Air travellers must declare currency, jewellery: CAA

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has started implementing Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards in accordance with the government’s directives for submission of customs’ declaration forms by all inbound and outbound passengers of international flights giving details of their currency, gold jewellery, precious stones and restricted goods such as narcotics, weapons, satellite phones, etc.

Pakistan Customs has been directed to depute its staff at all international airports to facilitate inbound/outbound passengers of all international flights.

The airlines’ crews will distribute the customs’ declaration forms during the flights among all passengers, irrespective of their nationality.

The declaration forms will be deposited at the customs’ counters before the immigration desks at all airports.

For outbound flights, airlines have been directed to ask their staff and travel agents to ensure that they would provide a copy of the Customs declarations to passengers to fill it at the time of booking of tickets.

A PCAA spokesperson said that all international passengers coming to and going from Pakistan will have to fill a Customs’ declaration (including currency declaration) form.

He said the issuance of the boarding passes to passengers going abroad from Pakistan was subject to submission of Customs’ declaration forms.

All passengers coming to the country from abroad will also fill customs’ declaration forms at Pakistan’s airports, the spokesman said.

During incoming flights to Pakistan, flight crew will inform passengers about the currency and customs’ declaration forms’ details to facilitate them, he said.

The declaration’s details must be provided at the customs’ counters at all International Arrivals Lounge desks before the immigration.

The Pakistan Customs has also been directed to depute its staff along with airlines staff to supervise and assist passengers at facilitation counters inside the check-in halls of all airports.

The PCAA would provide full support, space and counters to Pakistan Customs and airlines for implementing the FATF code of conduct, the CAA spokesman said.

The assistant collector of customs, customs house, dry port, station managers of PIA, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia and Gulf Air have also been directed to implement the government’s instructions.