Let's have a border-crossing thread. Any interesting stories,

>>1196696
>What brings you to the UK?
Flips through passport.
>And how long are you here for?
Scans passport.
>And is this your first time in the UK?
Scans and files landing card.
>And will you be staying here in Manchester?
Stamps passport.
>Thank you.

>>1196720
thanks bruv

The US interrogates everyone coming through their borders, including their own citizens, so I can understand why you ask this. But other countries really don't do it, especially not to US citizens, who are so unlikely to be there to cause trouble.

Israel is the only place that I can think of as being as bad as the US on entry.

I only have the US entry stories that I complain about in every similar thread.

Asking small kids if they committed mass murder during WWII and bs like that, only the US can go that low.

Also even during Schengen, well before the ISIS crap, we had German policemen going through trains from the Czech Republic to Germany.
I was sleeping when they got on, only woke up while they were holding the passport of the guy in front of me, and interrogating him. How much money he has, if he can show proof of that, why is he there, etc I was like wtf, we're in Schengen.
My passport was at the bottom of my bag cause I never expected any checks within Schengen (again, this was 5-6 years ago), and I see the policemen ask for passports all around me, so I dig out mine, too. It took me quite long, but they were still questioning some others in the same car, still.
I'm trying to show the policemen my passport, he doesn't even look at me, keeps asking the guy. I was still sleepy, so I thought hey, maybe he didn't notice I finally can show mine, too, and open my passport, try to shove it between the policemen and the guy in front of me.
The policemen still doesn't look at me, just shows his huge palm in my face from like 1cm, nearly touching my face with the palm. He shouts "I don't care about your passport, put it away" still looking at the guy.
That woke me up, so I look around, trying to figure out why they were asking everyone else (quite aggressively), and not me.
I was the only white person in the carriage.

That being said, with a US passport, no one cares what color you are (in Europe at least), the other people were non-US, non-European.

Today I got some crap from arriving in the phillipines without having an onward flight. I do have a return flight from Indonesia that I was forced to buy on the flight in China Airlines though.

They let me through, but it sucks. Had to give myself a timetable now. This whole kne way ticket thing didn't really pam out the way I hoped it will.

>>1196758
That's the policy. I'm very surprised you were even able to board the flight to the Philippines without an onward ticket. They made me buy one when flying from KL.

For the future: flyonward.com. It always works, even for visa applications.

>>1196780
>flyonward.com

that's quite clever

I crossed from the UK to France via the tunnel on a motorbike in august. The french passport control checked my passport, but didnt ask me to take my helmet off and you couldnt see my face in any definative way.

No wonder europe imgration is shit.

Thankfully the UK passport control demanded they see my face(on the return trip) and acctually check I was who I said I was.

>>1196741
>be me two weeks ago
>fly from Amsterdam to Atlanta
>upon arrival line up for passport control
>"hi sir how are you"
>hand passport
>photo checked to make sure it's me
>"here you go welcome home"
>collect bags
>leave airport
What interrogation are you talking about?

>>1196741
>Israel
>as bad as the US

Not even close. As bad as the US is, Israel is way worse. In the US they do interrogate you, but mostly are professional about it and will be content with a few questions. In Israel, odds are they will be outright hostile from the start and interrogate you for hours.

>be interrogated for 2 hours on arrival to Israel
>be interrogated for 1 hour on leaving Israel

and

>cross into West Bank on bus, nobody even stops to check anything
>walk through checkpoint to Israel from West Bank, guards don't even look at my passport, I beep going through the metal detector and nobody gives a fuck, nobody even glances at the screen when my bag gets x-rayed

It's an interesting contrast.

Any Israel border (horror) stories? I'm going there pretty soon and want to know what to expect

Been to USA 6 times and never had any attitude problem

I think presentation helps, usually I'm wearing a cord blazer to store my passport, phone etc

>>1196820
The best is to have everything printed out. The places you're staying at, your itinerary. If you're male, traveling alone, and have various stamps in your passport, the odds of you getting extended interrogation are close to 100%.

