Kbyg Regulations

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Know Beore

You GoRegulations for International Travel

by U.S. Residents





Know Beore You Go iii

Know Before You Go

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Regulations for International Travel byU.S. Residents

Traveler's Checklist 2

What is CBP? 3

Your Inspection 3

CBP Inspection Process Graphic 4

Terms Used in This Booklet 4

Check Our Web Site First! 4

Preparing to Return to the US 4Documents You Will Need to Enter the US 5

Frequent Traveler ProgramsFAST 8

Global Entry 8

NEXUS 9SENTRI 9

Global Online Enrollment System 10

What You Must Declare 10

Tip: Register Items Beore You Leave the US 11Duty-Free Exemption 12

Exemptions 12

Joint Declaration 13

Types o Exemptions

$200 Exemption 13

$800 Exemption 14

$1,600 Exemption 15

For Frequent Travelers 16

Duty-Free or Reduced Rates 16

Items rom Certain Countries 16

Household Eects 17

Increased Duty Rates 18

Determining Duty 18

Tobacco Products 19



Know Beore You Goiv

Alcoholic Beverages 20

Paying Duty 21

Sending Items Back to the United States 22

US Mail Shipments 22

Express Shipments 23

Freight Shipments 24

Gits 25

Gits You Bring Back 25Gits You Mail 26

Gits or More Than One Person 26

Can I Send a Git to Mysel? 27

Personal Belongings 27I a Package is Subject to Duty 27

Sending Purchases rom Insular Possessions and 27Caribbean Basin and Andean Countries

Duty-Free Shops 30

Prohibited and Restricted Items 30

Absinthe ( Alcohol) 31

Automobiles 31

Biologicals 32

Ceramic Tableware 33

Cultural Artifacts and Cultural Property ( Art Artifacts)33

Deense Articles or Items with Military orProlieration Applications 34

Dog and Cat Fur 35

Drug Paraphernalia 35

Firearms 35

Fish and Wildlie 36

Food Products (Prepared) 38

Prior Notice or Food Importation 38

Fruits and Vegetables 39

Game and Hunting Trophies 40

Gold 41

Haitian Animal Hide Drums 42



Know Beore You Go 1

Meats, Livestock, and Poultry 42

Medication 42

Merchandise rom Embargoed Countries 44

Pets 45

Document and Quarantine Reports 47

USDA Quarantine Centers and Ports o Entry 48

Plants and seeds 49

Soil 49

Textiles and Clothing 49

Trademarked and Copyrighted Articles 50

Money and Other Monetary Instruments 51

Photographic Film 52CBP’s Pledge to Travelers 52

DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program 53

Other Travel-related Inormation 54

Glossary o Terms 54

Helpul Web Sites 56

US Customs and Border ProtectionDeclaration Form (Front) 58

US Customs and Border ProtectionDeclaration Form (Back) 59

Note: Should you have questions

please visit help.cbp.gov or

call 1-877-227-5511 or 703-526-4200



Know Beore You Go2

TRAVELER'S CHECKLIST

Do I have:

q US Passport or other recommended ID or US

citizens? (Carry it; do not pack it) www.travel.state.

gov.

q Green Card (Form I-551) or document or Lawul

Permanent Residents? (Advance Parole i LPR

status is pending) www.uscis.gov Failure to haveForm I-551 or document or lawul permanent

residents could result in a $545 waiver ee

q Notarized travel permission letters or minors

traveling without their parents?

q Entry documentation or the country(s) I will be

visiting? (Is a Visa required?) www.state.gov. andsearch or "visa"

q Only the medication that I need or my trip and

in its original container?

q Receipts or registration paperwork (CBP Form

4457) or any new electronics, such as a cameraor laptop, that I’m taking with me? (Only sug-

gested i traveling with recently purchased goods

Not necessary or goods more than 6 months

old)

q Proo o Rabies vaccinations or my dog i they

are traveling with me? (Recommended but notrequired or cats Check or requirements regard-

ing other pets) www.aphis.usda.gov and search or

"pet travel"

q Permits and/or certicates i bringing restricted

animal and plant commodities regulated by the

US Department o Agriculture, Animal and plant

Health Inspection Service

q Appraisals or receipts i I’m traveling with a lot o

new jewelry?

q Valid driver’s license? Do I need an international

driver’s license in the country I am visiting? www.thenac.com/international_driving_permit.pdf or www.aaa.

com.

q An envelope to put all the receipts or my pur-

chases? (This will make lling out the CBP

declaration easier)

q Copy o this Know Beore You Go brochure?



Know Beore You Go 3

Inormation on items that do not have a Web site

address ater them can be ound in this brochure or at

www.cbp.gov/travel.

What Is CBP?

US Customs and Border Protection, within the

Department o Homeland Security, is responsible or

keeping America’s borders sae and secure On

March 1, 2003, CBP combined the inspectionalwork orces and broad border authorities o the US

Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization

Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service o the Department o Agriculture

At CBP, our job is to keep terrorists, their weapons,and other illegal material or individuals rom entering

the United States, while also acilitating the fow o

legitimate trade and travel This mission is vitally

important and we are dedicated to carrying it out to

the best o our abilities

Your Inspection

To keep our borders secure, we must inspect everyone

who arrives at a US port o entry We pledge to treat

you courteously and proessionally We do not assumethat you have done anything wrong—because very ew

travelers actually violate the law

As part o your inspection, you may be asked questions

on:

• Yourcitizenship,

• Thenatureofyourtrip,and

• AnythingyouarebringingbacktotheUnited

States that you did not have with you when you

let

We may also examine your baggage, including elec-

tronic equipment,or your car, which we have the legal

authority to do I we are checking your baggage, you

will need to place it on the exam station and open

it (Ater the exam is completed, you will be asked torepack and close the baggage) I at any point you are



Know Beore You Go4

unhappy with the way you are being treated, ask to

speak to a CBP supervisor

Terms Used In This Booklet“Duty” and “dutiable” are words you will nd requent-

ly throughout this brochure:

• Duty is the amount o money you pay on items

coming rom another country It is similar to a

tax, except that duty is collected only on imported

goods

• Dutiable describes items on which duty may have to

be paid Most items have specic duty rates, which

are determined by a number o actors, includingwhere you got the item, where it was made and

what it is made o

Also, anything you bring back that you did not have

when you let the United States must be “declared”For example, you would declare alterations made in a

oreign country to a suit you already owned, and any

gits you acquired overseas

Check Our Web Site Before You Travel!Please note that the inormation contained within

this brochure may change Visit the travel section o

www.cbp.gov or the most up-to-date inormation

Preparing To Return To The United States

When you return, you will need to declare everythingyou brought back that you did not take with you

when you let the United States You may be asked to

ll out a CBP declaration orm You will probably nd

it easier and aster to ll out your declaration orm

and clear CBP i you do the ollowing:

• Keepyoursalesslips.

• Trytopackthethingsyou’llneedtodeclare

separately

• Readthesignsinthearrivalarea.



