Venice

Posted on: October 08, 2008 at 3:21PM

I started taking the time to visit my local Customs office before leaving on international trips several years ago. I wanted to make sure that I was not charged duty on bringing my camera equipment back home. It finally dawned on me that registering my equipment served more than one purpose... Since you are required to document the serial numbers of your camera body and/or lenses, this offical Customs document would also serve as proof of ownership in the event you were the victim of theft at home. I would also suggest taking your equipment to the Customs office BEFORE you pack. I normally pad my lenses by wrapping them in socks, nightgowns, underwear... It was slightly embarrassing (to me) and amusing (to the customs agent) when I unrolled my equipment from my lingerie. (He just smiled and said not to worry... he sees a lot in his line of work) report a problem