Border control

Border control is a term that describes how a country polices its borders. In most countries a Customs service of some sort controls the flow of people, animals and goods across a border. Reasons for having border controls include: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (4064x2704, 6442 KB)Photo by James R. Tourtellotte File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (4064x2704, 6442 KB)Photo by James R. Tourtellotte File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A country, a land, is a geographical area that connotes an independent political entity, with its own government, administration, laws, often a constitution, police, military, tax rules, and population, who are one anothers countrymen. ... Border has several different, but related meanings: // Generic borders A border can consist of a margin around the edge of something, such as a lawn, garden, photograph, or sheet of paper. ... Customs duty is a tariff or tax on the import or export of goods. ...

• Limiting immigration.
• Controlling the movement of citizens.
• Collecting excise taxes.
• Preventing smuggling of drugs, weapons, endangered species and other illegal or hazardous materials.
• Controlling the spread of human or animal diseases. (See also: quarantine)

The degree of strictness of border controls depends on the country and the border concerned. In some countries, control may be targeted at the traveller's national origin or other countries that have been visited. Others may need to be certain the traveller has paid the appropriate fees for their visas and has future travel planned out of the country. Yet others may concentrate on the contents of the travellers baggage, and imported goods to ensure nothing is being carried that might bring a biosecurity risk into the country. Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now a state), and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... An excise is an indirect tax or duty levied on items within a country. ... These lollipops, above, were found to contain heroin when inspected by the DEA. Smuggling is illegal transport, in particular across a border. ... The American bison numbered as few as 750 in 1890 due to extreme overhunting. ... A hazardous material (HAZMAT) is any solid, liquid, or gas that can cause harm to humans and other living organisms due to being radioactive, flammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive, a biohazard, an oxidizer, an asphyxiant, or capable of causing severe allergic reactions. ... Quarantine, a medical term (from Italian: quaranta giorni, forty days) is the act of keeping people or animals separated for a period of time before, for instance, allowing them to enter another country. ... An entry visa valid in all Schengen treaty countries Visas for Laos, Thailand, and Sri Lanka A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit. ... A biosecurity guarantee attempts to ensure that ecologies sustaining either people or animals are maintained. ...