Know Beore You Go 5

Documents You Will Need To Enter TheUnited StatesAll persons including citizens o the United States

traveling by air between the US, Canada, Mexico, theCaribbean and Bermuda will have to present a passport,

Merchant Mariner Document (presented by US citizen

merchant mariners traveling on ocial business) or

NEXUS Card, NEXUS enrollment is limited to citizens

o the United States and Canada, and lawul permanent

residents o the United States and Canada Children willbe required to present their own passport

Beginning June 1, 2009, ages 16 and older will be

required to present documents rom one o the options

below when entering the United States at land or seaports o entry Children under may present an original

or copy o his or her birth certicate, a Consular Report

o Birth Abroad, or a Naturalization Certicate

One o the ollowing documents may be presented to

prove both identity and citizenship:

• U.S.Passport;

• U.S.PassportCard;*

• TrustedTravelerCards(NEXUS,SENTRI,FAST);*

• StateissuedEnhancedDriver’sLicense(whenavail-able this secure driver’s license will denote identity

andcitizenship);*

• EnhancedTribalCards(whenavailable);*

• U.S.MilitaryidenticationwithMilitaryTravel

Orders;

• U.S.MerchantMarinedocument;• FormI-872AmericanIndianCard.

* Frequent Land Border Crossers: To expedite processing into the United

States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recommends using one of

the above asterisked documents.

Lawful Permanent ResidentsUS Lawul Permanent Residents (LPRs), reugees and

asylees will continue to be able to use their Permanent

Resident Card (Form I-551), issued by DHS, or other

evidence o permanent resident status or reugee orasylee status to apply or entry into the United States



Know Beore You Go6

US citizens traveling directly between the Unites States,

Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American

Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth o the

Northern Mariana Islands will continue to be able to

use established orms o identication to board fights

and or entry

Note: Identication requirements or entering or

re-entering the US may have change based or imple-

mentation o the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiativeplease check getyouhome.gov or details

Advance Parole

Caution

Due to recent changes to US immigration law, travel

outside o the United States may have severe conse-quences or aliens who are in the process o adjusting

their status or applying or an immigrant visa (reugees

and asylees) Upon return, these aliens may be ound

inadmissible, their applications may be denied, or both

It is important that the alien obtain the proper docu-mentation beore leaving the United States

Aliens who have pending applications or certain immi-

gration benets need Advance Parole to re-enter the US

ater traveling abroad

An I-131 Application or Travel Document is led with

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) ol-

lowing the instructions ound on their Web site, www.

uscis.gov.

Note: this does not apply to aliens who have applied

to adjust to permanent resident status and who main-

tain H-1B (Specialty Worker) or L-1 (Intracompany

Transeree) status, or their dependents, who have

applied to adjust to permanent resident status and who

have valid H-1B or L status and valid visas, V nonim-migrants who have a valid V nonimmigrant visa, are in

valid V nonimmigrant status and have or obtain a valid

V nonimmigrant visa beore applying or readmission

totheUS,andK-3/4nonimmigrantswhohaveapplied

to adjust to permanent resident status and who have

a valid K-3/4 nonimmigrant visa, are in valid K-3/4nonimmigrantstatusandhaveorobtainavalidK-3/4



Know Beore You Go 7

nonimmigrant visa beore applying or readmission to

the United States

Aliens who have a pending application or adjustment

o status must be approved or Advance Parole prior to leaving

the United States in order to avoid termination or their pending

application or adjustment. This includes aliens who have:

• Filedanapplicationforadjustmentofstatusbut have not received a decision rom the US

Citizenship and Immigration Services;

• Holdrefugeeorasyleestatusandintendto

depart temporarily to apply or a US immigrant

visa in Canada; and/or

• Anemergentpersonalorbonadereasonto

travel temporarily abroad

Applicants who are the beneciary o a Private billand applicants who are under deportation proceed-

ings must le with the:

Department o Homeland Security

ATTN: Parole and Humanitarian Assistance Branch

425 I Street, NWWashington, DC 20536

Aliens in the United States are not eligible or Advance

Parole i they are:

• IntheUnitedStatesillegally;or

• Anexchangealiensubjecttotheforeignresi-

dence requirement

Please note that Advance Parole does not guarantee entryinto the United States Aliens with Advance Parole are

still subject to the US Customs and Border Protection

inspection process at the port o entry

For more inormation, please visit the State Department

Web site at www.travel.state.gov or the US Department o Homeland Security Web site at www.dhs.gov. To apply or



Know Beore You Go8

a passport, US citizens can visit www.travel.state.gov or

call the US Passport Oce at 1-877-4USA-PPT or TDD/

TYY: 1-888-874-7793 Foreign citizens or nationals

should contact their respective governments to obtainpassports

Frequent Traveler Programs

Applicants must voluntarily undergo a thorough bio-

graphical background check against criminal, lawenorcement, customs, immigration, and terrorist indi-

ces; a 10-ngerprint law enorcement check; and a

personal interview with a CBP ocer

FASTFree and Secure Trade, or FAST, is a joint initiative

between CBP and its Canadian and Mexico counterparts

that enhances border and trade security while

simpliying the inspection o cross-border commercial

shipments simpler, subjecting them to ewer delays

When a FAST-approved driver arrives at the border, he

or she presents to the CBP ocer Data declarations

and verications are done at a later time, away rom

the border

Global EntryThe Global Entry program allows pre-approved, low-

risk travelers expedited clearance upon arrival into the

United States US citizens and US Lawul Permanent

Residents aged 14-years and older may apply to thisprogram

Participants will enter the United States by using

automated sel-service kiosks To report their arriv-

al, participants will use their machine-readable USpassport or permanent residency card, submit their

ngerprints or biometric verication, and make a CBP

declaration at the kiosk’s touch-screen Ater success-

ully completing the Global Entry process at the kiosk,

the traveler will be issued a transaction receipt and

directed to baggage claim and the exit, unless chosenor a selective or random secondary reerral



Know Beore You Go 9

Global Entry participants are exempt rom routine CBP

questioning However, on a random basis or i selected

by CBP ocers, they may be subject to additional

screening at any time in the entry process

For the latest inormation about the Global Entry pilot

program, including current locations, or to apply please

visit www.cbp.gov or www.globalentry.gov

NEXUSThe NEXUS program allows pre-approved, low-risk

travelers to be processed with little or no delay by

United States and Canadian ocials at air, land and

marine ports o entry in the United States and Canada

Travelers are able to use the NEXUS kiosks at the

Canadian Preclearance airports, and approved appli-cants are issued a photo-identication/proximity card

Participants will present their NEXUS card and make a

declaration They are then released, unless chosen or a

selective or random secondary reerral

SENTRISecure Electronic Network or Travelers Rapid Inspection,

or SENTRI, is a land border-crossing program that

provides expedited CBP processing or pre-approved,

low-risk travelers between Mexico and the US

Once an applicant is approved they are issued a Radio

Frequency Identication (RFID) Card that will identiy

their record and status in the CBP database upon arrival

at the US port o entry An RFID decal is also issued

to the applicant’s vehicle or motorcycle SENTRI users

have access to specic, dedicated primary lanes into the

United States

SENTRI dedicated commuter lanes are located in San

Ysidro and Calexico, Cali; Nogales, Ariz; and El Paso,

Hidalgo, Brownsville and Laredo, Texas

Global Online Enrollment System (GOES)The Global Online Enrollment System, or GOES, allows

registered users to enter their own applications or

US Customs and Border Protection trusted traveler

programs, and approved members to edit their inor-mation as needed Note that mistakes on the original



