How many of you file a US Customs report when you take more than $10,000 out of the country on a trip?

I try to pre-pay these days, but you had better do it. You can probably download one from somehwere these days. The trick is to try to find a Customs office at the airport.

I've been stopped by Customs on the ramp to the plane! They have the right to nail you. Your call!

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
How many of you file a US Customs report when you take more than $10,000 out of the country on a trip?

File it, they check and you never know when or where

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
I've been stopped by Customs on the ramp to the plane! They have the right to nail you. Your call!

What airport did they stop you at?

Form 4790 has been replaced by the FinCEN Form 105

Terry:

I could not view the form.

Terry,

It's a pdf file, do you have Adobe Acrobat software on your computer?

If not, you can download it free at Acrobat

Regards,

Terry

P.S.
Thanks for bringing this issue up.

Here's a link to the FinCEN's page with the Forms and it has a link to Adobe at the top as well.

FinCEN

Regards,

Terry

That got it.

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
How many of you file a US Customs report when you take more than $10,000 out of the country on a trip?

Between CC and wire transfers, I can't imagine why you would need that much cash to take out of the country... Custom's employees probably have a similar logic, i.e.: suspicious.

I and one other of my two hunting companions was pulled out of line as we were getting on the plane in 1993. I had about $8000 with me and some fairly insignificant amounts of various foreign currencies totaling maybe $500 worth. The customs guys were absolute assholes and acted like we were criminals even though we all were well within the law. Customs agents, individually and severally can all go self fornicate as far as I'm concerned. In my case the big issue was the dumb bastards didn't know how to convert the value of the currency. I sat there fuming explaining " a British pound is worth $1.75 (or whatever it was, we were flying through London) and rands are worth.....". Then, they acted like it was my fault that I had all those funny looking notes that they didn't understand. We made the flight but barely. My opinion of customs agents is that whale manure is of more value.

As far as the form goes, I'd fill it out, and try to everytime I leave so they'll have something else to screw with.

New Guy:

It is none of your or anyone else's business how much cash money I want to carry for whatever reason I want to carry it. It's my money and my risk. The fact that the American public rolled over for this and many other invasions of privacy because of the failed "war on drugs" continues to amaze me.

Terry,

Pre paying as Will suggested is probably the least hassle. The easiest way is to do as Adam suggests to his clients. Just before the safari send some money to the office and we will hold it until you return from the safari. You don't have to mess with paying trophy fees in Africa at all. You just get billed at the end of the safari for the balance or you get a refund check depending on what you shot. Simple!

Regards,

Mark

Terry,

It was on a flight to Amsterdam. Probably figured people were taking money to buy drugs. If there is a Customs office nearby you, of course you could get it signed ahead of the trip. Seems I have to go every year to get the personal property form signed anyway.

I have on 3 occaisions (last year being the third)traveled with more than $10000 US in cash, very nervously I might add. First year I tried to get a form at Atlanta which was the port of exit as required. Customs was not open and very un-accessable. Finally got an agent to let me go back and get form processed. Next 2 times I went to customs offices in my home town and asked to fill out the form there rather than the port of exit. They filled out the form and noted on it that I had filed the form with such & such an agent at my home airport. He put his badge/ID number and phone number on form. I was inspected at New York and they said while that was not the usual procedure they accepted it with no hassle.

I usually go to Africa with about US $1000 cash money. I find it really easy to arrange the finances for a hunt to avoid having to report money exports. I also agree that it is not their business, and the War on Drugs should be cancelled while we work on the War of Terror.

jim

quote:

Originally posted by new_guy:

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
How many of you file a US Customs report when you take more than $10,000 out of the country on a trip?

Between CC and wire transfers, I can't imagine why you would need that much cash to take out of the country... Custom's employees probably have a similar logic, i.e.: suspicious.

If CC mean cashiers checks, they count as they are a financial instrument as per the agents where I did the form on the morning of departure from the first airport, just went a little early. And like will mentions later, you may have to be there sometime to do another form for the personal items(guns and cameras).

I was watching TV months ago and saw an amazing documentary about dogs used by the customs service that have been trained to sniff out large quantities of the ink used to print dollars. Apparently they are damn accurate too. Of course, the dogs can't tell the difference between $100 bills and $5 bills so people who carry large numbers of small denomination bills may be stopped and hassled even though they are nowhere near the legal limit.
Here's a thought...Egypt has regulations about the export of Egyptian pounds but not any other currency. Consequently, I hold dollars. Is the US law similar or do they care about the total dollar value of all foreign currencies as well? If not, and If one prefers to carry cash on safari and is worried about getting it out , why not just convert to Euros or Rand at the bank before leaving? Obviously, if a substantial sum is involved, pre-arrangement with the bank would be a necessity. Further, even if the US is concerned about foreign currencies, I highly doubt the customs service dogs are trained to sniff out Rand or some other obscure currencies.

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

Are Traveler's Checks... financial instruments or regarded as cash?

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
Are Traveler's Checks... financial instruments or regarded as cash?

Last Oct they told me that they were in the count.

What about if you had $6k on you and your wife had $6k on her person. Is the law $10k each or per household?

I agree, split it up.

I am still puzzled as to why one would be carrying so much cash . Big ticket items such as trophy fees can be pre-arranged as noted above. Sure you may need a couple of thousand for tips/incidentals, but use a credit card for the rest! When I go on safari, or travel anywhere for that matter, the last thing I want to worry about is carrying a bunch of cash around.

Bwanahile,

I primarily carry cash because I have little trust for third world banks. It is important to remember that the exchange rate you get from a credit card is often MUCH worse than one can get on the street. Further, Cairo ATMs sometimes simultaneously decide to give up the ghost for the weekend. This happened once for a very long holiday weekend a few months ago and, had I not had more than a bit of cash, I would have been living on subsidized street bread and heavily chlorinated tap water for more than a week. When traveling, I carry cash largely as a precautionary measure. If things go completely sideways, credit cards don't buy you out of a sticky situation.

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

Terry,
I have travelled the world extensively and frequently carried $10,000 in cash for business. Most of the travel was to countries without a structured international banking business in place (Russia, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea). I suggest that you do not carry more than $10k for many reasons. First - time spent in custody in a jail or holding area is not good. I had to get guys out of jail in Kazakhstan a couple of times and once in Pakistan. They came out of the experience badly shaken to say the least. Second - work via established banks. There is no legal reason not to use the banks. If the intended recipient does not work with a bank or have access to a bank - be careful.

International banking laws are there to prevent you and I from getting into more trouble than we can get out of. Take no chances with this.

quote:

Originally posted by AfricanHunter:

quote:

Originally posted by new_guy:

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
How many of you file a US Customs report when you take more than $10,000 out of the country on a trip?

Between CC and wire transfers, I can't imagine why you would need that much cash to take out of the country... Custom's employees probably have a similar logic, i.e.: suspicious.

If CC mean cashiers checks, they count as they are a financial instrument as per the agents where I did the form on the morning of departure from the first airport, just went a little early. And like will mentions later, you may have to be there sometime to do another form for the personal items(guns and cameras).

CC=Credit Cards

I went to Customs yesterday, and filed my report "early".

They made a copy and stamped it so I could take it with me in case I am stopped in Atlanta boarding the plane.

They were very polite and helpful.