>>1196696
I've been through that crossing.

They have two lines, one for EU citizens with automated kiosks and a second for everyone else. The day I was going through, there was a slew of Gibraltarans returning from the Saturday market (they go for those cheap prices) and so the wait was like five minutes for the kiosks.

I was the only non-EU and so I get waved through when I showed the guard the front of my passport, no check no nothing. We had a right good chuckle at the situation.

Gibraltar is an amazing gem, I really recommend spending a day or two hiking around all of the old paths and whatnot. Lots of wartime tunnels too, free to explore. Stay in La Línea, the settlement on the border, and just walk across. It's a lot cheaper.

>>1196831
>waved through

Not such a good thing when entering/exiting Schengen. Especially if you're entering Schengen, if you don't get an entrance stamp you can have issues when you try to exit.

>>1196837
Gibraltar is considered an exception (the thought crossed my mind too). I had no problems coming back into Spain, was waved through too. Passport-wise, it looks like I never exited Schengen.

>>1196741
I've only been to and from Canada, and that's sometimes a hassle cause we usually bring a bunch of weird shit like furniture and lots of food up cause we have a cabin up there that we stay in, so it looks very odd from an officer's viewpoint.

>>1196755
top kek glad I'm white and blond as shit.

>>1196758
That was one of the biggest things I was concerned about. I've only got a ticket into Manchester and plan on buying a return flight whenever I decide to go back (i.e. when my money runs out). I have a global Eurail pass tho, so hopefully that will work in an airline ticket's stead if the officer gives that much of a shit.

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>Land in Israel for the first time
>Look like a terrorist, Arab stamps and Egypt visa in my passport
>Passport check
>Is this your first time? What is the purpose of the visit? Where are you going to be staying?
>Clear it in 5 mins

>Immediately after that get stopped by a 165cm hot Jewess
>Sweating /pol/ nazi.jpg
>Same questions but in detail
>10 mins

>Wait outside of the airport for friend to pick me up
>Loiter for 20 minutes
>Get stopped by civilian security
>20 minute interrogation + bag search

I could've probably spared myself the last search but my friend was running kinda late.

The Israeli chicks working at the airport were 10/10 though. I'm not sure if it's a policy, but not a single one of them was even mediocre.

Few days later I was crossing at Eilat - Taba. The Egyptian embassy in my home country said the border was closed but my Israeli friend phoned the Eilat side and cleared it. Got my visa at the last second, because crossing from Eilat - Taba - Sharm El Sheikh -> Sinai exit -> Cairo you need a full visa, not just a Sinai pass.

>50 Indian nuns ahead of me at Egypt passport check
>I remembered that I saw them a few days back in Jerusalem, they had red hats (like MAGA but not really)

JUST.

happened to a guy I know
>lives in vancouver
>keeps boat in washington state because marina is easier to access
>has a bread maker on board
>premixes bread ingredients, flour, sugar, baking powder
>makes too many of them and decides to bring some home
>crossing border
>guard asks to open trunk
>car gets swarmed by 8 guards with guns drawn

don't have anything that good
>driving from vancouver to seattle in 2003
>before you needed a passport, but it was encouraged
>3/4 of us do
>they send us to questioning room for the guy who doesn't
>two other groups of people in big waiting area
>all brown, and some wearing traditional clothes
>one guy complains he's been there for hours
>guard tells the guy without a passport to get one, but he'll let us in this time

thing is thousands of brown people go from vancouver to bellingham to shop, they just dress western when they do, no white robes for dudes women wear hats instead of headscarves, I've even seen people changing into that stuff at a rest area by the border

>>1196696
People need to respect Australia's and New Zealand's customs laws, particularly Asians.

Its really not that hard a concept, but people seem to struggle:

You are generally not allowed to bring in any food, organic material/matter, foreign material, etc... and if you do for whatever reason - you need to declare it.