Know Beore You Go10

application cannot be corrected once the application is

certied Mistakes will need to be brought to the atten-

tion o CBP during your interview

Once a completed application is certied by the appli-

cant and the non-reundable payment is successully

processed, CBP will review it and determine whether

or not to conditionally approve the application I it

is conditionally approved, your GOES account will be

updated to instruct you to schedule an appointment oran interview Every individual who would like to apply

or membership—children included—must create a

separate account within GOES, submit a separate appli-

cation, and schedule an interview appointment upon

conditional approval

What You Must Declare

• Itemsyoupurchasedandarecarryingwithyou

upon return to the United States

• Itemsyoureceivedasgifts,suchasweddingor

birthday presents

• Itemsyouinherited.

• Itemsyouboughtinduty-freeshops,ontheship,or on the plane

• Repairsoralterationstoanyitemsyoutook

abroad and then brought back, even i the

repairs/alterations were perormed ree o

charge

• Itemsyoubroughthomeforsomeoneelse.

• Itemsyouintendtoselloruseinyourbusiness,

including businesss merchandise that you tookout o the United States on your trip

Also, i you acquired items in the US Virgin Islands,

American Samoa, Guam, or in a Caribbean Basin

Economic Recovery Act country (see section on $800

exemption or a list o these countries) and asked themerchant to send them to you, you must still declare



Know Beore You Go 11

them when you go through customs This diers rom the

usual procedure or mailed items, which is discussed in the

section on Sending Items Back to the United States

You must state on the CBP declaration, in US currency,

what you actually paid or each item The price must

include all taxes I you don’t know or sure, estimate

I you did not buy the item yoursel—or example, i

it is a git—estimate its air retail value in the country

where you received it

Remember: Even i you used the item you bought on

your trip, it’s still dutiable You must declare the item at

the price you paid or, i it was a git, at its air market

value

Tip: Register Items Before You Leave The United

States

I your laptop computer was made in Japan—or

instance—you might have to pay duty on it each timeyou bring it back into the United States, unless you

could prove that you owned it beore you let on your

trip Documents that ully describe the item—such as

sales receipts, insurance policies, or jeweler's apprais-

als—are acceptable orms o proo

To make things easier, you can register certain items

with CBP beore you depart— including watches, cam-

eras, laptop computers, rearms, and CD players—as

long as they have serial numbers or other unique,

permanent markings Take the items to the nearest

CBP oce and request a Certicate o Registration or

Personal Eects Taken Abroad (CBP Form 4457) It

shows that you had the items with you beore leav-

ing the United States and all items listed on it will be

allowed duty-ree entry CBP ocers must see the item

you are registering in order to certiy the certicate o registration You can also register items with CBP at

the international airport rom which you’re departing

Keepthecerticateforfuturetrips.



Know Beore You Go12

Duty-Free Exemption

The duty-ree exemption, also called the personal exemption,

is the total value o merchandise you may bring back

to the United States without having to pay duty You

may bring back more than your exemption, but you

will have to pay duty on it In most cases, the personal

exemption is $800, but there are some exceptions to

this rule, which are explained below

ExemptionsDepending on the countries you have visited, your

personal exemption will be $200, $800, or $1,600

There are limits on the amount o alcoholic beverages,

cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products you may

include in your duty-ree personal exemption The di-erences are explained in the ollowing section

The duty-ree exemptions ($200, $800, or $1,600)

apply i:

• Theitemsareforyourpersonalorhouseholduse

or intended to be given as gits

• Theyareinyourpossession,thatis,theyaccom-

pany you when you return to the United States

Items to be sent later may not be included in your$800 duty-ree exemption (Exceptions apply or

goods sent rom Guam or the US Virgin Islands)

• TheyaredeclaredtoCBP.Ifyoudonotdeclare

something that should have been declared, you

risk oreiting it I in doubt, declare it

• Youarereturningfromanoverseasstayofatleast

48 hours For example, i you leave the United

States at 1:30 pm on June 1, you would complete

the 48-hour period at 1:30 pm on June 3 Thistime limit does not apply i you are returning

rom Mexico or rom the US Virgin Islands (See

also the section on the $200 exemption)

• Youhavenotusedallofyourexemptionallow-

ance, or used any part o it, in the past 30 days




For example, i you go to England and bring back

$150 worth o items, you must wait another 30

days beore you are allowed another $800 exemp-

tion (See the section on the $200 exemption)

• Theitemsarenotprohibitedorrestrictedasdis-

cussed in the section on Prohibited and Restricted

Items Note the embargo prohibitions on products

o Cuba

Joint DeclarationFamily members who live in the same home and return

together to the United States may combine their per-

sonal exemptions This is called a joint declaration For

example, i Mr and Mrs Smith travel overseas and Mrs

Smith brings home a $1,000 piece o glassware, and MrSmith buys $600 worth o clothing, they can combine

their individual $800 exemptions on a joint declaration

and not have to pay duty

Children and inants are allowed the same exemptionas adults, except or alcoholic beverages and tobacco

products

$200 ExemptionI you cannot claim other exemptions because:

• Youhavebeenoutofthecountrymorethanonce

in a 30-day period or because

• Youhavenotbeenoutofthecountryforatleast48

hours

You may still bring back $200 worth o items ree o

duty and tax As discussed earlier, these items must be

or your personal or household use

I you bring back more than $200 worth o dutiableitems, or i any item is subject to duty or tax, the entire

amount will be dutiable For instance, you were out o

the country or 36 hours and came back with a $300

piece o pottery You could not deduct $200 rom its

value and pay duty on $100 The pottery would be duti-

able or the ull value o $300



Know Beore You Go14

You may include with the $200 exemption your choice

o the ollowing: 50 cigarettes and 10 cigars and 150

milliliters (5 f oz) o alcoholic beverages or 150 mil-

liliters (5 f oz) o perume containing alcohol

Note that unlike other exemptions, amily members

may not combine their individual $200 exemptions

Thus, i Mr and Mrs Smith spend a night in Canada,

each may bring back up to $200 worth o goods, but

they would not be allowed a collective amily exemp-tion o $400

Also, duty on items you mail home to yoursel will be

waived i the value is $200 or less (See the sections on

Gits and Sending Items Back to the United States)

$800 ExemptionI you are arriving rom anywhere other than a US

insular possession (US Virgin Islands, American

Samoa, or Guam) you may bring back $800 worth o

items duty ree, as long as you bring them with youThis is called accompanied baggage

For Caribbean Basin or Andean countries, your exemp-

tion is also $800 These countries include:

