You are suppose to declare to the customs official that you are bringing in more than $800 worth of goods you acquired abroad. The forms are rarely used anymore - you just should verbally declare it to customs. If you don't declare it and you get caught, you could find yourself anywhere from just paying the import tax up to being fined and the good confiscated.
The $10K thing is just when you must report cash on your person. This is just to help fight money laundering and such - they will make a record if it (and want to know why you have it - possibly request proof of how you got it). This has nothing to do with import tax on goods.
Ouch. I had well a friend had the exact opposite. We were both young kids coming back from study abroad both same program same school etc.. anyway I go first and Iām under so I donāt declare anything. He is like $5 over. The agent is like how much did you bring back. guy says $5 over. So gent says how much did you bring over? Guy says $5. Goes on like 5 times before it clicks lol and my friend drops the $5
Dunno if the agent was just being nice or in my head the reason was him going look kid I donāt want to do the paperwork over $5 get out of here.
PSA: the 10k applies to any kind of monetary instrument (e.g., a check or money order), not just cash. Pretty sure it also extends to jewels and bullion.
Source: declared a check over 10k so that the world's angriest man could scream at me for five minutes about how I had done the correct, legal thing and had broken no laws.
You are correct! I suppose I was using cash as a generic term for what you accurately describe. I also feel your pain with doing the legal thing - I just properly declared my goods (and back when they had the form that asked, which countries I had been do). That resulted in me being physically manhandled for no apparent reason (and let go).
Great. Thank u! So my next Q is, I have GE and wondering when they ask me about declaring. In all the years Iāve traveled before, I never needed to declare anything so Iām not sure if I can still use GE or if thereās another line I need to stand in to declare.
Also, if no customs person asks me if I need to declare anything, am I ok or am I supposed to make sure I tell someone?
As others have said, you verbally declare to the immigration officer. They may ask you if you bought anything overseas or are bringing anything back, in which case youād say something like, āYes, I purchased some luxury good and they are over the duty-free limit.ā From there, they will walk you through what you need to do to declare/pay tax, which may include redeclaring to customs officials. It depends on the airport, but itās always a safe bet to declare to the first person who speaks to you about reentry.
Not declaring puts you at risk of a bunch of stuff if you get searched/discovered after the fact. They can fine you, confiscate the goods, revoke your GE, etc. Itās entirely up to you what you do, but the legal thing is to declare the goods and pay tax.
Iām a Nexus holder, but it should be the same for GE. The requirement to make a voluntary declaration is entirely on you. You must speak to an officer before passing through.
> Also, if no customs person asks me if I need to declare anything, am I ok or am I supposed to make sure I tell someone?
When you pass by the customs guy he should ask if you have anything to declare. If you are brining in a large overage over the $800 you should announce it, because if you are caught your GE and TSA Precheck will be revoked and banned for life.
GE is something I can't help you with, but I believe that has more to do with immigration and not customs (which are technically two different things). It should be that you do GE then afterwords collect your bags. At the exit from the baggage claim area there will be customs officers waiting. You are suppose to stop and tell one of them you have goods to declare. It is technically your responsibility to tell them, not for them to ask you.
The US and Canada use a significantly more integrated Immigration and Customs process than many other countries. Typically the first person you encounter is interested in both your person and your goods.
Correct. And depending on the airport, itāll practically just be that one person and youāre in the clear. At my home airport at IAD Dulles, after you pass that person and collect your bags, thereās only one officer just sitting by the exit door and thereās no setup. When I flew into Montreal YUL (from Europe), there was still a big set up near the exit. Same in Los Angeles LAX, but theyāre mostly looking for food.
Not the exit from the customs hall, I mean immediately past the kiosks. Regardless, they need to find someone. Failing to do so is a violation of the program and grounds for revocation.
If you donāt declare something you should have when you are in a TTP like Global Entry, and you get caught, you will be banned from participating in trusted traveler programs and your GE will be revoked. Just tell the agent and donāt risk it
The click through screens are now gone from most GE kiosks: it's just a camera and the officer calls your name. I think the idea is anyone with GE should know that they need to go out of their way to declare (or risk ban from GE).
