European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 29, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday september 29, 1978 the stars and stripes Pago customs s shamrocks yes live snails no you May return to the . With truffles clean rocks shamrocks without roots dried spices and woolens but not with live snails things Straw stuffed lottery tickets anything convict made or German Anemone bulbs. Custom rules and regulations can be complicated. If you have any question about a special item you d like to take along it will pay to Contact a customs office ahead of time. The general rules however Are fairly simple. Every returning resident is allowed to import free of duty Arti cles totalling $100 based on the fair retail value of each item in the country visited any articles acquired for personal or household use a quart of alcoholic Bever Ages 100 cigars and As Many cigarettes As desired for personal use. Duty will have to be paid on any no prohibited items in excess of the allowed customs exemption. This duty due at your time of arrival must be paid in dollars or by personal Check from a . Bank. Government checks Money orders or travellers checks Are acceptable if they do not exceed the amount of the duty by More than $50. Often the amount of duty charged in t prohibitive. Wine lovers May take Back their favorite models or Rhines by paying somewhere from 17 cents to $2.25 a bottle in internal Revenue taxes and 32 cents to $1 Cus Toms duty depending on the Worth of the wine itself. There s no duty on foreign author or foreign language books or on original drawings or paintings. Though the customs officer is the last word when it comes to setting the Price duty has been running about 10 percent of the value for chess sets 12 to 22 percent on figurines 8 per cent on wooden chairs. There is no duty on Antiques More than 100 years have proof from the seller of the Antiquity. There s roughly an eight percent duty on music boxes and of from $6 to $13 on a $100 watch. There s no duty on genuine pearls but a 20 percent charge on imitation. If you Are visiting the . From an overseas military duty station you la be classified As a nonresident and Al Lowed to take in duty free a quart of alcoholic beverage but Only 50 cigars or 300 cigarettes or three pounds of smoking tobacco and $100 Worth of articles for use As Bona fide gifts. If however you Are in the military or a government employee being reassigned to the ., you May take along one quart of alcoholic beverage of foreign origin and three quarts manufactured and bottled in the ., an unlimited amount of cigarettes for personal use 100 cigars and All personal and household effects that were in your Possession while overseas. Infants and children returning to the . Are entitled to the same exemptions As adults except for alcoholic beverages. Foreign made personal articles taken overseas such As watches cameras or other articles which May be easily identified by a serial number or some other marking should be registered with . Cus Toms before you leave the country. Not doing so will make you liable for duty on them each time you re enter the states. If the items can t be registered take along some sort of proof of Possession a Bill of Sale insurance policy receipts of Purchase or repair. You Are allowed to Send $10 Worth of gifts a Day through the mail to friends and relatives in the . With out paying duty. The Day refers to the Day in which the parcel is received by the custom s office. Write unsolicited gift value under $10" on the out Side of the package. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products Are not included in this privilege nor Are Alco Holic perfumes valued at More than $1. Gifts that you Are carrying Are considered to be for your personal use and Are included in the regular exemption. Passengers arriving in new York process through . Immigration and customs. Household effects and tools of Trade or occupation which you take out of the . Are duty free at the time you return. So is furniture that you have acquired Over seas if it was not purchased for another person or for Sale. Certain articles considered injurious or to the Detri ment of the american society Are prohibited. Included Are absinthe lottery tickets narcotics and dangerous drugs obscene articles and publications seditious and treasonable materials hazardous articles such As fire works dangerous toys toxic or poisonous substances and switchblade knives. You Are allowed to import a switchblade Only if you Are missing an Arm and the knife s Blade is no longer than three inches unauthorized foreign reprints of books protected by american copyright can t be taken into the . Neither can cultural property such As pre colombian sculpture or murals unless you have an Export certificate from the country of origin. If you Are a gun collector Check with a local Cus Toms officer for the proper forms necessary to import firearms and ammunition into the . You also May write to the office of munitions control department of state Washington . 