We are very lucky to have our agricultural industries unaffected by many diseases and problems that blight the rest of the world, and we want it to stay like that.

went to amsterdam airport for just 10 hours overnight (staying in the pod hotel place, can't remember the name). Travelling with my cuban friend who didn't have a visa for the netherlands yet when we landed they let her through straight away without asking. Then when we went to go through customs the agents asked her how she managed to sneak though. That was a pain. plus she was holding everyones passports except mine so only I could go through

>>1196857
used to love watching this one aussie customs show

>Chinese woman
>guy asks do you have any food?
>"no"
>then what is this massive bag containing 10kg of vegetables?
>"oh yeah just a snack"

>>1196862
Border Security: Australia's Front Line if any of you feel like having a good chuckle and learn from others' mistakes

>>1196857
I was overly paranoid about that. I had read the rules so I knew of course what to bring and not to bring. I had chocolate for a friend (allowed), and also bought some honey from NZ (allowed).

Of course I was a bit plastered off the plane, so I made sure to ask the customs officer multiple times "are you sure it's okay, I have this and that, really, I want to make sure it's okay". She was rolling her eyes and told me "Yes it's okay, please, just go."

Maybe I could actually have sneaked some stuff exactly that way.

>>1196867
>Maybe I could actually have sneaked some stuff exactly that way.
Maybe.
If you're Asian they will probably go through your bags with a fine toothed comb - and for good reason.

>>1196871
I'm European. I'm sure they do that with Chinese for good reason, but I'd imagine the Japanese are far more rule-abiding.

>>1196741
>live 6 months in serbia
>come back to the u.s.
>they scan my passport
>"where'd you come from"
>"Serbia"
>they scan card I filled out at kiosk
>"what were you doing there"
>"studying and visiting my girlfriend"
>"nice, here you go"
>they hand me my passport back

What interrogation?

>>1196865
I find it great how those customs officers stay so calm and matter-of-fact. It would be quite different in the US.

>ON THE GROUND MUTHAFUKKA YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!!11!!!1!

>>1196882
They always look like they're about to snap.

>>1196883
I wonder if they would snap without the cameras filming? To be fair, dealing with such idiots would infuriate anyone.

>>1196884
Probably just apply the maximum penalty where possible...

>>1196865
>Sir, what is this?
>I don't know
>You don't know? You told me you packed this bag
>I don't know
>It looks like seeds. They are not allowed.
>I didn't know
>You did not declare any of these products.
>I didn't know

You can never underestimate human stupidity.

>>1196888
>human

>>1196888
>Did you bring any prohibited items?
>nope
>*proceeds to have fucking rooster heads and ox penises in bag*
>Sir, you're supposed to declare these on the form
>oh I just filled it at random

Going to London from Austria on a connecting flight back to America I got hassled a bit by immigration.

Lady wanted to see proof I was actually connecting in about 12 hours, which I totally understood and she was really sweet about it. Still the Africans behind me cleared immigration no questions asked that was a bit of a hearty kek.

Other than that I don't have a personal story but I did witness some dumbfuck American trying to enter China on Tuesday night when I was coming back home from a trip to Korea.

Dumb as fuck American white girl going on her gap year to Thailand (complete with the Jesus sandals and nose ring) goes to Chinese immigration and I shit you not had this conversation (I was at the counter one lane over);

>"Welcome to China, passport please."
Okay here you go
>"You don't have a Chinese visa."
Yeah I'm just connecting on a flight to Thailand
>"Oh okay, you can step off to the left and apply for a visa free Transit"
Ummmm okay? My flight's in 2 hours can't you just like stamp it.
>"Do you have boarding card?"
No, I need to go to the airport counter and check in
>"They did not give you connecting flight when you checked in first time?"
Nah they said I could get it here
>"Follow sign for international transfers airport counters there. Get card and come back here."
I have the confirmation email on my phone just look at it

I cleared immigration by this point but last I saw from the luggage carousel there were like 3 immigration officers all crowded around and Sally SJW still yelling at them she was going to connect in 2 hours