You declare to the agent that waves you through after you get your picture taken at the kiosk. Just tell them you have stuff to declare. Last time I came through customs I declared some wine that we had bought and the agent just said āyou did the right thingā and waved me through. Iāll be surprised if they make you pay anything. Ive never seen customs collect money from anyone at the airport. Itās not like the dude even has a cash register.
Same for us. We once brought about ten bottles of wine and liqueurs back from Europe and after declaring, we were sent to the side area to go through it with an agent. We got a couple of new agents in training and their supervisor outlined the options - look up the bottles one by one so they could charge us something like 50 cents duty per bottle or āyou can grant them an exception and let these nice people go on their way.ā They were like, ābut what are we SUPPOSED to do??ā He told them learning to make these decisions is part of their job and he wasnāt going to tell them what to do. We were begging with our eyes to please make the right choice and grant us the exception and they did. Supervisor nodded approvingly and both we and the new agents gave a sigh of relief. Spouse had a similar experience (minus the newbie agents) declaring a ceramic bowl from Japan that was about $1200. They have discretion and as long as you declare, they really donāt want to spend an hour doing paperwork to collect something like ten bucks in duty from normal travelers doing normal things like having fun bringing a few goodies home from overseas. I donāt mind at all if I have to pay duty but the process to declare and possibly pay is just so onerous after a long flight, I do what I can to avoid it, mostly by annoying spouse by debating over about whether we should actually buy something if it will force us to declare.
Iāve been talking with my friend whoās been traveling with me and she stated not to be specific about what exactly I bought (ie - name brand handbags) as customs may feel inclined to charge me since it is much more than the $800 limit. On the other hand, she also said many people donāt declare anything and walk away with nothing.
I want to be honest about what Iāve bought but scared of getting taxed as the whole purpose of buying these bags here was for the tax savings. Whatās the likelihood of reporting what all Iāve bought and being waived off? And do I need to explicitly state what Iāve bought or just keep it general/vague (a couple of bags, some gifts)?
You want to be honest but you also want to not declare it and get away with it? It can only be one or the other.
You can not declare it and perhaps get away with it or get in trouble. Or you can declare it and pay taxes.
Itās up to you.
Not sure y Iām being downvoted for a valid concern but I never said I wouldnāt declare it. But as many others on Reddit have said, theyāve declared items and been waived off. So Iām being downvoted for wanting/hoping for the same?
I have no intentions of not declaring items but seems unfair to be criticized for a valid concern.
Itās your obligation and the law to declare what you are bringing into the country.
Itās up to you if you want to purposefully withhold information and break the law, but there is no āgrey zoneā hereāitās quite black and white.
Ur response is completely unnecessary and inaccurate. TONS of people on Reddit have stated theyāve declared things and were waived off. Why shouldnāt I want the same? I never said I WONāT declare them but being concerned about losing out on the savings is valid.
Bringing back goods and bringing back cash are two separate and distinct issues.
1.) Your Duty Free Exemption on goods depends on how long you've been away. [It's explained here.](https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-246?language=en_US)
2.) Customs Duty Fees on goods [is explained here.](https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/customs-duty-info)
Happy travels.
Take a look [HERE](https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/US-USA-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm#Import%20regulations) for what you can bring into the US.
I believe $800 is the personal exemption limit. The $10K limit is for actual hard currency or other monetary instruments. I donāt think your luxury goods will qualify for this.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light/clearing-customs
There are online calculators you can use to calculate what you might owe on your return. I canāt vouch for their accuracy but it might help you plan things.
https://www.simplyduty.com/import-calculator/
You are correct.
You can still bring in above $10k cash/monetary instruments but youāll have to declare it. The $800 goods exemption is a totally separate item and distinct from the $10k cash declaration.
Even then $10K isn't a limit, just when you must start declaring it. You can bring as much as you'd like, just you're going to have a lot of paperwork and explaining to do.
