Will I have trouble taking a camera and/or computer into Aruba due to customs?

Question

I thought I read something about Aruba customs can seize your expensive stuff and claim it may have been purchased in aruba and thus you can't take it out of aruba. Is that true?

Answer 1

You are mixing 2 things.

Going into Aruba, you go through the Aruba immigration and Aruba customs in Aruba.  

But when you leave Aruba for the United States, you go first through the Aruba immigration and then you enter into the "United States  territory"  in the airport of Aruba.

And there you find the USA immigration and USA customs. And at the USA customs you have to declare what  the value is of the articles that you have bought in Aruba.

U.S. Customs regulations allow $800 worth of duty-free imports per person every 30 days. The next $1,000 worth of items is taxed at a rate of 3%. Members of a family traveling together can make joint Customs declarations, so if you're a couple with two children, you can bring back purchases worth up to $3,200 without paying any duty.

United States citizens can avoid paying duty on the foreign-made high-ticket items they already own and will take to the Caribbean by registering them with customs before leaving for Aruba. Consider filing a certificate of registration for items such as laptops, cameras, watches and other digital devices identified with serial numbers or other permanent markings. You may keep the certificate for other trips. Otherwise, bring with you a sales receipt or insurance form to show that you owned the item before you left the United States.

When it is an expensive camera, that looks brandnew, unused in a box, then  it is possible that they ask you to prove that you have it bought it in the USA.

read further:

http://www.arubabound.com/packing/govt_i...

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/aru...

http://www.airportaruba.com/en/flightinf...

Answer 2

no. That is not true. They won't take your stuff

Answer 3

Not true.

We have been to Aruba five time never a problem.

I carry expensive Nikon equipment.

Answer 4

I was there in June and didn't have any trouble with mine.  Of course you'll have to remove your laptop and camcorder from their cases at checkpoints, but that's true anywhere.