Smuggling a wedding ring into a foreign country might be the most James Bond thing I'll ever do

January 25, 2009 9:11 PM

I'm planning to ask my girlfriend to marry me this summer, when we take a two-week vacation overseas. The trick will be to bring the ring with me in a way that doesn't attract customs', or her, attention.

Am I beanplating this? Maybe I could just hide it in my luggage... but I'd be afraid that it would show up in an airport x-ray. I don't like the idea of risking it, since she would flip OUT if I got into an unnecessary altercation with security personnel (it would also ruin the surprise, of course, and probably the entire vacation). Oh, and getting arrested would suck.

I don't know anyone in the countries we'll be visiting, so I can't send it ahead. If you have some advice you'd rather not post here, you can email me at [e-mail].

posted by anonymous to travel & transportation (34 comments total)

Definitely beanplating. Sure, it'll show up in an airport x-ray, but so what? People have jewelry in their luggage all the time, and unless you have a giant sack of bling, nobody's going to think for a minute that there's a customs or security issue. Just stick it in your carryon and you're done.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:18 PM on January 25

Why in the world would customs care if they saw a piece of jewelery in your luggage? There's absolutely no reason for them to ask you about it, physically search it, etc. Just don't have anything else in your luggage that would prompt a physical search, and don't worry about it.

If you're worried about your girlfriend seeing the ring box, just hide it inside a pair of rolled up socks, or with some other item that your girlfriend will have no interest in.
posted by Kololo at 9:21 PM on January 25

Poste restante.

Will you be staying in hotels? Have a friend at home FedEx the ring to the hotel.
posted by docgonzo at 9:21 PM on January 25

Is it an option to put it on your keyring?

If not, keep it in your carry on. Don't put it with your luggage, I cannot tell you how many lost/stolen/misplaced luggage stories I have.
posted by ttyn at 9:22 PM on January 25 [1 favorite has favorites]

altercation...arrested...rather not post here...

Overthinking, maybe. Overdramatizing, definitely.
posted by sageleaf at 9:23 PM on January 25 [4 favorites has favorites]

Whatever you do, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT put it in checked baggage.
posted by Edubya at 9:23 PM on January 25 [1 favorite has favorites]

I proposed to my wife in London. This was a few months before 9/11, though.

I kept the ring in my pocket until Security. Then I slipped it into my carryon. Once through security, I put it back in my pocket. Sorry. Not very James Bond.

I'd be very wary of putting it in your checked luggage. The TSA has had a lot of problems with people's valuables going missing from checked luggage.

If security does search your carryon, then you'll need to use your best persuasive non threatening whispering skills to convey the problem to TSA before the Fiance notices.

Good luck.
posted by cjets at 9:27 PM on January 25

is the ring made of heroin or gunpowder or ivory or something?? if not, i don't see why security or customs would care.

but, yes, put it in your carry-on so it doesn't disappear from checked luggage. maybe put it in a coin purse? the ring box would be a giveaway if they happened to search your bag.
posted by dahliachewswell at 9:54 PM on January 25 [1 favorite has favorites]

Do you have to take the ring with you? Can you propose without it? Sounds like it will just be a hassle if you're already worried about altercations with security! Plus having to keep it well hidden in your lugagge and safe in your hotel, etc.
posted by wingless_angel at 10:19 PM on January 25

If, as wingless_angel suggests, you don't bring the actual ring with you, you could always come up with some sort of clever placeholder ring. Maybe buy her an inexpensive wring in a gift shop, or tie a twist tie round her finger, or use a toy ring, or a circular pastry (which would be absolutely hilarious, if you like hilarity).
posted by ocherdraco at 10:32 PM on January 25 [1 favorite has favorites]

I won't dispute that airport security is stupid and pointless these days, but seriously - unless you put the ring inside a water bottle, no one is even going to care or notice.
posted by O9scar at 10:49 PM on January 25 [3 favorites has favorites]

take the trip to Thailand and buy the ring there
posted by dougiedd at 10:52 PM on January 25

What'll make customs suspicious is trying to hide something from them. Unless your a great actor your nervousness will get their attention.