20520 or the Bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms department of the Treasury for information. Certain foreign hand guns Are approved for import others prohibited. Fruits vegetables plants cuttings seeds and unprocessed Plant products Are either prohibited or require an import permit. Every single Plant Plant product fruit or vegetable must be declared to the customs officer arid must be presented for inspection no matter How free of pests it appears. Canned or processed vegetables and fruits Are Al Lowed but canned or processed meat and poultry either Are not or Only under certain restrictions. This Means that favorite German Wurst or italian Salami probably will just have to be remembered fondly in most cases you won t be Able to take some Home. You May write to quarantines department of agriculture Federal Center bldg., Hyattsville my. 20782. For in formation about taking plants and their products into the . And to the animal and Plant health inspection service us a Hyattsville my. 20782, for detailed requirements on importing animal products. Narcotics and dangerous drugs naturally Are prohibited. If you Are on medication that contains a narcotic heart drug cough Medicine tranquil Izer be sure the bottle or Box is clearly labelled and that you have either a prescription or written statement from your doctor that the medication is being used under his direction. What about that family Pooch or cat or less often that Monkey or Bird goldfish or Gerbil your local military veterinarian can give you the an Swers about what s involved in taking a pet to the . And also Supply the needed shots and health certificates. If the animal you Are planning to import is one along More exotic lines than a Rover or Kitty Start getting the paperwork together Early there will be lots of it. Write to the Bureau of sport fisheries and wildlife department of the Interior Washington . 20240, for questions about wildlife and fish to the veterinary serv ice animal and Plant health inspection service us a. Federal Center bldg., Hyattsville my. 20782, concerning Birds the foreign quarantine program Center for Dis ease control Atlanta a. 30333, for regulations involving monkeys As Well As dogs and cats. The customs people also Check on trademarks. Many foreign made cameras perfumes watches musical instruments Etc., cannot be brought into the . Or Only in limited Quantity. These trademark restrictions apply to articles imported by servicemen and others even though purchased solely for personal or employment use. If the trademark is completely Bolivia Ted however there is no problem. The department of the Treasury . Customs service Washington . 20229, can Supply a Booklet trademark information or travellers that tells what trademarks Are banned or restricted from entry into the . What happens if you understate the value of an article you declare or in some other Way mis presen native it first the article May be seized but you la still have to pay the duty. You also May have to pay a personal pen Alty in an amount equal to the Cost of the article in the . And could be subject to criminal prosecution. The customs people also Are Wise to a lot of ploys such As Bills of Sale showing false or understated values. Generally a Green Light you be probably heard horror stories about mean european customs men who hold cars up at Bor Ders tearing them apart in search of items to confiscate. Generally you la find the stories Are third hand. Most often the . Traveler unless perhaps Long haired and Young notes that personally he or she was t searched at All that the Green License plate was just waved on through. If you Are stationed in Germany you la find that the status of forces agreement sofa provides a lot of leeway in any Case on purchases made in other coun tries. However souvenirs brought into West Germany cannot exceed 100 Marks about $49 in value 460 Marks when from another common Market coun Trya special customs certificate allows americans with the . Forces also to Purchase expensive items furniture Etc. And bring them in duty free. These customs certificates form 2075 Are available at local . Military customs offices or from he 42nd my group customs Apo 09086. If you Are planning a driving vacation have All these papers in order International Driver s License depend ing on the countries you plan to visit car registration and insurance papers a health certificate or rabies vaccination certificate if you Are taking a dog or cat along passports for civilians and dependents and id cards and administrative absence passes for military. Besides that limited amount of souvenirs you Are allowed to bring into West Germany 200 cigarettes 250 Grams smoking tobacco z liners wine or other spirits 125 Grams Coffee and 500 Grams Tea. If you exceed the established amounts you May have to pay a duty of about five percent of the value if the item was purchased in a common Market country and 15 per cent of the value if it was purchased in a nonmember country. There s a stiffer duty on highly taxed items such As liquor Tea Coffee and tobacco. For example if you exceed the liquor allowance you May have to pay All the Way up to 20.80 Marks duty on a liter. Mary Neth