1.Special reminder, the United States police telephone number is 911, city service telephone number is 311.For the need of counter-terrorism, the United States, especially New York City, has many laws and regulations and security measures. Domestic travelers should learn as much as possible about the relevant information before going out, comply with local laws and regulations, and cooperate with law enforcement officials. Please carry your identification documents with you when you go out. Please take care of your passport, air tickets and money, and do not travel with valuables and large amounts of cash. Thieves often steal from crowded hotels or tourist attractions in China. Photography or videography is not allowed in the New York subway or tunnels; you are not allowed to eat in the subway, you are not allowed to walk between cars, your carry-on bag cannot take up a seat, and you are not allowed to sit on the steps inside or outside the subway station.
Pedestrians should not be separated from their carry-on bags in public ****places, otherwise unclaimed bags will be considered suspicious. Alcoholic beverages should not be opened or consumed in public ****places. In order to protect intellectual property rights, the U.S. authorities have recently taken drastic measures to combat piracy. Visitors should take special care not to bring pirated CDs into this country. If they are caught, they will be fined or criminally prosecuted.
The U.S. legal system is complex, with many cases and regulations. Chinese citizens are advised to consult a lawyer when they are involved in legal issues during their stay in the United States.
II. VISA, ENTRY AND CUSTOMS (I) VISA: Applicants may check the website of the U.S. Embassy in China for information on visa matters. (ii)Notes on Entry 1. Before boarding the plane, please check your passport and visa carefully to ensure their validity. Please pay particular attention to whether the passport is valid for not less than six months, whether the visa is valid, and whether the number of entries and the duration of stay permit travel.
2. Please check and make sure that you have with you the basic documents for your visa application and any other documents that must be presented upon entry into the United States.
3. Before boarding the plane, please ask the airline in detail about the category of prohibited items and make sure that you are not carrying prohibited items.
4. Before entering the U.S., please follow the instructions of the flight attendants and fill out the I-94 entry card, customs declaration form and other documents in English carefully and truthfully. Do not omit or leave it to chance. If you have difficulty filling out the form in English, please ask the flight attendant to help you fill out the form.
5. Please choose a more convenient channel for immigration procedures. When waiting in line, please try not to look around or change lines multiple times to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings with USCIS officials.
6. When entering the country, please present the necessary documents and cooperate with the inspection as requested by the U.S. border officials. If you have language difficulties, you can prepare a simple English note in advance: I only speak Chinese. Please help me find an interpreter. The major airports in New York generally provide translation services in Mandarin and Cantonese.
7. If you are detained by border control authorities for investigation, you can immediately notify U.S. officials and ask to be connected to a consular official (our embassy's emergency number, 212-2449392 ext. 1000, is open 24 hours a day). Under the U.S.-China Consular Treaty, you have the right to seek assistance from your consular officer. Contacting your consular officer as soon as possible will better help you solve the problem and avoid missing the opportunity.
8. When questioned by the border control authorities, please make sure that the translation provided by the other party can truly and completely convey the meaning of both sides. If in doubt, simply ask the border control officer to change the interpreter.
9. Upon receiving an inquiry from the border control authorities, be sure to check the contents of the transcript and other documents that require your signature, and record all questions and answers truthfully before signing. If there is any doubt, correct it immediately.10. If you encounter discriminatory practices or if your request to contact the Consulate General is denied, write down the person's name or work number in case you complain later.
1. The Consulate General will do its best to protect your legal rights and interests
(3) Customs regulations require that on airplanes, ships, and other modes of transportation en route to the U.S., flight attendants will issue travelers a U.S. Customs Declaration Form (Form 6059B), which has been translated into several languages, including Chinese. Travelers can fill out this form in advance to speed up customs clearance. At the port of entry, customs officials check the baggage carried by immigrants for contraband and whether it has been taxed.
Main elements of the Customs Regulations: 1 . Personal Property: Personal clothing for personal use, jewelry, cosmetics, hunting or fishing equipment, cameras, portable radios and other similar personal items are exempt from duty. The above items follow you in and out of the country. If you are an immigrant to the U.S., personal accessories, such as tax-exempt jewelry valued at $300 or more for personal use, may not be sold without payment of duty for a period of three years. Any of the above items sold without payment of duty will be seized and confiscated.
