Necessary documents for studying in the United States and passing customs

The documents required to go through customs when studying in the United States are mainly the following. In addition, here are some documents needed when studying in the United States:

1. Various documents, certificates, Be sure to bring proof.

Original Passport

Original I-20

Original Offer

Physical examination, immunity certificate (small red book and small yellow book);

Original copies of graduation certificates and transcripts of the previous level of education

Original transcripts of overseas examinations: TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, SAT1, and SAT2 (if any)

Domestic driver's license (if any)

Passport and I20 are your identity, keep them safe no matter what!!!

You may need to use them! For example, in GT, When selecting courses, SAT2? and AP scores can be converted into credits.

A Chinese driver’s license cannot be directly exchanged for a U.S. driver’s license, but if you want to take a driver’s license test in the United States, you can waive one test with a Chinese driver’s license.

2. Funds, communication tools and contact information of each contact

USD cash (less than 5,000)

Credit card

Mobile phone ( Charger, cord, full battery)

Two copies of accommodation address and contact person

Two copies of emergency contact information in the United States

Domestic personnel An electronic copy of the address book

A campus map and a map of the city where the school is located (try to find it in advance)

Finally, I would like to share some tips about going through customs with students studying in the United States. Some experience, I hope it will be useful to everyone:

1. The first thing is to see the "poker face"

Those long queues have residents from all over the world, almost 20 Minutes later, it's finally up to me. Since I was new here, I was inevitably nervous. In fact, the whole process went smoothly, and the inspector's questions were not difficult, such as "Which university did you go to", "What major", "Have you been here before", etc. The only thing that made me feel a little uncomfortable was that the other person had a "poker face" from beginning to end. It was probably due to professionalism. Apart from glancing at me at the photo, his eyes never left the computer screen.

2. Sampling surveys are very subjective

After the other party placed the entry and exit certificate in my passport and stamped it, he waved to the person behind me. The procedures for representing an individual have been completed and the total time is only half an hour. Next, it was time to pick up the luggage and go through customs. This step seemed very confusing and time-consuming. The entire luggage area was very large, but no relevant staff were seen. It took almost another hour to dig out my two boxes. come out.

At the beginning, I was thinking about the customs inspection, but as I walked around, I found that no one was taking care of me. I was worried that I had missed some steps. Later I realized that it was just a so-called "investigation" and The entire survey targets were selected entirely based on official preferences. Although U.S. Customs is supposed to be very fast at taking fingerprints and taking photos, when you get to the scene, you will find that it is only so-so.

3. Speech when passing customs must be brief and direct

Usually, customs officials are most sensitive to two things about people passing through customs: one is the true purpose of the visit; the other is the person who is expected to stay. time. As an international student, you can directly answer that your personal purpose is to study, and the period of stay is the period of graduation. Don't give a long answer, just like writing an essay. It's completely unnecessary and officials won't like it.

If you feel that you have some difficulty communicating in English when entering the country, you can write a note in advance and write "I speak Chinese" so that the other party will know that they will ask for a translator to help. Of course, if you are an international student, it is best to take the initiative to communicate in English when entering the country, otherwise the other party's officials will think that you do not have the language ability to continue studying there.

4. Other matters related to carried items

Usually customs regulations stipulate that some perishable and rotten foods are not allowed to be brought into the local environment, such as fruits, fresh meat and vegetables, etc. . Packaged dried fruits and sugar are allowed. However, beef jerky, meatloaf, ham, canned meat and other foods will be confiscated regardless of whether they are packaged or sealed. In addition, U.S. Customs is very strict about the entry of drugs. Some drugs containing narcotic ingredients and injection drugs require a prescription certificate issued by a hospital.

Generally, there are no restrictions on the amount of funds carried by customs, as long as the total amount does not exceed US$10,000, otherwise it must be declared. The purpose of declaration is to register, not to pay taxes, so don’t worry. If you exceed the limit and fail to declare, after being discovered, the other party has the right to directly confiscate the excess amount, and even hold the person who brought it legally responsible.