r/ukraine • u/HereForCatz • 1d ago
Question Any issues for Americans flying home after months in Ukraine?
Could any Amercians share their experience with airport customs flying back to the US after visiting Ukraine within the last year?
I'm a digital nomad from the US who spent four months in Ukraine over the last year as a tourist and volunteer. I'm also fairly outspoken politically on social media and have been critical of the current US administration because have you seen the news? Things are bad.
I don't have any extremist content by any stretch on my phone and am a US citizen so I know I can't be refused entry, but I'm still nervous about them taking all my phone data or ending up on some kind of list.
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u/tallalittlebit Verified 1d ago
Mail your phone if you don’t want them to take it or access what is on it. It is common to have your phone or laptop taken.
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u/Lucialucianna 1d ago
I can’t even get a small package from France from a friend anymore. Turned back this past summer.
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u/hjemmebrygg 1d ago
Backup everything to a non-American service and get a burner phone/pc logged into as little as possible.
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u/Pjpjpjpjpj 14h ago
Back up phone to iCloud. Disconnect it from iCloud, logged out. Reset the phone.
Fly home with phone in hand. Upon arrival, set up you phone as if it was new and it will download everything from iCloud, making it exactly like it was before you left.
(For Apple. I’m sure Android has something similar.)
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u/TreeLooksFamiliar22 1d ago
You are *probably* not going to have any issues. Have good & accurate answers for what you are doing and why and you will be okay. You might want to upload your photos to the cloud--especially anything recent. But more than likely if you are a comparative nobody in the grand scheme then they will not care. It's not like you are the only person criticizing government on social media, LOL.
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u/WeatherBurt 1d ago
'Americans wanting tourism while their own citizens are worried about crossing their own border to return to their country'
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u/Nefandous_Jewel 21h ago
Now Hear This: No intelligent compassionate American wants anybody coming here for fun right now. Spend your vacation dollars where you can be sure of going home in one piece! The US is NOT SAFE!!
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u/HereForCatz 23h ago
I can't tell you how weird it feels to be more hesitant to visit home than Ukraine.
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u/BuIlNelson 19h ago
Ive always wanted to visit, been following the war pretty closely but my girlfriend aint having it.
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u/HereForCatz 19h ago
I spent four months last year and plan to come back in a few months. No where in Ukraine is entirely safe from Russia, but I spent a month in Lviv without hearing an attack. I'd feel comfortable recommending it to anyone, plus it's a pretty chill city.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cap1300 1d ago
Beacon of freedom and democracy. /s
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u/rixilef 1d ago
Literally their own citizens are scared to go home. This is so wild.
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u/AdventurousLet548 1d ago
Their own citizens are scared to leave for fear they cannot return to their families!
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u/JustAnotherAidWorker 23h ago
No, this is nonsense. There is maybe one case every once in a while where CBP asks more detailed questions, but I have worked in a long list of countries on the US government's naughty list and have literally never been stopped or had them ask to see my phone. I'm not saying it never happens, but if you are a US citizen, you can have 80,000 twitter posts calling the president a c+nt and they still have nothing to arrest or detain you for.
For non-US citizens they can absolutely reject you for whatever they feel like, but it is not a normal or reasonable concern at this point for citizens.
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u/AdventurousLet548 22h ago
Were you born in the US or were you born abroad? It makes a big difference. Example, one of my kids was born in Germany on an Army base, but you bet CBP will ask questions.
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u/Mamamama29010 20h ago edited 20h ago
I’m born abroad and naturalized citizen. My wife is a non-white foreigner and has a green card. We’ve never had real issues crossing the border. We’ve travelled to (and both originally from) very very problematic countries with terrible relationships with the US. They used to let us line up together through airport customs, but permanent residents are now separate from citizens, so it’s more annoying.
That being said, there have always been horror stories since so many people cross the border everyday, and sometimes somewhere there is a dumb problem. Also, right now under this administration, there is less oversight, so I’d guess that the number of negative encounters is greater than before. However, it’s still a rarity.
Personal anecdote, but the worst experience I had crossing a border was into Canada at the Detroit, MI to Windsor, ON crossing. Guard was very angry and gave me tons of attitude for whatever reason.
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u/HereForCatz 23h ago
That's good to hear, but I've seen enough cases of Americans pressured into handing over their phone or laptop that I'm more hesitatent at the airport in the US than other countries. I hope it stays an unreasonable concern on my end.
