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Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

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Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#41

Post by jrockway »

Astrohacker wrote: post #22
umright wrote: post #19

Advice for crossing the US Border. 1) You are there on a holiday. Telling them you are self employed and going to work in an office you are renting there is only asking for trouble. It confuses the hell out of them. You think where you do the work from doesn't matter, they think you need a visa. You lose. 2) If you are going for a conference, print the badge off before your flight and have it with you. 3) Email or up…

This is good advice, but of course it's pretty absurd that anyone has to take these steps to avoid the overly invasive US government.

This is pretty much true of clearing customs in any other country. The reason we hear so much about the US is because it's a really big country.

(As an American, I hate crossing the UK border just as much as crossing the US border. What's the point of being in the EU if you aren't going to act like it? :)

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#42

Post by nandemo »

cfgvjkljhgfb wrote: post #30
ars wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Option 1 is asking for serious trouble! Prison time even. Never lie to them. Even if you just intend to visit and and up doing some work you'll get in deep trouble, but if you lie about it from the start it'll be much worse. And they do sometimes check. A tourist visa and a work visa are not interchangeable.

He was on a visa waiver - if he is British that allows him to do anything you can do on a B1 business visa. In fact the only reason you have to get a B1 visa is because you can't use the visa waiver if you are, say a convicted criminal! You can work for your outside-the-US employer, you can collaborate with US customers, suppliers, partners, you can train them,you can sell, demonstrate and install products. About the…

Indeed, but if you're self-employed, then you should either say you're coming from (your own) Foo Corp. in Australia to have business meetings with Bar Corp (in US); or follow GP's advice and say you're on vacation.

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#43

Post by nivertech »

I was in Seattle a month ago for AMD Fusion conference. Here my dialog with the Immigration Officer:

    I.O. - "What's the purpose of you visit?"
    me   - "I come to the AMD conference"
    I.O. - "For how long do you visiting US"?
    me   - "8 days"
    I.O. - "How many days is the conference?"
    me   - "3 days"
    I.O. - "So why do you come for 8 days??"
;)

Re: "Dr. Nefario" - I can't believe he has no credit card.

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#44

Post by liedra »

jrockway wrote: post #41
Astrohacker wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is good advice, but of course it's pretty absurd that anyone has to take these steps to avoid the overly invasive US government.

This is pretty much true of clearing customs in any other country. The reason we hear so much about the US is because it's a really big country. (As an American, I hate crossing the UK border just as much as crossing the US border. What's the point of being in the EU if you aren't going to act like it? :)

The EU isn't Schengen, that's why.

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#45

Post by mike-cardwell »

abalashov wrote: post #36

I am most concerned about why they made copies of his iPhone and iPad. I'm not going to sit here and pick apart whether they had a "right" to do that -- it has long been abundantly clear that customs Gestapo can arbitrarily assign whatever rights they want to themselves, with full legislative and judicial blessing, in the name of security theater. But why? What did he do that earned this treatment?

This confused me as well. What possible reason could they have had to do that?

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#46

Post by praptak »

mckoss wrote: post #34
mullr wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I DO know what bitcoin is, and I don't understand how he could possibly fund his trip with it. Doesn't seem like the top of the list for liquid assets, i.e. what you need when travelling. Part of their job is to make sure you can fund your trip. This guy couldn't, from a variety of reasonable interpretations.

I had cash in my office ready to exchange for Bitcoin when Nefario was to come to Seattle. It's no different than trading at MtGox.

Please take into account that this is a kind of story that the agents hear all the time. "Really, officer, I've got this cousin who owes me 3 grand and has the cash ready." To them it doesn't matter that the famous(#) Bitcoin is involved here.

(#) Among techies only and even here the discussions about it being a Ponzi scheme are lively.

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#48

Post by StavrosK »

mike-cardwell wrote: post #45
abalashov wrote: post #36

I am most concerned about why they made copies of his iPhone and iPad. I'm not going to sit here and pick apart whether they had a "right" to do that -- it has long been abundantly clear that customs Gestapo can arbitrarily assign whatever rights they want to themselves, with full legislative and judicial blessing, in the name of security theater. But why? What did he do that earned this treatment?

This confused me as well. What possible reason could they have had to do that?

"Why not?"

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#49

Post by eric-hu »

Astrohacker wrote: post #22
umright wrote: post #19

Advice for crossing the US Border. 1) You are there on a holiday. Telling them you are self employed and going to work in an office you are renting there is only asking for trouble. It confuses the hell out of them. You think where you do the work from doesn't matter, they think you need a visa. You lose. 2) If you are going for a conference, print the badge off before your flight and have it with you. 3) Email or up…

This is good advice, but of course it's pretty absurd that anyone has to take these steps to avoid the overly invasive US government.

It is absurd, but I think it's also common sense. I think it's a good assumption that airport security is not going to be that technically knowledgeable.

I wouldn't touch the topic of Bitcoin with a 10 foot pole around strangers, let alone people with the authority to deport me. I still can't explain it to my friends in a way without making it sound suspicious.

Re: Bitcoin befuddles US customs agents, thwarting visit by digital currency guru

#50

Post by praptak »

zzygan wrote: post #33
andrewpi wrote: post #8

I wonder if the customs agents also had a problem with him trying to do work in the United States while here under the Visa Waiver Program?

As an Australian citizen who has recently traveled to the US under the Visa waiver program with the sole purpose of working (I was sent to the US by my employer), I can say pretty definitively that they dont have an issue with working as long as you have a return ticket (which they checked out in my case)

Work is definitely not allowed under the VWP, only "tourism and business": http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html#...

Maybe a trip when you work on behalf on a foreign employer counts as "business".

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