GO GO GLOBAL GRINGO!: Go Go Global Gringo Travel Pro-Tip: Clearing Customs and Passport Control Like A Pro

After a year of constantly traveling (and nearly 14 years of international experience), I'd like to share some of the tips I've picked up along the way in the hopes of making your travel easier. Go Go Global Gringo Travel Pro Tips! are made just for that. Like what you see? Consider subscribing to get the latest tips right in your inbox and sharing them with your friends!

Since Nathalie and I left for Southeast Asia in January 2015, we've crossed international borders 18 times (and this is without counting internal crossings in the EU). Additionally, throughout the past 15 years, we've both traveled abroad extensively, crossing borders on 4 of the 5 global continents.

I figured that given this experience, I'd like to share the lessons we've learned in the hopes of making your travel that much smoother. The good stuff continues below the jump!

German Passport Control from An Era Long Ago (photo credit Wikimedia).

Disclaimer

First and foremost: This guide is not meant to be used to help you break another country's laws. If you're intending on smuggling or entering a country under false pretenses, good luck. I've heard jail in the developing world is certainly a unique way to experience a country's subculture.

Check Your Passport Well Before You Travel

First and foremost, make sure that your passport is both in a good condition and still has at least six months left before it expires. There was a story about a woman having been denied entry to Thailand because pages were missing from her passport. She claimed to have used a few pages as toilet paper when she was drunk (ewww). The Thais didn't allow her to enter as they considered the passport void. Two pieces of advice here: 1) take good care of your passport and 2) don't use it as toilet paper.

Your Passport, which is your...ummm, uhhh, Passport to the world.

Additionally, most countries want your passport to have at least 6 months of validity left in it before you enter their territory. The logic behind this is that they don't want to issue you a visa to you and risk you getting stuck in their country with an expired document.

When Nathalie and I came back to Brussels a few weeks ago, we witnessed a woman traveling to Germany get denied the right to even check into her flight at JFK. Through the shouting, we learned that her passport was soon expiring and that Lufthansa would not allow her to board the plane because German passport control would not let her in. The woman was irate but in the end, it was her own fault and in this case, the travel agency wouldn't even refund her money as it's her responsibility as the traveler to have her documents in order.

Avoid embarrassing situations and lost money by checking your documents well before you travel.

Dress to Impress

What is it that they about first impressions are always the most important? Well whatever it is, you can be sure that when you enter into a foreign country, you're going to be examined by a border patrol agent that's never seen you before.

On top of examining your documents, they're also studying you. They're reading your body language and looking at how your dressed. Yeah, you might be in Thailand to sit on the beach on one of the many amazing islands, but you're not there yet when you get off the plane.

Instead of wearing booty shorts and tank tops, don semi-casual and modest clothing. Whenever we crossed borders, I would travel in a pair of jeans, my street shoes, and a polo shirt (as a bonus, these were the heaviest clothes I had; meaning I didn't have to carry them in my backpack).

I did this to not only look a bit more professional, but to show respect to the people whose country I was wanting to enter. Nathalie would usually wear a skirt that went down to just above the knees and a shirt that covered her shoulders.

Dressing well, you give the border patrol agent less of an excuse to make your life miserable. They're more or less the only authority as to whether you're getting in without hassle or going for additional (and often humiliating) screenings. Minimize the latter by presentably dressed.

Hop Behind Someone Who Doesn't

Conversely, if you're looking to get through without hassle, consider getting behind someone who is poorly dressed. Just like the well-attired traveler will raise less suspicion, the ones rocking the elephant pants and Chang Beer t-shirt will more than likely give the border patrol agent an excuse to have some fun and prove to their management that they're screening visitors.

This isn't the look you're going for
whencrossing a border

In our experience, lesser well-dressed travelers were usually asked additional questions and kept longer at the border control point.

What they were discussing was out of earshot, but by reading body language, it was clear that there was almost extra scrutiny coming down from the agent, with the traveler having to go to great lengths to explain why they were entering the country.

Our tactic was to get in line right behind these individuals. The result was that with us being well dressed (and following the other tips in this guide), the agent would see us as relatively more trustworthy and have less reason to hold us up.

We were therefore able to clear passport control quickly and without having to explain in detail why we were entering the country.

In short, take some of the risk out by letting other people take the heat from the border agent.

Put Down The Damn Camera

Maybe this should go without saying, but I've seen it all to often: tourists, eager to document their travels, whip out their cameras and start snapping away, looking for that great shot to capture the first moments they spend in a foreign country. Don't. Do. This.

Frontiers and border points are a matter of national security for literally every country on earth. The entire point of the border control is to regulate access to foreigners coming in and most countries entrust this duty to a mixture of diplomatic, security and intelligence apparatus.

Do you want to be taken in for additional questioning to find out if you're a spy and potentially be forced to take the next flight back home? Didn't think so.

I know it's tempting to take a photo, especially with a camera being conveniently located in your phone, but just resist the temptation. You don't need the extra attention. This is doubly true with DSLRs (seriously, I saw some tourists whip one out while waiting to clear customs at JFK).

There are clear rules posted in almost every arrivals hall around the world forbidding the use of cameras (and sometimes even cell phones). Even if it's not posted, err on the side of caution and keep your camera tucked away.