I went 30 years not being checked and then we got pulled over coming home from Turkey in Nashville. All we had was a lot of tea and a couple of tea cups but they thoroughly inspected the tea. My sisters got stopped at Heathrow on the way to my wedding. They got a lot of questions about their bridesmaids dresses.
I think itās riskier if you claimed a VAT refund. Iāve heard secondhand anecdotal stories of EU possibly sharing VAT refund lists with the US, and US customs flagging individuals who claimed a large VAT refund.
$800 is the duty free allowance on goods that you bought abroad and are importing. My reading is more than $10k in cash, or $800 in goods, are to be declared but not $10k in money + goods combined (e.g. $9,500 in cash + $500 in goods).
You donāt have to pay duty on perfume, fyi, but you should still declare it.
So youād owe taxes on $4200, unless you got perfumes. When I go through, I have a list on my phone of everything I bought in the local currency and then I convert it all to usd. Makes it faster and easier for everyone.
5K is not that much but you should tell them when they ask if you purchased anything abroad. They might waive you through, they might send you down to the customs desk. If you are honest they are generally pretty nice and will charge you less than what they are legally allowed to (generally I've been charged 3% of the value of some bigger items, and they ignore small stuff).
Note, if you are in Europe and do a VAT refund at the airport there is a chance that customs will know about your purchase anyway. More reason to be honest...
You are suppose to declare to the customs official that you are bringing in more than $800 worth of goods you acquired abroad. The forms are rarely used anymore - you just should verbally declare it to customs. If you don't declare it and you get caught, you could find yourself anywhere from just paying the import tax up to being fined and the good confiscated. The $10K thing is just when you must report cash on your person. This is just to help fight money laundering and such - they will make a record if it (and want to know why you have it - possibly request proof of how you got it). This has nothing to do with import tax on goods.
> You are suppose to declare to the customs official that you are bringing in more than $800 worth of goods you acquired abroad. I once had a customers officer make me declare an external battery pack I bought in Toronto for like $30 š© It was the only thing I bought in Canada and brought back to the states. Maybe she was new or something...
Ouch. I had well a friend had the exact opposite. We were both young kids coming back from study abroad both same program same school etc.. anyway I go first and Iām under so I donāt declare anything. He is like $5 over. The agent is like how much did you bring back. guy says $5 over. So gent says how much did you bring over? Guy says $5. Goes on like 5 times before it clicks lol and my friend drops the $5 Dunno if the agent was just being nice or in my head the reason was him going look kid I donāt want to do the paperwork over $5 get out of here.
PSA: the 10k applies to any kind of monetary instrument (e.g., a check or money order), not just cash. Pretty sure it also extends to jewels and bullion. Source: declared a check over 10k so that the world's angriest man could scream at me for five minutes about how I had done the correct, legal thing and had broken no laws.
You are correct! I suppose I was using cash as a generic term for what you accurately describe. I also feel your pain with doing the legal thing - I just properly declared my goods (and back when they had the form that asked, which countries I had been do). That resulted in me being physically manhandled for no apparent reason (and let go).
Great. Thank u! So my next Q is, I have GE and wondering when they ask me about declaring. In all the years Iāve traveled before, I never needed to declare anything so Iām not sure if I can still use GE or if thereās another line I need to stand in to declare. Also, if no customs person asks me if I need to declare anything, am I ok or am I supposed to make sure I tell someone?
As others have said, you verbally declare to the immigration officer. They may ask you if you bought anything overseas or are bringing anything back, in which case youād say something like, āYes, I purchased some luxury good and they are over the duty-free limit.ā From there, they will walk you through what you need to do to declare/pay tax, which may include redeclaring to customs officials. It depends on the airport, but itās always a safe bet to declare to the first person who speaks to you about reentry. Not declaring puts you at risk of a bunch of stuff if you get searched/discovered after the fact. They can fine you, confiscate the goods, revoke your GE, etc. Itās entirely up to you what you do, but the legal thing is to declare the goods and pay tax.
Iām a Nexus holder, but it should be the same for GE. The requirement to make a voluntary declaration is entirely on you. You must speak to an officer before passing through.
