Customs by CMagalha
Just ti clarify WHY I opened this topic:Since the beggining of 2008, several brasilians ( I mean here a number around 200 people ) have been sent back from the MADRID, Spain, airport. This has made to the news and several people that we think that should not be discriminated are so. Other have been kept at the airport, for several ahours in a small room, without having access to a phone, barely having access to water.
Of course, I must admit, some of these people should be sent back, since they were trying to ilegally immigrate to EU using Spain as port of entry, due to similarities between portuguese and spanish. Some even did not carry more than US$100 in their pockets.
That trigged a response from customs officials here, in Brasil, and cities like Salvador and Rio de Janeiro started to check documents in depth and sending back spanish people. Retaliation, they say, and several comments on the press report this. This is NOT a official position taken by the goverment, I must say. Just a response from some custom officials.
Then I started to wonder: EU immigration rules are the same for all countries. And I called the French Consulate and got the answer I reported at the beggining of the topic.
I am 62 and do not want to leave things to chance. That's why I would like to get experiences and information on the subject.
I did not make a decision yet. But probably I will buy travellers checks just to show and will bring most of them back, wasting the bank spread and taxes, just to play safe.
I will re-read carefully all comments later on and post any responses, if needed.
Thank you all.
