for those who travel international with your ipad

[henry2]

ok here is my question for you guys and girls who travel international with a ipad ..

now when going into and out the countrys in europe ..how did you list your ipad on the custom forms or did even do that intill the return flight home and how much inport tax did you have to pay to bring the ipad into the country ..

the last time i was out of the country in was in 2002 and it was over to ireland for a funeral and it was a quick trip there and back with no electronics on me at the time ..

part of my plan is go from rome to berlin germany on the train to see friends and family then over to paris to take the chunnel into london stay a few days seeing friends i have there ..then takeing a flight over to dublin then take the train down to see the family down there ..

then come back through dublin to the states in about a three week trip ..

 

[iPadCharlie]

The last time I traveled through Europe was 2 years ago so obviously I can't answer about the iPad specifically, but...

I did travel with an iPod Touch (and so did my wife) as well as a Nikon DSLR camera and a digital voice recorder and we never listed any of our personal electronics on any forms. We put our iPods in the camera bag and went through the airport checkpoints in Frankfurt, Zurich and Kiev (as well as the St. Louis, Chicago O'Hare and Washington Reagan airports) with no issues at all. No one asked us to open the camera bag, turn on any electronic device or show a sales receipt. We also drove through Switzerland, France, Germany, Liechtenstein and Austria with no issues whatsoever.

Honestly, they seemed more concerned about our plastic bag with our little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, skin creams, etc.

We also used one of those goofy personal air ionizers that theoretically emits healthy negative ions to force away allergans and pollutants. ([ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G2BEUC/ref=oss_product[/ame]) We both wore them going over, but during the time we were there, I forgot to shut mine off and the battery was dead for the return flight. (It comes with a rechargeable battery and battery charger so it was my own damn fault for not checking!) The bottom line was that my wife came back perfectly healthy and I had one heck of a cold for almost 2 weeks after coming back. Do those air ionizers work? You decide!

Happy travels!

 

[henry2]

when i came back in 2002 ..we got our us custom forms on the flight back to the states about three hours out to fill out when comeing back ..

did you fly first or business class ..i thinking about upgradeing to first class when i fly ..

thanks for the info about the little units ..

 

[iPadCharlie]

We just flew coach class. Basically all customs is concerned about is declaring items you purchased while out of the country. If you already owned it before your trip, why would they care?

And you still get the customs forms a couple hours before landing. That much hasn't changed. Here is a link to the current form: Sample Customs Declaration Form - CBP.gov

Flying first class is a hoot if you can afford it. The personal service is outstanding to say nothing of the comfort. Yes, it will cost you a lot more money, but you won't get there any sooner than us poor slobs who could only afford coach seating!

 

[henry2]

with my back and knee problems i allways fly business class on longer trips for the comfort level .. for short trips less than a hour i will fly coach

 

[Tenroe]

I just came back from America where I purchased my iPad as it was cheaper than here in the UK and didn't even think about listing it on the customs forms. No one asked about and even if they had there would have Ben no way to prove when I had or hadn't purchased it or if it had been a gift or not.

I don't think it really matters to be honest. Aslong as your not importing thousands of dollars/pounds of stuff you shouldn't bother filling in items like electronics.

 

[NumbLock]

I travel A LOT for business. In fact, I'm in China at the moment. There are exceptions on customs for personal electronics. I never claim my iPad and laptop.

Oh, and don't worry about the voltage either. Apple iPad/iPhone/iPod chargers are all multi voltage. You may have to think about a tiny adapter though.

 

[henry2]

in some countrys there is this big deal about takeing personal electronics into a country like Israel where they charge you a inport tax on any electronic devices that you bring into the country if i read the what the person was saying on the mac forum about traveling in and out of Israel ..since most europe countrys can be a little stange about what is and what is not a personal electronic device at times when it comes to the socalled VAT taxs etc etc ....

 

[henry2]

for some reason why iam the guy who get the whole treatment by the custom people when i come into and out of countrys that iam in ..it just my looks or i got mess with me stamped in ink only a custom officer can see and i allways get the one who is not the happy camper about work that day ..

when i went into Canada a couple of weeks ago it was like i know your not happy with the work you do but bud do not take it out on me ..my rental car and everything i had in the car was gone through at the checkpoint that morning for my little drive into Canada for seeing a person about maybe comeing to work up there in his company ..it was like bud take it easly when comeing back into the states i got the extras steps when they looked over the car when i bought it back ..

all i had in the car was a overnight suitcase and my ipad tavel bag that was it and i guess the guy was haveing a bad day for i got the whole let see what in the car by the guy ..my friend was in the car with me for he was getting a ride to the airport with me when i came back into the states and he asked me what is with me and a custom people after we got through the checkpoint and on our way ..i told him i have no idea for i was nice and had my drivers lics and passport i.d.card out where the person could get them without any problems if they need to .

it was like dude chill out and get out of the work of beening a border partol agent ..

 

[jaybrass73]

Have travelled to US, Far East and Europe over the last few months, never had to declare any of my electronics that are with me (laptop, camera, iPhone) on a form of any description. If you are taking the iPad with you then it's personal belongings, I guess the issue arises if you buy it in a different country then customs may be interested? Haven't travelled with the iPad yet but have New York & Australia over the next few months so we'll see........

 

[iPadCharlie]

for some reason why iam the guy who get the whole treatment by the custom people when i come into and out of countrys that iam in...

Not true! As I said above, the last time I traveled through many of the Alpine countries, I breezed through with no issues. Maybe I was lucky or maybe because my last name is Schultz and I looked like I belonged there. So where did I have the toughest time going through security? Frankfurt! Maybe it was because I had just gotten off a non-stop from Chicago to Frankfurt and then had to wait about 3 hours for my connection to Kiev, but I nearly had to undergo a full body cavity search in Germany and I just wasn't in the mood for that on that particular day!

Flying in and out of Kiev was a breeze maybe because I actually am 100% Ukrainian and really do look like I belong there!