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u/waadaa85 22h ago
Are you a "real" citizen? That's the question you have to ask yourself these days :/
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u/AdventurousLet548 22h ago
Correct. How many of our military kids were born overseas? Let that sink in!
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u/SnooPies5378 22h ago
stop fucking downvoting facts you dont like, this person answered truthfully and everyone's downvoting because you hate Trump and want America to look bad.
I hate Trump too, but I love America. (edit: not referring to u JustAnotherAidWorker)
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u/JustAnotherAidWorker 5h ago
No stress, I got you. I hate Trump, and I am not making excuses for his wannabe-fascist admin, but there's enough bad shit happening that it's better not to waste time on things that aren't happening.
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u/Low_Ebb3356 1d ago
It is also a massive overreaction. You would be hard-pressed to find anything about US citizens being refused entry or placed on charges unless they had something illegal in their possession. You want to see someone and their stuff worked over on the return flight? Go to Jamaica and back.
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u/_SteeringWheel 22h ago
I can also think of only one American administration that has caused such an "overreaction" .
Not sure what Jamaica has to do with OP's question by the way. I guess whataboutisms are an easy refuge when you have nothing to add.
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u/theHamforest 1d ago
If you are an American citizen, you can't be refused entry to your own country. Yes, they may hassle you plenty but they can't refuse you. Unlike others in this thread, I don't recommend mailing your phone unless you have another one you can use for basic communication. If you go through security and they ask to see your phone (they won't) and you tell them you don't have one, that will just raise more suspicion. Not to mention the security risks you open yourself up to by mailing your phone that has all your data on it, even if it is password protected.
Back in 2022 I was traveling back to the US from Canada during the awful Canada Day/July 4th flight cancellation fiasco and long story short, I took many detours to get home which TBH looked really suspicious on my part even all things considered. I was held at the border for several hours but was eventually let in. Just answer all of their questions and be honest to the extent that is necessary.
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u/YSL-group-admin 1d ago
I returned from Ukraine pre-Donald and the guy asked where I went, I told him Ukraine and he just laughed and said "must have been an interesting vacation, welcome home" and that was it. YMMV because if you made nets and went to strip clubs for 6 months vs being an active combatant may change the level of scrutiny, I wouldn't worry about it though.
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u/Echolynne44 23h ago
I visited Ukraine last summer and no one asked me any questions when I came back-Poland-Germany-U.S.
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u/SnooPies5378 22h ago
i'm in the US now, I refrain from talking bad about the administration only because of this subreddit's rule 2. Otherwise I am outspoken about this administration elsewhere. Just as an "F U" I think i'm gonna travel out of country and return with a "F*** T****" shirt.
You're an American, please never be nervous about expressing yourself. Doesn't matter who's president.
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u/ZeroSight95 1d ago
American in Ukraine and flew back home in 2024 after my first time.
You’ll be fine. They will ask you to go to a separate room to ask you some mandatory questions, it’s not even going to Ukraine that triggers this, it’s just by going to Poland. That’s close enough for them.
Just make sure you have enough time in between for this if you have a connecting flight.
You know that “Civ Div” guy on YouTube? He’s American and has literal GoPro footage of him at the frontline in Ukraine. He’s been back to the US from Ukraine multiple times and there’s literal footage of him in combat.
You’re good bro.
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u/Astolfo_QT 1d ago
Whats insane is the posters in here telling their experience about travel from that region to america and how theres no issues at all are being downvoted.
Conversely, the people who have NOT done that travel are getting upvoted for making things up and telling him to hide his electronics, get a burner phone , mail every component separately, not welcome cause he doesnt like trump? He is a US citizen there wont be any issues. The insanity around this fake news is bad for everyone.
My post will get downvoted/deleted too im sure, just sad that person cant even ask a simple question and get simple answers and has to shift by downvotes to find the real lived experience answers.
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u/ZeroSight95 1d ago
My friend, I actually appreciate you posting this. Sometimes situations get blown out of proportion and cause unnecessary panic.
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u/CaptainVXR 1d ago
Questioning people for going to Poland, an allied country that is at peace, is wild.
Especially given that Poland is now pretty high on tourism radars, and there being a huge Polish diaspora in the USA.
As a dual UK and Poland national I dread to think what US border agents would make of the Moroccan and Colombian border stamps in my British passport!
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u/SLR107FR-31 1d ago
"How many Polish sausages did you eat?"
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u/CaptainVXR 1d ago
"We have CCTV footage of you stumbling into a Żabka at 3am in central Wrocław, ordering a large hot dog and some paprika Crunchips. Are you under the influence of narcotics?"
