It's not showing the Passport where I think ORD is whacky - it is in demanding to see the GE sticker - that proves nothing. Not identity nor right to use GE, that the receipt doesn't prove.

Yeah..., showing the sticker is quite meaningless. As habit, I always hand my passport with the receipt. No big deal....

--J

Going with an interview
 

Hi, what would happen if I go in for an interview without an appointment? Will I just be denied and sent home? On the other hand I have a flight next week out of ORD and would try to see if they can squeeze me in while I am already in the airport? Anyone with experience in this and what happened? Thanks

I would highly recommend making an appointment, and at the very least, if you get there really early you may be able to get in and out earlier. I've heard of bad luck on just trying to do a walk-in appointment, but as always YMMV.

Unfortunately, this is a weak argument:

(a) He didn't look at the passport (main page), he just looked at the sticker. If I'm using someone else's receipt, I could also be using someone else's passport; he wouldn't have known.

(b) Your point also applies to the regular (hand-written) form; I could be using someone else's form. But they never ask to see the passport when I turn in the regular form. That's the main reason this is an issue---it's done only for GE.

(c) If it is indeed a security issue, why is it not a problem in airports other than ORD?

(d) Can you suggest any logical reason to switch forms? At this point both people have successfully passed immigration. We're only talking Customs, which is about luggage. If these people are smuggling something and feel that one person is more likely to be stopped and searched, then the other person would carry the contraband. Switching forms achieves nothing.

I called ORD about this possibility, and the surly person who answered the phone said "No! We don't do walk-ins!"

FWIW, the last few times into JFK, the customs checkpoint person asked for my passport and looked at the photo page. I wonder if this the new SOP.

The immigrations officers will occasionally draw something to tell the customs officer at the exit to direct you to secondary. Going through ATL once before I had GE, the immigrations officer told me I'd be redirected to secondary at the customs exit, and drew some symbol I'd never seen before on my blue form.

Right. But as I've already said, if that person has an accomplice, they can trade luggage before passing Customs. Exchanging Customs forms is more risky and makes no sense.

a - What would have happened if for whatever reason, your sticker fell off without you noticing and when you are requested to show it, you did not have it. Then the CBP officer will have taken your passport and check for a match. Aside from the sticker issue, there is a lot of body language involved behind that interaction.

b - There is a big difference between the blue forma and the GE receipt. In the first instance you are dealing with a person to get the form stamped. Like other posters said, the officer puts its own codes to communicate with the customs agent. This also includes where the stamp is placed. With GE, you are dealing with a machine. Yet, the receipt also has embedded codes at the bottom. Unless you travel alone, it is harder to switch forms.

c - I never said it was a security issue. As habit, I always hand both - passport + receipt. Sometimes they check, others they don't. I don't keep track of who does what. Have more important things to worry about.

d - no suggestions at this point. However, once I found a GE receipt on the floor while waiting for my luggage. Lots of people around. A high risk person with a blue form could have easily picked it and attempted to use it.

--J

that's tight.

--J

Received my first "random" check last week
 

I've been a GE member since 2008 and have been using the kiosk aout 5-6 times a year. I've only ever received the "X" twice, once because my fingerprints didn't scan properly and once because I had food to declare. Last week I came into SFO from HKG and answered the usual questions with nothing to declare. When the receipt printed out, there was a "X' on it. I took it to the nearest CBP booth and the officer let me cut in line. He checked his computer screen and then wrote two big "A" on the front and back of the receipt. He never asked me any questions. After I collected my checked bag, I was directed to the agriculture inspection line on exiting the Custom area. I put my rollaway and my carryon on the Xray belt and went around the machine to where the bags came out. There was a male officer in uniform and a female officer in street clothes with a clip board. The woman with the clip board asked me if I have been on a farm and whether I had any food. She also asked me how many international trips I had taken this year. All this time she was making notes on her clipboard. The uniformed officer opened my bags and just casually flipped through my clothes. It wasn't a real intensive search. He told the officer with the clip board that everything was fine and she told me I could go. I asked her if I had done anything incorrectly and she said no, that it was just a random check. The whole process was not unpleasant and took less than 5 minutes.

Maybe because you previously had declared food and gotten the X? Might have resulted in a flag on your record.

(Remember, unlike the blue paper form, the GE kiosk asks specifically about which types of food.....so, you are safe checking "no" if you are carrying the typical tourist stuff that is not of agricultural interest, such as chocolates, cookies, etc.)

No, it won't flag you, at least not in my experience. I've had to go through secondary at customs due to some foie gras, but it never resulted in random checks on subsequent trips.

More and more customs officers are up to speed on foie gras, to the point where 1 agent in ATL did not even send me to secondary, but just took my form.

Cheers,

GenevaFlyer

Well, anything is possible but the only time I had declared food was back in 2008 and I have used the kiosk dozens of times without receiving an X since. Back then, the wording was still the generic word "food". I hope it was just a random check. Besides, it was dried scallops and I knew it was legal to bring in but I declared it anyway because it was food.