Customs question

[bcking 3,157]

This is oddly specific but I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas:

 

My wife is a geologist and has a few fossils that she has found herself along the Jurassic Coast in England. She has professionally cleaned them herself in a state of the art studio (with the aide of a world renowned Paleontologist). They are now perfectly clean, but they are still surrounded/partially encased in rock.

 

Will customs give her a problem if she brings them? She doesn't want to risk having them confiscated since they are essentially priceless to her.

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

Honestly I would make sure to research it well before bringing it as it probably would get confiscated if declared, or obviously if not declared be even worse. If it wasn't confiscated it still would be quite a hassle probably to get through customs with them without some sort of paperwork.

 

Obviously having them been professionally cleaned is very important but I am sure there's other factors needed to be taken into account.

 

I am sure you have tried looking as I just did even on a quick search and did not find anything specific myself as to exactly what is needed.....

[bcking 3,157]

3 minutes ago, Ben&Zian said:

Honestly I would make sure to research it well before bringing it as it probably would get confiscated if declared, or obviously if not declared be even worse. If it wasn't confiscated it still would be quite a hassle probably to get through customs with them without some sort of paperwork.

 

Obviously having them been professionally cleaned is very important but I am sure there's other factors needed to be taken into account.

 

I am sure you have tried looking as I just did even on a quick search and did not find anything specific myself as to exactly what is needed.....

Ya I've looked. From what I can find it seems like we need to understand the law in the UK about export. Cases from like Mongolia are publicized since they were illegally taken/exported.

 

In the UK you can collect fossils for personal use. I can't find the law about exporting from the UK though.

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

Just now, bcking said:

Ya I've looked. From what I can find it seems like we need to understand the law in the UK about export. Cases from like Mongolia are publicized since they were illegally taken/exported.

 

In the UK you can collect fossils for personal use. I can't find the law about exporting from the UK though.

 

Thats what I was seeing also was a lot of stuff from Asia and then about black market/illegal possession of them.

 

Another blog even read through only talked about going from Australia but they never really mentioned specific documentation.

 

Your wife must know someone who knows someone about shipping requirements, whether hand carrying herself or even just shipping them via post/or other party.

[bcking 3,157]

Just now, Ben&Zian said:

 

Thats what I was seeing also was a lot of stuff from Asia and then about black market/illegal possession of them.

 

Another blog even read through only talked about going from Australia but they never really mentioned specific documentation.

 

Your wife must know someone who knows someone about shipping requirements, whether hand carrying herself or even just shipping them via post/or other party.

Ya she'll have to ask the Paleontologist that she was working with. Though he has never exported to my knowledge, he had a museum built for his collection in the UK.

[Cryssiekins 976]

Try calling a customs broker.

 

They deal with all sorts of stuff all the time.  They can likely advise you what you would need to do. 

[TBoneTX 43,253]

If she's flying into Houston, get the answer straight from the horse's mouth, by telephone:

 

https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/field-office/houston

or

https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/houston-airport

 

If the above are too curt with you, call this less busy CBP port:

https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/sugarland

 

Get the name of whomever you speak with, and optimally speak with the shift supervisor.  Let us know what you're told, please.

[bcking 3,157]

9 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

If she's flying into Houston, get the answer straight from the horse's mouth, by telephone:

 

https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/field-office/houston

or

https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/houston-airport

 

If the above are too curt with you, call this less busy CBP port:

https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/sugarland

 

Get the name of whomever you speak with, and optimally speak with the shift supervisor.  Let us know what you're told, please.

After calling 5 or 6 numbers from those links, and trying 5 or 6 different extensions through the automated machines I found a very nice lady who is investigating it for me. She is with the 'Petroleum and Minerals' section. From her perspective she says it is fine, she is contacting the agricultural people to confirm with them as well. I tried to explain as best as I could that they were prepared in a museum-quality lab (Quite literally, since she works at a Paleontology museum) and so there are no live organisms. Only something that is about 150 million years old, but clearly dead

 

Export is less clear. I can't even find a good email address on the gov.uk website to contact to ask. I have contacted the organization responding for export license for "the fine arts" and "cultural pieces", so we'll see if they think fossils apply.

 

The other way I'm tackling export is just emailing a couple of fossil selling websites/organizations in the UK and asking, as if I am considering purchasing a fossil, what the regulations are on export of fossils that were collected in the UK.

 

I'll update with more information, though I'm not sure how many people fall into this category. I will say though once I was able to get someone on the phone, the lady at US Customs was incredibly nice. She has already called back once with a few more questions and an update. Very helpful.

[TBoneTX 43,253]

1 hour ago, bcking said:

1.  once I was able to get someone on the phone

2.  the lady at US Customs was incredibly nice. She has already called back once with a few more questions and an update. Very helpful.

1.  This is perhaps the biggest challenge.  I like calling CBP ports late at night, because they're typically less busy and I can speak with a supervisor.

 

2.  That's great, and even better to know that they'll call you back like that.  How thorough of them to have a "Petroleum & Minerals" section.

 

Presuming a green light, try to get something in writing -- or at least a name, title, location, and phone number of the P&M lady -- for your wife to present at actual POE when she brings the fossils.