Worst was laos-Cambodia border

>hello $25 pls (visa is meant to be $20)
>well I don't really want to give you $5 extra how about you take this $2 bottle of whiskey instead
>*starts screaming* HOW DARE YOU this is royal Cambodian border police we are not corrupt! *rips up visa form* YOU GO BACK TO LAOS!
>Takes my whiskey anyway and puts it in his hut
>Hey you aren't taking the bribe, go in and take it back
>walk away and let him calm down while I fill in new visa form
>here's your damn $25
>Enter Cambodia

Recently went through Singapore customs, declared about 200 cigars, guy said well usually you have to pay a large duty but I'm letting you off because you are honest, go through
Based customs officer

I got an entry denial to Ukraine from Moldova in 2014, which made me land-locked in terms of visas. Had to stay in Cisinau for a week and buy overpriced tickets. I'm actually happy for the first part, cause Cisinau is nice than it appears from the first glance.


>>1196820
>Any Israel border (horror) stories?
I've crossed the Jordan-Israel border in the north (Beit Shean)? There was a long talk about my trip, ancestry and plans with three officers. Personal questions seemed inappropriate.

It's a huge time loss, but I was morally prepared for that and got it to my schedule, so that didn't hurt much. To some extent it can be even funny to talk to them.

What I was flying out, the shit almost repeated itself. They also too away my scissors and a metal support bar from my shoe, lol.

It's all due to visiting Jordan, the gave me a sticker to a passport with "5" as the first number, and according to crowd wisdom this marks you danger level on the scale of 0-9.


Actually, I only knew one guy who was denied an entry. He have done extensive travelling across all possible Muslim countries, was crossing Syria-Israel border and explicitly told border control that he was heading to PA to live there with his friends and work as a volunteer.

>>1197002
>I cleared immigration by this point but last I saw from the luggage carousel there were like 3 immigration officers all crowded around and Sally SJW still yelling at them she was going to connect in 2 hours
You could have some sympathy, Chinese bureaucracy can be pretty brutal sometimes and they can and will give incorrect advice/instructions, not usually on purpose.

If Sally got an idiot officer, or incorrect instructions in the first place, then she might have been placed in a situation where she can't do what's asked of her and all she did was follow instructions from people that she's supposed to listen to.

She should either have had an actual transfer or if she booked two budget flights in and out of Beijing, she needs the transit visa and more time but still, she might have been following advice from someone.

Personally, I never book flights in and out of Beijing unless they're a single ticket, transiting BJ is a nightmare and delays are very, very common. I've landed seven hours late before, you just can't rely on transfer going smoothly there.

>>1196888
>You can never underestimate human stupidity
Playing dumb is nearly always the best course of action.

>>1196780
>For the future: flyonward.com. It always works, even for visa applications.
>flyonward.com
Damn, that's pretty cool.

I feels like a little bit of a scam but I think it's just because the owner of that site is probably making some serious money out of it.

$10 is much less than the visa agent fees that I usually end up paying so it's a good deal.

>>1197036
I hope you're just trolling or American.

>>1196802
>long ass tunnel
>motorbike
Don't you suffocate because of the exhaust gas? Isn't this how people kill themselves?

>>1197045
I know a service that allows to make bookings like that free of charge, they remain valid up to a week depending on the airlind. I always use it.

>>1196755
>That woke me up, so I look around, trying to figure out why they were asking everyone else (quite aggressively), and not me
They were profiling, not just racial profiling, but targeting people who fit a profile, which is a valuable tool for all police to keep undesirables out. They may have had a specific person they were looking for too, based on some physical criteria that wasn't as specific as a name, but just a nationality. Asking if someone has funds enough to travel is a way to stop illegal immigration too. Schengen never really addressed the problem of noncitizens relocating without adequate personal support.

>>1196720
This. We didn't get asked anything. And we were carrying weed with us.

>>1196816
>israel
>outright hostile from the start and interrogate you for hours
As many times as I've flown into Tel Aviv, I can't at all say it's been my experience. I can only suppose you trigger some kind of alert.
>>1196817
Interrogated.

