re: MDA
Infoholic wrote: I eventually spoke an equally nice customer service person who told me that MDA does not have any restrictions on the import of music CDs and as such there is no need to count them or itemise them. While it was not explicitly mentioned I assumed that if the discs were illegitimate copies they my not like that.
Good stuff. It's useful to get feedback from the horse's mouth. And yes, they can be pretty hot on enforcing copyright here, so your 2nd point makes sense to me.
Infoholic wrote:With regards to video discs again there did not appear to be any limits but the official line is that all imported video discs will be sent to a classifier to determine if anything is rated R21+. Any disc classified as R21+ would have to "re-exported". Moreover there is SG$1.80 charge per movie to classify them. That is the official line as at 3:30pm on 3 June 2015.
I suspect that the situation is that the
'will be sent', is
'may be sent'. I.e. they retain that right.
This is based upon my (and my wife's) experience of never having been charged by MDA for importing media. Furthermore I've occasionally bought DVDs from Amazon (abroad), and had them sent here, and the packages have not been opened, and again I have had no MDA charges etc.
So my feeling is they retain the right to screen, at their discretion. And they might look at your overall 'profile' when deciding whether to exercise that discretion.
A useful question to put out there might be, have any readers ever been charged MDA screening fees, either on domestic relo freight, or buying discs/media from abroad and having them delivered here? Simply because I've not heard anyone saying that it has happened to them, so it could be enlightening.
Infoholic wrote:I suspect the reality is a little closer to that suggested by other commenters. You need to provide an itemised list of the movies being brought in. The customs officers would, from time to time check that list and if necessary send some or all of the videos off for classification.
Apart from that one time 20yrs ago, neither my wife or I have been required to list our movies. I don't recall precisely, these days there might perhaps simply be a self-declaration on the customs form to the effect you're not importing any prohibited goods. Then if they do a random check, and find prohibited goods... hmm.
p.s. So are you going to tell your relo agent that she's incorrect in regard to her advice
