Don't touch your Cow or Dog during your visit to India - US Customs Welcomes You

By Vijay Kumar

ANY person entering the United States of America is required to fill in CBP Declaration Form 6059B. The passenger is required to give the following information, as explained by US Customs:

1. Print your last (family) name. Print your first (given) name. Print the first letter of your middle name.

2. Print your date of birth in the appropriate day/month/year boxes.

3. Print the number of family members traveling with you (do not include yourself).

4. Print your current street address in the United States. If you are staying at a hotel, include the hotel's name and street address. Print the city and the state in the appropriate boxes.

5. Print the name of the country that issued your passport.

6. Print your passport number

7. Print the name of the country where you currently live.

8. Print the name of the country(ies) that you visited on your trip prior to arriving to the United States.

9. If traveling by airline, print the airline's name and flight number. If traveling by vessel (ship), print the vessel's name.

10. Are you traveling on a business (work-related) trip?

11. Are you bringing with you:

a. fruits, plants, food, or insects? (be sure that bread and salad given in the air have not slipped into your baggage)

b. meats, animals, or animal/wildlife products?

c. disease agents, cell cultures, or snails?

d. soil or have you visited a farm/ranch/pasture outside the United States? (If you have, will they put you back in the aircraft?)

12. Have you or any family members traveling with you been in close proximity of (such as touching or handling) livestock outside the United States? (If you have touched the cow in your house during your visit to India, maybe you are in trouble!)

Agonised Customs Officers in airports in India always find the Indian passengers returning from US to be the most troublesome, arguing with Customs on the Law about which they know nothing – but when they go back to US, they are prepared to swear on the holy cow that they have not touched it!