Can I bring a Swiss Army Knife from USA?

Hi all,

I wanted to know if there are any restrictions in getting a Swiss Army Knife into India from the US.

With the recent security paranoia, will there be restriction on carrying a knife like a SAK?

Thanks!

I always carry a SAK and have never had any problems entering India, but obviously it should be in your main luggage which goes in the cargo hold.

You can carry the Swiss Army Knife. However, it will HAVE to be part of your "Checked in" baggage. You CANNOT carry it as part of cabin baggage.

Best regards,

Srinivasan

Yes you Can, nos problemos.

Warning! You Can not HighJack the Plane!!!

I had 2 in my case

Very funny!

I wrap my Swiss Army Knife in a pair of socks that are placed at the bottom of my backpack. That is more secure than a side pocket. I get the most use out of the church key on my SAK.

Church Key?

That would be the bottle opener. I primarily utilize it to open bottles of beer. Haake Beck and Kingfisher are my favorite beers in India. Have opener, will travel!

...........

always with U

I had a grapefruit knife as well. Haven't seen a grapefruit yet.

It will be more difficult to take it back with you to the US...

Just put it in your checked in luggage. I have carried large knives, small axes, large Sikh ceremonial swords in my luggage without ever having problems.

Or buy one in Delhi. Victorinox dealer in Delhi is a good place to get one.

The Victorinox Gallery, New Delhi
D-5, Connaught Place
( Inner Circle )
New Delhi 110001
Tel.:011-55306000

I have never had trouble bringing my SAK back into the USA as part of my checked baggage.

I have met several people who flew out of Nepal on Biman Bangladesh Airlines who checked Nepali kukri knives in their checked baggage only to find it missing when they got to their destination.

In December 1986 I flew on Biman Bangladesh Airlines from Kathmandu to Dacca to Rangoon. We had a 2 hour layover in Dacca. When the flight arrived in Rangoon I found to my dismay that my backpack was not there. A Biman employee told me this flight was very good as only 2 passengers were missing their baggage. It happens all the time!

I searched the baggage claim area thoroughly. During that delay all of the tourist-authorized hotel rooms filled up. An international gem convention contributed to the shortage of rooms. My only choice that night was to sleep on the wood-floored basketball court at the YMBA. I was provided a bedsheet and a pillow, but no pad. Ants and cockroaches crawled over me during the night. Welcome to Burma! The following morning I found a couple hotels which had vacancies but were only authorized to provide rooms for Burmese citizens.

Rather than take a 7-day whirlwind trip to all of the hot spots (Pagan, Mandalay, Maimyo, and Inle Lake) with just the shirt on my back, I opted to only visit Pagan. The sunsets over the Irrawaddy River were superb.

Upon my return to Rangoon there was still no sign of my backpack. I had been provided US $20 in the local currency (kiats) as compensation. With a popular easy-to-use black market that paid 5-to-1 I essentially was given only $4. Don't spend it all in one place!

I flew on to Bangkok without my backpack. As Biman Bangladesh Airlines only flew the Dacca-Rangoon-Bangkok sector once a week, it took another week before my backpack was returned to me. When I did recover the backpack I noted that my Swiss army knife, 5 rolls of 35 mm film, and 8 AA alkaline batteries were missing. I filed a report of this $64 loss with Biman Bangladesh Airlines but NEVER received compensation for it.

Yes, knives go missing at airports -- in Bangladesh, NOT in the USA.

Two years later I returned to Burma. This time I flew on Thai International Airlines from Bangkok to Rangoon. My backpack made it just fine. In the Rangoon baggage claim area I met an American who had just arrived on Biman Bangladesh Airlines and could not locate his baggage. I told him my story of woe flying with Biman: I was in Burma one week, my backpack was in Burma the next week, making it 2 weeks before I was reunited with my backpack. Was he ever unhappy to hear that prediction of his future!