GuatemalaGuyana

Haiti

Honduras

Jamaica

Montserrat

Netherlands Antilles

Nicaragua

Panama

Peru

SaintKittsandNevis

Saint LuciaSaint Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

Antigua and BarbudaAruba

Bahamas

Barbados

Belize

Bolivia

British Virgin Island

Colombia

Costa Rica

Dominica

Dominican Republic

EcuadorEl Salvador

Grenada




You may include two liters o alcoholic beverages with

this $800 exemption, as long as one o the liters was

produced in one o the countries listed above (see sec-

tion on Sending Purchases rom Insular Possessions

and Caribbean Basin or Andean Countries)

Depending on what items you’re bringing back rom

your trip, you could come home with more than $800

worth o gits or purchases and still not be charged

duty For instance, say you received a $700 bracelet asa git, and you bought a $40 hat and a $60 color print

Because these items total $800, you would not be

charged duty, since you have not exceeded your duty-

ree exemption I you had also bought a $500 painting

on that trip, you could bring all $1,300 worth o mer-

chandise home without having to pay duty, becausene art is duty-ree

$1,600 ExemptionI you return directly or indirectly rom a US insular

possession (US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, orGuam), you are allowed a $1,600 duty-ree exemption

I you travel to a US insular possession and to one

or more o the Caribbean Basin or Andean countries

listed above, let’s say on a Caribbean cruise, you may

bring back $1,600 worth o items without paying duty,but only $800 worth o these items may come rom

the Caribbean Basin or Andean country or countries

Any amount beyond $800 will be dutiable unless you

acquired it in one o the insular possessions For exam-

ple, i you were to travel to the US Virgin Islands and

Jamaica, you would be allowed to bring back $1,600

worth o merchandise duty ree, as long as only $800

worth was acquired in Jamaica

Also, you may include 1,000 cigarettes as part o the

$1,600 exemption, but at least 800 o them must havebeen acquired in an insular possession Only 200 ciga-

rettes may have been acquired elsewhere For example,

i you were touring the South Pacic and you stopped

in Tahiti, American Samoa, and other ports o call, you

could bring back ve cartons o cigarettes, but our o

them would have to have been bought in AmericanSamoa



Know Beore You Go16

Similarly, you may include ve liters o alcoholic bev-

erages in your duty-ree exemption, but one o them

must be a product o an insular possession Four may

be products o other countries (see section on Sending

Purchases rom Insular Possessions and Caribbean

Basin countries)

For Frequent TravelersI you cross the US border into a oreign country and

reenter the United States more than once in a shorttime, you may not want to use your personal exemp-

tion until you have returned to the United States or

the last time This is due to the “once every 30 days

rule”—you can only apply your personal exemption

once every 30 days

So as an example, you go to Canada, buy a liter o liquor,

reenter the United States, then go back to Canada and

buy $900 worth o merchandise and more liquor You

would probably want to save your $800 exemption or

those nal purchases and not use it or that rst liter o liquor In this case, on your rst swing-back, simply tell

the CBP ocer that you want to pay duty on the liquor,

even though you could bring it in duty ree

Duty-Free or Reduced Rates

Items from Certain CountriesThe United States gives duty preerences—that is, ree

or reduced rates—to certain developing countries

under a trade program called the Generalized System

o Preerences (GSP) Some products that would oth-

erwise be dutiable are not when they come rom a

GSP country (For details on this program, as well as

the complete list o GSP countries, please look or it

on the CBP Web site

Similarly:

• ManyproductsofCaribbean and Andean

countries are exempt rom duty under the

Caribbean Basin Initiative, Caribbean Basin

Trade Partnership Act, Andean Trade Preerence

Act and the Andean Trade Promotion and DrugEradication Act




• Manyproductsofcertainsub-Saharan Arican

countries are exempt rom duty under the

Arican Growth and Opportunity Act

• MostproductsofIsrael, Jordan, Chile and

Singapore may also enter the United States

either ree o duty or at a reduced rate under the

US ree trade agreements with those countries

Check www.cbp.gov or details on these programs

• TheNorthAmericanFreeTradeAgreement

(NAFTA) went into eect in 1994 I you are

returning rom Canada or Mexico, your goods

are eligible or ree or reduced duty rates i they

were grown, manuactured, or produced in

Canada or Mexico, as dened by the Act

Additional inormation on these programs can be

ound on the CBP Web site at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/

trade_programs/international_agreements/special_trade_pro-

grams/

Household EffectsHousehold eects are duty-ree These include such

items as urniture, carpets, paintings, tableware, ste-

reos, linens, and similar household urnishings; tools

o the trade, proessional books, implements, andinstruments

You may import household eects you acquired

abroad duty-ree i:

• Youusedthemforatleastoneyearwhileyou

were abroad

• Theyarenotintendedforanyoneelseorforsale.

Clothing, jewelry, photography equipment, portableradios, and vehicles are considered personal eects

and cannot be brought in duty-ree as household

eects However, duty is usually waived on personal

eects more than one year o age All vehicles are

dutiable



Know Beore You Go18

Increased Duty Rates

Items from Certain Countries

Under what is known as its “301” authority, theUnited States may impose a much higher than nor-

mal duty rate on products rom certain countries

Currently, the United States has imposed a 100 percent

rate o duty on certain products o Austria, Belgium,

Denmark, Finland, France, The Federal Republic o

Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the

Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the Ukraine

I you should bring more o any o these products

back with you than all within your exemption or fat

rate o duty, (see below) you will pay as much in duty

as you paid or the product or products

While most o the products listed are not the type o

goods that travelers would purchase in sucient quan-

tities to exceed their exemption, diamonds rom the

Ukraine are subject to the 100 percent duty and mighteasily exceed the exemption amount

For inormation on countries that may become subject

to a higher than normal duty rate, check the Department

o Commerce Web site at www.commerce.gov.

Determining Duty

The CBP ocer will place the items that have the high-

est rate o duty under your exemption Then, ater

subtracting your exemptions and the value o any duty-

ree items, a fat rate o duty will be charged on the

next $1,000 worth o merchandise Any dollar amount

beyond this $1,000 will be dutiable at whatever duty

rates apply The fat rate o duty may only be used

or items or your own use or or gits As with your

exemption, you may use the fat rate provision only

once every 30 days Special fat rates o duty apply to

items made and acquired in Canada or Mexico The

fat rate o duty applies to only to those purchases that

accompany you on your return to the United States




The ollowing is an example o the dierent rates i you

acquire goods valued at $3,500 rom various dierent

places:

Country Totaldeclared

value

Personalexemption

(duty free)

Flat dutyrate

Variousduty

rates

US insularpossessions

$3,500 $1,600 $1,000 at

15 percent

$900

Caribbean

Basincountries

$3,500 $800 $1,000 at

3 percent

$1,700

Othercountries orlocations

$3,500 $800 $1,000 at

3 percent

$1,700

The fat duty rate will be charged on items that are

dutiable but that cannot be included in your personalexemption, even i you have not exceeded the exemp-

tion The best example o this is liquor I you return

rom Europe with $200 worth o items, including two

liters o liquor, one liter will be duty-ree under your

exemption The other will be dutiable at 3 percent, plusany Internal Revenue Service tax

