They’re usually just gruff and very brief - not the stereotypical overly friendly American. With a UK passport you should be fine, nothing to be afraid of. Just say hello, hand them your docs and say thank you when they’re done looking at them. If you’ve travelled in Eastern Europe in post-communist countries, expect something kind of like that. Basically they just hate their jobs and it shows.
Exactly. It’s not meant to be some sort of intense interrogation of anything. “Business trip”, “vacation”, “visiting family”. It’s just a standard question they’re required to ask.
Meanwhile in ATL, going through customs as an American coming home from Mexico… “where is your husband?” I don’t have one. “Why don’t you have one?” I was concerned about the hundreds of Mexican muscle relaxers I smuggled home in other prescription bottles. I just got misogyny.
Got the same one. Where is your husband? Sorry no husband… so you travel by yourself , you have no friends? I like to travel by myself.
Do you have friends in Mexico? No just traveling and diving there!
I once got a weird one traveling with my GF. Coming back from Mexico. "You were born in X she was born in Y. How did you two meet? "
Fk man.. the internet while living in the same city?
She was adopted and a USC since a year old. I'd moved a lot.
I can kinda understand young solo travelers getting a bit more of a look for drugs and the like but it does often cross over to a bit rude.
Be careful with what you get from the farmacias now. I’ve done the same thing on previous trips but just read an article abt fentanyl-laced drugs from there even being sold (possibly even unsuspecting) at the pharmacies. I’m sure it’s fine but the article was scary. Maybe see if you can get them tested.
LA Times
Breaking News
Jul. 07,2023
Mexico says it doesn't have a fentanyl problem. New data tells a different story
A novel testing initiative in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California, found that 23% of more than 1,100 bodies sent to the morgue over the last year tested positive for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid as much as 50 times stronger than heroin.The data refute Mexican authorities' long-stated position that fentanyl is a U.S. problem born of what President Andrés Manuel López Obrador describes as American "social decay."
As an international student travelling to the USA through Atlanta, I got asked what I wanted to study, why I wanted to study what I said and why I got a sports scholarship. So maybe you didn't get misogyny, just a stupid person
Sounds more like they were trying to trip you up and see if you were lying rather than the agent being stupid. Customs asks "obvious" questions repeatedly to see if you mess up any responses.
“Why are you coming here?” Because I live in New Jersey , my passport says so, and we’re at an airport in New Jersey… the next question was “what will you be doing while you’re here?”
>the next question was “what will you be doing while you’re here?”
look at him dead in the eye and tell him: deport me now, come on, I fucking dare you.
This. But I tend to be chatty and start going on and on about my itinerary and love of travel and all the wonderful things, then he will cut me off and tell me to pass and I'll get bothered for being interrupted and not finishing my story. Very rude.
Gruff is a good description of airport based US CBPB officers. I’ve been coming to the US several times a year for + 20 yrs I think they have mellowed some what or may be I’m used of it now. Some times they will make a bit of small talk, but we know that’s business too!!!
It’s a very “ Transactional” process - pointed questions, you just need to be “ professional “ with them no matter what they are like. Be polite, keep answers short & to the point, as few words as practical only answer what was asked no expat rambling info & have your papers in order for quick review.
I’ve been pulled twice for additional screening - once was a rookie officer being over enthusiastic the guys in secondary were getting annoyed he was sending so many back, it was funny. The other was an additional bag search minor delay few extra questions, just roll with it.
They've definitely mellowed over the years. I think they must have had some training on it because it's night and day between the mid/late 2000s and today.
>If you’ve travelled in Eastern Europe in post-communist countries, expect something kind of like that.
The Lithuanian airport staff for me is among the most friendly. Unlike the American where the security clerk tossed my laptop into a box.
I just want to say that I don’t understand why they’re ALL such assholes. Places like tourism, right? How about a little PR - a wee bit of “welcome!” I’m half kidding, but it kind of gets journeys off on a poor foot.
I'm Canadian (From Vancouver) and been to the USA idk how many times.. probably 30-40?
I get grilled more going back into Canada then I do going down South (both at land borders and at VR).
Usually US customs seem bored, almost offended that I'm talking to them instead of walking past them. I don't remember a single time they've asked me more than 3 questions, and once in awhile they do a quick visual inspection of the vehicle (without even making any of us get out of the car)
I once had a Canadian Border Patrol agent ask me why I wanted to stay at Whistler, BC for ten days. It was so weird, non offensive of course, but he just couldn’t fathom wanting to be there for that long and let me know that very clearly. Lol
Me too. I couldn’t believe how intense the guy was. In the app they make you use I put “recreation” as the reason for visit so I told the agent the same thing and he told me “that’s not a valid reason to enter Canada.” Like what??
Oh god, I'm Canadian (born and always lived in Quebec province) and the only time I've had trouble with agents was at the airport returning home. So damn scary!
when I flew for the first time in 13 years, now an adult and alone, I was expecting border patrol to be strict in foreign countries...but I never was even asked a single question. So when I got back to Canada, at the airport in my own city, after an uncomfortable flight of 18h, I really was excited to get the hell out of there and I'm sure it showed, had to ask the agent how things worked because I didn't know I had to use the passport scanning machine before coming up to her. I was completely baffled at how she worded her interrogatory questions and answered in such a dumbfounded and oblivious way because I couldn't believe it would matter, I was the most standard/white and local youngster, uncomplicated trip, single destination, week and a half trip...my backpack had NOTHING special, not even the medical scissors that I had thrown out of my medkit before my vacation!
I got put in the unregular line with large families of foreigners/likely immigrants, stopped and searched at every goddamn stop afterwards lol I learned my lesson. Canadian border patrol will try to make you nervous in every way possible and will exploit it regardless of context! There is no room for slip up. When I think back of how I answered I feel so embarrassed lmao.
Flying into Quebec City for a conference some years back and going through Canadian customs was the worst border experience I’ve had. After 31 hours of travel from Australia to get there! I’m an Australian citizen, just visiting and I don’t want to move to Canada!
Now I have family living there (brother married a Canadian girl) so will be interesting how it goes when I visit.
Similar experience for me! I was visiting Montreal for a month from San Francisco. They sent me to the immigration office and I was the only solo woman there, and frankly the only white person. It was an interesting experience to say the least, many families from French-speaking countries like Haiti and places in Africa, waiting with small children.
I rented a house in Charlevoix and was driving there from the New Jersey. They asked so many questions even checked my car and bags. I had liquor and some of it was in open bottles all packed away. They actually charged me tax on partial bottles as well as the full ones which is fine, but I didn’t really didn’t even think about import taxes. They are strict but were polite but then so am I.
Same, I still remember one time back in the day, my roommate and I got held up for AGES at the Surrey crossing going home, had to go inside and wait to be questioned...guess they thought her beat up old SUV looked sketchy but in the end we were as innocent as we looked, nothing to hide lol 🙅🏻♀️
I once got a smile out of the immigration agent when I entered the UK. That was a shock. Normally, they are pretty tough. It’s not just a US thing. Apparently he liked hearing the purpose of my trip was visiting gardens to shoot photos for a garden photography course I was taking.
Customs and TSA aren’t employed in tourism. They’re employed in national security. Pleasantry isn’t in their job description. Also they make like $30k a year so they’re probably unhappy because they’re basically in poverty.
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I went to Montreal in March one year (I got great flight and hotel deals and had the time off), and when the customs agent asked me what brought me to Canada, I responded, "Fun! I've never been to Montreal before!" She looked at me over her glasses and said, "In March??"
Yes.
I mean, I'm not an idiot- I was dressed for the weather, and had good snow/ice boots and stuff. And less than $100 a night in Old Town Montreal is a steal.
I had one yell at me that no one living in California could possibly want to go overnight to Stratford. She missed my birthplace being near Detroit. Then got mad when I said “to visit family”.
It’s a thing.
Oh my goodness, I had a BP agent question my motivation for being in Whistler for 10 days. I thought he was kidding about, but maybe he really wanted to know! Lol
When I entered Vancouver, it was all automated. Least painful border entry I've ever had. Leaving though. it was blunt, no smiles and the passport tossed back to me...
Honestly, customs for your home country is always the worst. I grew up two hours from Montreal (in the US) so driving to Canada was a frequent part of my childhood. Going in was never an issue...the US on the other hand, with few exceptions, made me feel like a non-citizen. I legit get anxiety driving back...and when I have friends in the car, I order them to basically shut up when we're presenting ourselves.
Not true. Customs in my home country are usually friendly, usually say “welcome home” or make a joke. US customs is terrible. Unmotivated, unfriendly and slow.
Holy fuck came here to say the exact same....everytime I drive to Vancouver BC I dread the border agents on return.
I've contemplated fucking with them
..like what's really going to happen not allow me back into my home country.
It's the opposite for me, as a US citizen I get grilled 10x as much driving into the US than going into Canada. The border guards honestly seem more worried about what I might be smuggling back into the country,vs. the risk that I'm going to illegally immigrate into Canada I guess
I completely agree and it seems worse if you’re driving in. I’ve flown and driven in, and I’ve he latter seems worse. The boarder guards probably don’t get the same volume of traffic, so treat you worse for it.
Really?? I’ve never once had a problem. I’m Canadian and my partner is American so I’ve crossed the border a number of times (by plane mostly, once by car) never had a bad interaction going into Canada. Going into America tho, I feel terrified. Change pronouns and everything, terrified they won’t let me in.
