Crossing Borders and Checkpoints

The prospect of being held up for hours at a border crossing in a distant land and negotiating in your second language is not a pleasant one. There are many factors you will not be able to influence in this process. One thing you definitely can do though is make sure all your documentation is in order and ensure you don't have any unauthorised items on your person or your motorbike.

I have read conflicting arguments on whether busy crossings are easier to pass through than less busy ones. Those 'for' busy crossings suggest you will be quickly waved through to keep the flow of traffic up. Those 'against', counter that popular tourist crossing borders are where the rip-off customs officials will be waiting for their prey. Those 'for' quite quite crossings think that all the crooked border officials will all be at the busy crossings leaving the quiet ones trouble-free. Whereas others believe that officials at less busy crossings may feel they have the time to check you out. You might even be a way of passing the time for them. I'll leave you to make up your own mind.

I think that it's a people game and as all people are different your experience will depend on the officer you get and what kind of day they've had.

Some industrious locals may have set themselves up as 'agents', to assist your smooth passage through the border. I would be weary of these people.

Top tips for border crossings and checkpoints are:

  1. Plan to spend the day crossing a border. If you cross it in 10 minutes then great, get on with your day. If it takes hours then you are still on track.
  2. Have all your paperwork in order.
  3. Don't give your paperwork to anyone other than a uniformed official.
  4. Don't take items that are not yours over the border.
  5. Don't take strangers over the border.
  6. If officials stop you, switch off your engine and take off your helmet and sunglasses.
  7. Stay calm and be polite.
  8. Smile and (if acceptable in that part of the world) use eye contact.
  9. Don't shout or swear at your official.
  10. If they ask to search you or your motorbike you're going to have to let them.
  11. Be patient. They are not going to eat lunch any faster because you're huffing and puffing outside. Have a good book readily available.
  12. If you are asked to pay for something that you are fairly sure is not official then stand your ground but be polite. Ask for a receipt and be prepared to negotiate. At this stage it's down to your judgment of the situation and your wits. I wouldn't get hung up on the principle of it. $5 may save you hours of arguing. Your choice.

Bribes

Although bribes are common in many countries do not assume that you can (or should) offer money to officials that stop you. It might feel cool slipping a $20 bill into your passport as you hand it over to the official. However, the problem with doing this is that you have already assumed they are corrupt.

If they are not corrupt and they have pulled you over for genuine reasons you have probably just offended them and possibly got yourself into trouble.

If they are corrupt you have just given them $20 without knowing how much they originally wanted. What if they only wanted $5? First rule of negotiation is "never be the first to put your offer on the table". Always find out what they want first and then go from there.

If you suspect that you are being asked for a bribe and you'd rather not pay it I would suggest you ask them what it is for and request that they give you a receipt for it. If they refuse you can also ask to go to their office to process this transaction. See how far you can get and what the consequences will be if you don't pay it. Do they have any of your important documents or your motorbike keys? Again, this is a judgment call and if you have managed to haggle the price down a bit or they are looking like things could get nasty it's probably a good idea to pay up and be on your way. Better to be slightly poorer and moving than not moving at all!