Entry Requirements & Customs

Coming into the U.S. has become more difficult for almost everyone with new security measures. Even U.S. citizens who pass between the U.S. and Canada must make additional preparations. International visitors can learn of the latest requirements from a travel agent or airline. Another good place to look for help is the U.S. embassy or consulate nearest you, which can be found on the Internet through www.unitedstatesvisas.gov.

Passports

Under a new requirement, U.S. citizens need passports to re-enter the United States even from other countries in the Western Hemisphere. The rule, already delayed, is now is not scheduled to apply to the Alaska Highway and to cruise ship passengers in 2009. For the latest, check the Department of State website, www.travel.state.gov. Note: Children are required to present a passport when entering the United States at airports. More information on obtaining a passport for a minor can be found at http://travel.state.gov.

The websites listed provide downloadable passport applications as well as the current fees for processing applications. For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "International Travel" tab of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov. International visitors to the U.S. can obtain a visa application at the same website. Note: Children are required to present a passport when entering the United States at airports. More information on obtaining a passport for a minor can be found at http://travel.state.gov. Allow plenty of time before your trip to apply for a passport; processing normally takes 4-6 weeks (3 weeks for expedited service) but can take longer during busy periods (especially spring). And keep in mind that if you need a passport in a hurry, you'll pay a higher processing fee.

For Residents of Australia -- You can pick up an application from your local post office or any branch of Passports Australia, but you must schedule an interview at the passport office to present your application materials. Call the Australian Passport Information Service at tel. 131-232, or visit the government website at www.passports.gov.au.

For Residents of Canada -- Passport applications are available at travel agencies throughout Canada or from the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca). Note: Canadian children who travel must have their own passport. However, if you hold a valid Canadian passport issued before December 11, 2001, that bears the name of your child, the passport remains valid for you and your child until it expires.

For Residents of Ireland -- You can apply for a 10-year passport at the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.irlgov.ie/iveagh). Those under age 18 and over 65 must apply for a 3-year passport. You can also apply at 1A South Mall, Cork (tel. 21/494-4700), or at most main post offices.

For Residents of New Zealand -- You can pick up a passport application at any New Zealand Passports Office or download it from their website. Contact the Passports Office at tel. 0800/225-050 in New Zealand or 04/474-8100, or log on to www.passports.govt.nz.

For Residents of the United Kingdom -- To pick up an application for a standard 10-year passport (5-yr. passport for children under 16), visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency, or contact the United Kingdom Passport Service at tel. 0870/521-0410 or search its website at www.ukpa.gov.uk.

Visas

A visa is a permit allowing entry to a foreign visitor. Many tourists coming to the United States do not need a visa. Canadian citizens never need visas to enter the U.S. In addition, the U.S. State Department's Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of 27 countries (at press time) to enter the United States without a visa for stays of up to 90 days, including most of western Europe, as well as Andorra, Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore, with the Czech Republic, Hungary, and South Korea among nations expected to be added soon. Citizens of these nations need only a valid passport and a round-trip air or cruise ticket upon arrival. Under a new requirement, expected to be operative in 2009, visitors coming to the U.S. without a visa must register online at least 3 days prior to traveling. Learn more at www.unitedstatesvisas.gov.

Citizens of all other countries or any holder of a passport that is not machine readable must have (1) a valid passport that expires at least 6 months later than the scheduled end of their visit to the United States and (2) a tourist visa, which may be obtained from any U.S. consulate. Check the U.S. State Department website, at travel.state.gov.

Australian citizens can obtain up-to-date visa information from the U.S. Embassy Canberra, Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 (tel. 02/6214-5600), or by checking the U.S. Diplomatic Mission's website at http://usembassy-australia.state.gov/consular.

British subjects can obtain up-to-date visa information by calling the U.S. Embassy Visa Information Line (tel. 0891/200-290) or by visiting the "Visas to the U.S." section of the American Embassy London's website at www.usembassy.org.uk.

Irish citizens can obtain up-to-date visa information through the Embassy of the USA Dublin, 42 Elgin Rd., Dublin 4, Ireland (tel. 353/1-668-8777), or by checking the "Consular Services" section of the website at http://dublin.usembassy.gov.

Citizens of New Zealand can obtain up-to-date visa information by contacting the U.S. Embassy New Zealand, 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington (tel. 644/472-2068), or get the information directly from the website at http://wellington.usembassy.gov.

Customs

What Foreign Visitors Can Bring In -- Personal effects, which are items you use yourself, such as clothing, cameras, and fishing rods, are exempt from duties. In addition, every visitor over 21 years of age may bring in the following without paying duties: 1 liter of wine, beer, or hard liquor; 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars for your own use and another 100 as gifts (but not from Cuba), or 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of smoking tobacco; and $100 worth of gifts. To claim these exemptions you must spend at least 72 hours in the United States and cannot have claimed them within the preceding 6 months. The duty on goods exceeding these exemptions is 3% of the value on the first $1,000 (the flat rate); above that amount, it depends on the item. The flat rate applies only to items for your own use or gifts and can be used only once in 30 days. Importation of most raw food and plant material is prohibited or requires a special license. Foreign visitors may bring in or take out up to $10,000 in U.S. or foreign currency, travelers checks, securities, and so on with no formalities; larger sums must be declared to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on entering or leaving, and paperwork must be filed. For more information, consult CBP's website (www.cbp.gov), contact a U.S. consulate or embassy, or call CBP officials at the Anchorage airport (tel. 907/271-6309).

Don't think about bringing firearms into the United States except for a hunting trip. Unless you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien, you cannot bring in, buy, or even possess a gun without a permit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (tel. 304/616-4550; www.atf.treas.gov); these take up to 2 months to process (the application, Form 6NIA, is on the ATF website: www.atf.gov/forms/pdfs/f53303d.pdf). The application must be accompanied by a valid hunting license (there are a few narrow exceptions, such as athletes involved in shooting competitions). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (tel. 907/465-6085; www.alaska.gov/adfg) sells hunting licenses to nonresident aliens for $300 (tags are as much as $1,500 more); however, aliens can hunt only with a registered guide. First, find the guide, then let him or her help with all the paperwork, but start many months in advance and be ready to pay.

Taking Home Wildlife Products -- Authentic Alaska Native art and crafts made from protected marine mammals are perfectly legal to buy and own under U.S. and Alaska law, even though possessing marine mammal parts is not legal for non-Natives. Alaska Natives have used these materials for thousands of years and their subsistence harvest is not a danger to the species. But some individual states have more restrictive laws (you may want to check), and generally marine mammal products you buy made of any threatened or endangered species cannot be taken out of the country unless at least 100 years old. For those items that can legally be taken home, you need a wildlife export permit recognized by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, known as CITES. These permits can be complicated to obtain and take 60 to 90 days for processing. For international visitors, the most practical advice is simply to avoid buying anything made from marine mammals or any other species requiring a CITES permit, including brown or black bear, wolf, lynx, bobcat, or river otter. Before you buy an item, make sure you can legally take it home, then have the shop mail it to you insured, and have them take care of the paperwork. If you carry it with you in your baggage or mail it yourself, perhaps because you bought it from someone who can't handle the paperwork, you'll need to get your own permits. U.S. residents transiting Canada with wildlife products face permitting complications as well; mail the item home to yourself instead. For information, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage (tel. 907/271-6198; http://alaska.fws.gov/law). Foreign visitors exporting wildlife may need to contact the agency's Division of Management Authority in Washington, D.C. (tel. 800/358-2104; http://international.fws.gov), regarding permit requirements.