Customs In Kiev

[bleau]

I'll be going to Kiev in September.  Could anyone give me a walk through and heads-up as far as getting through Customs.
Thanks in advance.

[ML]

 I have been in and out of Kyiv over 20 times on business trips.

There is a new international terminal  at Kyiv airport, so the experiences may be somewhat different now compared to earlier.


But in general, the sequence will be to go through passport control, then pick up your luggage, then go through customs control.

At passport control (or anywhere), be aware that FSU people don't usually stand in nice lines like you find in the west.  The lines will be sort of triangle shaped pointed toward the destination (and it could even look like a square with no point at all).  If you leave any gap between you and the persons ahead, this gap will be quickly filled by someone at the edge.  It is not uncommon for a curteous westerner to start out in the middle of a line (or pack) and be the last one through passport control !!   

At customs, the best tactic is to look straight ahead with an angry look on your face (like you are about to miss a connecting flight, etc.) and walk fast as you go through the green line.  If you display any sign  of nervousness or are looking around too much, you are much more  likely to be pulled aside for a full luggage search.

Don't put your bags through the X-ray unless everyone is directed to do it.  I always try to walk right past the baggage x-ray machine and am successful over half the time.  This is when coming into FSU; not when departing.

Keep the small gifts you bring (bracelets, rings, etc.) in your pockets.  If  you leave them in your bags, they will show up on X-ray and will lead to questioning and your paying some duties which may be more than you paid for the items to begin with.

Anything like your notebook computer, be sure to say it is for your personal use and that you will take it back with you when you leave.  Otherwise it will be construed as a gift and duties apply.

The rule is, you cannot take out more than $3,000 unless you have declared it coming in.  (Note: These numbers have been rising over the years, so check on Embassy website  for latest numbers.)  So if there is some chance that you will have more than $3,000 in cash left from what you bring in, you had better declare it when you enter on the declaration forms.  Note:  They may even discourage you from declaring the cash coming in . . . knowing that this will increase the chance that they (or friends) can confiscate it when you are leaving.

[GoodOlBoy]

Sorry for the  Bleau!

GOB has never been to the Ukraine, so I can't give you any help on customs.
 
But, I couldn't help but think of ML when I read this old story on the internet  :
 
http://www.idiotbrain.com/man-hides-dildos-in-sausage-plans-on-smuggling-them-into-dubai/2007-09-21
 
GOB

[Faux Pas]

bleau


There's been much piss and moaning about customs over the years but I find foreign customs less hassling than US Customs. A simple rule to remember no matter where you go is pack so that you can declare nothing. If you declare something it's a flag for them to investigate no matter how extreme or minor the object(s)

[Jumper]

Go through passport control. ,
 walk to the left all the WAY to the left,
 and around the x ray machines, and just keep walking like you actually know where you are going
( towards the airports main exit doors)
 
no problem.
90% of the time you'll walk right through,

one of the security men may ask you put the bag on the x- ray machine you are cornering around..,
no big deal,  it buzzes right thru and you generally arn't standing in line.

[The Natural]

bleau

There's been much piss and moaning about customs over the years but I find foreign customs less hassling than US Customs.

I have entered by plane into countries like Spain, Portugal, Russia, Poland, The United Arab Emirates many times over the years and have never been stopped at customs. Except when I came into USA and had to open my suitcase for a grumpy controller!
 
What I do is take my time collecting the baggage, observe customs through the corner of my eye and exit about in the middle of the crowd. Walk at a normal pace and do not stare at the officers. If you can calculate your exit to when they are busy checking another passanger or two, you're just sailing right past them.

[Patagonie]

Yes Natural teaches at the Smuggle Academy 
For any transfer of any sort ask him. 

[SteveOR]

Bleau-

I flew into Kyiv on 12/28/10 and left on 01/10/11.  I flew KLM both times.  KLM arrives and departs from the new and modern terminal “F” at the Kyiv/Boryspil (Airline code KBP) airport.  Not sure what other airlines use this terminal.  There are no jetways so it’s air stairs and a bus from the airplane to the terminal.  Terminal “F” is a two story building with arrivals on the ground floor.

There were at least 8 lanes for passport control after entering the building.  There are bathrooms both before passport control and in the baggage area after passport control marked as “WC” or “Toilet” (this might be an important fact and I’ve read many conflicting reports so I made sure to check).  The lines will be long and will take a while to move so I recommend getting in line as soon as possible.  There was a sign for non-Ukrainians to the far left but there was nobody in that booth, so I got in the line next to the sign.  It didn’t appear to matter which line I was in.

No paperwork was passed out on the plane and I didn’t see any before passport control.  All I had was my passport.  When I got to the window I handed my passport, open to the page with my picture on it, to the agent and said hello in English.  He nodded, reviewed my passport, looked at me to verify my picture, scanned the passport, stamped it and handed it back to me.  I thanked him (again in English), turned and walked to the baggage area.  That’s it.  No additional paperwork, no questions, nothing.  Of course your mileage may vary.  I am a US citizen and travel with a US passport.  Citizens of other countries may have visa or other requirements that I’m not aware of.