Is it possible you people also don't understand this word interrogate, and that it's not the same thing as questioned equally as everyone else? Is your given name muslim, or your passports low tier? WTF. I've even flown El Al and it's fascinating that the same people question you at bag check and at the gate, and there will always, only, be just only 3-4 people who seem to get extra questions because they are carrying gifts, didn't pack their own bag, etc. It's a measly half dozen sentences which are also asked by other airlines too, aside from the "do you know anyone who is ____?" question. It's a leading question to see where your support lies, with palestine or anything else on the spectrum from ambivalence to the full hatefulness, and only idiots answer "yes" to knowing muslims. It's to get at the truthfulness of your other answers, and if your bag needs a second search for things that take planes out of the sky. Frankly, I like being on a plane that isn't russian or egyption and at risk for stupidity in security or hiring practices. It's for your safety afterall, not to hassle you.

The slowest and worst TSA experience I've ever encountered was in Toronto and possibly LGA. The nicest is Dublin, and always is pleasant and efficient both in DCA.

>>1197092
link?

>>1197174
agent.ru

>>1197161
Are the Israeli border guards so dumb they think in 2016 there are people who have not met a muslim? Anyone from the western world will surely know a few.

>>1197161
>a thread where Israeli borders are discussed
>sooner or later JIDF shows up and says only muslim terrorists get interrogated and if you got interrogated you are obviously arab, despite loads of evidence showing that's false
>every single time

You're Israeli. Obviously you won't get the hostile treatment that others do.

>>1196887
>Do not swear at me, Sir.
>(bleeeeeeeeeeep)
>I said, do NOT swear at me Sir!

I probably would not have been as patient as she was and have the guards take that Chinese fuckhead away.

>>1196882
>I find it great how those customs officers stay so calm and matter-of-fact

Because they are being filmed and the footage is also edited

>>1197219
Deleted scenes would be interesting. Where they scream and lose it.

>>1197198
>who have not met a muslim
of course not.
But, exactly how you answer that, defensively, vaguely, or specfically may lead to visual and intonation cues that merit further questions.

>>1196822
>I think presentation helps, usually I'm wearing a cord blazer to store my passport, phone etc
Indeed. Your appearance matters, everywhere from immigration to service in a restaurant. When people act outraged and judged, or have a bad experience somewhere, they are in fact being judged or experiencing some fantasy in their own minds that is really a justifiable reaction to their behavior and appearance.

When I was a teenager, my family went to the DF every third weekend or so to shop, see a show, dine, generally enjoy ourselves, and this one time finally my grandmother deigns to come along and see everything we had been doing. So, of course for the first time, some crime happens. My grandmother had her passport and wallet stolen from her bag or hotel room (or somewhere? who knows). She was so nervous about coming back into Miami without any ID whatsoever with the rest of us. When we all present our own IDs and it's her turn to answer why she has none, she was simply asked her birthplace, and she answered "Missour-ah" like a true 80-something St. Louis native, and the guy said "Welcome Home, Ma'am" and waved the whole family through without even a second glance.

>>1196696
Can someone stop me at the Australian border entering from the sea for having little cash and the rest on my account to be withdrawn afterwards? I won't be smuggling anything.

>>1197161
Okay Shlomo. I'm as white as they get, with a god tier passport. Nobody could ever mistake me for arab or muslim. But since I was a male traveling alone, and had a few stamps from muslim countries (safe ones), and many stamps from whatever miscellaneous countries, they thought I'm a terrorist. I also saw other young white guys get pulled aside.

>What is this country? Is it a muslim country?

Seriously, if you hate muslims so much, at least know the names of muslim countries, if you can't remember them your brain needs checking. Those interrogators are really incompetent and dumb.

Most of the "interrogation" is just waiting though. They held me at the airport for 2 hours, which was about 90 minutes waiting, 5 minutes of interrogating, and another 30 minutes of waiting.

>>1197236
Yessir.

>>1197288
What? I have to have all my money out in cash for security?
Even if I come in by plane?

>>1196865
>the face of that young girl when she realized she's being arrested for drug smuggling and spending years in prison

>>1197312
which episode?

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>>1197090
Anon...

