Customs in various airports and Duty Free International Area Detailed

Customs in various airports and Duty Free International Area Detailed - Exterior of various modern buildings located on street of megapolis with signages in daytime

I live in Turkey. I have been on several domestic flights, including one to Ankara. I have also been on two international flights, one to London/Heathrow and the other to Zurich, Switzerland.

I have never had to clear Customs or fill in any Customs form. I think it is not needed. I have gone through immigration (passport control and baggage claim). I see people asking about clearing Customs or whether they need to go through Customs when they are in transit.

Who needs to go through Customs, and when?

What happens if you want to buy from Duty Free? In some countries, Duty Free is not in the international area. For example, when you arrive, it is after passport control, so you are in the country. How can it be tax free?

I am a student and researcher. I am sure that, in Japan, you have to complete a form about Customs.



Best Answer

In most Customs you can choose between two paths.

The first is "Nothing to declare" - that means you don't need to declare anything you bring with you, whether you bought it with you from you country, bought it in the Duty Free or it falls in some duty exempt categories.

The second is "Something to declare" - this means you need to pay custom on some of the items you brought with you.

Now some people are stopped on the nothing to declare lane for random checks and then they need to prove their items are exempt from duties. A duty free receipt would be good for this.

The government can freely decide where to place duty free zones. In my country we have an entire city that doesn't need to pay VAT, if they choose they can make an airport, even without border control, be a duty free zone.




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What is custom duty free?

An Indian passenger who has been residing abroad for over one year is allowed to bring jewellery, free of duty in his bonafide baggage upto an aggregate value of Rs. 10,000/- (in the case of a male passenger) or Rs. 20,000/- (in the case of a lady passenger). IMPORT OF ALCOHOLIC DRINKS/ CIGARETTES AS BAGGAGE.

How many customs airports are there in India?

Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages a total of 137 Airports, which includes 103 Domestic Airports, 24 International Airports, and 10 Customs Airports.

What are the characteristics of international airports?

Different from other airports, international airports have duty free shops, lounge sections, waiting areas, airline company's offices, baby care rooms, prayer rooms or tourism offices. International airports are generally larger than the airports only with domestic terminals.

What are the 2 facilities functions of an airport for it to be considered as international?

Airports with international flights have customs and immigration facilities, which allow right of entry.



U.S. Customs and Duty-Free Allowances: Everything You Need To Know




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