Family members who live in the same household and

return to the United States together can combine their

items to take advantage o a combined fat duty rate, no

matter which amily member owns a given item Thecombined value o merchandise subject to a fat duty

rate or a amily o our traveling together would be

$4,000

Tobacco ProductsTravelers may import previously exported tobacco

products only in quantities not exceeding the amounts

specied in exemptions or which the traveler qualies

Any quantities o previously exported tobacco products

not permitted by an exemption will be seized and

destroyed These items are typically purchased in duty-ree stores, on carriers operating internationally or in

oreign stores These items are usually marked “Tax

Exempt For Use Outside the United States,” or “US

Tax Exempt For Use Outside the United States”






or resale CBP ocers are authorized by the Bureau

o Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to

make on-the-spot determinations that an importation

is or commercial purposes, and may require you to

obtain a permit to import the alcohol beore releas-

ing it to you I you intend to bring back a substantial

quantity o alcohol or your personal use, you should

contact the port through which you will be re-entering

the country, and make prior arrangements or entering

the alcohol into the United States

Also, you should be aware that state laws might limit the

amount o alcohol you can bring in without a license I

you arrive in a state that has limitations on the amount

o alcohol you may bring in without a license, that state

law will be enorced by CBP, even though it may bemore restrictive than ederal regulations We recom-

mend that you check with the state government beore

you go abroad about their limitations on quantities

allowed or personal importation and additional state

taxes that might apply

In brie, or both alcohol and tobacco, the quantities

discussed in this booklet as being eligible or duty-ree

treatment may be included in your $800 or $1,600

exemption, just as any other purchase would be But

unlike other kinds o merchandise, amounts beyondthose discussed here as being duty-ree are taxed, even

i you have not exceeded, or even met, your personal

exemption For example, i your exemption is $800

and you bring back three liters o wine and nothing

else, two o those liters will be dutiable Federal law

prohibits shipping alcoholic beverages by mail within

the United States

Paying Duty

I you owe duty, you must pay it when you arrive inthe United States You can pay it in any o the ollow-

ing ways:

• U.S.currency.Foreigncurrencyisnotacceptable.

• Personalcheckintheexactamount,drawnona US bank, made payable to US Customs and



Know Beore You Go22

Border Protection You must present identica-

tion, such as a passport or driver’s license CBP

does not accept checks bearing second-party

endorsements

• Governmentcheck,moneyorderortraveler’s

check i the amount does not exceed the duty

owed by more than $50

• Insomelocations,youmaypaydutywithcreditcards, either MasterCard or VISA

Sending Items Back to theUnited States

Unaccompanied baggage is anything you do not bring

back with you These may be items that were with

you when you let the United States or items that you

acquired (received by any means) while outside the

United States In general, unaccompanied baggage alls

into three categories: US mail, express shipments andreight

U.S. Mail ShipmentsShipping through the US mail, including parcel post,

is a cost-ecient way to send items to the United StatesThe US Postal Service sends all oreign mail shipments

to CBP or examination CBP ocers then return pack-

ages that do not require duty to the US Postal Service,

which sends them to a local post oce or delivery The

local post oce delivers them without charging any

additional postage, handling costs or other ees

Packages that contain ruits, vegetables, meat or other

items o agricultural interest are inspected to ensure

they meet the requirements o the US Department o

Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceCBP agriculture specialists enclose a Mail Interception

Notice, PPQ Form 287, to document any agriculture

items that are removed rom the package The package

is then returned to the US Postal Service or delivery

Inormation on importing agriculture items is located

on the US Department o Agriculture Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov.




I the package does require payment o duty, CBP

attaches a orm called a mail entry, CBP Form 3419Alt,

which indicates how much duty is owed and charges a

$5 processing ee as well When the post oce deliversthe package, it will also charge a small handling ee

Commercial goods, or goods intended or resale, may

have special entry requirements Such goods may

require a formal entry in order to be admitted into the

United States Formal entries are more complicatedand require more paperwork than inormal entries

Generally, inormal entries are personal packages or

commercial items worth less than $2,000 CBP employ-

ees may not prepare ormal entries or you; only you or

a licensed customs broker may prepare one For moreinormation on this subject, please see the brochure U.S.

Import Requirements.

I you believe you have been charged an incorrect

amount o duty on a package mailed rom abroad, you

may le a protest with CBP You can do this in one o two ways You can accept the package, pay the duty,

and write a letter explaining why you think the amount

was incorrect You should include with your letter the

yellow copy o the mail entry (CBP Form 3419Alt)

Send the letter and the orm to the CBP oce thatissued the mail entry, located on the lower let-hand

corner o the orm

The other way to protest duty is to reuse delivery o

the package Then within ve days, send your protest

letter to the post oce where the package is being heldThe post oce will orward your letter to CBP and will

hold your package until the protest is resolved

For additional inormation on international mailing,

please see the brochure International Mail Imports, orvisit www.cbp.gov.

Express ShipmentsPackages may be sent to the United States by private-

sector courier or delivery service rom anywhere in the

world The express company usually takes care o clear-ing your merchandise through customs and charges a



Know Beore You Go24

ee or its service Some travelers have ound this ee to

be higher than they expected

Freight ShipmentsCargo, whether duty is owed or not, must clear cus-

toms at the rst port o arrival in the United States I

you choose, you may have your reight sent, while it is

still in CBP custody, to another port or clearance This

is called orwarding reight in bond You, or someone you

appoint to act or you, are responsible or arranging toclear your merchandise through CBP or or having it

orwarded to another port Note, that regulated agri-

culture shipments must be inspected at the rst port

o arrival with ew exceptions

Frequently, a reight orwarder in a oreign country

will take care o these arrangements, including hiring

a customs broker in the United States to clear the mer-

chandise through CBP Whenever a third party handles

the clearing and orwarding o your merchandise, that

party charges a ee or its services This ee is not a CBPcharge

There are several ways a traveler can nd a broker:

• Phonebook,intheYellowPagesunder"CustomsBrokers,"