I'd duct tape it to the inside of my carry on along with a short note made out of bent pieces of wire (thin copper wire, paper clips, whatever you have handy). Something like: "< ---- Engagement ring. Please search if needed in private." Then face the note square to the Xray machine when you put it through. Duct tape ensures the ring won't fall out and either spoil the surprise or get lost while still being quick to access during a (hopefully private) search.

As a backup be prepared to propose in the security line.
posted by Mitheral at 11:45 PM on January 25 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'm only here to nth the recommendation to resist any and all temptation to put it in your checked luggage, as a friend just went through the heartbreak of having her newly received ring stolen from out of her checked luggage while it was in the hands of the airline.
posted by batmonkey at 12:07 AM on January 26 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have a bracelet they always stop and ask me about - purely because they can never figure out what it is. I would be absolutely shocked if they would actually question it - especially in front of your close female companion. I dare say they've seen a few things in their day and some guy with a ring+box in his bag heading off somewhere exotic with his girl seems like it would be pretty self-explanatory and standard.

(But yeah I'd be more concerned about whether you got the ring right.)
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 3:30 AM on January 26

One option would be to leave the proper ring at home and propose with an obviously temporary inexpensive stand-in. That way you don't have to worry about the ring getting lost/intercepted in a customs search. This is a possible option if you believe your girlfriend will find the idea of the proposal significantly more important than the ring. It is a poor idea if your girlfriend will be expecting to show off the ring to friends before you return home.

(I recently saw your nightmare scenario: boyfriend desperately pleading with customs official not to ask him to open the suspicious box they have found which contains an engagement ring - while his girlfriend is with him - in a recent comedy show. Friends?)
posted by rongorongo at 4:58 AM on January 26

Will you be staying in hotels? Have a friend at home FedEx the ring to the hotel.

This would vastly increase the chances of having to pay duty on the ring for importing it since it's being shipped separately and won't appear to simply be a personal affect. If you carry it with you in your luggage as just another bit of personal property, it'll be totally ignored by everyone -- security, customs, etc. If you're worried about having it stolen out of your checked baggage, put it in your carry-on, in a small pouch that doesn't look like a ring box, in case your fiancee-to-be is looking in it for something, and well away from other metal and wire things, so that if security sees something suspicious in the metal and wire parts of your suitcase, they won't need to worry about the ring.

But really, you're beanplating. People wear rings through security, or take them off and put them in those little trays all the time. Security knows what a ring looks like and they don't care.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:24 AM on January 26

Neither my wife nor I have ever had to take a ring off to go through security. Just stick it in your pocket, or better yet zipped in the pocket of your jacket when that goes through the carry-on scanner.

Unless your girlfriend is going through your coat pockets, you're good. Once through security, stop to go to the bathroom, and move the ring to another spot if necessary. Suggestion: My wife and I usually each bring a small bag of some type for our dirty clothes, that's a good hiding place as she is highly unlikely to be going through your dirties while on vacation.
posted by caution live frogs at 5:45 AM on January 26

Jewelry is fine to keep on you somewhere. I would go for the pocket-for-security, somewhere-else for the rest of the time. Caution live frogs is thinking about it right.
posted by that girl at 5:49 AM on January 26

I agree you're possibly beanplaying but you could go to the restroom before security and then use a keyring to attach the ring to your keys which go in the little dish.

Or, you could arrange to be taken off to one of the little rooms to be searched privately. It sounds terrible, but this happened to me (they told me to remove a blazer-style top which I was wearing as a shirt and so could not remove it in public) and it was actually very pleasant to be able to be searched in a little room privately. YMMV, I can see situations where that would be bad.

Good Luck!
posted by pointystick at 6:27 AM on January 26

Wait, most folks don't even take rings OFF to go thru the detector, do they? I never have, certainly, don't know why you couldn't just carry ti in your pants pocket.
posted by tristeza at 6:33 AM on January 26

I'd duct tape it to the inside of my carry on along with a short note made out of bent pieces of wire (thin copper wire, paper clips, whatever you have handy). Something like: "<>

A brilliant and hilarious notion to contemplate, but hopefully needless to say, don't actually construct complicated things made out of wire and duct tape and put them in carry-on luggage going through airport security screening. A more perfect recipe for drawing attention to yourself could hardly be imagined.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 6:47 AM on January 26 [1 favorite has favorites]

Argh sorry. Second par was mine, despite italics.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 6:48 AM on January 26

I got engaged in London after flying there in October of 2005. I kept the ring in my carry-on bag that i send through the x-ray machine.

