Going through customs is inevitable, but it's at your own leisure, so you can always wolf down your verboten sandwich BEFORE speaking to the first customs official.
Most of my experience has been driving across the US/Canada border. When entering the US, they were concerned with immigration issues (and drugs/alcohol/firearms), but couldn't care less even when I exceeded my un-dutiable goods allowance by hundreds of dollars.
They only hassled me about goods once, and it was because the guy was being a real prick about it: CO: "Citizenship" Me: "..." CO: "Where are you going: Me: "..." CO: "Open the trunk" Me: (opens trunk) CO: "What is this? You didn't declare it. I could confiscate it you know" Me: "You didn't even give me a chance to make a declaration!" CO: "Well, don't let it happen again!"
Going the other way, it was the reverse. Canada was always very meticulous about what I was bringing back, making sure they got every penny of duty; however, they weren't that concerned about the immigration issues.
(The last time I moved to Toronto, I had a P.O. box in Niagara Falls NY that I had US mail forwarded to, from systems too brain-dead to allow forwarding to Canadian addresses. Once a month I would drive down to Niagara Falls, and walk across the border to the post office (4 blocks away). On several occasions, when returning, the customs official asked "Citizenship", and I said "Canadian" and he didn't even ask for papers - but he DID ask to see m mail.)
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2007-11-16 12:02 am (UTC)Most of my experience has been driving across the US/Canada border. When entering the US, they were concerned with immigration issues (and drugs/alcohol/firearms), but couldn't care less even when I exceeded my un-dutiable goods allowance by hundreds of dollars.
They only hassled me about goods once, and it was because the guy was being a real prick about it:
CO: "Citizenship"
Me: "..."
CO: "Where are you going:
Me: "..."
CO: "Open the trunk"
Me: (opens trunk)
CO: "What is this? You didn't declare it. I could confiscate it you know"
Me: "You didn't even give me a chance to make a declaration!"
CO: "Well, don't let it happen again!"
Going the other way, it was the reverse. Canada was always very meticulous about what I was bringing back, making sure they got every penny of duty; however, they weren't that concerned about the immigration issues.
(The last time I moved to Toronto, I had a P.O. box in Niagara Falls NY that I had US mail forwarded to, from systems too brain-dead to allow forwarding to Canadian addresses. Once a month I would drive down to Niagara Falls, and walk across the border to the post office (4 blocks away). On several occasions, when returning, the customs official asked "Citizenship", and I said "Canadian" and he didn't even ask for papers - but he DID ask to see m mail.)