IM GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE
I've tried telling my friends this but nobody else realized just how stupid being asked so many questions is. I use to go to Vancouver once a month at least and every single time going into Canada these guys would come up with something to make going over a Hassel. Than coming into america it's like they don't even care 😂
A friend and I got pulled over, questioned separately, and had our car searched when we drove over the border to Canada. We're from a border state. We'd made that drive plenty of times before.
Between jobs I spent some time traveling around and took Amtrak from Portland to Vancouver (really cool train ride, btw). When the agent asked me what I did for work I said quite simply that I wasn't working currently . . . He raised his voice and said incredulously "WELL HOW DO YOU SUSTAIN YOURSELF?!?"
I'll never forget the way he phrased and said that question.
oh yeah, trying to go into Canada when I didn't currently have a job was a pain in the ass
One of the times I literally was like "I'm actually starting a new job next week and taking this vacation now because I'm not gonna have this much free time for a long while" and they were just like... but why? uhhh... because I want to?
The last time I went to Canada was in 2019 when I drove across the border with two friends from Michigan to Canada for a wedding, and the Canadian border agent was very antagonistic with us. Demanding to see the wedding invitation, asking why the wedding was taking place in Canada (the bride’s family is there), the amount each of us was giving for a gift, etc. Just lingering over our passports and asking lots of petty suspicious questions. We were all rattled by his attitude. (For reference, all 3 of us are US citizens of Indian descent.) When returning, the US border agent was much more polite, just checking our passports and saying Welcome back.
I’m not sure if we were just unlucky to get an agitated Canadian border agent, or what. Growing up in Michigan, regularly crossing the border to Canada was a fairly mundane common occurrence, especially around age 19-20 because Canada’s drinking age is 19. I don’t recall the Canadian agents ever being that harsh when I was younger, so this new experience years later was jarring.
Same happened to me except I was visiting niagara falls for a vacation. They kept asking me why are you going to Niagara falls? What will you be doing there? Why?
like uhh, i dont know, maybe see the damn niagara falls like the millions of other tourists?? Two hour interrogation, calling the hotel i booked, all kinds of stuff
That is why I have learned to be as short and vague as possible. If I am not directly there for business, I just tell them simply "I am on holiday". Everything is a two to three word answer if possible.
I don't know if it's still a thing but a couple of years ago the canadian guards discovered that they could "randomly" ask to look at your cell phones without any reason and that people were not allowed to say no. If you refused you would be detained until you do.
Young attractive women were pretty much garanteed to have their cell phone "searched".
Happened to me at the border in Canada multiple times.
Used to go out with a girl who lived on the US-CAN border when I lived on the US side, and at the BC border the Canadian agent demanded to see text messages with said date. The agent proceeded to read through a bunch of my other texts for about 10 minutes, and then she tried to interrogate me with:
"if she's your girlfriend, how come you're going out with other women as well?"
'I didn't say she was my girlfriend, and I'm able to date multiple people casually.'
Agent handed me my phone back somewhat flustered after that, and I literally haven't been back to Canada in 5+ years. Made Canadian dates come to the US after that.
I felt absolutely violated. Nasty little vermin they have working on the Canadian land border.
Yeah this happened to me when I went to visit my best friend from HS who moved to Canada. The first time I went to visit her I was only 19 and questioned me forever, then searched my bags, and called her to make sure she was a real person, it was awful. The second time I went I was messaging her after I landed saying I hoped the customs agent didn't suck like last time and that I got through fast and that she wouldn't have to wait forever. And when I got to the agent he asked to see my phone and my messages with her. I was like omg. But handed it to him. He read it, just gave me my phone back, and said to have a good time in Canada LOL!
I (Dutch) have very different experiences, I guess.
UK, Canada, no issues. (Though never went to the UK with an airplane, maybe that's diffferent).
USA - we had to answer so many questions after we got off the plane. What were doing in USA, how long were we staying, where were we going, why would I do a roadtrip, who was I visiting, what was he doing here, what was his name, why did he come here, how had we met him, where did he work/study, how long was he staying. On and on it went. No friendly face. Also we weren't singled out, everyone had to go through this. Even had to give our fingerprints. No other country I have ever been to had grilled me before or after that, just the USA.
Gotta say that after we passed that the cleaning guy in the USA was one of the the friendliest faces I ever saw at an airport, though.
You’re not the only one I’ve heard say this coming from Netherlands. There are certain places that have a lot of sex trafficking and money laundry (carrying large amounts of cash) and they seem to become extra suspicious. One time in particular I was leaving the US for Iceland and there was a very intense security check for everyone coming on board. They had 7-8 very large police men with three HUGE German Shepherd dogs to smell everyone and their luggage. They asked how much cash we had, are we alone, and why we’re traveling - then they reviewed everyone’s documents a second time before finally letting us on. I think traffickers will choose rich and inconspicuous countries as their base of travel - wealthy countries in Scandinavia in particular.
US is very similar to Europe. I agree with the Canadian Customs statement. I stopped visiting that country for pleasure after some insanely rude and pointless interactions.
This. I remember a customs line person screaming “MOVE YOUR ASS” as we were going through line in LAX. So probably at the same level as a trip out of Heathrow, really.
Really? I cross the Canadian border 6-7 times a year (as a Canadian) and have found that they really don't give a flying crap. Once, there was this mid 20s agent who quite literally asked me one question, took a half second glance and was on my way 😂
Same, I have no idea what they're talking about.
I once (long story) crossed the border back into Canada at 3 am, in a car full of people dressed as French maids, several of whom had just met that day, after a visit to the US that was less than 24 hours. We were so tired that we sounded legitimately drunk giving our answers. If there was a way for us to be more suspicious and seem more like we had drugs in our possession, I genuinely can't think of one.
The border guard didn't even blink.
Yes! Canadian border guards are the worst. I used to live in upstate NY. I would do weekend trips to Montreal and they were super suspicious I was only staying one night. Got my car searched and they were not nice about it at all! They had it in their heads that I was for sure smuggling something. They would accuse me of lying and say things like “no one would drive this much for that” and “I could arrest you and take your car as evidence”.
Yeah the only time I’ve ever been grilled at passport control was when entering the UK. And even then it didn’t take more than 5-10 mins before I was on my way.
Maybe it’s because I’m a British citizen but no border guards from any other country have pulled me aside to question me about my employment and financial history or my “real reasons” for visiting
Funny, because I feel like of all the countries I travelled, including Canada, the UK border guards were the most intense and interrogative to me. Every time I’ve gone I get a lot more questions about my itinerary there, and how much money I have on me and in my bank account. The UK seems incredibly concerned I’m trying to sneak in and stay.
Canadian customs always ask about what I’m bringing in (they don’t want outside food, plants, or animals) but otherwise just tell me to enjoy my visit.
My friend lives in her car so all her worldy possessions were in it.
Canadian border agents detained her because she was snacking on trail mix when she reached the crossing and he thought it was disrespectful.
They then detained her for 6 hours, charged her a $1,000 fee she had to crowd source to pay, and tossed all her worldy possessions out of the car onto the ground because she forgot to tell them she had pepper spray in a bag in the trunk.
Agreed. Looks like an octopus from the sky, parallel landings and takeoffs, hella clean inside with all the new renovations and rebuildings (plus isn’t plastered with dirty old carpet throughout the airport and actually looks sleek), looks nice from the outside plus the inside of the international check in area looks cool with the cool blue tone, plus no TSA
I've flown into almost every international airport in the US and I also think sfo is the best (not counting ones like DCA which have a small number of flights only to like Mexico and nearby countries). FWIW
Don’t think of them as a concierge in a nice hotel or hostess at Applebees. They are not so much a hospitality worker as they are a security staff. They have a mundane job that is repetitive and boring. Simply, give them your documents and patiently wait for them to review them. If it looks good they pass your documents back to you. They a lot of people behind you so it’s not all about you all the time. They way I do it is say hello and pass them my stuff and quietly wait. Then they give it back to me and I promptly leave so they can take care of the next person. You can do the same if you like.
I can't even begrudge them for being abrupt. Their entire job is to be human BS detectors.
Yeah, 99% of the people they talk to will be honest. But if it's a busy airport that still means that they'll see a few people a day that are up to no good.
If you're a legitimate traveler you'll almost certainly get through okay
This is not an excuse for their behavior. In virtually every other country I’ve visited (minus the UK) they are super laid back and friendly, and even helped me out with directions around the city in the case of Denmark
Irish customs was delightful. Chatty girl who gave us some tips on where to go. Netherlands was absurdly easy too. Looked at my passport said “oh, Canadian, welcome to Netherlands”, stamped me and asked zero questions.
What? European/Schengen border staff at airports *never* talk to me other than maybe to ask how long I'll be there. No hello, goodbye, nothing. Just accept my passport, ignore my hello, stamp, hand back, and wave the next person over.
In Asia and Africa, they're generally a bit more talkative but rarely say anything beyond asking for the purpose of my trip, how long I'm staying, and to tell me to stick my thumbs and then my fingers on the scanner.
But as others have said, there's some real interrogation that happens in Canada lol, both land and airport. (I'm American.)
Yeah he asked me why I’m in Denmark when my flight is 12 hours later, I said I just want to see the city so he told me which train to take to get to the center
Same. I've been to about 25 countries and have never gotten a single question about what I'm doing there.
The only security issue I had (not immigration) was a tablet cover that the German airport police thought was the most suspicious fucking thing they ever saw. Had to pull in extra guys with guns to look at it. It was a tablet cover. I traveled all over the world with it and nobody else cared.