I was also worried about security screening at the airport and prepared to just get engaged there if there was some extra screening that revealed i had it, but there was no problem. Of course I routinely carry a full-size shampoo bottle through security screening with no problems.

Best of luck to you!
posted by battlecj at 7:02 AM on January 26

Carry the ring on your body while going through airport security. Use a simple, discreet plastic box or cloth/leather pouch in your pocket or one of those hidden passport pouches. The ring box may have a metal hinge and is bulkier, so that can go in your checked bags if you still want it. If you get a passport pouch that needs a belt (I have one), remember you may have to remove your belt for the metal detector.

If the ring is made of gold or platinum it won't set off the metal detectors. No one will know you have it so they can't make a scene. It is your personal property that you are taking into and out of the country so there shouldn't be any issues with customs (just like if you were married and it was on her finger, instead of in your pocket).

For the rest of the flight either keep it in the same place or move it to your carry-on. Don't keep valuables in your checked baggage. Nothing will ruin your proposal quicker than missing luggage. The hotel should have a safety deposit box at the front desk that you can keep the ring in during your stay, if your proposal is later in your trip. That way she won't find it in the meantime.

If you ship it to the hotel, you will be responsible for customs/duties when receiving it. You will get credited for them once you provide proof the ring came back to its origin country, but that adds extra hassle, expense and creates one more thing that could go wrong.
posted by EEFranklin at 7:18 AM on January 26

Seriously, do people normally have trouble getting jewellery through security and customs? I have lots of jewellery -- rings, necklaces, bracelets, you name it -- and it has never even occurred to me that this is something I should be worried about. Just keep your ring in a jewellery box, stick it in your carry-on luggage and don't worry about it. No one is going to care. All these elaborate solutions are just a waste of time.
posted by peacheater at 7:39 AM on January 26

Might not hurt to have the papers showing purchase date/place, when you return. Just in case home customs tries to charge you import duty, as the ring will look new. But that's just a CYA WAG. Only trouble I ever had at a border involved a British official that didn't like me referring to my place in the UK as "home", since I'm not British.
posted by Goofyy at 8:21 AM on January 26

I wouldn't slip it on and off or anything. I'd just put it in the carry on. It might be wise to just put a little note about it being a secret and the receipt for the ring. As far as I know, it's not really against any kinds of rules to transport jewelry out of the country. People who wear jewelry do it all the time.
posted by jefeweiss at 8:41 AM on January 26 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have to say, getting TSA to stop you and then proposing in line could be awesome. Everyone's staring holes through the people in front of them in line anyway, why not give them something to be happy about?

If that doesn't appeal to you, slip the ring onto your pinky finger as you go through the line, and then back into your pocket on the other side.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:23 AM on January 26 [1 favorite has favorites]

Gold is nonmagnetic, and won't be detected by the magnenometer that you walk through. You could wear a solid gold helmet and walk through the archway without a single "beep".
posted by cmiller at 10:13 AM on January 26

Previously, if it is helpful.
posted by girlpublisher at 10:20 AM on January 26

A brilliant and hilarious notion to contemplate, but hopefully needless to say, don't actually construct complicated things made out of wire and duct tape and put them in carry-on luggage going through airport security screening. A more perfect recipe for drawing attention to yourself could hardly be imagined.

I loved game warden's response (above) to Mitheral 's bent wire and duct tape idea!


But it was (sorry, Mitheral!) the extra brainwave about putting a little note on the bent wire detailing the "secret" of the duct tape that seemed the most potentially disastrous flourish.

I could just imagine the OP- faced with security staff gazing dubiously at the duct-taped bulge in his carry-on -making things a million times worse by hissing " no, you must lean closer and read my note - everything will become clear in my note...!"

(Gorgeous question, though!)
posted by Jody Tresidder at 2:15 PM on January 26

Swallow it.
posted by Sublimity at 4:10 PM on January 26

I just did this!

I kept the ring wrapped in a handkerchief in my camera bag. No problems.

Congrats!
posted by gergtreble at 8:54 AM on January 27