Passing Through US Customs Made Easy: 5 Things You Need to Know

Passing Through US Customs Made Easy: 5 Things You Need to Know

If you're not an American citizen and it's your first time passing through US customs, you might

naturally feel a little nervous about the entire experience. Passing through the American border

is generally regarded as stricter than in other countries. However, if you keep these five simple

things in mind, you won't have any trouble.

1 Properly fill in the on-board forms

Non-US citizens that are on board of a flight headed to the United States of America will receive

an I-94 form, as well as customs declaration form. These need to be filled in properly, so take

your time with them. If all your papers are in order when you reach customs, things are bound

to go over smoothly. If you're unsure about certain aspects of your ESTA Authorization visa that

you need to fill in, you can go over at www.estausavisa.net for help.

2 Go directly to the customs and immigrations facilities

Stopping along the way too often and generally wasting time after you exit the plane can look

very, very suspicious to airport security officers. This is why you need to follow the signs

carefully and go to the customs and immigration facilities in the airport you landed in

immediately after getting off the plane. Nobody will judge you if you take a short bathroom

break, but be sure you don't take longer than that.

3 Find your lane

Once you reach the customs facilities, you will see two (sometimes three) separate lanes. One

is for US citizens and the other for foreign citizens. Go to the foreign citizens lane and wait for

your documents to be checked. If you're on a connect flight, some larger American airports also

have the connecting passengers lane.

4 Check your documents and claim your luggage

The security office will check and validate your travel documents, including your I-94 form.

After that, you are free to go and claim your luggage from the designated area. Don't worry,

you're almost done.

5 Pass through Customs

Finally, the time has come for you to pass through Customs. If you have nothing to declare,

head to the exit marked with 'Nothing to Declare'. If you do have some goods to declare, go to

the appropriate office, and then you will be free to exit the airport. If you're on a connect flight

to somewhere else, follow the signs to get to the designated area. If you've arrived at your

destination, simply exit the airport. Remember: enjoy your stay, and always have everything in

order when entering or exiting a foreign country.

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