>>1196696
The Albanian-Greek border

>Be me at 14
>Live in U.S.
>Born in Greece, but Albanian by blood.
>Have U.S. passport.
>Go on vacation with father to visit family in both countries.
>Going into AL from Greece
>Greek border guards are two guys with AK's and the guy at desk duty
>Guy at desk duty literally flinging passports out of his little cubicle back at people and telling them to pick up their trash
>Hand over my passport
>He's about to fling it until he see's it's blue
>Starts laughing and trying to be friendly about his cousin in Chicago, and yada yada yada
>As if I'm going to like this guy after what I just saw
>Enter AL side
>At least 30 + dudes chilling next to benzo's holding wads of 10k shouting "Money Exchange"
>Armed to the teeth
>Clearly not police/military

Then going back into Greece from Al is just a bunch of people holding briefcases saying they are doctors and lawyers, paying like 20$ to cut the line.

Canadian border is boring.

Chinese border is kind of intimidating.

U.S. border is the toughest most intimidating one I have ever come across.

Oh and the German border is a fucking joke. literally a woman in her 30's and a fat dude in his 50's talking about strudel next to a makeshift desk at the door of an airport. Didn't ask any questions or check anything.
Just told my father and I to "Have a wonderful time in Frankfurt!"

>>1196882
American security is very professional.
But then again if you've ever come into an American airport, specifically a major one you would understand quickly why no one acts up. There's dogs and armed SWAT style patrols everywhere. U.S. don't fuck around, especially after 9/11.

>>1197369
Season 15 episode 13.

>>1196865
>Border Security: Australia's Front Line if any of you feel like having a good chuckle
I lost at the title.

>THOUSANDS OF MEN AND WOMEN
>DEDICATING THEIR LIVES TO PROTECTING
>AUSTRALIA'S BORDER.

More like dedicating 37.5 hours/week to getting paid.while having a cushy job where the only danger you could possibly have is catching colds from every part of the world. Seriously, other than increased risk of respiratory infections, these heroes are in just about the safest job that could exist. In the unlikely event that someone wants to flip their shit at customs, they have federal police assault teams on standby to fuck up anyone giving them shit.

I have problem with Australia's quarantine laws but a bunch of border guards don't need to be lionised.

>>1197384
>American security is very professional.
>But then again if you've ever come into an American airport, specifically a major one you would understand quickly why no one acts up. There's dogs and armed SWAT style patrols everywhere. U.S. don't fuck around, especially after 9/11.
Chinese security is surprisingly professional and reasonable. They don't lock up anyone if they can help it, there was one case where some drunk women flipped her shit and they handcuffed her to a chair and called her parents to come get her. Didn't press any charges at all.

Chinese security tend to be over-zealous but they're not quite nazis about it.

>>1197506
>I have problem with Australia's quarantine laws but a bunch of border guards don't need to be lionised.
I meant, I don't have a problem with...

>>1197372
It can't be a pleasant ride, can it?

>>1197507
Pretty much this. Living in China for a year and the security was everywhere, and they make sure you can see their presence, but really they're not bad people.

I can count on one hand the number of times I had a pleasant interaction with American airport security. On the other hand I've never had a bad experience with Chinese airport security. They're really efficient and really professional, and all this without the need to have K9s and ARs scattered about.

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>>1197531
The tunnels are ventilated.

>>1197507
Americans are very triggerhappy and have a hard-on for arresting people. Far more than others.

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>>1197531
It's a train tunnel. You park the car/motorcycle in the train.

>>1197550
So, really, when anon said
>I crossed from the UK to France via the tunnel on a motorbike in august.
He should have said "with a motorbike", not "on a motorbike".

>>1197565
Basically yes

>tfw I've flown 3600 miles away from home and have still never been outside of the country
>tfw I can drive South for 10 hours until I reach the end of Florida
>tfw I can drive North for 10 hours without leaving the Southern region of the United States
>tfw I can drive West for 10 hours before reaching Texas

I travel far away from home pretty often l, but the U.S is gigantic so I've never gotten a passport.

