Majuki

On top of the X on the receipt it will say REPORT TO PASSPORT CONTROL. Bypassing this step could cost you your membership to GE.

drewguy

Might there be two different messages, one for passport "failure", one for customs "failure"?

If the X is because you are above the duty-free limits, wouldn't it make sense to deal with customs? If the X is because your fingerprints didn't scan or there was some sort of passport issue (or random check), then going to passport control would make sense.

Ari

CBP officers at primary ("passport control") have a computer in front them and can quickly determine the cause of the X and clear it on the spot when possible. The officer at primary can also write on the ticket which secondary you need to be directed to at the exit.

Declared items can be 'cleared' by any CBP officer who has the requisite knowledge; duty (below a certain amount) on declared items can be waived by any CBP officer taking a declaration. Why burden the officer at the exit-- and there is sometimes a long line at the exit-- with something like this that can quickly be resolved at primary? Non-GE passengers making mundane declarations in which CBP has little interest are sometimes dealt with at primary.

edweird

I've developed habit of holding my passport open to the picture page, with the kiosk receipt visible and not covering the picture. As I approach either the Immigration or Customs folks I will make eye contact and make sure they hear me state "Global Entry". Often their body reaction will indicate whether they are waving me on, or would like me to stop.

If in doubt, I will stop. Obviously for Customs they need to grab the receipt.

JDiver

That's indeed the way to go. If it's between the liter allowed and the 3.8 liters / gallon or 4 liters they will often let the duty pass.

N1120A

Exactly. Most of the time, they will thank you for being so honest, because GE secondaries for customs are exceedingly rare (and the only time I got one is when they decided to harass something like half my flight from PTY on a dragnet).

Yeah, but its quick. They often seem bothered.

Yeah, this is the common thing that happens. I truly think they are happy that GE people declare at all, because of the trust involved.

That's why I don't get why the land border people aren't nicer to NEXUS holders.

wilp888

This is a much needed improvement. A few years back, I received an X at ORD coming back from FRA and when I went to the CBP officer, he asked me why I got the X. He asked me if I answered yes to the currency question, food question, etc. I told him there was some sort of message when I did the fingerprint scan but by the time I noticed it, the next screen came up. He stamped my receipt so, back then, they had no way of telling why you got the X.

19103_aa

I have 1L of alcohol
I have two boxes of store-bought shortbread (sealed)
and I have a cheap set of whisky glasses.

I am global entry. As I recall, the questions asked are slightly different on the GE screen than on the paper form. In this case, I don't have goods that exceed the duty, so I answer no to the question about declaration and shouldn't in theory get an X, correct?

14940674

The question asks if you are in excess of your allowable exemption. If you answer no to that question and all of the other questions, you almost certainly won't receive an X.

19103_aa

thanks. As postscript, the questions are indeed more specific on the kiosk and for etoh, it's about exceeding the allowed, so no problems. I did find another helpful answer in the thread, "Global Entry, is it worth it?" Post #809. This is definitely a time saver.

joshwex90

If you're over your allowance, why wouldn't you have to pay duty?

ddrum2000

Because some CPB officials don't care as long as you have small amounts. Fro example, I went to Italy last summer and I brought back 8 or 10 bottles of wine, It was over the limit so I declared it and the CBP official didn't make me pay any extra but thanked me for doing the right thing and listing it.

exerda

This. It's probably also enough of a hassle that they don't want to waste the time for the amount of duty to be collected. I think the typical duty + excise tax on the excess would come to less than $10 for even several bottles over the allowance, and writing up and accepting payment would be a pain for what they get.

I have always declared items over the limit, and have yet (fingers crossed) been asked to pay duty. Maybe if I had several cases it would be different, but being a few bottles over, the agents don't seem to want to bother with collecting.

ddrum2000

That was exactly my understanding

ESpen36

Yes. CBP is primarily concerned with collecting duty on large quantities of items that might be intended for commercial use or resale inside the USA, or extremely high-value goods (Rolex watches, some high-end electronics, etc) that would have yielded some healthy taxes if bought locally inside the USA.

It also is worth noting that CBP is required to enforce not only federal laws, but also state ABC (alcohol beverage control) laws at the location of the port of entry. If the state law is more restrictive than the corresponding federal law (such as how much alcohol you can transport into a certain state), then the state law takes precedence. You might have to forfeit large quantities of alcohol, depending on which port of entry you use. Some states prohibit any importation of alcohol because they are beverage-control states. Or, the officers could decide that it is too much to be considered "personal use" and require you to obtain an import license through the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) before releasing the alcohol to you.

More details here: CBP.gov