Possible problems with customs

[Smogg]

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Do you declare your cameras when entering foreign countries when traveling around the world? Even with a declaration, personal items worth more than a certain amount are not allowed everywhere.
The cost of a Leica with lenses almost always exceeds the customs regulations of many countries. 

[pedaes]

1 minute ago, Smogg said:

Do you declare your cameras when entering foreign countries when traveling around the world? Even with a declaration, personal items worth more than a certain amount are not allowed everywhere.
The cost of a Leica with lenses almost always exceeds the customs regulations of many countries. 

No. I do carry a copy of the original sales receipts to show it's not 'new' when coming back to UK.  I think the Regulations are aimed at the home population, not visitors.

Sorry to say, there may be 'special' arrangement for your country, but I have no knowledge of it. For the UK it would be clear on Government website, maybe same for other countries.

Do you not have a travel advice website that would help?

 

[Smogg]

8 minutes ago, pedaes said:

No. I do carry a copy of the original sales receipts to show it's not 'new' when coming back to UK.  I think the Regulations are aimed at the home population, not visitors.

Sorry to say, there may be 'special' arrangement for your country, but I have no knowledge of it. For the UK it would be clear on Government website, maybe same for other countries.

Do you not have a travel advice website that would help?

 

I meant problems with the customs of the country where you are going, say, for 10 days and where there are restrictions on the total value of tourists' personal belongings. In my country, I can declare them when leaving and then bring them back without any problems.

[JNK100]

That has never occurred to me but it may be different in some countries.

[pippy]

No.

As far as a Briton travelling out from - or in to - the UK is concerned this is the official line as written on the Government's website;

"If your goods are for personal use, you do not normally need to make a formal declaration (requiring you to complete an electronic customs declaration) when you bring them into or out of the UK. These goods include private vehicles that have been in the UK before, and personal effects and gifts carried in your luggage or driven in a vehicle.

You can declare most personal goods by making a declaration by conduct or an oral declaration. These methods of declaring your goods are simpler than other methods, but they are still defined as legal declarations.

A declaration by conduct is when you transport your goods through a customs control point (usually a green channel marked ‘nothing to declare’) at a port (including roll on roll off locations) or airport. You do not need to stop or speak to a customs officer, you can simply:

• walk through a customs control point with the goods
• drive past a customs control point with the goods inside your vehicle
• continue your onward journey if there are no customs control points (this is still deemed to be a declaration by conduct).

I have also travelled to other continents without having neeeded to alter this approach.

Never been to a war-zone, however, or any country where human rights are somewhat restricted...

Philip.

Edited July 22 by pippy

[pedaes]

2 minutes ago, Smogg said:

I meant problems with the customs of the country where you are going,

I understood that. I doubt many will have a clue of value anyway. Also there are lots of Rolexes in the world and worn by travellers. I know there is restrictions on currency and certain named items - like I can't take an apple (as in fruit) into the US>

 

[CaseyS]

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[jgeenen]

I usually check import and export restrictions prior to the travel and follow them. Meanwhile - given the availability of online documentation - this is not a big thing.

Usually, I have digital copies of invoices (with serial numbers) or photos (with serial numbers and time stamp - eg. a recent news paper on the photo) in my cloud (or on my mobile) - not only for customs, but in case of theft this might be useful as well (and your insurance wants it anyhow).

You should think about import and export regulations, both your home and destination country might want to protect against tariff or tax evasion.

In practical terms I never had issues, neither within the EU nor abroad. Even tax paradises like Hong Kong or Iron curtain countries did not cause issues (for me) in the past - but better be on the safe side....

Edited July 22 by jgeenen

[lct]

You may wish to ask your customs if this is related to what is prohibited to import and export from Russia.

[Mikep996]

FWIW, I've  traveled all over Europe, North/South America, Africa  and Asia.  Never declared gear or even gave a thought to this issue.  I carried all sorts of expensive cameras at different times.  Not once in many years of doing this has anyone in customs in any country ever asked about camera gear.  Once, entering Mexico, I was asked about a purse (for my wife) in my luggage but the camera gear I was carrying, which was worth a lot more, was not mentioned.  Maybe I was just lucky but, as the old saying goes, "Luck is always better than skill!  

 

 

Edited July 22 by Mikep996

[Gelatino]

In 1983, entering in China I had to declare all personal items I was going to import, actually I don't remember the limit value, but electronics and photo gear where mentionned.              What I can say is that NO control has been made of the items going out when I left continental China to Hong Kong.

