Passports, customs & immigration hints & tips

[blott]

PASSPORTS & VISAS

Most UK citizens will be allowed to enter the USA on the Visa Waiver Scheme - this allows you to stay for up to three months as a visitor. But please check with the American Embassy whether you need to apply for a visa if you hold any other type of passport.

Their website is located at: www.us-immigration.org/visa_index.htm

If you do need a visa, you will need to apply for this in good time before your departure.

It is important that your passport has six months to run AFTER your return date - if yours has less than this, you should apply for a new passport in good time for your departure from UK.

If you are eligible for the Visa Waiver Scheme, you will be given a green Visa Waiver Form on the aircraft to fill in for Immigration.

IMMIGRATION

If you are on a direct flight from UK, after leaving your plane, you will first arrive at Immigration.

There are sometimes quite long queues here, depending on the number of staff working and how many planes have arrived. Make sure that your family/party keep together as the Immigration officials like to see you all at the same time.

If you change planes within the US, you will pass through Immigration & Customs at your stopover airport. This involves a similar system in most US airports.

When you arrive at Orlando International Airport, you do not need to clear Customs again.

US CUSTOMS

You will collect your luggage from the baggage carousel - these baggage reclaim turntables are much the same as at other airports

There are free luggage trolleys (similar to those in some supermarkets) at Orlando International Airport. You take your luggage with you and pass through US Customs.

During your flight from the UK, you will be asked to fill in a white customs declaration form for US Customs.

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED to take into the USA ANY food items (even chocolate bars!) or plants and you will be signing the declaration form to confirm that you do not have these items with your family/party.

You also confirm by signing the form that you are not importing more than $10,000 into the USA. If you wish to import more than this amount, you need to make a declaration to the Customs Officer

Some surprising types of medication (sleeping pills, anti-depressants, to name two) need to be declared at US Customs.

Please check out www.customs.ustreas.gov

OR

www.customs/ustreas.gov/travel/travel.htm

to see if your medication is on the list and for other US Customas restrictions.



Blott

[esprit]

Never take the mick out of the daft questions they ask you on the back of the visa waiver form, like are you guilty of genocide or moral terpitude. A teenage friend of my daughters once did, thinking that they did not merit a proper answer. Immigration DID NOT see the joke.

Julie Carty

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Just re-reading this old thread and thought it a pity that Samantha Marson, (the UK student arrested and charged for making false allegations that she was carrying explosives) had not read our forums before she travelled back from Miami last month.

Sarah

[chrisj]

Must admit I always worry that Sam or Emily might just blurt out something stupid
and then all hell lets loose

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I know what you mean Chris - Isaac is always fascinated by the guns they all have at the airports and I am sure he'll say something inappropriate one of these days [msnwink]

[chrisj]

mind you to be fair they are always very good with young children

Sarah

Has Jonh told you about the BIG party we have organised :):)

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Hi Chris

Immigration always seem to quiz our children, I'm not sure if this is to determine if they are actually our children. Should't be too hard to check as they are both replicas of their father!


Sarah

PS Just how BIIIIIG is BIG[?]

[msnscared]

Sarah

[chrisj]

Must admit last year the chap at customs asked Sam how old he was and he said

'My dad said I musnt talk to strangers, and your a stranger'

He did laugh and said we were right in teaching him that and let us through

BIG is like erm Huge as in HUGE, but we will tidy up after :):)

[NigelM]

The Green and white forms always get left to me to fill in on the plane!!

Does anyone know if it is possible to get them in advance so that I can fill them in in comfort at home before we leave?

This wouldn'arf be helpful. The little table trays are not ideal and i always get interrupted and bodge the forms. Anyone else feel the same way?

Nigel M

[NigelM]

Sky Captains and Alamo

We always seem to get Alamo as our rental firm. This year I think they are on site. With a family of five with associated suitcases and hand luggage will it be possible to get a trolley after we clear customs up to the hire car?

Cheers

NigelM

[chrisj]

I dont think you can get the forms earlier, others may know for sure

With virgin twilight checkin you get the forms the night before which
means you can fill them in before you get on the plane

As for trolley,s afraid i dont rememebr seeing any, but im sure they are
there. Alamo and all the rental companies are opposite in the car park
at ground level

[blott]

Yes, there are trollies available free in the baggage claim area after Immigration but before Customs. At Orlando International you hand your luggage back in before you go on the monorail train and go to the second baggage claim area for your luggage.

The trollies in the second baggage claim area are machine pay so you need some single dollar notes (I think they're $3 or $4 each) and you put them back into the trolley stand after you've loaded your car.

You can get sky caps too, of course, in the second baggage claim area (make sure you grab one quickly as they're are usually not enough to go around!) who will collect your luggage from the carousel, stack it onto their trolley, take you down to the car rental reception desks and then to car collection where they will load your car for you. You normally need to tip sky caps around $2 or more per suitcase - remember, you might meet them on your return!