Got an "A" in customs declaration form
 

I got a big "A" on my customs declaration form for marking "no" for bringing any food when I was carrying 2 homemade sandwiches (no meat) for my 2nd flight since they don´t feed you at all.
The customs agent told me I should have marked "yes" and if what I was bringing was illegal (I assume he was referring to any ham/meat) I could get a $300 fine. I was sent to Agriculture screening and let me go but I know they typed something into their computer.

Does that mean that from now on I am going to be thoroughly screened every time I come back? Does anybody know if there are any repercussions?

Thanks.

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

I've had the "A" before and been searched at the secondary counter. It hasn't affected my other transits through immigration/customs in any manner that is apparent to me.

That said, I'd have marked "yes" and explained when asked, not marked "no" and hope they don't notice. No need to lie if you aren't doing anything illegal.

I agree I should have said "yes". I totally forgot about my stupid sandwiches. Lesson learned, from now on even a pack of M&Ms.

Wouldn't worry about the future transits, other than to remember to mark the correct box the next time.

If you got the fine, you probably would need to worry. But in this case, you got off easy.

My initial interpretation of this thread's title was a lot more amusing than its contents. I was ready to get all parental and ask what happened to the "+".

Sounds like an "A" for agricultural inspection -- that's better than some of the other alternatives for having failed to appropriately declare something.

You may get flagged down a bit more in the relative near term for Ag inspections than you otherwise would have (if over-declaring rather than under-declaring/omitting), but what you did is nothing to worry about for the longer term.

I got an "A" at SFO when I declared some almonds and cashews I had brought back from Asia. When I got to the agriculture people, the inspector told me he couldn't figure out why the CBP agent singled me out for further inspection, and that there was no need for it. Hasn't affected me on subsequent flights.

I travel across the Canada / USA border very often, and find the reaction to food is different form customs agent to customs agent. The best time, is when I take the megabus to the BUF airport, and the K9 walks the line and finds everything! As long as your not bringing meat or fruit, you have nothing to worry about. But check yes, and share the whole story to be safe.

I have received an "A" on my customs form when I declared food that they wanted to inspect. I don't think it's a scarlet letter or anything. :D

My experience was that once I went through one Ag inspection, that it happened more frequently after your first. That said, I always bring food home from trips, normally sweets for the office. I got the Ag inspection the first time when I brought home foie gras from France (which I did declare and was admitted). I have now had a couple of inspections when I didn't declare (and didn't have) any questionable products).

We have been sent to Ag when we had no food items declared and other instances, this past Jan, when we have declared food items we are sent on without the detour to Ag. Either CBP doesn't know what they are doing, it was a new agent, or like the TSA, they are trying to keep the terrorists off guard. Go figure. :confused:

This happened to me once after I had visited a dairy farm - Ag wanted to inspect my shoes.

I don't think they care that much about meat. They are more interested in fruits and other produce which might carry fruit flies and similar dangers to US agriculture.
I hope you didn't blow your chance to enroll in Global Entry, which is the best thing since sliced bread.

I got the "A" when I asked them not to stamp my passport in MCO since it is filling up quickly. The guy was convinced I was a drug mule at that point and didn't believe that I only had $20 on me. They searched my bag for drugs and cash, though the secondary agent laughed when I explained why it happened and it was more of a cursory check than anything worrisome.
Had this a couple times; nothing more than a quick glance or question.

Been on a farm outside the USA?
 

Interesting forum. Great discussions.

I'm just wondering... Has anyone has ever checked the yes box when asked on the customs form if they had been on a farm or near livestock?

I've never been to a farm (or been around livestock) in a foreign country, but certainly anything is possible in the future. So I'm just wondering what happens when a person checks this box? I'm just curious.

====

Update: Oh... I see (when I posted my question) that someone replied to an earlier post that the inspectors wanted to inspect their shoes after being on a farm. That's what I was wondering. Thanks.

Yes, I have had them both inspect the bottoms of my shoes and spray them with disinfectant.

I've checked yes to being on a farm many times, often when returning from Central America. Have been on a couple farms on other continents and always indicate so on my declaration.

Normally they mark an "A" on my US Arrivals card. Sometimes they'll ask about what type of farm I was on, sometimes they'll ask about my shoes and if I washed them, but there are other times when all they do is just x-ray my belongings looking for Ag products.

In most cases I end up checking the box because I went horse back riding at a farm. There's been other times where I've taken tours which have involved going onto farms and being around livestock.

My advice - be 100% honest when completing the declaration. Clearing Agriculture is no big deal IME; it's not a hassle like Secondary Customs can be.

Ag often results in a short interview with a couple questions and ends with an x-ray of baggage for agriculture items.

