sorry for the OT post but am frustrated to look for the information in
the CBP website and i even called their number but got nothing for
almost 8 minutes, just a recording.
i'll be bringing in 2 cisco switches to one wilshire in LA to install
those switches there. since these are small switches, 3750's, i'll be
carrying them on the check-in luggage. I would like to get some
information if i could be in trouble in any way with regards to
Customs there in the US, i'll be coming from the Philippines by the
way.
insights, off list would be greatly appreciated. tnx!
If you put metal devices in your checked baggage you should be prepared for them to be noticed in routine x-rays as the baggage is processed. I've found notes from TSA inside my checked bags before confirming that someone had opened and searched my luggage, most recently between the US and Canada. There was a Juniper SSG5 in there (which I had declared) which I presumed caused the bag to be flagged.
Last time I checked, there was no simple box to check on customs paperwork for "we still own these switches, but we want to keep them in the US rather than at home". It might well be that they need to be processed as if you are importing them, in which case commercial invoices confirming their value and other documentation confirming their origin might well be required, and you might have to pay import duty.
If you want to avoid any unpleasant questions at the border, then the right thing to do is probably to find out what supporting paperwork is required to support the import of the switches into the US, bring that paperwork with you, and declare the switches at customs.
Alternatively ship the switches separately, and let FedEx or similar deal with the border. You can then make the border crossing carrying nothing but clothes and a laptop, which ought to be uncomplicated.
More alternatively, since c3750s are not particularly exotic or expensive, look at buying some from a cisco reseller or used network equipment vendor within the US and have them shipped directly to 1 Wilshire. The switches you have in the Philippines could be used for something else.
Note I am not a lawyer, this e-mail contains forward-looking statements, contents may have settled in transit, etc.
if the equipment is going to return back its country of origin within 12
months, a carnet could be used. however, if the equipment is going to
be permanently relocated to the US, I suspect standard customs import
procedures would need to be followed.
You should only have to declare them at the border and pay the import
duty (tax) _right there_. They take credit cards. Declare them on
customs form I-74? handed out on the plane before you land.
If you try and walk or bag them through without declaring them, you
could be asking for serious problems.
Don't even think about bringing the gear with you. Ship it ahead by
FedEx or UPS and avoid being imprisoned by the border gestapo.
Seriously, call a shipping broker and let them deal with it. They do
this all the time, and it's worth ten times what you pay to avoid all
the hassles with customs.
Neither are the customs guys - experience tells me that if they have any doubt, they'll seize the equipment. They'll want to see an invoice for the original purchase of the equipment, and if it was more than $2000 (I think) it needs to be processed correctly.
Anything coming into the country is an import, even if you don't plan to sell it. If customs seize the equipment, they'll be nice enough about it, but allow for a week to resolve the problem with a broker system that seems to prefer faxes and hand-written forms.
Cisco provide a tool for determining the correct tariff codes for pieces of their equipment and the components therein;
"Country of Origin" doesn't work so well for Cisco equipment, as most of it is made outside of the US.
"Machines for the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data, including switching and routing apparatus" have a zero tariff for import into the US, unless they were manufactured in North Korea or Cuba.
You should only have to declare them at the border and pay the import
duty (tax) _right there_. They take credit cards. Declare them on
customs form I-74? handed out on the plane before you land.
Notify One Willshire that the equipment is coming, and use an international courier to send it there.
The courier will likely charge you less than a customs broker will for a single item - the brokers are mainly used for large transactions. While you're legally entitled to bring this equipment in carry-on luggage, proving and authenticating your right can be a costly and timely exercise.
I've brought WINE back into the US as checked luggage from wine tasting
trips abroad, but I had printed out all the applicable regulations,
declared it, and had a cashier's check ready for the tariff, and I STILL
had to deal with a supervisor.
The guy at the airport is harried, and anything that takes longer than
about 5 minutes for him to grok puts you in the very long queue. If you
can avoid it, at any reasonable cost, do so.
You CAN'T do that with wine, as it has to be for personal consumption
and traveling with you, but for anything that you can, it's just worth
doing.
The courier will likely charge you less than a customs broker will for
a single item - the brokers are mainly used for large transactions.
While you're legally entitled to bring this equipment in carry-on
luggage, proving and authenticating your right can be a costly and
timely exercise.
Jumping on the back of this thread, does anyone have any recommendations for suppliers of Cisco kit in the states? I don't fancy dealing with customs & international shipping.
Jumping on the back of this thread, does anyone have any recommendations
for suppliers of Cisco kit in the states? I don't fancy dealing with customs &
international shipping.
Thanks to the significant number of individuals who have replied.
Once I've got the kit shipped to NY, I am going to need some smart hands work to kit out and perform some basic config. Does anyone have any recommendations for companies that do this?
The other problem is that an import implies a change of ownership
from an overseas company to a US company. Setting up a US holding
company to "own" your "imported" US assets is a major pain and
best avoided where possible. Especially as that company may be
a a "foreign telecommunications carrier" and the US has rather
wonderful laws covering those.
I've done a lot of Australia-US import/export, and I'd very much
suggest building a good relationship with a customs broker. That's
hardly an expense you want for two switches, so buying the switches
in the US (where they come with a valid warranty and correct power
leads) is a good idea.
I wouldn't recommend importing the switches through your luggage.
The few times I've tried that arranging all of the documentation
prior to travel has really sucked. As a trivial example of what can
go wrong, if you unknowingly choose an airport where customs works
9am-5pm and your flight arrives at 2am, then you've got a rather
long wait in the walkway between Immigration and Customs. So long
a wait that you're likely to encounter some other difficulty from
the airport authorities.
I wouldn't recommend importing the switches through your luggage.
The few times I've tried that arranging all of the documentation
prior to travel has really sucked.
YMMV - I had no problems arranging the documentation.
As a trivial example of what can
go wrong, if you unknowingly choose an airport where customs works
9am-5pm and your flight arrives at 2am, then you've got a rather
long wait in the walkway between Immigration and Customs. So long
a wait that you're likely to encounter some other difficulty from
the airport authorities.
FUD. I have never encountered an International Airport where Immigration & Customs Enforcement was closed during the hours that International flights arrived. Everyone who arrives on an International flight (there may be some exceptions for flights to/from Canada and Mexico because of NAFTA) MUST go thru ICE after they get off the flight. The whole flight would be held up if ICE were not open.
The main thing that "can go wrong" is you don't have the right paperwork for your switches and have to pay more customs duty than you would if you had the proper paperwork. Otherwise it's no different than carrying more than 1 laptop, or expensive camera gear, or jewelry, or any other expensive item with you thru an International airport when you travel.