Is it possible to exit the airport without going through the customs? [closed]

I was a first time traveler and didn't know what to do. I got my luggage and exited the airport without going through the customs. I didn't pass when I arrived in the country that I travelled to and didn't pass again when I arrived at the country I travelled from. It's an honest mistake, I just didn't know what to do then until my friend told me.

I am planning to travel again but I am afraid that I may have violated something and they will not allow me to leave. Can I get penalized?

customs-and-immigration

Best Answer

If you arrived on an international flight, then it's very unlikely that you exited the airport without passing through customs.
It's most likely that you just didn't recognize that you were were passing through customs, because I'm guessing you were expecting some sort of search of your goods or at least a desk where you'd have to explain what you were carrying, etc.
However in many airports you have the option of walking out through a "green" nothing-to-declare zone/passageway which is more-or-less the equivalent of you saying that you don't believe that you're carrying anything of interest to customs.
Often in my experience these green zones don't even have anyone on duty in them, but sometimes they do, and sometimes a passenger passing through the green zone will be stopped and have their belongings checked to make sure they're not trying to import anything they shouldn't be.

So as long as you left the airport the same way all the other passengers did, and didn't sneak out through a side door or something like that, you're fine.

Pictures about "Is it possible to exit the airport without going through the customs? [closed]"

Is it possible to exit the airport without going through the customs? [closed] - Formal man with tablet giving presentation in office

Is it possible to exit the airport without going through the customs? [closed] - White Sitting Behind Counter Under Television

Is it possible to exit the airport without going through the customs? [closed] - Man Wearing Pink Polo Shirt With Text Overlay

Can you skip customs?

Global Entry: Global Entry helps speed up the travel process when headed to international destinations, as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection program allows pre-cleared travelers to skip the customs line and head straight to automatic kiosks to get a customs declaration.

Do you have to go through customs again?

You only go through once. If you connect through another country, you will just have to go through security and not customs. Incorrect, it all depends on the country and the airlines you're traveling with. Remember customs and immigration are different things and in some cases you'll clear then in different airports.

Do I have to go through customs for a connecting international flight?

When you're connecting from an international flight to a domestic one, you'll always have to exit and reenter security as you'll need to go through customs and immigration (unless you have gone through preclearance aboard, which is rare).

JFK Allowed Passengers to Exit Without Going Through Customs

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Diego Rodriguez, Andrea Piacquadio, PhotoMIX Company, Artem Beliaikin