Re: OT: Bringing Cisco equipment to US

[Martin Hannigan <martin () theicelandguy com>]

Not a lawyer -- not legal advice.

You should only have to declare them at the border and pay the import
duty (tax) _right there_. They take credit cards. Declare them on
customs form I-74? handed out on the plane before you land.

If you try and walk or bag them through without declaring them, you
could be asking for serious problems.

Best,

Martin


On 6/29/09, Joe Abley <jabley () hopcount ca> wrote:
> On 29-Jun-2009, at 10:05, Sherwin Ang wrote:
>
> > i'll be bringing in 2 cisco switches to one wilshire in LA to install
> > those switches there.  since these are small switches, 3750's, i'll be
> > carrying them on the check-in luggage.  I would like to get some
> > information if i could be in trouble in any way with regards to
> > Customs there in the US, i'll be coming from the Philippines by the
> > way.
> >
> > insights, off list would be greatly appreciated.  tnx!
>
> If you put metal devices in your checked baggage you should be
> prepared for them to be noticed in routine x-rays as the baggage is
> processed. I've found notes from TSA inside my checked bags before
> confirming that someone had opened and searched my luggage, most
> recently between the US and Canada. There was a Juniper SSG5 in there
> (which I had declared) which I presumed caused the bag to be flagged.
>
> Last time I checked, there was no simple box to check on customs
> paperwork for "we still own these switches, but we want to keep them
> in the US rather than at home". It might well be that they need to be
> processed as if you are importing them, in which case commercial
> invoices confirming their value and other documentation confirming
> their origin might well be required, and you might have to pay import
> duty.
>
> If you want to avoid any unpleasant questions at the border, then the
> right thing to do is probably to find out what supporting paperwork is
> required to support the import of the switches into the US, bring that
> paperwork with you, and declare the switches at customs.
>
> Alternatively ship the switches separately, and let FedEx or similar
> deal with the border. You can then make the border crossing carrying
> nothing but clothes and a laptop, which ought to be uncomplicated.
>
> More alternatively, since c3750s are not particularly exotic or
> expensive, look at buying some from a cisco reseller or used network
> equipment vendor within the US and have them shipped directly to 1
> Wilshire. The switches you have in the Philippines could be used for
> something else.
>
> Note I am not a lawyer, this e-mail contains forward-looking
> statements, contents may have settled in transit, etc.
>
>
> Joe


-- 
Martin Hannigan                               martin () theicelandguy com
p: +16178216079
Power, Network, and Costs Consulting for Iceland Datacenters and Occupants