• Internet,searchfor"CustomsBrokers,"or

• CBPWebsite-under"ports"buttononbottom

o each page, click the state o interest and clickon a city within the state Under each city is a

listing o brokers Click "view list" or a listing o

brokers in that area

The phone book listings as well as the Internet listingsare limited to brokers that submit the inormation It

is not all-inclusive

The listing o brokers on the CBP Web site is updated

on a regular basis Listed brokers have a current permit

in that port This list is the only broker inormationprovided by CBP




When a oreign seller entrusts a shipment to a broker

or agent in the United States, that seller usually pays

only enough reight to have the shipment delivered to

the rst port o arrival in the United States This means

that you, the buyer, will have to pay additional inland

transportation, or reight orwarding charges, plus broker

ees, insurance and possibly other charges

I it is not possible or you to secure release o your

goods yoursel, another person may act on your behal to clear them through CBP You may do this as long as

your merchandise consists o a single, noncommercial

shipment (not intended or resale) that does not require

a ormal entry, meaning i the merchandise is worth

less than $2,000 You must give the person a letter that

authorizes that person to act as your unpaid agent

Once you have done this, that person may ll out the

CBP declaration and complete the entry process or you

Your letter authorizing the person to act in your behal

should be addressed to the “Ocer in Charge o CBP”at the port o entry, and the person should bring the

letter with them when they go to clear your package

CBP will not notiy you when your shipment arrives, as

this is the responsibility o your carrier I your goods

are not cleared within 15 days o arrival you couldincur expensive storage ees

Gifts

Gifts you bring backGits you bring back or your personal use must be

declared, but you may include them in your personal

exemption This includes gits people gave you while

you were out o the country, such as wedding or

birthday presents, and gits you have brought back or

others

Gits intended or business, promotional or other com-

mercial purposes may not be included in your duty-ree

exemption

Also note that by ederal law, alcoholic beverages,tobacco products and perume containing alcohol and



Know Beore You Go26

worth more than $5 retail may not be included in the

git exemption

Gifts you mailGits worth up to $100 may be sent, ree o duty and

tax, to riends and relatives in the United States, as long

as the same person does not receive more than $100

worth o gits in a single day I the gits are mailed

or shipped rom an insular possession, this amount is

increased to $200

Unless returning to the United States rom an insular

possession, you don’t have to declare gits you sent

while you were on your trip, since they won’t be

accompanying you

Gifts for more than one personGits or more than one person may be shipped in the

same package, called a consolidated git package, i they

are individually wrapped and labeled with each recipi-

ent’s name Here’s how to wrap and label a consolidatedgit package

Be sure to mark the outermost wrapper with the:

• Words“UNSOLICITED GIFT” and the words

“CONSOLIDATED GIFT PACKAGE;”

• Totalvalueoftheconsolidatedpackage;

• Recipients’names;and

• Natureandvalueofthegiftsinside.

For example, tennis shoes, $50; shirt, $45; toy

car, $15

For instance:

To John Jones—one belt, $20; one box o candy, $5;

one tie, $20

To Mary Smith—one skirt, $45; one belt, $15; one pair

slacks, $30




I any item is worth more than the $100 git allowance,

the entire package will be dutiable

Can I send a gift to myself?You, as a traveler, cannot send a git package to yoursel,

and people traveling together cannot send gits to each

other But there would be no reason to do that anyway,

because the personal exemption or packages mailed

rom abroad is $200, which is twice as much as the git

exemption

Personal Belongings

Your personal belongings can be sent back to the

United States duty-ree i they are o US origin and

i they have not been altered or repaired while abroadPersonal belongings like worn clothing can be mailed

home and will receive duty-ree entry i you write the

words “American Goods Returned” on the outside o

the package

If a package is subject to duty

I a package is subject to duty, the United States Postal

Service will collect it rom the addressee along with any

postage and handling charges The sender cannot pre-

pay duty The recipient must pay duty when a packageis received in the United States

For more inormation about mailing packages to the

United States, visit “Sending Goods to the United States”

at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/send_to_us.xml.

Sending Purchases from InsularPossessions, Caribbean Basinand Andean Countries

Unaccompanied purchases are goods you bought on

a trip that are being mailed or shipped to you in the

United States In other words, you are not carrying

the goods with you when you return I your unac-

companied purchases are rom an insular possession or

a Caribbean Basin country and are being sent directly






Step 3 When you return to the United States, the CBP

ocer will: (a) collect duty and tax on the dutiable

goods you have brought with you; (b) check to see

that your list o unaccompanied articles, which youindicated on the CBP Form 255, agrees with your sales

receipts; (c) validate the CBP Form 255 as to wheth-

er your purchases are duty-ree under your personal

exemption ($1,600 or $800) or whether they are sub-

ject to a fat rate o duty

Step 4 Two copies o this three-part CBP Form 255

will be returned to you Send the yellow copy o the

CBP Form 255 to the oreign shopkeeper or vendor

holding your purchase, and keep the other copy or

your records

Step 5 When the merchant gets your CBP Form 255, he

or she will put it in an envelope and attach the enve-

lope securely to the outside wrapping o the package or

container The merchant must also mark each package“Unaccompanied Purchase” Please remember that each pack-

age or container must have its own CBP Form 255 attached. This

is the most important step to ollow in order to gain the

benets allowed under this procedure

Step 6 I your package has been mailed, the US PostalService will deliver it ater it clears customs I you owe

duty, the Postal Service will collect the duty along with

a postal handling ee I a reight service transports your

package, they will notiy you o its arrival so you can

go to the CBP oce holding the shipment and completethe entry procedure I you owe duty or tax, you can

pay it at that time You could also hire a customs bro-

ker to do this or you However, be aware that brokers

are not CBP employees, and they charge ees or their

services

I reight or express packages rom your trip are

delivered beore you return and you have not made

arrangements to pick them up, CBP will authorize their

placement in storage ater 15 days This storage will be

at your risk and expense I they are not claimed withinsix months, the items will be sold at auction



Know Beore You Go30

Packages sent by mail and not claimed within 30 days

will be returned to the sender unless the amount o

duty is being protested

Duty-Free Shops

The term “duty-ree” shops conuses many travelers

Travelers oten think that what they buy in duty-ree

shops will not be dutiable when they return home

and clear customs But this is not true Articles soldin a duty-ree shop are ree o duty and taxes only or

the country in which that shop is located So i your

purchases exceed your personal exemption, items you

bought in a duty-ree shop, whether in the United

States or abroad, will be subject to duty

Articles purchased in American duty-ree shops are also

subject to US duty i you bring them into the United

States Thereore, i you buy liquor in a duty-ree shop

in New York beore entering Canada and then bring it

back into the United States, it may be subject to dutyand Internal Revenue Service tax

Prohibited And Restricted Items

CBP has been entrusted with enorcing hundreds o

laws or 40 other government agencies, such as theUS Fish and Wildlie Service, the US Department

o Agriculture and the Centers or Disease Control and

Prevention These agencies require that unsae items

are not allowed to enter the United States CBP ocers

are always at ports o entry and assume the responsibil-

ity o protecting America rom all threats

The products CBP prevent rom entering the United

States are those that would injure community health,

public saety, American workers, children, or domestic

plant and animal lie, or those that would deeat ournational interests Sometimes the products that cause

injury, or have the potential to do so, may seem airly

innocent But, as you will see rom the material that

ollows, appearances can be deceiving

Beore you leave or your trip abroad, you might wantto talk to CBP about the items you plan to bring




back to be sure they’re not prohibited or restricted

Prohibited means the item is orbidden by law to enter

the United States Examples o prohibited items are

dangerous toys, cars that don’t protect their occupantsin a crash, bush meat, or illegal substances like absinthe

and Rohypnol Restricted means that special licenses or

permits are required rom a ederal agency beore the

item is allowed to enter the United States Examples

o restricted items include rearms, certain ruits and

vegetables, animal products, animal by products, andsome animals

Absinthe (Alcohol)The importation o absinthe is subject to the US Food

and Drug Administration regulations (21 CFR 172510and the Department o the Treasury’s Alcohol and

Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulations (27 CFR

Parts 1351, 542(a), and 565 The absinthe content

must be “thujone ree” (that is, it must contain less than

100 parts per million o thujone); the term “absinthe”

cannot be the brand name; the term “absinthe” can-not stand alone on the label; and the artwork and/or

graphics cannot project images o hallucinogenic, psy-

chotropic or mind-altering eects Absinthe imported

in violation o these regulations is subject to seizure

Alcoholic BeveragesIn addition to US laws, the laws o the state in which

you rst arrive in the United States will govern the

amount o alcohol you may bring with you, and wheth-

er you need a license I you plan to bring alcoholic

beverages with you, beore you depart, you shouldcontact the state’s applicable alcoholic beverage control

board to determine what you need to do to comply

with that state’s laws and regulations

AutomobilesAutomobiles imported into the United States must meet

the uel-emission requirements o the Environmental

Protection Agency and the saety, bumper, and thet-

prevention standards o the US Department o

Transportation Trying to import a car that doesn’t

meet all the requirements can be dicult (See the CBPbrochure, Importing a Car)



Know Beore You Go32

Almost all cars, vans, sport utility vehicles and so on

that are bought in oreign countries must be modi-

ed to meet American standards, except most late

model vehicles rom Canada Passenger vehicles that

are imported on the condition that they be modied

must be exported or destroyed i they are not modied

acceptably Also under these circumstances, the vehicle

could require a bond upon entry until the conditions

or admission have been met

And even i the car does meet all ederal standards,

it might be subject to additional EPA requirements,

depending on what countries it was driven in You are

strongly encouraged to contact EPA and DOT beore

importing a car

Inormation on importing vehicles can be obtained

rom visiting the Environmental Protection Agency

Web site at www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/actmtop.htm. You

may also nd importation inormation rom the

US Department o Transportation, Oce o VehicleSaety Compliance at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/

FAQ%20Site/pages/page2.html.

Copies o the brochure Importing or Exporting a Car can

be obtained by writing to US Customs and Border

Protection, PO Box 7407, Washington, DC 20044;or visiting www.cbp.gov. The EPA Automotive Imports Fact

Manual can be obtained by writing to the Environmental

Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; or by visit-

ing www.epa.gov.

Cars being brought into the United States temporarily,

by nonresidents, (or less than one year) are exempt

rom these restrictions It is illegal to bring a vehicle

into the United States and sell it i it was not ormally

entered on a CBP Form 7501

BiologicalsYou may need a US Department o Agriculture permit

and/or a Centers or Diesease Control and Prevention

permit to import biological specimens including bac-

terial cultures, culture medium, excretions, ungi,

arthropods, mollusks, tissues o livestock, birds, plants,viruses, or vectors or research, biological or pharma-




ceutical use Permit requirements are located under

“Permits” on the USDA Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov

and CDC permit inormation can be ound at www.cdc.

gov/od/eaipp/

Ceramic TablewareAlthough ceramic tableware is not prohibited or restrict-

ed, you should know that such tableware made in

oreign countries may contain dangerous levels o lead

in the glaze, which can seep into oods and beveragesThe US Food and Drug Administration recommends

that i you buy ceramic tableware abroad—especially

in Mexico, China,HongKong or India—you have it

tested or lead release when you return, or use it or

decorative purposes only

Cultural Artifacts and Cultural PropertyMost countries have laws that protect their cultural

property Art/artiacts/antiquities; archaeological and

ethnological material are also terms used to describe

this material These laws include export controls and/or national ownership o cultural property Even i

purchased rom a business in the country o origin or

in another country, legal ownership o such artiacts

may be in question i brought into the United States

Thereore, although they do not necessarily coner

ownership, you must have documents such as exportpermits and receipts when importing such items into

the United States

While oreign laws may not be enorceable in the United

States, they can cause certain US laws to be invoked

For example, under the US National Stolen Property

Act, one cannot have legal title to art/artiacts/antiq-

uities that were stolen—no matter how many times

such items may have changed hands Articles o stolen

cultural property rom museums or rom religious or

secular public monuments originating in any o thecountries party to the 1970 UNESCO Convention spe-

cically may not be imported into the United States

US law may also restrict the importation o specic

categories o art/artiacts/antiquities For example, US

laws restrict the importation o:



Know Beore You Go34

• Anypre-Columbianmonumentalandarchitec-

tural sculpture and murals rom Central and

South American countries;

• NativeAmericanartifactsfromCanada;Mayan

pre-Columbian archaeological objects rom

Guatemala; pre-Columbian archaeological objects

rom El Salvador and Peru; archaeological objects

like terracotta statues) rom Mali; Colonial peri-

od objects such as paintings and ritual objectsrom Peru;

• Byzantineperiodritualandecclesiasticobjects

such as icons rom Cyprus; and

• KhmerstonearchaeologicalsculpturefromCambodia

Importation o items such as those listed above is

permitted only when an export permit issued by the

country o origin where such items were rst oundaccompanies them Purveyors o such items have been

known to oer phony export certicates

As additional US import restrictions may be imposed

in response to requests rom other countries, it is wise

or prospective purchasers to visit the State Departmentcultural property Web site at http://exchanges.state.gov/

culprop/. This web site also has images representative o

the categories o cultural property or which there are

specic US import restrictions

Merchandise determined to be Iraqi cultural property or

other items o archaeological, historical, cultural, rare

scientic and religious importance illegally removed

rom the Iraq National Museum, the National Library

and other locations in Iraq, since August 6, 1990, are

also prohibited rom importation

Defense Articles or Items with Military orProliferation ApplicationsSome items that have both commercial and military

or prolieration applications, or that are considered

deense articles, require a license beore exportingabroad Such items may include sotware or tech-




nology, blueprints, design plans, and retail sotware

packages and technical inormation I CBP ocials

suspect that a regulated item or deense article has been

exported without a license, they may, or example, on

your return examine les and sotware on your laptop

computer as well as your baggage A list o US gov-

ernment agencies and departments with regulatory

authority over exports is available at www.bis.doc.gov/

about/reslinks.htm

Dog and Cat FurIt is illegal in the United States to import, export,

distribute, transport, manuacture or sell products

containing dog or cat ur in the United States As o

November 9, 2000, the Dog and Cat Protection Act o

2000 calls or the seizure and oreiture o each itemcontaining dog or cat ur

The Act provides that any person who violates any pro-

vision may be assessed a civil penalty o not more than

$10,000 or each separate knowing and intentionalviolation, $5,000 or each separate gross negligent vio-

lation, or $3,000 or each separate negligent violation

Drug ParaphernaliaIt is illegal to bring drug paraphernalia into the United

States unless prescribed or authentic medical conditionssuch as diabetes CBP will seize any illegal drug para-

phernalia Law prohibits the importation, exportation,

manuacture, sale or transportation o drug parapher-

nalia I you are convicted o any o these oenses, you

will be subject to nes and imprisonment

FirearmsThe Bureau o Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

(ATF) regulates and restricts rearms and ammunition

and approves all import transactions involving weap-

ons and ammunition I you want to import or exportweapons or ammunition, you must do so through a

licensed importer, dealer or manuacturer Also, i

the National Firearms Act prohibits certain weapons,

ammunition or similar devices rom coming into the

country, you will not be able to import them unless

the ATF provides you with written authorization to doso I the rearm is controlled as a US Munitions List



