Ber2dca

I have always put down an address but I have seen people in front of me chewed out about it, to the extent that they wouldn't let the guy go through until he had found the address of his hotel among his travelling papers.

Immigration is such a lottery that you feel like you should always have thought of everything and have all documentation possibly requested neatly lined up because the moment you drop your guard after a few hassle-free experiences you'll run into one of those CBP guys who want to make your life difficult for you.

tkey75

I've had that, too. Apparently, they really want you to live somewhere.

nrr

Before I was in the Global Entry program (now, over 5 years ago), when I arrived at JFK T8 (AA), I listed my MAILING address (which matches the address on my Drivers License), which is a PO Box. Most CBP agents didn't seem to care--except one (I got in his lane more than once), after my first encounter with him, I listed my physical address after that.
[When one applies for GE, they want your mailing address and real address, if they are different. At my GE interview, they saw my PO Box on my DL, but did NOT ask for any documents linking me to my real address.]

CKDGM

So it is; I must have misremembered the result from a long-ago ZIP lookup. (The movie doesn't mention it.) Thanks for the correction!

Boraxo

When traveling outside USA I simply use my first hotel or office address. How hard is that?

FlyIgglesFly

I'm a citizen of the United States with the right to move about and reside wherever I please. How hard is that?

Any information I give them can, and will, be used against me in the event that the government deems it prudent. I currently split time between two addresses. Which one do I put and not fear that, at some point, I may be told, "no, you were wrong, your actual address according to our interpretation is XXXX and your providing your other address is deemd to be providing false information to a government agent. Enjoy your folony conviction, or having your case tossed out of court after you expend a large sum of money on legal fees."

Boraxo

I think OP was not a US citizen and I gather CBP has a right to ask non-citizens as they want to track for whatever reason though obviously not like the Soviet era.

I was originally going to add that as a US citizen I would tell them to ***** if they ever pointed out that my passport does not include the optional address info. However I use GE now so it's not an issue for me

In general I find the whole passport requirement pointless - if you are a citizen then you should be entitled to enter the USA if CBP can verify your identity and citizenship. It comes into play frequently when people lose their passports and have to wait for a new one just to board a plane back. But that's another debate for another thread.

alphaod

Wait, I can have my PO Box on my driver's license? What state issue's your DL?

Anyways before I had GE, I basically made up an address on the form. Never was bothered about it. Now I can avoid all questions.

cbn42

The right to move about and reside where you please and the requirement to provide an address are not mutually exclusive.

You sure have a wild imagination.

DanishFlyer

Well, when I travel to the US it is for vacation and sometimes I stay with friends, in which case giving the address is easy. But if I'm doing a roadtrip Idon't book hotel in advance as I never know how tired I am from the flight etc.

So in that case: pretty hard!

DanishFlyer

FlyIgglesFly

I do, especially after too many cups of coffee in the morning. I think it's more that, at this point, I expect over the top absurdity such as that if one pushes back even a little bit.

Boraxo

Your fact pattern is unique and atypical. Let's think about this for a minute. If you are landing in the USA, you are going to rent a car, drive all day, and then pick a hotel? I would wager that scenario is unlikely for 99.9% of visitors. For the few (including yourself) that do you can simply tell the truth and ask how they want you to complete it. That is why they have CBP officers and not just machines. No need to be insulted.

I find the whole discussion to be much hullabaloo about nothing especially given what is going on at the NSA which is violating privacy of millions in ways that are not easily avoided.

If you don't want the CBP to know where you are staying you can move after the first night. @:-)

Virtually every country I've visited wants to know where I am staying when I first enter the country. It doesn't bother me.

sfosuw

Actually the reason of obtaining an address is to track down passengers who might have been infected in case there's a confirmed case of contagious disease (MERS, SARS, swine flu, avian flu, etc.) on the plane/ship. This is a CDC requirement for international arrival passengers and CBP is the agency obtaining this information on CDC's behalf.

As a law-abiding citizen, I personally don't see any problem of providing an address. In fact, I would like to be among the first to be contacted if they do find out that I might have been at risk of being exposed to a contagious disease so I can seek medical help immediately and not get my family sick.

Of course criminals, terrorists, smugglers or illegal aliens might think differently....

FlyIgglesFly

Now that does make sense, but in that case why do all countries not do this? Why, when entering many airports in the EU, can I simply use the facial recognition scan, fill out no forms, and enter with my Irish passport? I hesitate to think it's because the US is that much more advanced than EU countries.

Kagehitokiri

heh - assessed value of $995mm
($31mm for improvements/buildings)