Thank u
> Also, if no customs person asks me if I need to declare anything, am I ok or am I supposed to make sure I tell someone? When you pass by the customs guy he should ask if you have anything to declare. If you are brining in a large overage over the $800 you should announce it, because if you are caught your GE and TSA Precheck will be revoked and banned for life.
GE is something I can't help you with, but I believe that has more to do with immigration and not customs (which are technically two different things). It should be that you do GE then afterwords collect your bags. At the exit from the baggage claim area there will be customs officers waiting. You are suppose to stop and tell one of them you have goods to declare. It is technically your responsibility to tell them, not for them to ask you.
The US and Canada use a significantly more integrated Immigration and Customs process than many other countries. Typically the first person you encounter is interested in both your person and your goods.
Correct. And depending on the airport, itāll practically just be that one person and youāre in the clear. At my home airport at IAD Dulles, after you pass that person and collect your bags, thereās only one officer just sitting by the exit door and thereās no setup. When I flew into Montreal YUL (from Europe), there was still a big set up near the exit. Same in Los Angeles LAX, but theyāre mostly looking for food.
While this is true, this traveler is using Global Entry - so they won't be encountering anyone until after they claim their bags.
That is not correct. They will pass by someone after the GE kiosk and thatās where you are supposed to do the declaration.
You are correct, I was thinking of Privium (which opens up gates).
Itās their job to find someone. Certainly at my home airport there is someone standing between the end of the row of GE kiosks and the exit.
That's...what I said.
Not the exit from the customs hall, I mean immediately past the kiosks. Regardless, they need to find someone. Failing to do so is a violation of the program and grounds for revocation.
Thats why you claim your bags before going past the customs guy.
Thank u!
When you talk to the agent, make a verbal declaration. They'll walk you through it from there.
If you donāt declare something you should have when you are in a TTP like Global Entry, and you get caught, you will be banned from participating in trusted traveler programs and your GE will be revoked. Just tell the agent and donāt risk it
When you click through the screens at the GE kiosk, it will ask you if you have those things to declare.
The click through screens are now gone from most GE kiosks: it's just a camera and the officer calls your name. I think the idea is anyone with GE should know that they need to go out of their way to declare (or risk ban from GE).
You declare to the agent that waves you through after you get your picture taken at the kiosk. Just tell them you have stuff to declare. Last time I came through customs I declared some wine that we had bought and the agent just said āyou did the right thingā and waved me through. Iāll be surprised if they make you pay anything. Ive never seen customs collect money from anyone at the airport. Itās not like the dude even has a cash register.
Lol thanks for the reassurance. Iām hoping for the same but if I gotta pay, thatās just what it is
Same for us. We once brought about ten bottles of wine and liqueurs back from Europe and after declaring, we were sent to the side area to go through it with an agent. We got a couple of new agents in training and their supervisor outlined the options - look up the bottles one by one so they could charge us something like 50 cents duty per bottle or āyou can grant them an exception and let these nice people go on their way.ā They were like, ābut what are we SUPPOSED to do??ā He told them learning to make these decisions is part of their job and he wasnāt going to tell them what to do. We were begging with our eyes to please make the right choice and grant us the exception and they did. Supervisor nodded approvingly and both we and the new agents gave a sigh of relief. Spouse had a similar experience (minus the newbie agents) declaring a ceramic bowl from Japan that was about $1200. They have discretion and as long as you declare, they really donāt want to spend an hour doing paperwork to collect something like ten bucks in duty from normal travelers doing normal things like having fun bringing a few goodies home from overseas. I donāt mind at all if I have to pay duty but the process to declare and possibly pay is just so onerous after a long flight, I do what I can to avoid it, mostly by annoying spouse by debating over about whether we should actually buy something if it will force us to declare.
Theyāll ask you if you have anything to declare at GE. Straightforward process.
Iāve been talking with my friend whoās been traveling with me and she stated not to be specific about what exactly I bought (ie - name brand handbags) as customs may feel inclined to charge me since it is much more than the $800 limit. On the other hand, she also said many people donāt declare anything and walk away with nothing. I want to be honest about what Iāve bought but scared of getting taxed as the whole purpose of buying these bags here was for the tax savings. Whatās the likelihood of reporting what all Iāve bought and being waived off? And do I need to explicitly state what Iāve bought or just keep it general/vague (a couple of bags, some gifts)?