The baggage belt looks like any other that you will see at a modern airport.  There are carts available and they are free.  My bag was already spinning on the belt when I got there.  Yet another reason to get in line for passport control as soon as possible so that your bags don’t walk off.   I loaded my checked bag and carry on onto one of the carts and headed to the exit.  There is a wide area when heading to the exit that has a bag scanner on the right with official looking people standing next to it.  Everyone is walking right past them and heading for the exit.  I join the herd, move with purpose, don’t look at the officials and don’t ask any questions.  I figure if the authorities want to talk to me they can make themselves known otherwise I ignore them.

Outside the exit, in the arrivals hall my driver is waiting and has a sign with my name on it.  $35 to Independence Square.  PM me and I will send you the drivers name and contact information.

On departing, I arrived back at Terminal “F” a little over two hours before flight time and was glad I did.  I flew out the Monday after the Orthodox Christmas holiday so that may have had something to do with it but the terminal was busy.   Check in is on the ground floor.  Each agent has their own line for check in, not like in the US where it’s one line and the next available agent checks you in.  From the back of one of these long lines it’s hard to tell which one to stand in as the monitors are a long way away.  I asked someone where KLM was.  They pointed and I got in that line.  Thankfully it turned out to be one of the correct ones.  It took a very long time to get to the front of the line.  The agent spoke fluent English.  After check in, security and passport control are upstairs.  Security is the standard annoyance of “shoes off, quart bag of liquids out, no metal, etc.”  After security, passport control is exactly the same as when entering with passport review, looking at you to verify picture, scanning and stamping.  The entire process of checking in, security and passport control took a little more than an hour and a half so the two hour rule is a good one.  The departure area looks like any other modern airport except that again there are no jetways.  When it’s time to board, everyone goes down the stairs to the buses and then back to the plane.  At the air stairs was the only time that I saw the “triangle shaped line”.  No pushing or shoving though, I just kept shuffling my feet forward until I was on the air stairs and up to the plane.

Boryspil  Airport site:  http://kbp.com.ua/english/general/index.html

Hope this helps.  Have fun on your trip. . .

-Steve

 

[bleau]

Thanks guys for all your input and this has helped me a lot. Thanks ML and Steve for your detailed walk through. This is what I was looking for. GOB thanks for the advice with your link..I'll definitely rethink how to carry sausage into Ukraine. 

Faux Pas I understand what you're saying. I've been to Russia many times and never once had to go through an xray or got stopped for anything getting out of customs but, I did get a pretty good shake down coming out one time because  of a camera tripod in my luggage. I got busted one time leaving because I had a pack of Morgan's chewing tobac in my hip pocket. Now that was a new experience trying to explain what that was to the yeng yangs checking my luggage.

I will have something of value in my pants pocket so you can let your ole imaginations run wild on that one. 

All is well and once again I thank you guys for your awesome walk through.

I hope you have a blessed and safe week

[bleau]

Some of you may know about this site and some may not.
A couple of years ago I turned all foreign travel concerning our business over to my two oldest daughters. They love this site and have also posted some of their experiences when traveling abroad. I enjoy reading some of it also and say to myself...ouchy, I sure am glad I don't do this anymore. To many times sleeping on the floor and sometimes standing up.

http://www.sleepinginairports.com

[Hammer2722]

Hey Bleau, I just flew into Kiev on the 5th of May11 days ago (I'm still in Ukraine!!!). It was my first time being processed through terminal F. Man, what a difference it was for me between this trip and my last. Passport control was a breeze since we no longer have to fill out the customs forms and the people even made actual lines in front of each window. Then it was time to go through security before heading out to the terminal. All that was required of me was to put my gabs through the x-ray machine and I was off!!!! No questions about gifts or anything. I really think that the government is trying to clean up its act in regards to bags being stolen and police demanding bribes in advance of the Euro 2012 games. Even the army of cabbies were no where present. They had to stand outside the terminal. What a difference for the better!!!! I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.

[bleau]

Thanks Hammer for your information. I'm not really worried about anything I just didn't want any surprises.
Shame on you for being in Ukraine right now and me having to baby sit a bunch of grumpy women in my office this morning.

[Hammer2722]

Thanks Hammer for your information. I'm not really worried about anything I just didn't want any surprises.
Shame on you for being in Ukraine right now and me having to baby sit a bunch of grumpy women in my office this morning.

Hey, I too have a group of grumpy women that I work with!!! LOL. Soon it will be me having to babysit them and you will be enjoying Ukraine. No worries!!! 

[Dyanaf]

My last trip (December 2010) I had an interesting experience...


I flew to Kiev, met my fiance and the next day we flew out to Egypt.  Unfortunately, my luggage did not make it with me and still was not available when we left for Egypt.


So, when I returned to Kiev 9 days later, I had to get my luggage from the airline.  One of the customs officials apparently saw this as an opportunity to shake me down.  Well, I had filled out forms when my luggage was lost and he kept asking me for those forms (which they had kept 9 days earlier).


I knew he wanted me to pay a "fine", but acting like a dumb American who couldnt understand him really annoyed him.  He finally got tired of asking for the "fine" and let me go.  (about 30minutes of me with a blank stare).


If I did it over again, I would be prepared with those forms (even if I filled them out a 2nd time).  They're located near the luggage carousels and 1 side is in English.