With respect to food items, I typically don't check yes for chocolates, BUT I declare the chocolates & their value on the customs form. Anything edible other than chocolates, I tick yes.

One thing I often bring back from Central America is fried plantain chips -- I mark yes for those; often the officer at the immigration booth will ask what the food item is and then cross out or initial over the yes.

Hope this info helps.

I have never marked yes, even though I have stayed in farmhouse B&B's in france and other countries, and sometimes bring in tinned food without explicitly declaring it. In other countries than the US I usually pay a little more attention, but nobody has ever hassled me anywhere about this subject

The wife and I went to Egypt recently and did the requisite tourist camel ride, so we checked yes on the form regarding livestock contact.

We got the A, got sent to ag, and chatted with a woman for 1-2 minutes. She asked how many times we had traveled overseas in the last year (seemed irrelevant but I answered) and if we were headed to any rural areas in the US (makes sense as a legit question). When we said we were going to suburbia, she lost interest, typed a bit on her computer, sent our bags through her x-ray, and let us go. She asked what was in two liquid bottles she saw in the x-ray of our check luggage, but didn't verify with a physical inspection after we answered perfume.

It probably would have been easier for us if we lied, but it also seemed a topic where CBP might try to trap up tourists who have gone there and answered no. Hopefully it won't cause us any problems in the future.

I had a customs officer once tell me that I didn't need to check the "yes" box for chocolates bought at duty free. On a subsequent trip though, another officer told me to always check "yes" for any food product, no matter what it is or where it came from. I always check "yes" now for anything edible in my bag and let them sort it out.

I been told two different things from two different CBP agents.

1. Mark yes only if you have fresh meat, dairy, fish, fruits, veggies, etc. No need to mark yes for stuff like candies, chips, snacks.

2. Mark yes for everything and have them in one location when asked about it.

I do #2. If you declare it, nothing will happen. Worst is they take it away. No fine... hopefully.

It's best not to get caught in a lie in such circumstances, and your course of action was best. I'm positive that such disclosure usually does not cause any problems in the future.

+1

I've heard the same things, especially when asking if the food question on the GE kiosk pertains to chocolate.. However, I prefer to be safe than sorry, and always declare and food, and answer the other questions truthfully. I'd hate to end up in the back room with a few good cop/bad cop CBP agents!

At one point I always checked yes for chocolates and like you also had a CBP officer tell me that I did not need to check yes for duty free chocolates.

I know others that have been given different answers -- going forward, I'll probably play it safe and just check yes. I typically buy good duty free chocolates when departing Europe. I've never been sent to Ag for chocolates, but even if they did direct me there, my encounters have always been quick and pleasant.

Secondary US Customs Interrogations at DTW on the other hand, anything other than pleasant; really nice facility (NW..now DL terminal), but I've had my absolute worst encounters with CBP there and now avoid it like the plague.

Agriculture secondaries are pretty fast, and there are a lot of good reasons for them if you have been on a farm. People do try and bring all kinds of oddball stuff back - whole salamis, hams, etc. It seems pretty funny, especially on sandwiches, but there are a couple of good reasons.

I had two bananas confiscated in Amsterdam once, so it's not just the US. In fact, in airports in South Florida, there are (or at least used to be) signs up about not transporting backyard citrus north. There are domestic inspection stations into Florida on I-95 and into California on I-80, amongst others. So, keeping the unseen passengers out of areas is important, even though it seems stupid at the time. Ask anyone in the DC area about the recent infestations of stink bugs, or snakehead fish in the Potomac, or kudzu in the south, or zebra mussels in the Great Lakes.

The main problem is that the Blue Form's wording doesn't actually reflect the law. The "Food" thing needs to be changed, and the GE kiosks actually better reflect what needs to be declared than the form does.

They may have just been typing into a computer the fact that they cleared you to go, and perhaps why.

Glad it's not just me that feels this way--I thought I was just being overly sensitive since I am more used to the major costal ports of entry (JFK, SFO, LAX).

In my MR days I once received the "A" with only a backpack but no food and "no" on the form. I was told by the "A" section guy that they had to screen a quota of pax and people with backpacks are easy. There's no limit to human ingenuity.

I got the A at LAX TBIT the last time, returrning on SQ SIN-NRT-LAX, only having visited Singapore and Japan. I marked yes to food on my form and wrote in "chocolates only" as I usually do. After first standing in line almost an hour for the exit, they sent me to the ag X-ray line, which was almost another hour.

Then the woman official there got upset with me because I said something when some guy not in any sort of a uniform started to grab my belongings after they had been cleared. She tried to insist that I apologize to him and I said that when I see some stranger who doesn't look like an official try to touch my stuff at, for example, an airport security station, I certainly will say something.

Not fun at all. Fortunately I didn't pick a tight connection.