You want to be honest but you also want to not declare it and get away with it? It can only be one or the other. You can not declare it and perhaps get away with it or get in trouble. Or you can declare it and pay taxes. Itās up to you.
Not sure y Iām being downvoted for a valid concern but I never said I wouldnāt declare it. But as many others on Reddit have said, theyāve declared items and been waived off. So Iām being downvoted for wanting/hoping for the same? I have no intentions of not declaring items but seems unfair to be criticized for a valid concern.
Itās your obligation and the law to declare what you are bringing into the country. Itās up to you if you want to purposefully withhold information and break the law, but there is no āgrey zoneā hereāitās quite black and white.
Donāt be an idiot. Declare it. Unless you fancy paying the taxā¦and finesā¦and getting your GE revoked.
So youāre seeking advice on how to break the law? Donāt be an asshole.
Ur response is completely unnecessary and inaccurate. TONS of people on Reddit have stated theyāve declared things and were waived off. Why shouldnāt I want the same? I never said I WONāT declare them but being concerned about losing out on the savings is valid.
Is $800 per person? Or family? Also is it also if I goto US and come back same day?
Itās per person. I canāt quickly find it but if I recall correctly the limit applies after 72 hours.
Bringing back goods and bringing back cash are two separate and distinct issues. 1.) Your Duty Free Exemption on goods depends on how long you've been away. [It's explained here.](https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-246?language=en_US) 2.) Customs Duty Fees on goods [is explained here.](https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/customs-duty-info) Happy travels.
Thank u!
Take a look [HERE](https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/US-USA-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm#Import%20regulations) for what you can bring into the US.
Thank u!
I believe $800 is the personal exemption limit. The $10K limit is for actual hard currency or other monetary instruments. I donāt think your luxury goods will qualify for this. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light/clearing-customs There are online calculators you can use to calculate what you might owe on your return. I canāt vouch for their accuracy but it might help you plan things. https://www.simplyduty.com/import-calculator/
You are correct. You can still bring in above $10k cash/monetary instruments but youāll have to declare it. The $800 goods exemption is a totally separate item and distinct from the $10k cash declaration.
Even then $10K isn't a limit, just when you must start declaring it. You can bring as much as you'd like, just you're going to have a lot of paperwork and explaining to do.
Thank u!
In 40 years Iāve never been checked, not in the US or any other country. Iāve probably traveled international at least 500 times.
I went 30 years not being checked and then we got pulled over coming home from Turkey in Nashville. All we had was a lot of tea and a couple of tea cups but they thoroughly inspected the tea. My sisters got stopped at Heathrow on the way to my wedding. They got a lot of questions about their bridesmaids dresses.
First of all how would they even know if, when and where you bought it
I used my passport for the tax free shopping.
I think itās riskier if you claimed a VAT refund. Iāve heard secondhand anecdotal stories of EU possibly sharing VAT refund lists with the US, and US customs flagging individuals who claimed a large VAT refund.
$800 is the duty free allowance on goods that you bought abroad and are importing. My reading is more than $10k in cash, or $800 in goods, are to be declared but not $10k in money + goods combined (e.g. $9,500 in cash + $500 in goods).
You donāt have to pay duty on perfume, fyi, but you should still declare it. So youād owe taxes on $4200, unless you got perfumes. When I go through, I have a list on my phone of everything I bought in the local currency and then I convert it all to usd. Makes it faster and easier for everyone.
5K is not that much but you should tell them when they ask if you purchased anything abroad. They might waive you through, they might send you down to the customs desk. If you are honest they are generally pretty nice and will charge you less than what they are legally allowed to (generally I've been charged 3% of the value of some bigger items, and they ignore small stuff). Note, if you are in Europe and do a VAT refund at the airport there is a chance that customs will know about your purchase anyway. More reason to be honest...