kale73

I've never flown in to Mexico, but crossing the border as a pedestrian (in the 1990s at Juarez) and in a private vehicle (within the past week at Nogales) I have yet to be questioned, asked for ID, or even stopped by Mexican border officials.

Returning to the US is, of course, a different story. Not too onerous: show the passport, answer a couple of questions, CBP officer looks inside vehicle, and on my way.

A couple of summers ago I returned to the U.S. from Europe through BOS. LH flight arrived in mid-afternoon and my next flight wasn't until the following morning. I was "randomly selected" for "additional screening". It wasn't a busy time of day and I was in no hurry - really happy to be back home after four months in Italy. I brought my bags over to the inspection table and asked the officer how the Red Sox were doing. We chatted about pitches and runs for about a minute before he remembered that he had to search my bags. No problem. He partially unzipped one of my bags - peeked inside - then closed it and said "You're good to go."

mre5765

Note that three of top ten are countries of the Anglosphere. Australia (IME) and New Zealand (based on second hand experiences) join USA, Canada, and the UK, as the worst.

As a Canadian citizen, I've had the odd questions about what I intend to do in Canada and how long I am staying, but the real problem in Canada is that during the summer CBSA hires teenagers who are pretty clueless. Always try to approach the booth staffed by the old gray head who is reading a paperback. He has seen it all, heard it all.

Never have had a hassle entering Mexico by foot, plane, or ship.

South Korea passport control is a breeze. South Korea airport security is quirky, but once you go through it once, and know what to expect, it is fine.

China, Singapore, Schengen, Japan Sri Lanka are easy. India is easy for non Indians. Indians appear to be questioned longer at entry and even longer at exit.

gojirasan

I've also had problems at the Canadian border including being detained for 3-4 hours. I actually asked them if I could just withdraw my request to enter their country and they said no. This was to enter Quebec through a land border traveling by car. In my case, when I was detained, my circumstances were rather suspicious. So it was kind of understandable. Well except for the part about holding me against my will.

However I do think the US is by far the worst of all of the 40+ European, Asian, and Latin American countries I have traveled to. Although those Quebecois Immigration people behaved badly I don't think they were quite the same kind of creature you find working on the US side and I say this as a US citizen.

I've seen how foreigners are treated. Basically in a way that is indistinguishable from animals. I actually think a stray dog trying to cross over a land border would be treated with more respect and compassion. I cannot imagine what we have in the US that is worth being treated like that. I guess there may be a few unique places in the southwest of the country that might be worth that to some people. It wouldn't be worth it to me.

I would imagine the fact that anyone would actually be willing to be treated like that would make US immigration even more suspicious of them. Maybe that's their ploy: Make the whole process so unpleasant that anyone who requests entry for the purpose of mere tourism after having heard about what goes on or upon returning for a second time surely must have ulterior motives.

mre5765

I am guessing from your FT handle that you were driving while "coloured".

AlreadyThere

Or were threatening to stomp all over Tokyo.

mre5765

Until your post I was only familiar with Godzilla.

I was reading his handle as "Goji Rasan" which looked vaguely Desi to me.

gojirasan

Actually I'm not even of Asian descent. I just kind of identify with the late great Gojira. I suppose it could be a bit confusing without a dash or space. Gojira-san would just 'translate' to something like Mr. Godzilla. Because without the san it would be just be a bit too informal. Not as bad as Gojira-kun though.

As far as what happened at the Canadian border I was given bad advice and was a bit too obvious about my plans for an extended stay across the border. I figured the worst they could do was just turn me away. Instead they held me prisoner for a few hours and then turned me away and made it very difficult for me to ever return.

I actually hadn't been planning anything truly illegal. I just wanted a bit of expat time in Montreal and was planning to do visa runs every so often to keep things legit. This was before 9/11 of course. After that visa runs back to the US would have been too difficult.

Leviticus

I am most surprised by South Korea being in the list, the few times I have been there I have never been asked any questions or even glanced at.

WilcoRoger

+1

But it depends on your method of entry. On board a Northerner mini-submarine could be a different experience than at ICN

More seriously, I have seen convoys moving across the DMZ at Kaeson, but have no idea how the entry formalities are handled on the Southern end.

:D!

What should I expect? Will be transiting ICN soon.


My story about South Korea passport control: when I was about 10, my parents and I walked up to the desk, and then the agent pointed at me and my dad and shouted something. My mum then went through by herself, then my dad went through, and I had to stand alone behind the yellow line or whatever with a scary man (passenger, not security type) breathing down my back while my parents got shouted at to move on (and not wait for me).


At least Australia, the UK (and NZ)? don't question their own citizens...

I find Schengen to be easy if you have the right passport IME. Race/colour doesn't matter, except anecdotally at WAW.

LETTERBOY

If that's your method of entry, you'd be lucky to survive the entry process.

mre5765

If going through security (I don't know if there are any connections that require going through security):

- shoes off, and then wear the sandals they supply
- if your laptop has a removable battery, you will be required to remove it before sending the laptop through the X-ray.

Otherwise it is much like a Europe transit.

GUWonder

There is at least one country that sentences immigration "violators" to being caned -- and it rips the flesh on the backside quite extensively with lifetime scars visible. It is a US VWP country that has a very hypocritical, despotic ruling family whose previous next in the line to the throne would camp out at the Park Hyatt in Paris.

AlreadyThere

I thought he hung out at the Plaza Athenee (assuming I've got the right country. I was never caned there, but that could be a somewhat stressful border experience...)

mbstone

You do realize this includes the US?