Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements

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 reenter the United States even from other countries in the Western Hemisphere. The rule went into effect for 2007 for those coming in by air. Those coming in by land and sea -- including drivers on the Alaska highway and cruise-ship passengers -- will be subject to the same requirement. Implementation was planned for 2008, but could be delayed. 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 www.travel.state.gov.

Visas -- A visa is a permit allowing entry to foreign visitors. 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 (VWP) allows citizens of the following countries (at press time) to enter the United States without a visa for stays of up to 90 days: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Citizens of these nations need only a valid passport and a round-trip air or cruise ticket upon arrival. If they first enter the United States, they may also visit Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, and/or the Caribbean islands and return to the United States without a visa.

Any passport issued on or after October 26, 2006, by a VWP country must be an e-Passport for travelers to be eligible to enter the U.S. without a visa. E-Passports contain computer chips capable of storing biometric information, such as the required digital photograph of the holder. (You can identify an e-Passport by the symbol on the bottom center cover of your passport.) If your passport doesn't have this feature, you can still travel without a visa if it is a valid passport issued before October 26, 2005, and includes a machine-readable zone, or between October 26, 2005, and October 25, 2006, and includes a digital photograph. For more information, go to www.travel.state.gov/visa or contact any U.S. embassy or consulate.

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 www.travel.state.gov.

International visitors with visas must undergo an instant background check on arrival, be photographed, and have their fingerprints scanned. Exempt from the extra scrutiny are visitors entering from countries not required to have visas for short-term visits. For more information, go to the Department of Homeland Security website at www.dhs.gov/dhspublic and look for "US-VISIT."

Medical Requirements -- Unless you're arriving from an area known to be suffering from an epidemic (particularly cholera or yellow fever), inoculations or vaccinations are not required for entry into the United States. If you have a medical condition that requires syringe-administered medications, carry a signed prescription from your physician. Airline passengers cannot pack syringes in their carry-on baggage without documented proof of medical need. Pack any medication in its original, labeled containers. This is especially important if you need medication that contains narcotics. In that case, also carry documented proof of your need, such as a signed letter from your doctor, and carry no more than you reasonably could use yourself during your trip. Otherwise, you may risk being accused of smuggling.

A 1993 law barred people who are HIV-positive or have AIDS from entering the United States without a special waiver; however, late in 2006, President Bush directed a blanket waiver to be granted to anyone coming for a short stay, such as tourists.

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 forth, 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. A handy brochure called "Visiting the United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Regulations for Nonresidents" lays out the rules. It can be downloaded from U.S. Customs and Border Protection's website (www.cbp.gov) by typing the words "Visiting the United States publication" in the search window. Other avenues for information are your nearest U.S. consulate or embassy or CBP officials at the Anchorage airport (tel. 907/271-6309).

It is exceedingly complicated for foreign visitors to bring firearms into the United States; don't even consider it 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 (ATF; tel. 304/616-4550; www.atf.treas.gov); these take 2 months to acquire if everything goes well (the application is on the ATF website -- search for "Form 6 NIA"). 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 & 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 and then let him or her help with all the paperwork, but start many months in advance and be ready to pay.

What You Can Take Home
Wildlife Products -- Authentic Alaska Native art and crafts made from protected marine mammals are perfectly legal to buy and own in the U.S, 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. Generally, however, 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 in Endangered Species, known as CITES. These permits can be complicated and time-consuming to obtain. For international visitors, this means you should simply 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, 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 requiring CITES permits can obtain a Personal Effects Exemption Certificate by calling the U.S. Fish & 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; www.international.fws.gov) regarding permit requirements. Processing time for permits can take from 60 to 90 days.

Other Goods -- Rules governing what you can bring back duty-free vary from country to country, and generally are posted on the Web. For a clear summary of Canadian rules, request the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca search for the phrase "I Declare"). U.K. citizens should contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmce.gov.uk. Australians can contact the Australian Customs Service (tel. 1300/363-263; www.customs.gov.au). New Zealand citizens should contact New Zealand Customs (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).