ATTENTION UW PHOTOGRAPHERS:

[Dan]

Compassion in the same sentence as Customs Officer? I'm sorry, they are out to get me.

LOL I haven’t seen a compassionate Custom Officer, yet, in 14 years of diving vacations in many countries (Australia, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, Indonesia, Maldives, Mexico, Palau, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Trinidad, UAE).

One thing I learnt when I went to Indonesia, the Custom Office would mark certain checkin luggages for inspection. Mine got inspected and I had to pay import duty on a $5000 DSLR camera case. The Custom Officer asked me where was the camera. I said that was not mine. I brought it for friend. That was the last time my friend would ask me to buy camera case for him from USA since the cost would be more expensive including the import duty than buying one in Indonesia.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

LOL I haven’t seen a compassionate Custom Officer, yet, in 14 years of diving vacations in many countries (Australia, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, Indonesia, Maldives, Mexico, Palau, Tanzania, Trinidad, UAE).

One thing I learnt when I went to Indonesia, the Custom Office would mark certain checkin luggages for inspection. Mine got inspected and I had to pay import duty on a $5000 DSLR camera case. The Custom Officer asked me where was the camera. I said that was not mine. I brought it for friend. That was the last time my friend would ask me to buy camera case for him from USA since the cost would be more expensive including the import duty than buying one in Indonesia.

When I flew to Australia for a five-month Study Abroad semester back in 2004, I found the customs officer I dealt with at Melbourne to be very easygoing despite my sleep-deprived comedy act - while inspecting the hiking pack with my mesh gear bag inside, I mentioned that my dive knife was in there and it would be easiest to get to it from the bottom zipper on the pack. She then said "I'm sorry, did you say bomb?"

Cue frantic "OHNONONONONO!!!!!"

 

[CZS]

... just one question : in your unlucky experience do you think is it better to try to argument with the Custom officer and let them know you are well informed or is it better to pretend not to be aware and try to move compassion .

.... I really dont want to bother the officer and make them too more scrupulous ....
hopefully they can trust the price I will tell them and do not check in the WEB

Letting the officer know you’re informed won’t hurt, just be prepared for it to fall on deaf ears. Nothing I said mattered to them and I was left with no choice but to pay the “tax”. The only hope you have at avoiding this, in my opinion, is to pack as inconspicuously as possible and avoid the Pelican cases like the plague.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I have never had any success when knowing the rules better than the agent. I quit trying years ago. Instead, I try my best to pack carefully and not bring problem items.

This situation is beyond that. I wish you all the best.

Personally, I'd be trying to fly in on a domestic flight, if it's less expensive than what a person could be charged for their gear.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

I contacted the [REDACTED] person from my previous post; apparently that person has noted the issue as well and says it's a recent thing. Note was made that gear in checked luggage, particularly in hard-sided Pelican cases, is being targeted.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Apparently not too long ago a SeaLegacy film crew led by Paul Nicklen came into Mexico without filling out the customs forms for their gear (note that this is the exact situation this "tax" is supposed to apply to and the sort of thing where an ATA carnet would be advised). They turned around and left because, well, I imagine 16% of multiple RED cameras and all the other bells and whistles is more than most of us will spend on camera gear in this lifetime.

 

[FettSolo]

I'm flying into Cabo tomorrow so we shall see!

 

[CWK]

I had absolutely no issues with customs when entering Mexico through Mexico City International Airport, but I don’t have a Pelican case.

 

[Schwob]

I'm flying into Cabo tomorrow so we shall see!

How did it go?

 

[Manuel Sam]

Having read this entire thread and what others have recently experienced, sounds to me like the level of enforcement varies. Here are a few observations based on our recent experience in November.

I did a charter on the Solmar V in mid-November with a group of 20 divers. The only items that were targeted were housings with a value that exceeded $500. In other words, clothing, dive gear, laptops, phones, dive lights, etc. were not targeted. No one in our group had drones so I can't tell you if those might be.

People with point and shoots and GoPros were not affected. That is because, generally speaking, the housings for these do not exceed $500 in value. Some people with big housed DSLR's were also not affected - hence what I say about the variability of enforcement. But these people who were able to dodge scrutiny and avoided paying duty had their cameras and housings in ordinary carry-ons - not in Pelican cases nor in camera backpacks such as Lowe. Either that or they did not fly into the International Terminal of Los Cabos.

Of our entire group of 20, only two people were targeted. This happened even before they hit the button to get the red or green light. These two happened to have some of their gear in Lowe camera backpacks, which I guess must have screamed $$$$$. And once they flag you, they look at everything else, even what is in rolling carry-on bags.

While up to two cameras are deemed personal baggage that is exempt from duty (lenses were also not targeted), their interpretation was that housings are not considered part of the camera - and in this case, they knew exactly what to target because one housing was a Nauticam for the Nikon D800, and the other was a Gates for a Sony video camera. In other words, they already had an idea which are the more expensive brands. And from there it was easy for them to do an online search to look up normal retail price.

Talking to the videographer on the Solmar, he also told of expensive dive lights being targeted.

Claiming that the equipment was strictly for personal use (which it was) fell on deaf ears.

As Hiloboy reported, people with housed DSLRs who flew into some other airport in Mexico besides La Paz and Los Cabos and then flew into the domestic terminal of Los Cabos were also not affected.

Arguing about age of equipment age and the current value after depreciation helped. These two people managed to get the duty reduced to less than $200 for the two housings combined.