Customs are government agencies established by the government to carry out various functions among which are to impose taxes on goods arriving in the country from international borders. Apart from the imposition of taxes, they are also saddled with the responsibility of checking the type of goods imported into the country to avoid bringing substandard or harmful products into the country. Customs officers are usually stationed at transport stations such as airport, seaport, land borders etc to carry out their functions.

Apart from bothering about Customs rules, there are other important things to sort out for your trip as well including reading reliable travel insurance reviews on Britainreviews.co.uk and getting the right policy for you. However, the focus of this article is on the customs station at the airport. What are their basic rules?

Customs at the airport usually have the following basic rules

The basic rules of Customs in most airports has to do with controlling what goes in and out of the country. Most countries have contrabands that can’t go in or out of the country as well as goods that can only move out or in, at limited quantities. It is often the duty of the Customs personnel to enforce these restrictions.

Control of the flow of goods

One of the key rules of customs is the control of the flow of goods into and out of the country via an airport. Customs work to strike a balance according to the law of the land and the power vested on them by the government of the land.

Control of the flow of Animals

 Certain animals are kept as a pet in one country and it’s against the law in another country. For example, lion, Leopard, snakes etc can be kept as pets by individuals in one land and it’s against the law to do in another country. Customs work to regulate this.

Control of the flow of Foods

 Some food items are acceptable by the government of a particular land and if it gets to another country, it becomes contraband. Customs at the airport work to ensure these types of food doesn’t leave the country nor allow into another country.

 Control of the flow of Personal effects

Even some personal effects could be found to be contraband or against the law in another country. For instance, your body cream, hair cream or dye could be found to be contraband in another country. Customs work to put this in check.

Control of the flow of Hazardous items

There was a time where a certain event happened between two countries. A waste product tested to be very harmful to human health was deliberately transported from one country to be dumped in another country. Left for the pro-activeness of the customs officers in the country, the evil intention would have being successful. This however is a clear case of the function of customs at the airport.

Control of the flow of Plants

Even plants are not left out. You may have an intention of moving a particular plant from one place to the other and vice versa, but the customs have to let you do so. There are certain plants which are not allowed into another country. A very good example is cannabis.

Control of the flow of Currency

Although customs also help in facilitating foreign earnings for the government, there are regulations to that. For example, customs at the airport work to ensure no more than a certain amount of currency is being taken out of the country and the same with foreign currencies being brought in especially without official disclosure to appropriate authorities.