>>1197484

Good stuff thx m8

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>>1197613
>My name is Paula. Australian Federal Police. You're under arrest today for the importation of drugs into Australia. Do you understand that?
>.......... no ........
>No? I have to caution you, before you say anything, you do not have to do or say anything and if you do say anything it may be used as evidence. Do you understand that?
>....... yea.......
>Okay. Can you repeat that back to me?
>.................
>Did you understand what I just said to you?
>.................

You can literally see the life drain from her eyes,

>>1196755
>That being said, with a US passport, no one cares what color you are (in Europe at least),

Eh, saw a black American get singled out on a train between Croatia and Hungary, he got pulled off in some border town/village and the train left without him (his friends left him too). Though his visa had apparently expired the day before, but they wouldn't have known if they didn't single him out

>>1197756
It's a common misconception among Americans. Some of them think "I am from the USA so I can do whatever the fuck I want!" And then they are surprised when they get caught overstaying and deported.

>>1197161
>just don't be part of, or know people from, an ethnic group we hate

That's nice

>>1197599
Shit excuse really

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>>1197599
You should still get a passport. It'll last you like 10 years before you need to renew, and it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

>>1197756
Don't be a nigger in eastern europe or the balkans. This should be common knowledge...

>>1197756
Did he have a passport cover? Just curious.

Other than that, damn arrogant Americans. I hope they didn't get away with overstaying, although I guess they just strolled out no problem.

Flew from Washington to Alaska then drove back home through canada to help my friend move back home.

Entering canada the guy was a super dick.
>how long will u be in canada
>why is your car full of stuff, are you moving here
>do you have any weapons or criminal record
No
>i dont beleive you, you look like a criminal.
He asked me 5 more times in various ways, but in his defense i look like a skinhead, so i dont blame him. But he was super nice and professional to my friend.

Going back to US was easy, had a nice talk at 1 am with Osoyos border guard about colleges and our degrees, super chill

>>1197380
why is chinese border intimidating?

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>taking a bus from Diyarbakir, Turkey, to Duhok, Iraq
>fairly long journey but we reach the border at Zakho before sunset
>crossing is fairly controlled and easy
>have to get off the bus and go into a small building to submit our passports and receive stamps
>lounge was surprisingly cozy, with good air-conditioning and big screen TVs all showing WWE
>called outside after a while
>wait for five or ten minuets as an Iraqi security officer passes back passports to everyone
>easy-peasy

>on the way out
>take a bus from Erbil to Van
>approach the same crossing at Zakho
>bus stops and everyone starts getting off
>it's probably about 7 or 8pm at night
>we're on one side of the river
>remember looking and seeing a long line of stationary semi-trucks and buses
>didn't move at all until nearly dawn
>finally cross out of Iraq and back into Turkey
>Turkish Customs and Immigration officials are ripping everybody's bags apart before and after the x-ray machine
>Iraqis and Turks alike have to sort through all of their underwear and pack the mess back up
>agent waves me over
>tfw my turn to get #rekt
>looks at my passport
>"U-S-A, good country"
>hands it back
>unzips my backpack
>literally just peeps inside, moves a shirt with his finger, and waves me on

Same thing happened at some of the military checkpoints in Southeast Turkey. When I was taking another bus back from Erciş to Istanbul, we were stopped by gendarmes several times. I suppose they were probably checking for wanted PKK militants. Every time they'd board, all of the other passengers would get nervous. My seat-mate prodded and poked me the first time, gesturing for me to take out my travel documents.

Every time, the officer would either flip through my pages or hand my passport straight back after seeing I was American.

Pic related - view of the Iraqi side of the border.

>>1198486
when was this?

>>1198531

June 2013.

I remember the first time I arrived at Kastrup, Copenhagen.

The police doing the border control were smiling and jolly. After asking about my trip the officer said "Ooh, that'll be fun! Enjoy!". Being from North America this was weird.

>>1198686
That's my home airport (live in Sweden though). I came home after being to North Korea and had two exit stamps from China but nothing covering where I had been for the two weeks I'd been to North Korea. Not really nervous but it might be a bit trying to explain it.