2. Alcoholic beverages: Non-residents over 21 years of age may bring 1 liter of alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine and white wine, duty-free for personal use only. Alcoholic beverages in excess of these amounts will be subject to duty and internal taxes. Additionally, in addition to federal laws, you must comply with state laws regarding alcoholic beverages that may be stricter than federal laws.
3. Tobacco products: Travelers may bring one carton of cigarettes (200), or 50 cigars, or 4.4 pounds of tobacco, or a prorated amount of the above items duty-free.
Cuban-made cigars are prohibited from entering the United States for personal use or as gifts.
4. Household goods: Furniture, tableware, books, artwork, and other household goods may be imported duty-free.
5. Duty-free gifts: Non-residents may bring in gifts with a value of up to $100 duty-free. To make the above gifts duty-free, you must be in the United States for at least 72 hours, during which time the above gifts must accompany you. For the convenience of customs officials, please do not wrap your gifts.6. Wedding Gifts: There is no explicit exemption for non-residents to carry wedding gifts.
7. Mailing Gifts: Gifts with a retail value of up to $100 mailed from other countries or Caribbean beneficiary countries are tax exempt. If the gift originates from the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Guam, the gift may not exceed $200 tax-free. Gifts exceeding these values will be taxed. Note: Alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and alcoholic perfumes are excluded from the above.
8. Items Purchased at Duty-Free Shops: Items purchased at duty-free stores, on airplanes or ships that exceed the limit on the number or amount of duty-free items a person may carry are taxed by Customs. Non-residents in transit through the United States, such as personal items, including alcoholic beverages not exceeding 4 liters, will be taken outside the scope of U.S. Customs tax, the value of the above items does not exceed 200 U.S. dollars, can be exempt from tax.
9. Taxable Items: Items in excess of the above exemptions will be taxed. The way of levying is as follows: after deducting the value of goods that should be exempted from tax, the portion of the value of 1000 USD will be taxed at a flat rate of 3%, and the portion of the value exceeding 1000 USD will be taxed at the tax rate applicable to the goods. Goods taxed at the flat rate must be carried on one's person and used only for personal use or as a gift.
10. U.S. Islands: Goods obtained in the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam are subject to a flat rate of duty of 5 percent, whether the goods follow you or are shipped to the U.S. mainland.
1. Imported household goods into the U.S.: Household goods that are allowed to enter duty-free by regulation do not have to follow me. You can mail them.
12. Prohibited or restricted entry of goods: biological products: the importation of untempered human and animal tissues (including blood, human, animal and plant excreta), live bacterial cultures, viruses or similar organisms, animals suspected of being infected with diseases of human and animal ****, insects, snails, bats, etc., need to obtain the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's import permit.
Contact: Office of Health and Safety, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (F-05) 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A. BOOKS, AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, AND MAGNETIC TAPES: Pirated books, computer programs, and audiovisual products are not permitted to be imported into the U.S.A., and pirated products are subject to confiscation and destruction. Fruits, Vegetables and Plants: Many fruits, vegetables, plants, tree branches, seeds, untreated plant products, certain endangered species, etc.
Importation is generally prohibited or a license is required to import. All plants, plant products, fruits or vegetables must be declared and inspected by customs officials. Meat, Livestock and Poultry: Meat, livestock and poultry and their by-products are generally prohibited from entering the country or restricted from entering the country based on animal diseases in the country of origin. For canned meat products, entry into the country is permitted if the inspecting official can confirm that the product is cooked and has been commercially packaged. Other canned and cured meat products and jerky products are strictly restricted from entering the country.
Hunting revenue: If you intend to import hunting souvenirs or game, you generally need to obtain a permit beforehand, and only certain ports are authorized to handle imports of said items. Currency: Currency and instruments (including coins and currency of the U.S. or other countries, traveler's checks, cash money orders and marketable securities, etc.). Carrying more than $10,000 into the country. You should complete U.S. Customs Form 4790 and voluntarily file a declaration with Customs.
Failure to make a truthful declaration may result in civil and criminal liability, including forfeiture of money and financial instruments. Pets: Cats: You must be able to prove that you are free of contagious diseases at the time of entry inspection. If the pet's health is obviously poor, it will be further examined by a licensed veterinarian and the associated costs will be paid by the pet owner. Dogs: must be able to prove at the time of entry inspection that they are free of contagious diseases and have been vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to arrival (this does not apply to puppies under 3 months of age). Personal pet birds: are allowed to enter the country, but only two parrots are allowed. It is also required to meet the requirements of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency and the Public **** Health Service. For example, at the Animal and Plant Health and Quarantine Agency, pet owners may be required to pay for the health and vaccination of their pets.
