Customs inspection rules



For a long time, there have been stories about a terrible and terrible customs procedure – a body search. They used to scare those who were going to take them abroad, for example, an old grandmother's ring, tucked under her tongue, or a handful of diamonds, hiding them in a "bun" hairstyle. Times are different now, but personal inspection as it was and remains one of the forms of customs control. Therefore, it does not bother each person to know what it is, in fact, it is.

Situations during a trip may arise in different ways, so it will not be superfluous to know what rights the customs office in Uzbekistan has, and in which case you can protest and complain about the abuse of authority.

1. Personal inspection at customs is an extreme measure, and therefore a rather rare form of customs control

It is used in cases where customs control officers have reason to believe that a citizen is hiding certain goods that are objects of violation of the legislation of a given country, for example, drugs and narcotic drugs, cultural or historical values, explosives, strategically important raw materials. goods, weapons, money, gold, etc.

Of course, the phrase "there is reason to believe" sounds rather vague. It is clear that those in whose luggage undeclared goods from the above list have already been found are subject to personal search. But it is possible that a citizen can be sent for personal search even when both he and his luggage are absolutely "clean" before the law.

But, the employee must have good reason that the citizen is trying to violate the rules of import or export.

2. An ordinary inspector does not have the right to make a decision on a personal search

Personal inspection can be carried out only by the decision of the head of the customs office where the citizen is undergoing customs clearance, or an official who officially replaces him. Therefore, if an ordinary customs inspector suddenly grabs the sleeve and personally pulls to inspect, feel free to resist and accuse him of exceeding his authority.

3. First, the citizen must be offered to surrender everything that he tries to smuggle illegally

Before the start of a personal search, the official who is entrusted with its conduct is obliged, firstly, to notify the citizen that such a decision has been made, and secondly, to offer him to voluntarily give out the hidden goods. In the presence of such goods, indeed, it is better to give them away voluntarily.

4. Personal search is carried out by customs officials in the presence of two attesting witnesses

The customs officers are obliged to completely exclude the access of other persons or the possibility of their observation during the personal search procedure.

5. Customs representatives and attesting witnesses must be of the same sex as the person being searched!

6. Personal search is carried out only in an isolated room

It must meet basic sanitary and hygienic requirements – i.e. to be clean, light. In other words, customs officers cannot simply take a citizen around the corner and carry out a body search near the trash can, even if there are no strangers there

7. Personal search procedure

As a rule, the person being searched is offered to take off his clothes (sometimes – only the top, and sometimes – all, right down to underwear), watches, jewelry, in a word - everything that he is wearing at the moment.

Customs officers will carefully enlighten all the things removed from him, probed, sniff out, perhaps even try on the tongue – that's as they please.

8. Customs officers are not allowed to touch a person

They can only investigate things that the person being searched has taken off himself.

Only a medical professional (local or specially invited) and no one else can conduct a "body examination". So, if the customs officers have a suspicion that the person being examined is hiding an ampoule of heroin in his mouth, and there is no doctor at the customs at that moment, consider yourself lucky: they have no right to get into their mouth.

9. Doctors have the right only to examine

Medical workers are forbidden to carry out additional medical measures during personal searches, for example, to do tests, give an enema, give an emetic, undergo gastroscopy, endoscopy or X-ray examination. Unfortunately, this prohibition is actively used by the so-called "swallowers" (drug couriers), who swallow insoluble drug containers and transport them across the border in their stomachs.

But the physician has the right to examine the body itself from top to bottom, while looking into its most secluded corners, including the anus.

10. The result of the inspection is recorded in the protocol

At the end of the inspection procedure, customs officers are required to draw up a protocol. The protocol is signed by the customs officials who carried out the search, witnesses, a medical worker (if one was present) and, of course, the person being searched.

In it, in addition to formalities such as the date and time of the search, surnames, etc., the entire procedure should be described in detail and its results should be indicated – whether something prohibited was found on the person being searched or not.

At the moment of signing the protocol, the person being searched has the right to make a statement in it. If the body search, in his opinion, was carried out with violations, this must be reflected. After all, if later a citizen decides to appeal against the actions of customs officers or a medical worker, he will not have any evidence, except for this very protocol with the claims recorded in it.

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And remember (!) If, as a result of a personal search, you find something forbidden, you will have to answer to the fullest extent of the law.

Well, if you haven't found it, you can safely continue your journey.

You need to familiarize yourself with all the rules for conducting inspection at customs in advance, then the trip will pass without problems and will give you great pleasure.


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