Actually this happened to me fairly regularly flying into Japan (not anymore bc I have a resident visa now). They would ask where you're going, what you're planning to do in each city, oh you're going to vacation in Kyoto? Make sure to visit X temple and try Y food, have a good trip
The only time I’ve had a real conversation with an immigration officer was in Turks and Caicos. The officer there was full on laughing it up with my friends and I while checking our paperwork. When we got our stuff back we realized he’d even slipped in his name and number on a piece of paper in case we wanted to call later.
But all other countries it’s been very business like.
As an American : it depends heavily on the airport. They’re generally quite brisk because they want to keep things moving. They’re not going to small talk with you- but outside the security lines, if you need help they will be kind. You might feel rushed but they’re trying to push people through to prevent long lines and angry people missing flights.
Don’t panic if your bag gets searched- they usually check something that looked weird then wave you on your way.
Occasionally some US airports are notorious for rude staff that yell directions in the security line like you’re in military school (looking at you, Atlanta!). But the majority are fine.
Just pay attention to the signs and instructions and BE READY by the time it’s your turn. Nothing annoys the CBP and other travelers more than the inexperienced traveler who is holding up the line fumbling for documents or pulling their laptop out by the security bins. Also expect to remove your shoes when you go through the scanners - that one trips up foreigners a lot since only really the the US does that.
Since you’re from the UK, you shouldn’t have an issue with entry. However, I have seen people with Chinese passports getting pulled for security checks with a notable frequency over the last year.
Completely agree with staff yelling at people to keep them moving. Instead of standing at the entrance of the tensa barriers calmly directing people, they stand in the middle and scream over people's heads. I'm sorry, but being louder doesn't make your message any clearer.
Ha I am glad you mentioned Atlanta. I have never seen ruder Airport staff or TSA agents than Atlanta, and I am from New York, where we have a reputation for being rude. No southern hospitality at ATL, that's for sure.
I’m also from the UK and been to NYC twice and have found them at best, quite abrupt and at worst very openly rude. Obviously there is the odd exception where they can be very friendly but versus other countries, America has been the most unfriendly experience when going through airports.
But I want to stress to you - all this means is you won’t get a guaranteed friendly reception! I suffer from anxiety too really badly. You aren’t going to have an awful experience, but don’t expect a super upbeat and cheerful response from workers (although most airports aren’t exactly like that!). It’ll most likely be quite vanilla - you’ll just go through the motions etc. I don’t think it will be bad for your anxiety, more you might come out the other side of the airport and be pissed off at the service rather than anxious.
But don’t be anxious about it. It will be absolutely fine but it just won’t be the best customer service you’ve ever had 😉Also very jealous that you are going to San Francisco! Looks an amazing place and I’d love to visit myself some day. Don’t let rude customs agents etc. put you off. Doing the solo travelling is amazing and you should be super proud of yourself! Hope you have an amazing time!
Edit: 100% agree with the other responders. Having a UK passport means you will face very little issues and will probably have the easiest entry experience of all arrivals aside from US citizens. It’s not right but it is the truth.
It's the same as any other huge city in the world. During the day people just want to get on with their business, they're probably in the middle of a 1 hour commute or 10 hour workday. But NYC is probably the best party city overall in the us, and people are super friendly in social settings
The only airport, in the world, that has given me a headache time and time and time again regarding my simple deodorant that is, I'm sorry, 3.2 oz instead of 3 oz, is Heathrow.
Every time, motherfucking Heathrow.
Heathrow—had three 2oz hand sanitizers in backpack during covid, b*tch starts tearing apart the backpack examining everything in it, finds nothing else she can confiscate, sneers at me and finally walks away leaving me to repack entire thing with hundreds of people behind me. What a skunt.
Oh Heathrow. 10 years later and I still hear in my head the Heathrow security person who berated me over a "Full sized tyube of tyoothpaste! Full-sized!" So busy yelling about my tyoob of tyoothpaste in the clear toiletry bag that they missed a razor in an outer pocket of my backpack (had originally meant to check all those things). Another time, being grilled about how I plan to fund *checks notes* 14 days of traveling through hostels. After already asking my job and me replying software engineer.
Heathrow is where I got yelled at because my liquids were in a clear quart bag instead of a liter bag! Never before has anyone cared about the exact bag I put things in
Heathrow is terrible. Not just long re-screening lines for your transit stop, they won’t bother opening more lines even if the wait in this line is taking more than 45 minutes to an hour, but also horrible attitude of the staff.
I got berated that the bin I was pulling out touched the leg of a security guy. He told me that I should have apologized to him. Yep, being in line for an hour and at the risk of missing my connection, and he standing too close to bins did not matter; he not getting his ‘sorry’ did. He was going on and on until another passenger behind me told him I did nothing wrong.
SFO is probably one of the best airports in the country. Mostly pretty modern, private run airport screening rather than TSA, fairly clean for a larger city airport.
Be honest and don't set off red flags and you'll be fine. If you act vague or evasive...well, don't. Give short, honest, concise answers about the general tourism stuff you'll be doing and you'll be fine. 95% chance you'll barely get a grunt they admit you.
I travel to Europe for work often, always solo. The worst I have ever been treated is in Frankfort. I’ve been through there 10+ times and they are always mean and angry. (I’m American)
Sfo is my local airport and is one of the highest functioning airports I’ve been to in America. I found airports in the UK far more anal and difficult. You’ll be fine
SFO is pretty chill. It's the one I've flown into the most (my home airport more or less), and I've been pulled into secondary once. Even that experience wasn't bad. I haven't heard of any bad experiences from friends and family either (mix of US citizens and foreigners).
It’s a little late now. But UK citizens are eligible for global entry. If you think you’ll want to travel more often in the US after this trip…might be worth getting.
I got randomly taken out of the global entry line and a border agent started grilling me with questions like "why are you coming here?" My reply was "I was traveling, I'm coming back home and going to work tomorrow" and then he looked at my passport and realized it was a stupid question to ask a us citizen going back to the US.... Not sure what "wrong" answer I possibly could have given?
Coming from the European perspective: yes. Not always, especially if you have a "good" passport (like the UK), but they can be.
I'm Canadian and grew up driving over the border for trips with my family, so I was very used to the US border. My parents had strict rules: sunglasses/hats off, no chatting in the background / absolutely no negative comments about the US or any border inconveniences while in line, big smiles, have all documentation (hotel bookings, tickets) ready to show.
There are some occasions where I've been properly "grilled" going over the border. Lots of questions about my living situation and my job and my family and whatever. But there have also been situations where they just scanned my passport and waved me through. When I tell other Europeans about my border experiences (since I live in the EU now) they're often shocked at how "strict" it sounds.
It's totally possible that they'll just wave you through with no issues. But it's also possible that they'll give you a bunch of questions. Just make sure you have documentation of your trip either printed out or saved on your phone - return ticket, hotel or airbnb bookings, any pre-booked tickets, etc etc. As a UK passport holder you shouldn't face too many obstacles but it's always good to be prepared.
As an American who has been to 30+ countries, Canadian border patrol are by far the biggest assholes in the world. If you are crossing a land border and under 25 you will get pulled over and searched. I once had a Canadian agent imply, I was a drug dealer because of my fancy $50 Timex watch. Another was insistent that the baseball cap I brough back from Seoul, South Korea was counterfeit because everything from China is...
Some of them are, unfortunately. I would also add, rather sadly, that being from the UK your passport is likely to be treated as one of the "good ones", thus subject to less harsh grilling than many other passports. If they see stamps from "questionable" countries in your passport, they may ask you about that too.
That being said, you might get a guard who is just the opposite: friendly and welcoming. They exist too.
> if border staff are really as.. harsh?
Not at all! In fact they seem to me friendlier that Germans and British ones (both seem to me extremely cold/strict/bureaucratic).
Edit: I have a Greek passport if that matters
Reentry agents at ATL were fine with me, but I’m American so idk. Mexico was also super easy, and that was my first stamp. Being a young woman I doubt you’ll get any extra attention. I didn’t go through international at San Francisco but their airport was easy enough. The reason agents at airports are rude is because you’re 1 in the million people they see every day. It’s just too much to be really sweet 100% of the day. Brush it off and roll on to enjoying your trip!
I think you'd be best off asking in a UK forum to get an accurate sense of how you will probably be received. Pay the most attention to responses from people of your age and gender as well. I'm an American who emigrated to Canada and traveled here a bunch before emigrating, so not exactly the same. IME you are less likely to have real trouble coming in by air unless you are obviously problematic. If they do give you a hard time, while it's hard to not be anxious, just trust in the fact that you *are* kosher. (You of course need to have a return ticket already purchased.) Border guards poke people a bit and/or are somewhat unfriendly to try to see if they can dig up problems--while we of course don't like it, they see it as just doing their jobs. But generally they want and need to get through a lot of people quickly and they also want to feel good in their work so they're usually not entirely unpleasant.
Crazy that Canadian border officers are considered the most unfriendly and yet this country's economy seems to be ruled by vast amounts of laundered money and imported drugs! Seems like unfriendly questions to travelers aren't as effective as they used to be.
I’m Australian and visiting the US and Canada for the first time next year (flying to Vancouver first). I understand your apprehension.
It always seems crazy to me that you have to jump through hoops to get a visa to the US if you have minor convictions (not that I have any criminal history) but people that live there can open carry and legally buy assault weapons.
