Torkel

So, if you were Swedish (like me) and worked first 2 years in Italy, then one year in Germany, then moved to the US and stayed 2 years and then returned to Germany again, all working for the same company, you are entitled to bring your “house hold” with you back into the EU without any taxes or tolls. This also includes 1 car, which is why my US Miata is sleeping its winter sleep in my dads snow covered garage in Uddevalla, Sweden btw.

All quite simple, right? Wrong! Fail! Fail like m.net!

For the last 7 months, my stuff has been detained about 10meters from Germany, in the harbour of Bremen, waiting for an endless trail of paperwork. Now don’t go now and think that a dumb little engineer like me has screwed this up, no no nooo sir. The company have professionals that make sure that this kind of things runs smoooothly for us “internationally active employees”.

The thing is, since German customs hate the US and mistrusts everything from the US, they have been hard to convince, also for the pros. And even hard it gets when the US counter part can not keep track of all the advanced data involved (is he Swedish? or German? What is the difference, they are so close together. No, they are not? Oh, sweden and Switzerland is not the same thing? Ooh, crap. Guess we need a new form then... Where was he from again?). To free the hostage, it took: 4 letters from the HR manager in Brussels, 1 copy of my German contract from before the US period, 1 copy of my current German contract, 1 copy of my American contract, a total of 18 scanned payslips and 5 actual payslips sent by mail together with a couple of my old US bussnies cards. And that is not including one million forms to fill in, passport copies, VISA copies and so on.
Me --><-- customs

But behold, victory is finally mine. Yesterday, I took delivery of (less then 24h after that customs released the stuff btw. That’s a German moving firm right there!).
All my tools. My track rims with Ra1s on, tire trailer, jack + stands and everything else I had in the US to maintain my baby on and of the track.
Every frikkin thing for the kitchen! Plates, glasses, pots and pants, the lot! We have been living with cheap **** from the flee market, just because we every week thought “ soon comes the stuff from the US, right? (fail again!).
All my tools and stuff from the garage.
My Xbox, my stereo, my computer, my CDs, my books.
My tooooooools!!
Some (very few) furniture that my GF did not rule out as “ugly and to be trashed” when I moved home again.

Sorry for the pointless post, but I feel so damn right now!
/T, the evil Swede.

Doppelgänger

iTrader: (12)

**** customs...i swear those guys have to be some of the most lazy people.

I had to do customs paper work when i worked for BBS (yes..that BBS). Anytime i had to send something to Japan, Maxico, Canuck Land, Germany or anywhere else..it was always a PITA.

Oscar

iTrader: (2)

yeah, most of the time customs = teh suck

Torkel

It must be the strong links between Sweden and Al Quaida that is created the high security level. I wonder how many containers with AK47s, C4 and weed was brought into the country while they where concentrated on my floor jack.

Niklas

Customs keep holding my injectors :(
Swedish customs that is.. papers this papers that, If they can't figure what it's worth, then i can't figure why i should pay them for opening my mail..right?

I suppose they look like detonators on x-ray

Ben

iTrader: (33)

If you really want to freak em out, go through customs with leaded crystal in your carry on.