The police in Kastrup barely opens my passport as he sees that it's European and lets me pass in less than five seconds.

Also same airport have an extra check point if you're exiting the EU. EU citizens go through in ten seconds while everyone else (MENA people mostly) has to line up in a really long queue. Some American family try to go through the EU line but gets stopped. Doesn't seem to understand why at all and thinks something is wrong them being from a first world country and all

>>1196741
First time I went to the US was about 9 years ago, I was 10 and they took my fucking fingerprint

>>1196817

Well - in part the second set of experiences maybe goes some way towards explaining why the first set of experiences are necessary

Worst experience was my second visit to the USA coming through Atlanta, where I was asked a bunch of questions by a guy who'd recently had something like a tracheotomy operation. Could barely understand him, kept asking for him to repeat his questions, and this got him rattled. I was kept a bit longer than necessary.

Amusingly, waiting in line I heard various calls for translators at the immigration desks - "Korean at 12", "Urdu at 4" - answered by the same little fat guy in a cheap suit. What a con that guy was working.

Best experience was my first time going to the USA (Boston); after the regulation surliness with the passport, I was prepared for equal scrutiny with my customs declaration (I was bringing stuff for my girlfriend, who was studying there at the time). As I approach the customs guy he sees my t-shirt and says "Blue Oyster Cult? Man, I saw those guys back in '78, had a fucking laser show and everything, fucking good times, hey, just go on through, man" without so much as glimpsing at my form.

>>1196741
>live and Dubai for a good chunk of a year
>coming back into us giant black man asks me what I was doing in Dubai
>smile and say "I work for a theme park company"
>"oh shit son, get me some tickets HAHA welcome home"

He was nice.

>>1197843
I can not think of one situation where I would suddenly need a passport without enough forewarning needed to get one in advance.

>>1198898
If you're a burger, don't you need several weeks to get one?

>>1198900
it can take up to 3 months in some cases. But you can expedite it for an extra fee and it gets there within I think 2 weeks

>>1198905
Wow, could this be the one service that works more effectively in Europe? The town hall people tried to convince me I needed expedited service for my passport. 48hrs vs 3 weeks, 60 eur vs 30 eur for 10 years. I was like no, thanks, I don't even need it now. The 2nd day a special delivery arrives, and it's my passport. I'm like... Well done, town hall. I don't even get why they have expedited service.

>>1198910
O shit it's 150 ameriburger dollars to get a passport, sans expedited service. Fuck this country

>>1198911
But you have your freedom. Jk sorry. If that makes you feel better, a lot of countries have passports that are nearly as expensive as it is in the US.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/118769/internat-passport-comps.pdf (Data from 2010.)

>>1198913
Not after Trump takes office. I swear, I'm going to Europe in March and I might just stay there

>>1198917
If more Americans think that way, maybe I can get married after all. lol
Overstaying is not a great idea, but we have eg. tons of ridiculously cheap universities here, that give you student visa.

>>1198932
Wait how's that mindset affect Euromarriage? Too bad I graduated in May lol

>>1198933
You can always go for another degree or a PhD or whatever.

>>1198935
Nah I'm done with school. Maybe when I'm 35 or some shit, and even then the only thing I'm actually interested in past my current degree is like philosophy, so probably not. I think I'm just gonna marry some qt3.14 Swede and live there until I die. Seems like a solid plan right now

>>1198290
They like to put on a show of "GOOMUNISM" at some places. Granted went I went it was during the Olympics. But lots of Chinese guys with AK's who stare at you with their brows all scrunched up and eyes opened almost to "Tomato Noes" status.
(They call Americans and Europeans tomato noses)

Anybody here have a felony drug conviction and is still able to travel?

I ve crossed a few weird borders but the worst is Kyrgyz-Kazakh border. So many kyrgyz people queuing in what really looked like a cage. Angry people everywhere. Huge kazakh police officers. Crazy kyrgyz old women losing their shit trying to hit the cops.