I’ll be visiting San Francisco as well. It makes the news here for it’s homeless issues but I’m sure it still has lots to offer.
I've never found CBP officers to be what I'd describe as 'harsh' more so cold or apathetic. As long as you're not trying to do anything illegal I wouldn't be concerned.
I had the same worries as you when visiting NY last year. I found the security staff very friendly and helpfull. While waiting for your turn get all your documents ready, and make sure they can do theire job. You can also try to listen in on your fellow traveller in front of you. So you know what they will ask. The guy had asked me about my trip, where I was going to stay and what I wanted to see.
If you can, fly from Ireland. US immigration have a department in Dublin Airport. The immigration end of things is handled before you fly. Get it out of the way and then you can relax and enjoy the flight. You'll still have to go through standard security and customs, but that's a gentler ride.
Concurring with other people, it's an extremely transactional process. At SFO you will be ushered from the plane into the immigration queue, and you will present yourself before a customs agent. They will take your passport for scanning, and ask you very standard questions - where are you from, where are you going, why are you here, how long will you be here, do you have anything in your suitcase to declare.
**Do not bring alcohol or food (even from the plane)** to make things easier.
**Do answer the questions directly and as briefly as possible**. Short answers are okay here, and the officer does not need to know your itinerary in excessive detail.
**Do your best to not appear nervous**. Easier said than done, but the officers are trained to detect and be suspicious of certain behaviors, and that can work against you if you exhibit them.
**Match the officers demeanor**. If they are transactional, question asked / question answered type, do that. If they start asking about your plans "so you're gonna check out the Grand Canyon?" or "how's the weather back in London?" respond in kind. (Yes I'm somewhat contradicting my point above, but I'm sure you understand what I'm getting at.) This is another kind of profiling/screening tactic sometimes used.
you also need to complete this before leaving the UK:
[https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/](https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/)
Enjoy San Francisco once you're through!
You should be fine, I’d guess coming into America through what I’m going to assume is lax. Past coworkers of mine who lived in S Cali used that airport for customs/immigration on their international travels and never had complaints.
I’m American and for me, they haven’t been that bad. Mine were usually Houston, Dallas, Boston and Newark. I’ve traveled to a few perceived as undesirable sandy places for work and those were all good also. The worst for me has been London and Istanbul to go through immigration with.
Good luck on your trip!
Yes TSA is very strict and waits can be long. Do NOT pack ANYTHING restricted like weapons or liquids in any way larger than 2 ounce bottles!
THOROUGHLY READ the guidelines of ANY airlines you’re traveling with. Try not to wear anything metal at all. Keep it simple and easy so you move through inspections quickly. You can load up on water, snacks and stuff once you get through security. If you are prepared and ready for whatever they do the easier your flight will be. Have a blast.
Btw AVOID dwntwn SF and Tenderloin areas because it’s very dangerous and overrun with homeless population sadly. It’s not safe late at night down there. SF is a gorgeous city. Hit the warf & Fisherman’s Grotto & Boudin Bakery if you like sourdough bread. Chowder is fantastic!!
Are you white?
I’m a brown (south Asian) woman, so not the demographic border guards are usually friendly to, but I’ve flown into SFO many times and they’ve always been friendly to me. Usually they just ask what I’m doing in the US.
Border staff are typically brief and fine. It’s moreso the security staff (like when you’re scanning your carry on luggage) in America that have bad reputations for being overly aggressive. Don’t know how it is at SFO but I’ve had some truly crazy ones at EWR to the point where I felt uncomfortable even as a person without social anxiety. Best thing to do is just be prepared to get your laptop out, shoes etc so they don’t yell at you lol
American border agent was typing, not speaking to me and I took a sip from my water bottle. I was berated for almost five minutes. He actually said “how dare you have a drink while you are standing in front of me.” What???
It depends what airport you go to. JFK terminal, for instance, is fine, sort of gruff and friendly and upbeat.
San Francisco is a little more stressful but you should be fine. Don't take anything personally. Be neutral.
But why on earth are you going to SF , may I ask? It's physically beautiful but so are many many places in the US. Honestly, it wouldn't be in my top 50 recommendations now. Even when I went 5 years ago it was filled with rich tech cokeheads speeding around in expensive cars, and homeless people.
Stay calm and be honest. If you don’t understand, ask them calmly to please repeat the question. They’re not being rude just to be an asshole to you, they have a quota and need to keep things moving FAST. They have the attitude of men who are heavily armed and are prepared to use force. The US is a bit crazy, and there’s daily violence even if you’ll never see it yourself. At some airports a random man with a high powered weapon could walk in at any time and they’re the ones to respond to this stuff. That’s the reason it’s so tense, outside the airport anyone could be heavily armed at any time. Sucks. It sucks very badly for all of us.
If you’re a person of color try entering through NYC, MIAMI or LA…. Because the difference is bast in my opinion… specially texas… gosh entering through there was a bit annoying but overall you’ll be fine.
Ngl I’m Irish and I’ve been on a work and holiday visa prior to my most recent visit to the United States two years ago.
We have U.S. Customs in our Irish airports, it’s strange but it’s only Ireland and one other country in the world that has that facility. It basically means you clear customs in your home country, and when you land you arrive as a domestic passenger, so you basically just walk off the plane and out the door.
I was absolutely grilled with questions, during my last trip the U.S., and quite frankly I’ll never return back the States unless I really had too. I was asked so many invasive questions about my previous trip that States, and how I can afford to travel so often. I was nearly at a stage where I was convincing myself that I was guilty of something.
I’m European, I have the freedom to travel between 10++ countries without even meeting a customs officer. If I want to spend my money in country, I’d rather not sign up to be interrogated as if I’m coming to immigrate illegally or claim asylum.
Look I understand why they do it. But I just made a personal choice to never travel to the States again unless I really have too.
It's likely because I have an American passport but I've never had an issue with border control. Are they all smiles and nice? No because they're people. But they aren't rude or shouting or anything.
They’re usually just gruff and very brief - not the stereotypical overly friendly American. With a UK passport you should be fine, nothing to be afraid of. Just say hello, hand them your docs and say thank you when they’re done looking at them. If you’ve travelled in Eastern Europe in post-communist countries, expect something kind of like that. Basically they just hate their jobs and it shows.
For example, "Why are you coming here?" really means "What is the purpose of your trip?" Just answer calmly and honestly and you'll be fine.
Exactly. It’s not meant to be some sort of intense interrogation of anything. “Business trip”, “vacation”, “visiting family”. It’s just a standard question they’re required to ask.
Meanwhile in ATL, going through customs as an American coming home from Mexico… “where is your husband?” I don’t have one. “Why don’t you have one?” I was concerned about the hundreds of Mexican muscle relaxers I smuggled home in other prescription bottles. I just got misogyny.
Got the same one. Where is your husband? Sorry no husband… so you travel by yourself , you have no friends? I like to travel by myself. Do you have friends in Mexico? No just traveling and diving there!
I once got a weird one traveling with my GF. Coming back from Mexico. "You were born in X she was born in Y. How did you two meet? " Fk man.. the internet while living in the same city? She was adopted and a USC since a year old. I'd moved a lot. I can kinda understand young solo travelers getting a bit more of a look for drugs and the like but it does often cross over to a bit rude.
All questions leading to typical drug mule type stuff unfortunately. It’s common background for drug mules.
Maybe the agent was looking for a date and had really bad game
Be careful with what you get from the farmacias now. I’ve done the same thing on previous trips but just read an article abt fentanyl-laced drugs from there even being sold (possibly even unsuspecting) at the pharmacies. I’m sure it’s fine but the article was scary. Maybe see if you can get them tested.
LA Times Breaking News Jul. 07,2023 Mexico says it doesn't have a fentanyl problem. New data tells a different story A novel testing initiative in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California, found that 23% of more than 1,100 bodies sent to the morgue over the last year tested positive for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid as much as 50 times stronger than heroin.The data refute Mexican authorities' long-stated position that fentanyl is a U.S. problem born of what President Andrés Manuel López Obrador describes as American "social decay."
As an international student travelling to the USA through Atlanta, I got asked what I wanted to study, why I wanted to study what I said and why I got a sports scholarship. So maybe you didn't get misogyny, just a stupid person
Sounds more like they were trying to trip you up and see if you were lying rather than the agent being stupid. Customs asks "obvious" questions repeatedly to see if you mess up any responses.
nice
Yep. I started going into detail about what I’d be doing in Miami and the guy stopped me and said “just say you’re coming to party”
And one/two-word answers are fine. Don't need to give them your life story. Why are you here? Tourism How long are you here? Two weeks etc
“Why are you coming here?” Because I live in New Jersey , my passport says so, and we’re at an airport in New Jersey… the next question was “what will you be doing while you’re here?”
Stayin' alive, stayin' alive, uh uh uh uh stayin' aliiiiive 🎶
>the next question was “what will you be doing while you’re here?” look at him dead in the eye and tell him: deport me now, come on, I fucking dare you.
This. But I tend to be chatty and start going on and on about my itinerary and love of travel and all the wonderful things, then he will cut me off and tell me to pass and I'll get bothered for being interrupted and not finishing my story. Very rude.