I went to China last year and in June this year and no declaration of any sort was asked. 

In any case I made a file of the invoices and IDs  on a USB key that I bring when going abroad, but until now I never had  to use it.

[Smogg]

1 hour ago, lct said:

You may wish to ask your customs if this is related to what is prohibited to import and export from Russia.

Russia has nothing to do with it. I'm going to Uzbekistan. From the information I found on the Internet, it follows that according to their recent customs regulations, all personal belongings must be declared if their total value exceeds $1,000. In this case, a tax of 30 percent is paid for the excess. It turns out that if I have at least an iPhone, then I should travel only in my underwear, not to mention cameras and lenses. I did not find any clear information about this country in tourist forums. The embassy of this country also does not understand this issue. After talking to them, I got the impression that I was the first person who was going to enter their country, observing their own laws, so they were confused 😄

[LocalHero1953]

It’s always worth checking about particular laws for the country you’re going to, and I’ve never been to Uzbekistan. In many years of business travel to some of the more ‘difficult’ countries I have never had an issue, or, frankly, given it much thought for my normal possessions. Where it has been an issue has been where I bought something new in one country just before travelling to another. One memorable standoff was at Jakarta airport where I was bringing in a mini hifi system just bought in Hong Kong. My contract in Indonesia permitted free import of personal items, but that was not something accepted by customs. In the end it was my stubbornness to neither offer a bribe nor pay the high duty, and my willingness to just sit there till they gave up. But that was an exception. Stuff which doesn’t look new-in-box has never been an issue. 

[FrozenInTime]

A commercial carnet is one solution :

“The ATA Carnet is an international customs document that permits duty-free and tax-free temporary import of goods for up to one year. It contains pre-prepared unified customs declaration forms to be used at each customs border offices and serves as a guarantee to customs duties and taxes.

With an ATA Carnet, exhibitors, salespeople, artists, athletes, TV crews, technicians, event participants and business travellers may travel through customs without paying import duties or taxes at each customs border office.”

That should indemnify you against malicious enforcement of normally ignored statutes.

[costa43]

I’ve travelled all over the world and have never declared anything, never had an issue but then again, I have never to Uzbekistan. I’ve just run a search and It seems that you must declare the items on entry but it may just be so you have no problems on exit, as opposed to being hit with an automatic tax on personal goods you already own when you enter. I would of course make sure prior to arrival just in case. 

[Smudgerer]

1 hour ago, FrozenInTime said:

A commercial carnet is one solution :

“The ATA Carnet is an international customs document that permits duty-free and tax-free temporary import of goods for up to one year. It contains pre-prepared unified customs declaration forms to be used at each customs border offices and serves as a guarantee to customs duties and taxes.

With an ATA Carnet, exhibitors, salespeople, artists, athletes, TV crews, technicians, event participants and business travellers may travel through customs without paying import duties or taxes at each customs border office.”

That should indemnify you against malicious enforcement of normally ignored statutes.

Yes....Used the ATA Carnet all the time when traveling all over the shop with large expensive kits of cine-cameras/lenses kits and sound gear too for our productions, one has to log and have it all verified which can be a drag but as said above once done you're good to go.

But one piece of advice, if you can insure it do so, even if just for the duration of the trip............

Edited July 22 by Smudgerer
added content

[FrozenInTime]

25 minutes ago, Smudgerer said:

Yes....Used the ATA Carnet all the time when traveling all over the shop with large expensive kits of cine-cameras/lenses kits and sound gear too for our productions, one has to log and have it all verified which can be a drag but as said above once done you're good to go.

But one piece of advice, if you can insure it do so, even if just for the duration of the trip............

Yes can take more effort at the port of entry; even at SFO, the required office was on the departure side of the gates, but the mention of carnet is the trigger word that customs officials can follow through a procedure on  avoiding otherwise lengthy multilingual explanations. i’ve used them in China, Spain and the USA.

[jaapv]

Never and never have been asked for the last forty years in regular travel over the world  I do remember my father having a Carnet for his Agfa Silette when travelling to Austria in 1955, though. 

[frame-it]

6 hours ago, Smogg said:

Do you declare your cameras when entering foreign countries when traveling around the world? Even with a declaration, personal items worth more than a certain amount are not allowed everywhere.
The cost of a Leica with lenses almost always exceeds the customs regulations of many countries. 

never, including Russia

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Hallo,

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[ApoVision]

Once, entering India in 1985