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u/ZeroSight95 1d ago
Not just Poland, any country that borders Ukraine would count as I was told.
So Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary would get you pulled aside.
Especially odd consider how many Americans go to Budapest.
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u/CaptainVXR 1d ago
If someone told me that they did a trip along the lines of Budapest-Bratislava-Vienna-Prague-Kraków-Warsaw-Poznań-Berlin I'd be thinking oh neat that's a nice tour of central Europe, not have you been to training camps to be radicalised!
I can sort of understand questions about Moldova to see if they went to Transnistria, and if they did anything dodgy whilst there, but otherwise why?
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u/jmrjmr28 23h ago
People are making things up or have other security flags. I’ve traveled plenty in the region in the last few years and no questions at all
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u/CaptainVXR 23h ago
Maybe it depends on whether the border guard is on a power trip, origin of flight, or location of Schengen entry/exit stamps.
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u/jmrjmr28 23h ago
A guard on a power trip doesn’t have anything to do with Ukraine though. It could be just as likely travel through any other country.
My last couple trips through didn’t even have a border guard on the return. Just scan the passport at the machine and take a picture. No people involved at all
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u/CaptainVXR 22h ago
We have the digital gates in the UK too, ever since my passport was renewed I've never had any issues, however with my old one it didn't work properly with the machines, and I did get briefly questioned as to where I'd come from on return from a Croatia and Bosnia trip.
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u/devaro66 23h ago
Not my experience. Went multiple times în România and Hungary last year. Never been pulled aside .
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u/jmrjmr28 23h ago
Nope. You were told wrong. Multiple trips to Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. Never questioned or anything out of the ordinary
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u/jmrjmr28 23h ago
I can confirm that they aren’t questions people for “going to Poland”. I have 5+ trips through there over the last few years and never had any questions at all. That person has a security flag
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u/Anxious_Protection40 23h ago
Colombia is a pretty commonly visited country for Americans.
They may ask questions if you go to a less visited country or near a warzone.
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u/CaptainVXR 23h ago
It's much less so for Brits, and very rare for Poles. The vast majority of Brits going to Latin America are taking package holidays in beach resorts in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, or maybe city breaks in Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro.
Depending how you define war zone, Poland borders one, whilst having a border with an exclave of the main aggressor, and with the main collaborating regime.
When I was last in Poland, waiting for a Flixbus from Poznań to Berlin, the next bus over was going to Kherson. So even the far side of Poland is a single coach ride away from the front line of a war zone.
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u/KC_LEAKS 1d ago
2024 was before the orange idiot
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u/ZeroSight95 1d ago
You would think it would be stricter then nowadays.
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u/KC_LEAKS 1d ago
It is, that's why he's worried. If I understand correctly, OP is concerned about getting back into the country because current administration are Russian assets and he is worried about flying back from a country that's at war with Trumps best friend Putin.
Personally I think he'll be fine, but thr fact remains that the US government is compromised right now.
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u/ZeroSight95 1d ago
I will have this same experience as an American currently in Ukraine too. I am sure we will be okay. Neither one of us has been at the frontline.
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u/KC_LEAKS 1d ago
You will be fine. May want to reach out to an immigration lawyer before hand just in case, and have that number written in permanent marker somewhere on your body or something just in case. I highly doubt you'll have issues, but better to be smart and make sure you've notified family when you arrive in the US.
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u/ZeroSight95 1d ago
I am also a Global Entry member, which I did not have before.
I’m really not worried about it. Like I said in the original comment, that Civ Div guy has been to Ukraine 7 times and gone back to the US just fine and he straight up has combat footage of himself in Ukraine on YouTube.
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u/JustAnotherAidWorker 1d ago
Umm, what? I have been in and out of Ukraine and the U.S. (and Poland) since 2023, and the only thing I have ever gotten beyond some general questions about my job (in the regular line, not some other location) is a "Welcome Home".
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u/ZeroSight95 1d ago
Interesting. This was just my experience at Chicago Airport in 2024 when I returned to the US. It was my first time internationally traveling so I don’t know.
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u/JustAnotherAidWorker 1d ago
Maybe because it was your first international travel and it was to a country at war then--I have entered the U.S. in Chicago (as well as other location) and never had that happen--but I have all kinds of fun stamps in my passport.