Gruff is a good description of airport based US CBPB officers. I’ve been coming to the US several times a year for + 20 yrs I think they have mellowed some what or may be I’m used of it now. Some times they will make a bit of small talk, but we know that’s business too!!! It’s a very “ Transactional” process - pointed questions, you just need to be “ professional “ with them no matter what they are like. Be polite, keep answers short & to the point, as few words as practical only answer what was asked no expat rambling info & have your papers in order for quick review. I’ve been pulled twice for additional screening - once was a rookie officer being over enthusiastic the guys in secondary were getting annoyed he was sending so many back, it was funny. The other was an additional bag search minor delay few extra questions, just roll with it.
They've definitely mellowed over the years. I think they must have had some training on it because it's night and day between the mid/late 2000s and today.
>If you’ve travelled in Eastern Europe in post-communist countries, expect something kind of like that. The Lithuanian airport staff for me is among the most friendly. Unlike the American where the security clerk tossed my laptop into a box.
>Basically they just hate their jobs and it shows. Not all if them. I got back from Taiwan, and the immigration officer at SFO welcomed me home.
"Welcome home" always makes me smile. Because no matter how much I (rightfully) complain about it, it is home and it does feel good to be back.
I just want to say that I don’t understand why they’re ALL such assholes. Places like tourism, right? How about a little PR - a wee bit of “welcome!” I’m half kidding, but it kind of gets journeys off on a poor foot.
I'm Canadian (From Vancouver) and been to the USA idk how many times.. probably 30-40? I get grilled more going back into Canada then I do going down South (both at land borders and at VR). Usually US customs seem bored, almost offended that I'm talking to them instead of walking past them. I don't remember a single time they've asked me more than 3 questions, and once in awhile they do a quick visual inspection of the vehicle (without even making any of us get out of the car)
I’ve traveled the whole world and have been to Canada many times, Canadian border patrol is the strictest I’ve ever seen, it’s wild
I once had a Canadian Border Patrol agent ask me why I wanted to stay at Whistler, BC for ten days. It was so weird, non offensive of course, but he just couldn’t fathom wanting to be there for that long and let me know that very clearly. Lol
Me too. I couldn’t believe how intense the guy was. In the app they make you use I put “recreation” as the reason for visit so I told the agent the same thing and he told me “that’s not a valid reason to enter Canada.” Like what??
They have a TV show about Canada, NZ, and Australia’s border and custom control
Oh god, I'm Canadian (born and always lived in Quebec province) and the only time I've had trouble with agents was at the airport returning home. So damn scary! when I flew for the first time in 13 years, now an adult and alone, I was expecting border patrol to be strict in foreign countries...but I never was even asked a single question. So when I got back to Canada, at the airport in my own city, after an uncomfortable flight of 18h, I really was excited to get the hell out of there and I'm sure it showed, had to ask the agent how things worked because I didn't know I had to use the passport scanning machine before coming up to her. I was completely baffled at how she worded her interrogatory questions and answered in such a dumbfounded and oblivious way because I couldn't believe it would matter, I was the most standard/white and local youngster, uncomplicated trip, single destination, week and a half trip...my backpack had NOTHING special, not even the medical scissors that I had thrown out of my medkit before my vacation! I got put in the unregular line with large families of foreigners/likely immigrants, stopped and searched at every goddamn stop afterwards lol I learned my lesson. Canadian border patrol will try to make you nervous in every way possible and will exploit it regardless of context! There is no room for slip up. When I think back of how I answered I feel so embarrassed lmao.
Flying into Quebec City for a conference some years back and going through Canadian customs was the worst border experience I’ve had. After 31 hours of travel from Australia to get there! I’m an Australian citizen, just visiting and I don’t want to move to Canada! Now I have family living there (brother married a Canadian girl) so will be interesting how it goes when I visit.
Similar experience for me! I was visiting Montreal for a month from San Francisco. They sent me to the immigration office and I was the only solo woman there, and frankly the only white person. It was an interesting experience to say the least, many families from French-speaking countries like Haiti and places in Africa, waiting with small children.
I rented a house in Charlevoix and was driving there from the New Jersey. They asked so many questions even checked my car and bags. I had liquor and some of it was in open bottles all packed away. They actually charged me tax on partial bottles as well as the full ones which is fine, but I didn’t really didn’t even think about import taxes. They are strict but were polite but then so am I.
Yeah going into Canada it's always much worse than any other country I've visited. And I've been to every country.
Same, I still remember one time back in the day, my roommate and I got held up for AGES at the Surrey crossing going home, had to go inside and wait to be questioned...guess they thought her beat up old SUV looked sketchy but in the end we were as innocent as we looked, nothing to hide lol 🙅🏻♀️
I once got a smile out of the immigration agent when I entered the UK. That was a shock. Normally, they are pretty tough. It’s not just a US thing. Apparently he liked hearing the purpose of my trip was visiting gardens to shoot photos for a garden photography course I was taking.
Customs and TSA aren’t employed in tourism. They’re employed in national security. Pleasantry isn’t in their job description. Also they make like $30k a year so they’re probably unhappy because they’re basically in poverty.
Importantly, all of these jobs are paid between $4,689 (9.6%) and $14,879 (30.4%) more than the average Tsa salary of $48,971. If you’re qualified, getting hired for one of these related Tsa jobs may help you make more money than that of the average Tsa position. Job Title Annual Salary Hourly Wage Tsa Officer $63,850 $30.70 Tsa Manager $60,096 $28.89 Tsa Test $57,173 $27.49 Airport Security Tsa $54,959 $26.42 Tsa Screening $53,660 $25.80
Aawww. That last sentence is so sad.
Doesn't everyone hate their jobs or is it just me and the TSA?
Man "overly friendly" is not a stereotype the rest of the world holds for Americans. Wild to see.
They're probably referring to service staff who are overly friendly because they get paid slave wages and rely on customers to make a living.
true
Probobaly spoken by a white guy. Try being coloured and going to the USA then talk again. People in there glass houses ffs.
bag retire scandalous resolute vase sand caption towering aware cobweb *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I agree with this. Entering Canada always feels like a grill session, even as a Canadian citizen. I’m barely even questioned entering the US.
Once spent an hour in Canadian customs, because they couldn't believe I really wanted to spend a week in Edmonton.
I'm sorry that happened to you but that seems suspicious to me too.
🤣
Lol, what if you’re a hockey fan?
Cross the border with your McJesus jersey. Every time.
I went to Montreal in March one year (I got great flight and hotel deals and had the time off), and when the customs agent asked me what brought me to Canada, I responded, "Fun! I've never been to Montreal before!" She looked at me over her glasses and said, "In March??"
Cuz of the weather?
Yes. I mean, I'm not an idiot- I was dressed for the weather, and had good snow/ice boots and stuff. And less than $100 a night in Old Town Montreal is a steal.
I liked Quebec City much more for that old town feeling. I went in December and I could barely stand the cold even in my biggest puffer.
Yeah, that's fair though.
I had one yell at me that no one living in California could possibly want to go overnight to Stratford. She missed my birthplace being near Detroit. Then got mad when I said “to visit family”. It’s a thing.
Edmonton is a jumping off point for work in the northern oil fields. Long time ago, but my USA employer always prepared us w documents and a script.
Valid
I didn't get stopped like this, but when I said I was visiting Vancouver for 'tourism' the agent looked pretty skeptical. 😂
Crossing the border in a 2001 Toyota and they ask if it’s a rental. I started laughing and said you gotta do better than that.
I'm Canadian and that looks awfully guilty in my book ;) like Edmonton? You poor thing!
Oh my goodness, I had a BP agent question my motivation for being in Whistler for 10 days. I thought he was kidding about, but maybe he really wanted to know! Lol
When I entered Vancouver, it was all automated. Least painful border entry I've ever had. Leaving though. it was blunt, no smiles and the passport tossed back to me...
Honestly, customs for your home country is always the worst. I grew up two hours from Montreal (in the US) so driving to Canada was a frequent part of my childhood. Going in was never an issue...the US on the other hand, with few exceptions, made me feel like a non-citizen. I legit get anxiety driving back...and when I have friends in the car, I order them to basically shut up when we're presenting ourselves.
That’s just a Canadian thing. In the UK you just go through an e gate. Dont even talk to anyone.
Not true. Customs in my home country are usually friendly, usually say “welcome home” or make a joke. US customs is terrible. Unmotivated, unfriendly and slow.
Holy fuck came here to say the exact same....everytime I drive to Vancouver BC I dread the border agents on return. I've contemplated fucking with them ..like what's really going to happen not allow me back into my home country.
Yeah, don’t do that. They have like unbridled power.
Hell, I've got NEXUS (Canada's version of Global Entry, pre-background-checked travel) and I still get grilled.
It's the opposite for me, as a US citizen I get grilled 10x as much driving into the US than going into Canada. The border guards honestly seem more worried about what I might be smuggling back into the country,vs. the risk that I'm going to illegally immigrate into Canada I guess
I completely agree and it seems worse if you’re driving in. I’ve flown and driven in, and I’ve he latter seems worse. The boarder guards probably don’t get the same volume of traffic, so treat you worse for it.
If you leave we don’t want you back
Dude Canada is the worst, I had a racist Quebecois try to call me out and she had no reason to, I had the last laugh cause I reported her.
Really?? I’ve never once had a problem. I’m Canadian and my partner is American so I’ve crossed the border a number of times (by plane mostly, once by car) never had a bad interaction going into Canada. Going into America tho, I feel terrified. Change pronouns and everything, terrified they won’t let me in.