Primates such as monkeys and apes are not allowed to be imported. You are advised to check with the relevant state and local authorities to find out what the rules and restrictions are for bringing pets. Some places, such as Hawaii, have strict health and quarantine requirements for pets. Fish and wildlife: Fish and wildlife also fall under the scope of import and export control and sanitary and epidemiological requirements, which mainly include: wild birds, mammals, marine mammals, reptiles, crustaceans, fish and mollusks; and any parts or products of the above animals, such as hides, feathers and eggs. Products and articles made from wild animals, plants and fish. Endangered species and their products are prohibited from import and export. Ivory or ivory products are generally prohibited from import and export.
Antiques containing wild animals and plants can be imported if they can be shown to be 100 years old. Three. Security Situation and Public **** Security. New York, as the economic and financial center of the world and the United States, has always been the preferred target of international terrorists to launch anti-American attacks, and was also the hardest-hit area of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In recent years, despite the fact that the local government in New York has stepped up its counter-terrorism efforts and introduced a series of counter-terrorism measures, there are still reports of escalating levels of counter-terrorism in the city's subways, airports, tunnels, financial centers, and densely populated areas, and the counter-terrorism situation in this region remains critical. The security situation in the East and New York is relatively good. After nearly 10 years of governance, the security environment in New York has greatly improved and the crime rate has dropped significantly.
In 2005, the crime rate was the lowest among the 20 largest cities in the United States. Communities in the eastern part of the United States with a concentration of Chinese are generally better policing, individual neighborhoods or roads at night robberies burglary crimes occur. more than 90% of the crime is nonviolent, the most theft. Four. Common Diseases and Medical Conditions New York's medical conditions are generally high, with good facilities, but health care costs are very high. It is difficult for individuals to afford large medical bills without insurance. New York and many states have a Children's Health Insurance Program, which means that children under the age of 18, including teenagers without legal status, are eligible for free health insurance; all people over the age of 18 are eligible for emergency assistance in case of an emergency. In addition, New York's health care institutions and public hospitals that receive federal subsidies can reduce medical costs based on a patient's financial ability, including tiered or negotiated fees. Federally subsidized medical institutions or public hospitals may not interrupt a patient's care when the patient is unable to pay for the care.
New York has had no major outbreaks. anthrax was detected for a time after 9/11. in the first half of 2003, there were a few suspected SARS cases. in 2004, there were more than a dozen cases of West Nile in New Jersey. Proof of immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, polio, rubella, mumps, hepatitis, influenza, and tuberculosis is required for admission to elementary and secondary schools in the New York consular district. Educational institutions have mandated that international students purchase health insurance in the United States. It is recommended that anyone over the age of 65, who comes to New York in the winter, get vaccinated against influenza and pneumonia.
5. Local customs and regulations (1) Etiquette and dress code: Although Americans give a casual impression in their dress code, they are still very formal at work and social occasions. There are certain rules and precepts, but they are mainly appropriate for the times. Traveling: In the United States, when traveling, the right side is generally respected. When men and women are walking together, the man has to walk on the left and the woman has to open the door to get in and out. When hitchhiking, the owner drives, the front seat is honored, and the back seat is honored by resting on the right side. When traveling in a car, the host should open the door for the guest first, and wait for the guest to be seated before getting into the car and starting. Eating and drinking: cutlery should be used first with the outermost knife and fork, and food should be pressed with a fork and cut into small pieces before putting it into the mouth; when Americans use cutlery, they sometimes use their right hand to take a knife to cut the food, and then switch forks to take the food.
Don't make any noise while eating or drinking soup. Coffee spoons are used to stir milk and sugar. Remember not to drink coffee with a spoon to avoid making noise in the restaurant. The type of alcohol consumed at dinner should depend on the main meal of the day. For fish you should drink white wine, for meat you should drink red wine. Red wine should be the same as room temperature. And don't force your guests to make a toast. As for spirits such as whisky and brandy, drink them more often after or before the meal. Other precautions: avoid making noise or loud noise in public **** occasions; spitting or throwing confetti is strictly prohibited; use public **** facilities, such as fast-food restaurants, banks, toilets, waiting for the bus and other public **** places, queue up consciously.