As an example, all the pictures of arrivals halls in this post are from wikimedia; I didn't take any of them myself.

Know What You're Packing

Yeah I know what you're thinking: "well duh, gringo. I pack my own bag." Fair point. But in the off chance that you get stopped and have to get your bag searched, it helps to know off the top of your head what you've packed, why you have it, and where in your bag you've put it.

The benefit of knowing this is that you can quickly and clearly explain to customs officers and security agents what's in your bag. The more concisely and confidently you can answer gives the people questioning less reason to doubt you and increases your chance of finishing the extra screening faster. It's normal that you'll be nervous during this screening, but not having to fumble for your words definitely helps your case.

As an additional bonus, this tactic works equally well when you're traveling by plane and have to go through security at the airport. If your bag gets pulled aside for a hand inspection, you'll have your answers ready to go.

Finding Out Which Visa Is Right For You

Immigration between nations is some sort of international ballet-cum-electric football spectacle. Each country negotiates treaties between the others setting up rules and agreements for how the citizens of one country can visit another. As such, the rules are often complicated and vary from country to country.

My lovely Laotian Visa

When planning on visiting a foreign country, always check the embassy website of that country in your homeland. This way, you'll get the most up to date and accurate information in terms of entry requirements for your nationality.

Even if you're coming from a 3rd country (say you're Canadian but are going directly to Vietnam after staying in Malaysia), you need to check for your nationality, not the nationality of the country you're transiting from.

There are a lot of travel guides and websites (think TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet) that will post this information as well. However, there's no guarantee that its a) up-to-date and b) accurate. Save yourself needless trouble and get your information straight from the source.

Fill Out Forms Beforehand

In certain countries, you'll be required to have a visa for even a simple tourist visit. Sometimes, this requires a trip to the consulate prior to arriving. Other times, you can apply for what's known as a Visa On Arrival (VOA).

Depending on the country, you might be required to submit a completed document when purchasing your VOA. While the documentation and procedure might vary, it helps tremendously if you've completed the documents beforehand.

You'll be able to find these on the embassy's website before leaving (see above) and they'll be in either PDF or DOC format. While you can fill them out by hand, it's better if you complete them on a computer and print them before arriving. If you're using a PDF document, I recommend DocHub as an easy online PDF editor.

With a printed document, the officer in charge of processing your visa will be able to clearly read your personal data. It takes a lot of the guess work out and will go a long way in getting your VOA issued faster.

Keep Passport Photos and Cash (USD) On Hand

Keeping with the same thread, it's always a good idea to keep extra passport photos on you when traveling. You never know when you'll need to apply for a visa or other membership (remember if you're traveling on a whim, plans are always subject to change).

Having these photos on you not only keeps you ahead of the game, but prevents you from being charged a 'photo fee' by the VOA office.

The same goes for cash. While I don't advocate on carrying large sums of money while traveling, it's definitely a safe bet to carry a couple hundred of American dollars (USD) on you during your voyages. The dollar is, and will continue to be, the standard foreign currency around the world.

You'll always have to pay for your visa, and most of the time, cash will be the preferred, and sometimes only, method of payment. Having USD on you will keep you going instead of slowing you down.

Double-Check Your Exit Date On Your Stamp

This also might seem straight-forward, but it's worth bringing up. You will be allowed into a country for x amount of days depending your nationality and how you're entering their territory. Usually, it's for a fixed term (15, 30, 90 days, etc). While we can easily assume that 30 days equals one month, it's important to double check the last date you're allowed to stay.

Always check the dates as you
build your stamp collection

As a real-life example, Nathalie and I had an issue the first time we left Thailand. We had entered on 20/01/2015. For us, we until 20/02/2015 to leave and never bothered checking the stamp. By the time the 20th of February rolled around and we were leaving for Laos, we got a nasty surprise at the Thai border.

When we entered Thailand in January, it was early in the morning. The agent either didn't roll the dates on his stamp from the day before or was simply acting mischievous. As such, the entry date in our passports was 19/01/2015. Additionally, the Thais double counted the first and last day, meaning we should've left on 18/02/2015. As a result, we had to pay for a day-to-day visa extension when we left, costing us 30 USD each. Not cool, Thailand.

However, the onus was on us; we should've checked the date ourselves instead of trusting the official to do it right. Furthermore, even if we could've proven that the agent was wrong when we entered, we had absolutely zero chance of arguing our case.

If it's any consolation, we noticed that it was only the Thais that had a problem counting to 30 as in every other country, the dates on the stamps were correct. In any case, double-check that exit date after clearing customs and plan your stay accordingly.

Be Polite

Finally, always be polite. You're not going to get anywhere being rude or shouting at an immigration officer. Seriously; they hold all the cards and if you face any problems, keep your cool, be patient and most of all polite. You're much more likely to get an emphatic response out of a stranger if you come off as disarming rather than confrontational.

Let's also not forget that passport control agents see hundreds of people a day. A modest smile coupled with a 'have a nice day' goes a long way in both showing your respect and keeping things human, which despite our vast cultural differences is one of the few constants among people on the planet.

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