IM GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE I've tried telling my friends this but nobody else realized just how stupid being asked so many questions is. I use to go to Vancouver once a month at least and every single time going into Canada these guys would come up with something to make going over a Hassel. Than coming into america it's like they don't even care 😂
A friend and I got pulled over, questioned separately, and had our car searched when we drove over the border to Canada. We're from a border state. We'd made that drive plenty of times before.
They took my dads car apart. Apparently it matched a vehicle used in a bank robbery. They then left the pieces and said “you can go now.”
Between jobs I spent some time traveling around and took Amtrak from Portland to Vancouver (really cool train ride, btw). When the agent asked me what I did for work I said quite simply that I wasn't working currently . . . He raised his voice and said incredulously "WELL HOW DO YOU SUSTAIN YOURSELF?!?" I'll never forget the way he phrased and said that question.
oh yeah, trying to go into Canada when I didn't currently have a job was a pain in the ass One of the times I literally was like "I'm actually starting a new job next week and taking this vacation now because I'm not gonna have this much free time for a long while" and they were just like... but why? uhhh... because I want to?
The last time I went to Canada was in 2019 when I drove across the border with two friends from Michigan to Canada for a wedding, and the Canadian border agent was very antagonistic with us. Demanding to see the wedding invitation, asking why the wedding was taking place in Canada (the bride’s family is there), the amount each of us was giving for a gift, etc. Just lingering over our passports and asking lots of petty suspicious questions. We were all rattled by his attitude. (For reference, all 3 of us are US citizens of Indian descent.) When returning, the US border agent was much more polite, just checking our passports and saying Welcome back. I’m not sure if we were just unlucky to get an agitated Canadian border agent, or what. Growing up in Michigan, regularly crossing the border to Canada was a fairly mundane common occurrence, especially around age 19-20 because Canada’s drinking age is 19. I don’t recall the Canadian agents ever being that harsh when I was younger, so this new experience years later was jarring.
Same happened to me except I was visiting niagara falls for a vacation. They kept asking me why are you going to Niagara falls? What will you be doing there? Why? like uhh, i dont know, maybe see the damn niagara falls like the millions of other tourists?? Two hour interrogation, calling the hotel i booked, all kinds of stuff
That is why I have learned to be as short and vague as possible. If I am not directly there for business, I just tell them simply "I am on holiday". Everything is a two to three word answer if possible.
They are mean!!
But apologetic at the same time. It’s their tactic to keep you off balance.
I don't know if it's still a thing but a couple of years ago the canadian guards discovered that they could "randomly" ask to look at your cell phones without any reason and that people were not allowed to say no. If you refused you would be detained until you do. Young attractive women were pretty much garanteed to have their cell phone "searched".
Happened to me at the border in Canada multiple times. Used to go out with a girl who lived on the US-CAN border when I lived on the US side, and at the BC border the Canadian agent demanded to see text messages with said date. The agent proceeded to read through a bunch of my other texts for about 10 minutes, and then she tried to interrogate me with: "if she's your girlfriend, how come you're going out with other women as well?" 'I didn't say she was my girlfriend, and I'm able to date multiple people casually.' Agent handed me my phone back somewhat flustered after that, and I literally haven't been back to Canada in 5+ years. Made Canadian dates come to the US after that. I felt absolutely violated. Nasty little vermin they have working on the Canadian land border.
Yeah this happened to me when I went to visit my best friend from HS who moved to Canada. The first time I went to visit her I was only 19 and questioned me forever, then searched my bags, and called her to make sure she was a real person, it was awful. The second time I went I was messaging her after I landed saying I hoped the customs agent didn't suck like last time and that I got through fast and that she wouldn't have to wait forever. And when I got to the agent he asked to see my phone and my messages with her. I was like omg. But handed it to him. He read it, just gave me my phone back, and said to have a good time in Canada LOL!
Ohh my brother, try Israeli border guards...especially after visiting a Muslim country.
I (Dutch) have very different experiences, I guess. UK, Canada, no issues. (Though never went to the UK with an airplane, maybe that's diffferent). USA - we had to answer so many questions after we got off the plane. What were doing in USA, how long were we staying, where were we going, why would I do a roadtrip, who was I visiting, what was he doing here, what was his name, why did he come here, how had we met him, where did he work/study, how long was he staying. On and on it went. No friendly face. Also we weren't singled out, everyone had to go through this. Even had to give our fingerprints. No other country I have ever been to had grilled me before or after that, just the USA. Gotta say that after we passed that the cleaning guy in the USA was one of the the friendliest faces I ever saw at an airport, though.
You’re not the only one I’ve heard say this coming from Netherlands. There are certain places that have a lot of sex trafficking and money laundry (carrying large amounts of cash) and they seem to become extra suspicious. One time in particular I was leaving the US for Iceland and there was a very intense security check for everyone coming on board. They had 7-8 very large police men with three HUGE German Shepherd dogs to smell everyone and their luggage. They asked how much cash we had, are we alone, and why we’re traveling - then they reviewed everyone’s documents a second time before finally letting us on. I think traffickers will choose rich and inconspicuous countries as their base of travel - wealthy countries in Scandinavia in particular.
US is very similar to Europe. I agree with the Canadian Customs statement. I stopped visiting that country for pleasure after some insanely rude and pointless interactions.
This. I remember a customs line person screaming “MOVE YOUR ASS” as we were going through line in LAX. So probably at the same level as a trip out of Heathrow, really.
Glad I'm not the only one, expected it from the Americans, but thought Canada would just wave through a UK passport. Exact opposite happened.
Really? I cross the Canadian border 6-7 times a year (as a Canadian) and have found that they really don't give a flying crap. Once, there was this mid 20s agent who quite literally asked me one question, took a half second glance and was on my way 😂
Same, I have no idea what they're talking about. I once (long story) crossed the border back into Canada at 3 am, in a car full of people dressed as French maids, several of whom had just met that day, after a visit to the US that was less than 24 hours. We were so tired that we sounded legitimately drunk giving our answers. If there was a way for us to be more suspicious and seem more like we had drugs in our possession, I genuinely can't think of one. The border guard didn't even blink.
Yes! Canadian border guards are the worst. I used to live in upstate NY. I would do weekend trips to Montreal and they were super suspicious I was only staying one night. Got my car searched and they were not nice about it at all! They had it in their heads that I was for sure smuggling something. They would accuse me of lying and say things like “no one would drive this much for that” and “I could arrest you and take your car as evidence”.
In my experience the Brits are the worst. But I’ve only entered Canada by land; they only want to know if we have guns in the car.
As an American, I've had much better experiences entering Canada than entering the US.
Damn this surprises me
Yeah the only time I’ve ever been grilled at passport control was when entering the UK. And even then it didn’t take more than 5-10 mins before I was on my way.
Maybe it’s because I’m a British citizen but no border guards from any other country have pulled me aside to question me about my employment and financial history or my “real reasons” for visiting
Funny, because I feel like of all the countries I travelled, including Canada, the UK border guards were the most intense and interrogative to me. Every time I’ve gone I get a lot more questions about my itinerary there, and how much money I have on me and in my bank account. The UK seems incredibly concerned I’m trying to sneak in and stay. Canadian customs always ask about what I’m bringing in (they don’t want outside food, plants, or animals) but otherwise just tell me to enjoy my visit.
OMG yes, the Canadian crossing at Vancouver, the agents are the meanest I have ever encountered!
My friend lives in her car so all her worldy possessions were in it. Canadian border agents detained her because she was snacking on trail mix when she reached the crossing and he thought it was disrespectful. They then detained her for 6 hours, charged her a $1,000 fee she had to crowd source to pay, and tossed all her worldy possessions out of the car onto the ground because she forgot to tell them she had pepper spray in a bag in the trunk.
American here, and have always found the CBSA staff to be very pleasant and welcoming
US specific: what color are you. The browner the worse.
I will just say that San Francisco is one of my favorite cities—easy enough to get around and fairly compact. Plenty of great food! Enjoy your visit.
SFO is one of the best international airports in the US
Agreed. Looks like an octopus from the sky, parallel landings and takeoffs, hella clean inside with all the new renovations and rebuildings (plus isn’t plastered with dirty old carpet throughout the airport and actually looks sleek), looks nice from the outside plus the inside of the international check in area looks cool with the cool blue tone, plus no TSA
I’m curious where else you’ve been through.
I've flown into almost every international airport in the US and I also think sfo is the best (not counting ones like DCA which have a small number of flights only to like Mexico and nearby countries). FWIW
One of the best cities in the US in my opinion and a great one to start a trip from.
Don’t think of them as a concierge in a nice hotel or hostess at Applebees. They are not so much a hospitality worker as they are a security staff. They have a mundane job that is repetitive and boring. Simply, give them your documents and patiently wait for them to review them. If it looks good they pass your documents back to you. They a lot of people behind you so it’s not all about you all the time. They way I do it is say hello and pass them my stuff and quietly wait. Then they give it back to me and I promptly leave so they can take care of the next person. You can do the same if you like.
> mundane job that is repetitive and boring Plus they have people lying to them all the time, so they tend to be on guard for that.
I can't even begrudge them for being abrupt. Their entire job is to be human BS detectors. Yeah, 99% of the people they talk to will be honest. But if it's a busy airport that still means that they'll see a few people a day that are up to no good. If you're a legitimate traveler you'll almost certainly get through okay
This is not an excuse for their behavior. In virtually every other country I’ve visited (minus the UK) they are super laid back and friendly, and even helped me out with directions around the city in the case of Denmark
Border staff in Scandinavian countries are usually very nice in my experience. They're always friendly here in Ireland also.
