Toronto Photography Meetup Group

How do you guys explain to airport customs that you already paid your taxes on all your camera equipment?

I'm heading back to HK for 5 months along with all my camera gear, and I'm 80% positive that customs is going to strip search me when I come back.

I ask this because they dragged me to another hall to search me last time. And if I remember correctly what that guy said... I'm on the "record" because he finds it hard to believe some poor student like me won't spend any money (that they can tax) when I go back home for 2 weeks. (I declared 0$, because I REALLY DID NOT BUY ANYTHING)

Always declare something when you return, not to the max butit has to be believable. The solution is to get your gear registered at custom before you leave. There is a custom's office at the airport on the Ground level right by the Convenient store. You need to bring all your gears or any other valuable that you are bring to HK and they will record down the serial number and give you a green card.

You may still get strip search because you said you are on record but at least you are ok with your gears.

I believe you go to the customs office ahead of time and fill out some forms so that you don't get hassled on the way back. Here's a link to a previous discussion on this. I have not gone through this myself yet though:

http://tpmg.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7635&highlight=customs

The airport is nuts I used to work in terminal 3 on rhe apron and everyday I got searched but I always brought my slr out onto the runways rhe airport isn't as secure as you think once you pass customs there's so many ways to get out on the apron it's insane

Thanks guys.

I agree that the airport is nuts. I'll just have to go to the airport an hour earlier to declare my stuff (I have a lot of electronics).

I learnt my lesson , I'm going to declare $300-$400 no matter what.

My suggestion is to go to the custom office at the airport whenever you can BEFORE the day of your flight, then there will be no rush for you & the custom officer can spend as much time as they want with you & your gear.

Few years ago I went there for the card, with my gear (2 lenses, 1 body, 1 flash & a laptop). The officer was only willing to record the body & laptop, but I insisted to record the lenses as well.

If you are near the downtown core, I believe you can also go to 1 Front St. W. to get those forms filled out.

What is the place called?

I'm going to Romania for 3 weeks with my camera gear and don't want to get a grilling on the way back into Canada...

Some Custom Agents won't issue the card (Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation) if you don't have reciepts with you (which prove you bought the gear in Canada). Others don't care if you have them with you or not.

If they ask for the reciepts and you don't have them on you, you could ask that they fill out the card and mark no-receipt on it. At least that way you have something with you that says you started out with the gear in Canada. If they say no, and you're no worse off.

I've gone countless times to the Philippines (via HK) for weeks at a time and have always brought my gear (sometimes a lot and sometime the bare minimum) and I have never had a problem with customs.

It is like saying when I drive I speed a lot but have never been caught yet.

I have traveled a lot with my gears and I have never been asked either. The point is to avoid problems if they decided to ask you.

I guess the same must also hold true with anything in my luggage? Laptop, iPod, clothing, shoes?

Or I must love living on the edge!

Yeah, there's no real need to do all the paperwork the same day you are leaving the country. The forms have no expiry, so you might as well get it done when you're not rushing to catch a flight. This topic has come up several times in the past already. Here's one that talks about the downtown office at Yonge and Front:

http://tpmg.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11519

To be safe, you should bring the receipts for all your gear to the office (to get the green Y38 cards) as well as on your trip. It is possible (but probably unlikely) that the CBSA officer upon your return might want to see both the forms and the receipts. Personally, I've never been asked at the border, and this is with a rolling suitcase packed with camera gear. But the forms are always with me, just in case.

Strangely i have never been bothered by customs when flying and i always bring my gear. Now driving is another story. Twice in the 2 years i have been pulled aside and had my car searched. Both times they bothered me extensively about my gear, looking it over in extreme detail for wear marks and such.

Shouldn't be too bad at the airport... I'm leaving at 1am! + I personally don't feel too safe lugging 3 lenses 1 flash 2 laptops and a body all the way to downtown (I'm from loo!)

But yea. better safe than sorry. I don't want customs searching through my luggage again. But THEN... I AM thinking of purchasing of a new body this summer when I'm back... and it might be over $750

This should NOT be an issue, as if you have it "in Canada" obviously you already paid whatever taxes on the equipment, and you have been using it "in Canada", and want to temporarily export it out of Canada.

I admit I haven't gone through this lately, but as long as I had the gear with me I was never asked. Although usually I will create a sheet with the S/N's in larger print so it's easier to read...but you still have to have the gear with you, and the Agent will want to verify your list.

Here is the website with a pdf you can download:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications ... 6-eng.html

I go away on business trips all the time and get the y38 filled out at the airport, after I check in my luggage (since I bring my gear in my carry on)...never had a problem getting it filled out at the airport...and its never taken more than a couple minutes...in fact, I've never had to line up before...usually when I walk in, there's a really bored customs guy sitting behind the glass staring off into space...
...now if I could just stop switching gear so that I don't have to get a new y38 filled out each time I travel, eh!

Hahah good to hear that there is no line. I'll give that guy something to do when I leave.

The likelihood of being searched at the airport depends on what you declare on your Customs Declaration Card on your way back to Canada, how much you declare and your length of stay away from the country.

People declaring that they are bringing certain types of food or plants are high on their list.

Travel with a friend. I have a custom officer friend who says they target single person travelling alone...its like a red flag saying "PICK ME PICK ME!!"

I always get searched when I travel alone...they said its random..my butt.

Anyways, now everywhere I go, I pay for my gf's ticket so that they wont search me at all.

There's some up and down side with this.