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Circumstances associated with international travel continues to change on an daily basis. I do not have the time or resources to update travel issues several times per day. However, the folks at Insure My Trip continually maintain a
Travel Alert & Warning page that I highly recommend you consult, especially when your departure date draws near.
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Various customs forms and declarations are required while traveling to and from Uganda. The European gateway our teams have used are Amersterdam, Brussels, and London. The following information is to help you be prepared to complete the required forms upon entering Customs at these locations. I will add additional forms as I get samples of them.
General Information & Completing Custom Forms
As you enter each country on your journey, you are required to complete an entry or arrival declaration. Some even require a very similar form for departure. It is helpful if you have the following information conveniently available so you can complete the form without having to search through your belongings to find the information. I generally put all this info on a single 3x5 card I carry in my pocket.
Commonly asked for information: (be brief, write small, limited space)
- Surname- your family name (last name)
- Other names - your first name (as listed on passport, no nicknames)
- Passport number - as listed on your passport
- Date & Place of Issue - as listed on your passport
- Date & Place of Birth - as listed on your passport (for place I list USA)
- Nationality - again I list USA
- Country of current residence = again I list USA
- Number of others traveling on your passport - 0 [1]
- Length of stay - list total number of nights
- Flight - self-explanatory (eg KLM 0622)
- Occupation - e.g.: Pastor, Teacher, Nurse, Businessman, Student, etc.) [2]
- Purpose of visit - self-explanatory (some have list of choices others you fill in the blank such as teaching, missionary trip, etc.) [3]
- Destination or Address in country - you will need to do some homework to make sure you know this info and should include a host (contact person) and cellular phone phone number [4]
[1] The USA requires even babies to have their own passports now
[2] Do not list any occupation that might raise questions e.g. CIA Agent
[3] Do not list any purpose that might be seen as anti-government
[4] Most short-term teams will visit several places, just list the first one
A Word About Dates
Different countries express dates in different sequences. For example, 30/08/08 is clearly August 30, 2008. But what about 08/04/08? Is this April 8 or August 4? To avoid this confusion, I always write dates as follows: 21 Jan 08 when completing travel forms unless the form specifies a date format.
US Customs Information
Generally, ACTI team members returning to the United States have had little difficulty at US Customs. You should visit the
Traveler Information section of the U.S. Customs Web Site for helpful information and especially the section on
Travel Alerts & Restricted/Prohibited Goods.
Here is info on US Customs Form 6059b which everyone must complete upon arrival in the USA.