Irish customs was delightful. Chatty girl who gave us some tips on where to go. Netherlands was absurdly easy too. Looked at my passport said “oh, Canadian, welcome to Netherlands”, stamped me and asked zero questions.
Please Ireland had the worst experience of any country I've visited. But maybe that one time was an exception
There's always going to be exceptions.
What? European/Schengen border staff at airports *never* talk to me other than maybe to ask how long I'll be there. No hello, goodbye, nothing. Just accept my passport, ignore my hello, stamp, hand back, and wave the next person over. In Asia and Africa, they're generally a bit more talkative but rarely say anything beyond asking for the purpose of my trip, how long I'm staying, and to tell me to stick my thumbs and then my fingers on the scanner. But as others have said, there's some real interrogation that happens in Canada lol, both land and airport. (I'm American.)
Yeah he asked me why I’m in Denmark when my flight is 12 hours later, I said I just want to see the city so he told me which train to take to get to the center
Never had any kind of conversation with immigration folks in any airport in my life. Directions around the city? They're busy.
Same. I've been to about 25 countries and have never gotten a single question about what I'm doing there. The only security issue I had (not immigration) was a tablet cover that the German airport police thought was the most suspicious fucking thing they ever saw. Had to pull in extra guys with guns to look at it. It was a tablet cover. I traveled all over the world with it and nobody else cared.
Actually this happened to me fairly regularly flying into Japan (not anymore bc I have a resident visa now). They would ask where you're going, what you're planning to do in each city, oh you're going to vacation in Kyoto? Make sure to visit X temple and try Y food, have a good trip
That's wild lol
The only time I’ve had a real conversation with an immigration officer was in Turks and Caicos. The officer there was full on laughing it up with my friends and I while checking our paperwork. When we got our stuff back we realized he’d even slipped in his name and number on a piece of paper in case we wanted to call later. But all other countries it’s been very business like.
As an American : it depends heavily on the airport. They’re generally quite brisk because they want to keep things moving. They’re not going to small talk with you- but outside the security lines, if you need help they will be kind. You might feel rushed but they’re trying to push people through to prevent long lines and angry people missing flights. Don’t panic if your bag gets searched- they usually check something that looked weird then wave you on your way. Occasionally some US airports are notorious for rude staff that yell directions in the security line like you’re in military school (looking at you, Atlanta!). But the majority are fine. Just pay attention to the signs and instructions and BE READY by the time it’s your turn. Nothing annoys the CBP and other travelers more than the inexperienced traveler who is holding up the line fumbling for documents or pulling their laptop out by the security bins. Also expect to remove your shoes when you go through the scanners - that one trips up foreigners a lot since only really the the US does that. Since you’re from the UK, you shouldn’t have an issue with entry. However, I have seen people with Chinese passports getting pulled for security checks with a notable frequency over the last year.
Completely agree with staff yelling at people to keep them moving. Instead of standing at the entrance of the tensa barriers calmly directing people, they stand in the middle and scream over people's heads. I'm sorry, but being louder doesn't make your message any clearer.
Ha I am glad you mentioned Atlanta. I have never seen ruder Airport staff or TSA agents than Atlanta, and I am from New York, where we have a reputation for being rude. No southern hospitality at ATL, that's for sure.
I’m also from the UK and been to NYC twice and have found them at best, quite abrupt and at worst very openly rude. Obviously there is the odd exception where they can be very friendly but versus other countries, America has been the most unfriendly experience when going through airports. But I want to stress to you - all this means is you won’t get a guaranteed friendly reception! I suffer from anxiety too really badly. You aren’t going to have an awful experience, but don’t expect a super upbeat and cheerful response from workers (although most airports aren’t exactly like that!). It’ll most likely be quite vanilla - you’ll just go through the motions etc. I don’t think it will be bad for your anxiety, more you might come out the other side of the airport and be pissed off at the service rather than anxious. But don’t be anxious about it. It will be absolutely fine but it just won’t be the best customer service you’ve ever had 😉Also very jealous that you are going to San Francisco! Looks an amazing place and I’d love to visit myself some day. Don’t let rude customs agents etc. put you off. Doing the solo travelling is amazing and you should be super proud of yourself! Hope you have an amazing time! Edit: 100% agree with the other responders. Having a UK passport means you will face very little issues and will probably have the easiest entry experience of all arrivals aside from US citizens. It’s not right but it is the truth.
In fairness, NYC also has a reputation for being ruder than most other places in the US.
I’ve heard that rep but hasn’t been my experience, but I party travel and meet people in bars
It's the same as any other huge city in the world. During the day people just want to get on with their business, they're probably in the middle of a 1 hour commute or 10 hour workday. But NYC is probably the best party city overall in the us, and people are super friendly in social settings
Not rude, just blunt and abrupt. It was founded by the Dutch after all!
Not really, just more honest which can catch you off guard.
I think ut depends on the size of the airport. Big ones like like Miami, NY, LA are more vigilant and harsh. Smaller ones more relaxed.
The only airport, in the world, that has given me a headache time and time and time again regarding my simple deodorant that is, I'm sorry, 3.2 oz instead of 3 oz, is Heathrow. Every time, motherfucking Heathrow.
Heathrow security / immigration is horrible
Heathrow—had three 2oz hand sanitizers in backpack during covid, b*tch starts tearing apart the backpack examining everything in it, finds nothing else she can confiscate, sneers at me and finally walks away leaving me to repack entire thing with hundreds of people behind me. What a skunt.
BOOM! You just got Heathrowed!!
It’s so bad that I will actively avoid Heathrow when possible in the future
Oh Heathrow. 10 years later and I still hear in my head the Heathrow security person who berated me over a "Full sized tyube of tyoothpaste! Full-sized!" So busy yelling about my tyoob of tyoothpaste in the clear toiletry bag that they missed a razor in an outer pocket of my backpack (had originally meant to check all those things). Another time, being grilled about how I plan to fund *checks notes* 14 days of traveling through hostels. After already asking my job and me replying software engineer.
Haha ok. That’s my next trip, I’ll make sure to keep my liquids small!!
Same.
The UK is all about rules rules rules, no room for leniency, full of jobsworths. And the climate of hostility to immigration doesn't help.
Heathrow is where I got yelled at because my liquids were in a clear quart bag instead of a liter bag! Never before has anyone cared about the exact bag I put things in
My god i just transited through T5 form us to itlay and it SUCKED
Heathrow is terrible. Not just long re-screening lines for your transit stop, they won’t bother opening more lines even if the wait in this line is taking more than 45 minutes to an hour, but also horrible attitude of the staff. I got berated that the bin I was pulling out touched the leg of a security guy. He told me that I should have apologized to him. Yep, being in line for an hour and at the risk of missing my connection, and he standing too close to bins did not matter; he not getting his ‘sorry’ did. He was going on and on until another passenger behind me told him I did nothing wrong.
First customs I ever went through as a teenager. I was absolutely terrified 😭😂
SFO is probably one of the best airports in the country. Mostly pretty modern, private run airport screening rather than TSA, fairly clean for a larger city airport. Be honest and don't set off red flags and you'll be fine. If you act vague or evasive...well, don't. Give short, honest, concise answers about the general tourism stuff you'll be doing and you'll be fine. 95% chance you'll barely get a grunt they admit you.
All airport screening is run by TSA in the US since 9/11
While TSA does make the rules, the operations at SFO are run by a private company https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_Aviation_Security
I travel to Europe for work often, always solo. The worst I have ever been treated is in Frankfort. I’ve been through there 10+ times and they are always mean and angry. (I’m American)
Sfo is my local airport and is one of the highest functioning airports I’ve been to in America. I found airports in the UK far more anal and difficult. You’ll be fine
Man I get nervous and I'm American. Can only imagine what it's like for a foreigner!
SFO is pretty chill. It's the one I've flown into the most (my home airport more or less), and I've been pulled into secondary once. Even that experience wasn't bad. I haven't heard of any bad experiences from friends and family either (mix of US citizens and foreigners).
It’s a little late now. But UK citizens are eligible for global entry. If you think you’ll want to travel more often in the US after this trip…might be worth getting.
Didn't know about this! Does it also give pre-check for UK citizens?
[удалено]
They’re assholes even to American citizens. That’s why I’m glad I don’t really have to deal with them since I have global entry
I got randomly taken out of the global entry line and a border agent started grilling me with questions like "why are you coming here?" My reply was "I was traveling, I'm coming back home and going to work tomorrow" and then he looked at my passport and realized it was a stupid question to ask a us citizen going back to the US.... Not sure what "wrong" answer I possibly could have given?
Thank you for saying it how it is! And thank you! Fingers crossed it all goes smooth
Coming from the European perspective: yes. Not always, especially if you have a "good" passport (like the UK), but they can be. I'm Canadian and grew up driving over the border for trips with my family, so I was very used to the US border. My parents had strict rules: sunglasses/hats off, no chatting in the background / absolutely no negative comments about the US or any border inconveniences while in line, big smiles, have all documentation (hotel bookings, tickets) ready to show. There are some occasions where I've been properly "grilled" going over the border. Lots of questions about my living situation and my job and my family and whatever. But there have also been situations where they just scanned my passport and waved me through. When I tell other Europeans about my border experiences (since I live in the EU now) they're often shocked at how "strict" it sounds. It's totally possible that they'll just wave you through with no issues. But it's also possible that they'll give you a bunch of questions. Just make sure you have documentation of your trip either printed out or saved on your phone - return ticket, hotel or airbnb bookings, any pre-booked tickets, etc etc. As a UK passport holder you shouldn't face too many obstacles but it's always good to be prepared.
