How to behave at POE? Customs declaration?

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sarrebal

Registered Users (C)
Hi everyone,

I got married in Manhattan City Hall yesterday and I will have the big wedding (unofficial, but nobody knows) with reception in Italy next Saturday.
My wife is already in London with her girlfriends and will join her in Milan on Thursday.
After that, we will go to honeymoon and come back to New York on June 12.
Since I'm on H-1B visa and she's a USC, we will be clearing immigration at diferent lines at JFK. Customs declaration should be just one since we're finally family.

What should we do? Should I make her stay in line with me with non-citizens and then clear together or should I send her to her line without customs declaration? Will the officer be ok with the fact that we're married (I have a regular and current visa) or will he start harassing us (well, me)?

Or, should we just file two different customs declarations and clear as we always did, even though in theory this is breaking the law?

Thanks
 
You have to go through Immigration before you have to give your custom's declaration as far as I can remember. I am fairly certain that is the case because only after immigration you will get your luggage and customs can open your luggage, so they have to come after immigration.

Your wife can go through the Citizen line, and you can go through the non-citizen line and right after immigration collect bags and head to customs.

The citizen line moves a lot faster than the non citizen line, sometimes it can take hours at JFK. I was stuck there for approximately 3 hrs before while the citizen lines just zipped on by.
 
twopac3 said:
You have to go through Immigration before you have to give your custom's declaration as far as I can remember. I am fairly certain that is the case because only after immigration you will get your luggage and customs can open your luggage, so they have to come after immigration.

Your wife can go through the Citizen line, and you can go through the non-citizen line and right after immigration collect bags and head to customs.

The citizen line moves a lot faster than the non citizen line, sometimes it can take hours at JFK. I was stuck there for approximately 3 hrs before while the citizen lines just zipped on by.
Click to expand...

I know, but the immigration officer also stamps your custom declaration after your passport and I-94.
 
I entered US at LA about 9 months back with my husband who is on L1 visa. We had the same question and ended up filling out two separate forms. At the POE we got into separate lines... however, fortunately for us, he was just 3/4 in the line. I remember vaguely that I mentioned to the POE Officer something about my husband being in the other line and that he was on L1 and my husband said he did the same. I was done before him and waited until he was done. Thereafter we claimed our baggage and got into the customs line.

Sorry I don't remember the exact details... but we didn't face any problem and hope you wouldn't either. Congratulations to you n your spouse on your marriage :)
 
sarrebal said:
What should we do? Should I make her stay in line with me with non-citizens and then clear together or should I send her to her line without customs declaration? Will the officer be ok with the fact that we're married (I have a regular and current visa) or will he start harassing us (well, me)?
Click to expand...
I do not understand what your concern is.
Even though wife and husband are in the same line, they have to face officer separately unless you are little kids.
 
sarrebal said:
Hi everyone,

I got married in Manhattan City Hall yesterday and I will have the big wedding (unofficial, but nobody knows) with reception in Italy next Saturday.
My wife is already in London with her girlfriends and will join her in Milan on Thursday.
After that, we will go to honeymoon and come back to New York on June 12.
Since I'm on H-1B visa and she's a USC, we will be clearing immigration at diferent lines at JFK. Customs declaration should be just one since we're finally family.

What should we do? Should I make her stay in line with me with non-citizens and then clear together or should I send her to her line without customs declaration? Will the officer be ok with the fact that we're married (I have a regular and current visa) or will he start harassing us (well, me)?

Or, should we just file two different customs declarations and clear as we always did, even though in theory this is breaking the law?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Make it simple. File separate custom declaration forms. You stand in the non-immigrant line and let your wife get in the USC/LPR line. Oh c'mon, im sure you can spend 20 minutes away from her ;). The officer will NOT ask you about your wife nor will your wife be asked about you. Even if the officer asks, be honest. It is nothing wrong and you wont get into any kind of trouble. Remeber the dont ask dont tell policy.... You are not breaking any law as you have a valid H1-B to enter the US. I did exactly the same thing... :)
 
ari4u said:
Remeber the dont ask dont tell policy.... I did exactly the same thing... :)
Click to expand...

Finally you came out clean...I knew from the first minute that you, from the moment you've meet Publicus, are using this policy :D :D :D

Way to go, Ari :p :D :D
 
ari4u said:
Make it simple. File separate custom declaration forms. You stand in the non-immigrant line and let your wife get in the USC/LPR line. Oh c'mon, im sure you can spend 20 minutes away from her ;). The officer will NOT ask you about your wife nor will your wife be asked about you. Even if the officer asks, be honest. It is nothing wrong and you wont get into any kind of trouble. Remeber the dont ask dont tell policy.... You are not breaking any law as you have a valid H1-B to enter the US. I did exactly the same thing... :)
Click to expand...

That's what I thought, but aren't you supposed to fill just one customs declaration if you're family?
Theoretically, if I wanna do some kind of illegal activity and scam US Customs (Which is not the casa, btw :D), I could put stuff in my wife's baggage.
We had a little problem before coming back from Europe last year. Since the immigration line for non-citizens was HUGE, she cleared waaay before me, collected the luggage and went to get the car. When I went through Customs they asked me where my baggage was and I told them that my girlfriend collected it already and they asked me mad questions and wanted to give me a summons!
 
Well in that case if you were using two different customs forms, she shouldn't take your luggage. Because each one are declaring. And that is nothing to do in your immigration status...is normal procedure.

I still don't get what is your concern though. Just remember to turn off your cell phone.

Have a good honeymoon.
 
I found an image of a sample customs form here:
It says that only one form per family is required. It does not say that multiple forms are not allowed. Just fill out separate forms, with 0 family members on each form, and take your own luggage through customs.

The only problem they could possibly have with you using separate forms is if this action would allow you to bring in more goods into the country, but I do not see how it would.

I always fill out separate forms when I travel abroad with my wife since the immigration officer wants to stamp the customs form.
 
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