too good anymore?) - I would not hesitate to go buy another pair of these exact same boots.   (I did get a bit of sticker shock, at first - for what they go for now $$$.)

But, the Metatarsal protectors, on top of the steel toes, have come in handy, safety-wise, more than a few times. (think whole logs, wooden planks, cinder blocks, etc, etc.) Yeah, crap happens.

[atheisticmystic]

 

 - (Don't think these will shine-up too good anymore?) - I would not hesitate to go buy another pair of these exact same boots.   (I did get a bit of sticker shock, at first - for what they go for now $$$.)

But, the Metatarsal protectors, on top of the steel toes, have come in handy, safety-wise, more than a few times. (think whole logs, wooden planks, cinder blocks, etc, etc.) Yeah, crap happens.

Yes my brother, I can't count how many times I kiwi-revived my babies before I donated them to a local thrift shop. 

You sir, have revived my passion for these magnificent creatures...Im buying another pair !

Wait, is this an official highjack

best

[soundtrane]

///This is a trick I learned in the airport in Rome and it has paid off a few times since.  The first time in Rome they held the flight for an extra 45 minutes until we cleared customs.  YMMV. 

 VERY interesting and GOOD to know. it's not everyday one gets to know internal procedures that actually affect us in both ways depending on what WE do... 

i'm still looking for shoes that protect my shin.  

 

[daniel]

 VERY interesting and GOOD to know. it's not everyday one gets to know internal procedures that actually affect us in both ways depending on what WE do... 

i'm still looking for shoes that protect my shin.  

 

They'd be boots, but you can wear shin pads with anything :-)

[RadoStefanov]

Worst experience was in 1998 on the Serb-Hungarian border. I bribed the boarder agent who checked my passport " normal for the 1990s" and on the way back to the bus another agent asked me 20 German marks. I tried to explain that I already paid but he started hitting me and put me on the ground . He asked for my bag from the bus. He opened the bag and started kicking my stuff out. I had 3 sandwiches that he started stamping on. After that he told me to get my stuff together and get on the bus. None of my gear got broken "FP31 and sennheiser 415t".

I have 10 more horrible border stories from the 1990s.

These experiences were the main reason why I became and American citizen. A proud American citizen.

[atheisticmystic]

Rado wins, hands down.

[soundtrane]

well, it is not a GEAR and customs story BUT... 

in 2013, i want to London on a Six Month Business Visa, stayed there for 3 weeks, and then went to Paris (i had a Schengen Visa for 45 days) and when on my way back to London (wanted to go back to meet more people, and maybe travel a bit - to Rycote, Audio Dev, etc) I was detained by the UK Border Security people for 4 hours, i was not allowed to even use a rest room, i was subjected to a humiliating "interview" with a bastard. 

Why bastard? 

Because, when he tells me to go back to the glass window from the "interview room" to stamp my passport, I ask him, "Sir, now that i have missed my train, what do i do, will i have to..." He cuts me off and says "Oh, you have a lot of money you can buy another ticket... PAUSE and then he says "go and show this ticket with the stamp at the entry and they will issue you another ticket for the next train".

I wanted to tell him "Sod off bastard, you have no right to talk to me this way, and go fuck yourself and keep your country, i dont want to go there anymore."

Instead I just gave him a look - that said a lot more than the above and walked on. 

They made me sit for 2 hours without ANY information, and then when this guy comes to me eventually and says i need to be 'interviewed' and i tell him 'Sir i need to use a rest room' and he says 'look, for this you will need to fill in a form and only then will you be llowed to go to the other side where the rest rooms are, and we could be finished in ten minutes, and it will take at least that much time for me to get you a form to fill..."

I said to him, "sir, i have had to pay to use a toilet in many countries and some places within these countries, but never been asked to fill a form. if you say this is going to take only maybe ten minutes or so, it is ok, let's proceed, i will go to the rest room later..."

the "interview" took an hour and maybe 10-15 minutes. My bladder was about to burst by the end of this.  i wish it did burst and i peed all over that glass counter of the UK Border Force and that racist motherfucker's face too. 

-vin