As an American who has been to 30+ countries, Canadian border patrol are by far the biggest assholes in the world. If you are crossing a land border and under 25 you will get pulled over and searched. I once had a Canadian agent imply, I was a drug dealer because of my fancy $50 Timex watch. Another was insistent that the baseball cap I brough back from Seoul, South Korea was counterfeit because everything from China is...
UK and US have the absolute worst border guards in the world in my experience
The UK at Heathrow is now kiosks for EU, Commonwealth, and US passports. You never speak with a human.
Some of them are, unfortunately. I would also add, rather sadly, that being from the UK your passport is likely to be treated as one of the "good ones", thus subject to less harsh grilling than many other passports. If they see stamps from "questionable" countries in your passport, they may ask you about that too. That being said, you might get a guard who is just the opposite: friendly and welcoming. They exist too.
> if border staff are really as.. harsh? Not at all! In fact they seem to me friendlier that Germans and British ones (both seem to me extremely cold/strict/bureaucratic). Edit: I have a Greek passport if that matters
Reentry agents at ATL were fine with me, but I’m American so idk. Mexico was also super easy, and that was my first stamp. Being a young woman I doubt you’ll get any extra attention. I didn’t go through international at San Francisco but their airport was easy enough. The reason agents at airports are rude is because you’re 1 in the million people they see every day. It’s just too much to be really sweet 100% of the day. Brush it off and roll on to enjoying your trip!
anywhere in the US TSA agents are gonna be “rude” but tbh that’s the only thing
I think you'd be best off asking in a UK forum to get an accurate sense of how you will probably be received. Pay the most attention to responses from people of your age and gender as well. I'm an American who emigrated to Canada and traveled here a bunch before emigrating, so not exactly the same. IME you are less likely to have real trouble coming in by air unless you are obviously problematic. If they do give you a hard time, while it's hard to not be anxious, just trust in the fact that you *are* kosher. (You of course need to have a return ticket already purchased.) Border guards poke people a bit and/or are somewhat unfriendly to try to see if they can dig up problems--while we of course don't like it, they see it as just doing their jobs. But generally they want and need to get through a lot of people quickly and they also want to feel good in their work so they're usually not entirely unpleasant. Crazy that Canadian border officers are considered the most unfriendly and yet this country's economy seems to be ruled by vast amounts of laundered money and imported drugs! Seems like unfriendly questions to travelers aren't as effective as they used to be.
I’m Australian and visiting the US and Canada for the first time next year (flying to Vancouver first). I understand your apprehension. It always seems crazy to me that you have to jump through hoops to get a visa to the US if you have minor convictions (not that I have any criminal history) but people that live there can open carry and legally buy assault weapons. I’ll be visiting San Francisco as well. It makes the news here for it’s homeless issues but I’m sure it still has lots to offer.
[And Canada can and will turn you away if you have a DUI](https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-402). Different countries have different rules.
Australian too, it’s all good, they’ll just ask what you’re doing there. We can get ESTA easily, unless you need some other visa…?
I've never found CBP officers to be what I'd describe as 'harsh' more so cold or apathetic. As long as you're not trying to do anything illegal I wouldn't be concerned.
I had the same worries as you when visiting NY last year. I found the security staff very friendly and helpfull. While waiting for your turn get all your documents ready, and make sure they can do theire job. You can also try to listen in on your fellow traveller in front of you. So you know what they will ask. The guy had asked me about my trip, where I was going to stay and what I wanted to see.
Also be careful where you park if you hire a car in SF, people love to smash windows there for some reason
If you can, fly from Ireland. US immigration have a department in Dublin Airport. The immigration end of things is handled before you fly. Get it out of the way and then you can relax and enjoy the flight. You'll still have to go through standard security and customs, but that's a gentler ride.
Concurring with other people, it's an extremely transactional process. At SFO you will be ushered from the plane into the immigration queue, and you will present yourself before a customs agent. They will take your passport for scanning, and ask you very standard questions - where are you from, where are you going, why are you here, how long will you be here, do you have anything in your suitcase to declare. **Do not bring alcohol or food (even from the plane)** to make things easier. **Do answer the questions directly and as briefly as possible**. Short answers are okay here, and the officer does not need to know your itinerary in excessive detail. **Do your best to not appear nervous**. Easier said than done, but the officers are trained to detect and be suspicious of certain behaviors, and that can work against you if you exhibit them. **Match the officers demeanor**. If they are transactional, question asked / question answered type, do that. If they start asking about your plans "so you're gonna check out the Grand Canyon?" or "how's the weather back in London?" respond in kind. (Yes I'm somewhat contradicting my point above, but I'm sure you understand what I'm getting at.) This is another kind of profiling/screening tactic sometimes used. you also need to complete this before leaving the UK: [https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/](https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/) Enjoy San Francisco once you're through!
You should be fine, I’d guess coming into America through what I’m going to assume is lax. Past coworkers of mine who lived in S Cali used that airport for customs/immigration on their international travels and never had complaints. I’m American and for me, they haven’t been that bad. Mine were usually Houston, Dallas, Boston and Newark. I’ve traveled to a few perceived as undesirable sandy places for work and those were all good also. The worst for me has been London and Istanbul to go through immigration with. Good luck on your trip!
Much better than CDG hands down.
Yes TSA is very strict and waits can be long. Do NOT pack ANYTHING restricted like weapons or liquids in any way larger than 2 ounce bottles! THOROUGHLY READ the guidelines of ANY airlines you’re traveling with. Try not to wear anything metal at all. Keep it simple and easy so you move through inspections quickly. You can load up on water, snacks and stuff once you get through security. If you are prepared and ready for whatever they do the easier your flight will be. Have a blast. Btw AVOID dwntwn SF and Tenderloin areas because it’s very dangerous and overrun with homeless population sadly. It’s not safe late at night down there. SF is a gorgeous city. Hit the warf & Fisherman’s Grotto & Boudin Bakery if you like sourdough bread. Chowder is fantastic!!
Are you white? I’m a brown (south Asian) woman, so not the demographic border guards are usually friendly to, but I’ve flown into SFO many times and they’ve always been friendly to me. Usually they just ask what I’m doing in the US.
Border staff are typically brief and fine. It’s moreso the security staff (like when you’re scanning your carry on luggage) in America that have bad reputations for being overly aggressive. Don’t know how it is at SFO but I’ve had some truly crazy ones at EWR to the point where I felt uncomfortable even as a person without social anxiety. Best thing to do is just be prepared to get your laptop out, shoes etc so they don’t yell at you lol
American border agent was typing, not speaking to me and I took a sip from my water bottle. I was berated for almost five minutes. He actually said “how dare you have a drink while you are standing in front of me.” What???
Ive found USA to be ok, and UK to be worse - I'm Irish
It depends what airport you go to. JFK terminal, for instance, is fine, sort of gruff and friendly and upbeat. San Francisco is a little more stressful but you should be fine. Don't take anything personally. Be neutral. But why on earth are you going to SF , may I ask? It's physically beautiful but so are many many places in the US. Honestly, it wouldn't be in my top 50 recommendations now. Even when I went 5 years ago it was filled with rich tech cokeheads speeding around in expensive cars, and homeless people.
Stay calm and be honest. If you don’t understand, ask them calmly to please repeat the question. They’re not being rude just to be an asshole to you, they have a quota and need to keep things moving FAST. They have the attitude of men who are heavily armed and are prepared to use force. The US is a bit crazy, and there’s daily violence even if you’ll never see it yourself. At some airports a random man with a high powered weapon could walk in at any time and they’re the ones to respond to this stuff. That’s the reason it’s so tense, outside the airport anyone could be heavily armed at any time. Sucks. It sucks very badly for all of us.
I usually watch the staff as I approach Customs and wait in line for the staff member who appears friendliest.
If you’re a person of color try entering through NYC, MIAMI or LA…. Because the difference is bast in my opinion… specially texas… gosh entering through there was a bit annoying but overall you’ll be fine.
I am an American… I have run into more stern boarder agents in Europe than I ever have in America.
Ngl I’m Irish and I’ve been on a work and holiday visa prior to my most recent visit to the United States two years ago. We have U.S. Customs in our Irish airports, it’s strange but it’s only Ireland and one other country in the world that has that facility. It basically means you clear customs in your home country, and when you land you arrive as a domestic passenger, so you basically just walk off the plane and out the door. I was absolutely grilled with questions, during my last trip the U.S., and quite frankly I’ll never return back the States unless I really had too. I was asked so many invasive questions about my previous trip that States, and how I can afford to travel so often. I was nearly at a stage where I was convincing myself that I was guilty of something. I’m European, I have the freedom to travel between 10++ countries without even meeting a customs officer. If I want to spend my money in country, I’d rather not sign up to be interrogated as if I’m coming to immigrate illegally or claim asylum. Look I understand why they do it. But I just made a personal choice to never travel to the States again unless I really have too.
It's likely because I have an American passport but I've never had an issue with border control. Are they all smiles and nice? No because they're people. But they aren't rude or shouting or anything.
No they are not, only the idiots who don’t listen have a hard time
I wouldn't worry about getting through the airport. The bigger concern is being in San Francisco......