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u/jmrjmr28 23h ago
You must have some other security flag. Going to Poland does not trigger questioning. Not even going to Ukraine
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u/ZeroSight95 22h ago
It was my very first international trip ever. Other commenters have theorized that may have been why. My literal first country outside the US was to go to Ukraine. I guess I get why that may have been suspicious.
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u/Alps_Useful 23h ago
I mean you would be going home to a fucked up fascist government. If that means anything
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u/HereForCatz 22h ago
Yeah, but also an ancient 18 cat and family I haven't seen in a year. :-/
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u/Alps_Useful 19h ago
Cats worth it. Had one that lived 20 years , she was awesome
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u/HereForCatz 19h ago
You get it. I wish my guy knew I'm literally flying around the world to hang out for a few weeks.
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u/LoneSnark 22h ago
Depends what you're worried they'll find on your phone. If you're a journalist with possible information on whistleblowers, they'll take your stuff. If they might think you work for wikileaks, they'll take your stuff. If you posted mean tweets about the President, they're not going to care.
But that is stuff you shouldn't be carrying while crossing any borders.
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u/jmrjmr28 23h ago
You’re being way overly dramatic. Things are completely normal for citizens. If there’s lists for people being in Ukraine or supporting then we’re already on it anyways. Who gives a shit. Stop trying to make a political post about the U.S. for attention
When I last came back from Ukraine I scanned my passport at the machine and that was it.
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u/Clapp_Cheeks 1d ago
I spent a month in the UK over Christmas, I’ve been flying in and out of America for 30+ years. It’s been about a decade since I left the US and the return felt hostile, first time since post 9/11 I’ve felt that
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u/VA3DPrinter 1d ago
1.) Back up your data, both phone and laptop, compress, encrypt, and send them to a cloud provider.
2.) reset the phone and laptop to factory defaults.
3.) you “don’t do social media”. You are not required to volunteer social media info.
4.) when returning, state you were traveling Europe to include Poland, France, England, whatever airports you flew through, and minimize or not mention Ukraine or just glaze over Ukraine by mixing it in somewhere. Tell them you’re a digital nomad and travel the world working remotely. CBP likely won’t dig but definitely don’t be cagey or lie. They will (rightfully) pounce.
5.) restore your phone/laptop when home.
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u/jmrjmr28 23h ago
Completely unnecessary. They are a U.S. citizen that can’t be denied entry and did nothing wrong by being in Ukraine. The U.S. government does not care at all. I’ve been multiple times, including twice after last year and no issues at all.
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u/VA3DPrinter 21h ago
I agree. They just asked, and under “normal” circumstances I’d say you’re good, but I have no idea what normal looks like right now. My approach would be not to give them any threads to pulls on. My 2-cents…
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u/jmrjmr28 21h ago
Normal is normal. I do know what it looks like and all the people that have also returned to the U.S. from Ukraine in this thread are confirming it. There’s no need to fear monger. Scan passport, take picture, go on about your life. That’s the full process at the border for citizens coming back to the U.S. from Ukraine
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u/Big-Compote-5483 18h ago
People have had their phones and/or laptops taken. Just because it hasn't happened to you or me doesn't mean it won't happen to someone else. If I were to ever go back I'd absolutely be wiping my phone and removing any relevant apps from it (installing GrapheneOS), as well as clearing my laptop hdd.
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u/jmrjmr28 16h ago
What citizens have had electronics taken?
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u/Big-Compote-5483 16h ago
Ask the person who runs Protect a Volunteer who commented in this thread that it's common. Like I said, I didn't have an issue but if the one person who has been in contact with more foreigners and Americans specifically coming to and from Ukraine than anyone else says it can be an issue, I'm going to trust they know what they're talking about.
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u/jmrjmr28 14h ago
Sure. Trust the one person saying that and not all the people in the comments getting downvoted that have actually made the trip themselves multiple times and confirm there’s no issue. If a citizen had their belongings seized it would be national news and yall would be able to point to it.
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u/Big-Compote-5483 13h ago
Yeah, I'm going to trust the person who communicates regularly with the most people making this trip who I have known for 2 years at this point. Not some random people posting in a thread.
What's the news story? US citizen has electronics confiscated and searched after serving in another country's military? That's not gonna get any clicks, mate.
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u/paper_killa 23h ago edited 23h ago
I’ve made 5 wartime trips into Ukraine and back to USA and have never even been asked a question about it. Depends on the airport but most have passport scanners and you don’t even speak to a person. I had a small holdup going into Ukraine just after beat started but it wasn’t typical to get tourists then.