Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements

The websites listed provide downloadable passport applications as well as the current fees for processing passport applications. For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov.

Passport Savvy -- New laws requiring passports to countries where passports were never needed in the past has increased passport processing time considerably. Allow plenty of time before your trip to apply for a passport; processing can take up to 6 weeks but can take longer during busy periods (especially spring). And keep in mind that expediting a passport when in a rush will cost you a higher processing fee. When traveling, safeguard your passport in an inconspicuous, inaccessible place like a money belt and keep a copy of the critical pages with your passport number in a separate place. If you lose your passport, visit the nearest consulate or embassy of your native country as soon as possible for a replacement, but bear in mind that temporary passport replacements come with a hefty fee. Once you get to Hungary, by law you are required to have your passport with you at all times. Unless you think you may have some legal problem, you probably won't need it. No police officer is going to ask you to produce it. The only other times you will need it is if you are going to a bank for a transaction, are making a large credit card purchase, or are driving a vehicle. Best bet: Carry a photocopy of your passport's identification pages and leave the real deal in a safe or locked suitcase at your hotel. However, someone you trust should be able to access it in case of a legal need. If you do have a legal issue, then the police can hold you until your passport is presented by someone.

Customs

What You Can Bring into Hungary -- You're allowed to bring duty-free into Hungary 250 cigarettes, 2 liters of wine, and 1 liter of spirits. There is no limit to the amount of money you may bring into the country. However, you may not take out of the country more than 1,000,000 forints in Hungarian currency.

What You Can Take Home from Hungary -- Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, $800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You'll pay a flat rate of duty on the next $1,000 worth of purchases. Any dollar amount beyond that is subject to duties at whatever rates apply. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is $200. Be sure to keep your receipts or purchases accessible to expedite the declaration process. Note: If you owe duty, you are required to pay on your arrival in the United States using cash, personal check, government or traveler's check, money order, or, in some locations, a Visa or MasterCard.

To avoid paying duty on foreign-made personal items you owned before your trip, bring along a bill of sale, insurance policy, jeweler's appraisal, or receipts of purchase. You can also register items that can be readily identified by a permanently affixed serial number or marking, for instance laptop computers, cameras, and CD players, with Customs before you leave. Take the items to the nearest Customs office or register them with Customs at the airport from which you're departing. You'll receive, at no cost, a Certificate of Registration, which allows duty-free entry for the life of the item.

With some exceptions, you cannot bring fresh fruits or vegetables into the United States; however, if your trip continues from here to other European countries, you will need to know their restrictions also. Some countries in Europe are now restricting the transport of Hungarian salami, for which Pick is a famous brand. For specifics on what you can bring back, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go. Many rules change frequently, so it is best to have the most current information on hand. Go to www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel and click on "Know Before You Go! Online Brochure." Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667) and request the pamphlet.

For a clear summary of Canadian rules, write for 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). Canada allows its citizens a C$750 exemption, and you're allowed to bring back duty-free one carton of cigarettes, one can of tobacco, 40 imperial ounces of liquor, and 50 cigars. In addition, you're allowed to mail gifts to Canada valued at less than C$60 a day, provided they're unsolicited and don't contain alcohol or tobacco (write on the package "Unsolicited gift, under C$60 value"). All valuables should be declared on the Y-38 form before departure from Canada, including serial numbers of valuables you already own, such as expensive foreign cameras. Note: The C$750 exemption can be used only once a year and only after an absence of 7 days.

Citizens of the U.K. who are returning from a European Union (EU) country will go through a separate Customs exit especially for EU travelers. In essence, there is no limit on what you can bring back from an EU country, provided the items are for personal use (this includes gifts), and you have already paid the necessary duty and tax. Customs laws, however, set out guidance levels. If you bring in more than these levels, you may be asked to prove that the goods are for your own use. Guidance levels on goods bought in the EU for personal use are 3,200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos, 3 kilograms of smoking tobacco, 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine, 20 liters of fortified wine (such as port or sherry), and 110 liters of beer.

The duty-free allowance in Australia is A$400 or for those under 18, A$200. Citizens can bring in 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of loose tobacco, and 1,125 milliliters of alcohol. If you're returning with valuables you already own, such as foreign-made cameras, you should file form B263. A helpful brochure is available from Australian consulates or Customs offices called Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log onto www.customs.gov.au.

The duty-free allowance for New Zealand is NZ$700. Citizens over 17 can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco (or a mixture of all three if their combined weight doesn't exceed 250g), plus 4.5 liters of wine and beer, or 1.125 liters of liquor. New Zealand currency does not carry import or export restrictions. Fill out a certificate of export, listing the valuables you are taking out of the country; that way, you can bring them back without paying duty. Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).