dddc

Australian customs might not, but UK customs have. Well, to me at least. Last time I came back from Oz, I was stopped twice by customs officials. The first time I'd just picked up my bag and was walking to towards the exit when I was stopped and asked where I had come from. I said Australia and he let me go. Twenty meters on, as I was turning into the nothing to declare lane I merged with an group of three adults and we were all stopped and asked to go to the table. I said I'd been stopped up the hall and released but she said doesn't matter and to go the table. She then asked where I'd flown from and I said Oz and she said I can go. The others not so lucky.

To the OP. I'd stop fretting. Arriving at any international airport will be variable depending on a number of factors. I've made it out of Heathrow in 18 minutes from the plane door to exit once, and that's collecting bags. Another time it was closer to 2 hours. Similarly in SYD and BNE, my usual arrival ports into Oz I've had speedy exits and slow exits. There's no sure fire way of not being stopped or slowed down. As long as your visa docs are in order (meaning you should have passed the good character tests), you're not carrying anything not allowed (food, drugs, contrand material) you should be fine. If you start acting nervously or suspiciously, then you are likely to give both the customs and immigration officials cause to start looking at you in more detail. The most that should entail is checking your bags and a body search. If you continue to act suspiciously, (and that can mean a number of different emotions to them) then they may decide to do an internal exam and/or x-ray. But they don't do those just for fun!! They'd have to have strong suspicions for whatever reason.

Calm down. Enjoy your holiday!

ft101

I didn't mean to give an impression of anxiety, just interested in what to expect to allow planning for my first day.

For what it's worth, I would expect them to profile incoming passengers, whether that be through origin of travel, origin of individual, length of stay, length of hair etc. but if we go down that route the thread will end up in Omni, so let's not.

:D!

So, nothing to do with your citizenship then.

dddc

Which one? I have 3.

I think in this case it was more to do with the fact that they were targeting people that had come from a particular flight.

dddc

Depending on what time you land at Sydney, your biggest issue will be how long you have to wait for your bag more than anything else I'd say!

But if they are filming Border Force, then expect them to select people that the producers think are photogenic enough to appear on the show, or at least behind a pixelated cloud!

:D!

None of them.

You said "Australian customs might not [care about one's citizenship(s)], but UK customs have [cared about one's citizenship(s)], but that is not what you meant to say.

FlyerTalker688786

When I had my passport from my origin country (Asia), I was stopped at Australian Customs every single time with half of the time thorough search (open bag after X-ray style search). Since I had switched to my European passport, I have never be directed to custom channel at all, in fact, I have been went through without any checks except once was asked 2 simple questions by a custom officer while waiting for the luggage.

Then, in Sydney Airport where the explosive check point (domestic terminal and international to domestic check), I was topped 9 out 10 times to do the explosive checks.

I don't want to say Australians target particular passport holders, but my personal experience suggests otherwise.

:D!

You don't show your passport at security (especially in the domestic terminal), so how on earth would they know to target you?

As for customs, you don't show your passport either, although you do need to fill in your nationality on the form.

If we are resorting to anecdotes then my dad used to have a thick and long beard, and he was frequently targeted, but after he shaved it off he has not been targeted.

FlyerTalker688786

Hello, the colour of your skin!!! Ding Ding Ding!

Are you sure you don't need to show your passport? As far as I remember, the first thing the Australian custom officer want when doing a search is your custom form and passport. I have not been checked last few years as I normally walk through with my European passport in Australia. But the recent experience in New Zealand certainly indicates New Zealand custom wants both passport and custom form.

Plus, most passengers keep passport together with custom forms as a habit.

:D!

Errr.... Your whole post was about how you were targeted on your Asian passport, but after you became a citizen of a European country you stopped being targeted. I assume your skin is the same colour as before.

I said Australian customs doesn't care about your citizenship. They may or may not racially profile, but if they see someone who looks like you or me, they won't be able to tell what passport we hold unless they see the passport or read the orange form.

In my family there are Australian, American, British, Canadian, German, Malaysian, Singaporean and Peruvian passport holders, but our skin is all the same colour.


I dunno. I have only entered Australia as an Australian and I (or in the past my parents) always put the passports away after immigration. At customs they only ask me for the orange form. Even when everyone got checked before 2009 they only wanted to see the form (as I said, you write your nationality on it anyway).

At AKL I put my passport away after immigration too. At the biosecurity desk they only ask for the form, last time I was sent to x-ray but didn't need to get passport out.

Yes you are right that passengers like to keep their passport with the customs form.

When departing LHR, once you have a BP, you don't need your passport until boarding (could be 3 hours after entering airside) but everyone except me seems to love waving their passport around in the lounge.

FlyerTalker688786

No no what I was trying to say is that explosive check in SYD domestic is another issue. Sorry if I make you believe the explosive substance check is about passport. That was not my intention.


You may need to check your memory in AKL again. It is a requirement for New Zealand customs to check both passport to confirm who you are and your custom form for any declaration. Spot check on your passport entries to see if you had been to countries on the watch list to determine whether a secondary check is needed. After you are directed to the X-ray machine from the check point (where the held up is), passport is no longer needed but you need to surrender your custom form by the X-ray machine. Australian passport may make a difference, but from my experiences in last three years to AKL, passport is always needed after you have picked up your luggage at the check point before the X-ray machine.

CPMaverick

The AU domestic explosives check people just take the very next person to arrive after they are ready for another check. That's how it works every time I've flown. I can usually tell when my timing is going to be 'wrong' and have never been let by when it is my turn (I'm white). There's no bias there, you just got unlucky (or you dawdled around a long time after getting your stuff).