Know Beore You Go36

article and it is temporarily imported to the United

States, or it is temporarily exported, it may also require

a Department o State license

You do not need an ATF permit i you can demon-

strate that you are returning with the same rearms or

ammunition that you took out o the United States To

prevent problems when returning, you should register

your rearms and related equipment by taking them to

any CBP oce beore you leave the United States TheCBP ocer will register them on the same CBP Form-

4457 used to register cameras or computers (See the

section on Register Items Beore You Leave the United

States)

For urther inormation about importing weapons,contact:

Or visit www.at.gov/frearms

Many countries will not allow you to enter with a re-

arm even i you are only traveling through the country

on the way to your nal destination I you plan to take

your rearms or ammunition to another country, youshould contact ocials at that country’s embassy to

learn about its regulations

Fish and WildlifeCertain sh and wildlie, and products made rom

them, are subject to import and export restrictions,

prohibitions, permits or certicates, as well as require-

ments CBP recommends that you contact the US Fish

and Wildlie Service or www.ws.gov/permits/SpeciesLists/

SpeciesLists.shtml beore you depart i you plan to import

or export any o the ollowing:

• Wildbirds,landormarinemammals,reptiles,

sh, shellsh, mollusks or invertebrates;

• Anypartorproductoftheabove,suchasskins,

tusks, bone, eathers, or eggs; or




• Productsorarticlesmanufacturedfromwildlife

or sh

Endangered wildlie species, and products made rom

them, generally may not be imported or exported

You will need a permit rom the FWS to import vir-

tually all types o ivory, unless it is rom a warthog

The FWS has many restrictions and prohibitions on

various kinds o ivory—Asian elephant, Arican ele-

phant, whale, rhinoceros, seal, pre-Endangered SpeciesAct, post-CITES (Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species) and many others—and urge you

to contact them beore you acquire ivory in a oreign

country You may contact the Management Authority

at 18003582104 Pressing Option 3 will provide you

with general inormation, and Option 4 will connectyou to the permits section You can also get inor-

mation on permits at www.ws.gov/permits/importexport/

importexport.shtml.

You may import an object made o ivory i it is anantique To be an antique the ivory must be at least 100

years old You will need documentation that authen-

ticates the age o the ivory You may import other

antiques containing wildlie parts with the same condi-

tion, but they must be accompanied by documentation

proving they are at least 100 years old Certain otherrequirements or antiques may apply

I you plan to buy such things as tortoiseshell jewelry,

or articles made rom whalebone, ivory, skins or ur,

contact the US Fish and Wildlie Service, Division o

Law Enorcement, PO Box 3247, Arlington, VA 22203-

3247, or call 8003582104 or visit www.ws.gov Hunters

can get inormation on the limitations or importing

and exporting migratory game birds rom this oce

as well or rom www.ws.gov/migratorybirds/intrnltr/mbta/

mbtintro.html.

The US Fish and Wildlie Service has designated spe-

cic ports o entry to handle sh and wildlie entries I

you plan to import anything discussed in this section,

please contact CBP about designated ports and the bro-

chure Pets and Wildlife, which describes the regulations






(or non-business reasons) to someone in the United

States is not subject to Bioterrorism Act requirements

However, ood that is sent to an individual in the

United States by a business is subject to special require-

ments o the US Food and Drug Administration For

instance, i you go to a ood shop in England and buy

a git basket, then take it to the post oce or a courier

service to send to a riend, the shipment is not subject

to BTA requirements But i you go to that same shop

and ask them to send the git basket or you, the ship-ment is subject to BTA requirements, and the vendor

will have to le Prior Notice Many travelers are nd-

ing that vendors will not ship ood directly to US

residents because the reporting requirements can be

time-consuming to complete

In general, ailure to provide complete, timely and

accurate prior notice or Bioterrorism Act regulated

items, can result in reusal o admission o the mer-

chandise, movement o the goods to an FDA registered

acility (at importer expense) and/or civil monetarypenalty liabilities or any party that was involved in the

import transaction

For ull details regarding the latest FDA requirements,

including those ood items exempt rom these require-

ments, access www.da.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html.

Fruits and VegetablesBringing ruits and vegetables depends on a number

o actors For instance, consider the apple you bought

in the oreign airport just beore boarding and then

did not eat Whether or not CBP will allow the apple

into the United States depends on where you got it and

where you are going ater you arrive in the United

States The same would be true or Mediterranean

tomatoes Such actors are important because resh

ruits and vegetables can introduce plant pests or dis-eases into the United States

One good example o problems imported ruits and

vegetables can cause is the Mediterranean ruit fy out-

break during the 1980s The outbreak cost the state o

Caliornia and the ederal government approximately$100 million to get rid o this pest The cause o the






Prevention Prospective importers o nonhuman pri-

mate trophy materials rom nonhuman primates

should review the permit requirements and com-

plete an application orm, ollowing the Guidance or

Individuals Wishing to Import Non-Human Primate

Trophies, Skins or Skulls ound at http://www.cdc.gov/od/

ohs/biosfty/IP_NHP_Guidance013004.pdf Trophy materials

o other animals under import embargo because o

viral zoonotic inections, such as civets, Asian birds,

and Arican rodents, may be imported i the body hasbeen suciently processed to render it non-inectious

Proper methods o accomplishing this include:

• Heatingtoaninternaltemperatureof70degrees

Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) or placing in

boiling water or a minimum o 30 minutes);

• Preservationin2percentformaldehyde;

• Chemicallytreatinginacidicoralkalinesolu-

tions (soaking in a solution below pH 30 orabove pH 115 or 24 hours); or

• Theuseofhypertonicsalts.

Also, ederal regulations do not allow the importation

o any species into a state with sh or wildlie laws thatare more restrictive than ederal laws I oreign laws

were violated in the taking, sale, possession or export

to the United States o wild animals, those animals will

not be allowed entry into the United States

Warning: There are many regulations, enorced by

various agencies, governing the importation o animals

and animal parts Failure to comply with them could

result in time-consuming delays in clearing your tro-

phy through CBP You should always call or guidance

beore you depart

GoldGold coins, medals and bullion, ormerly prohibited,

may be brought into the United States However, under

regulations administered by the Oce o Foreign Assets

Control, such items originating in or brought romCuba, Iran, Burma (Myanmar) and most o Sudan are



Know Beore You Go42

prohibited entry Copies o gold coins are prohibited i

not properly marked by country o issuance

Haitian Animal Hide DrumsHaitian goat hide drums have been previously linked to

a case o cutaneous anthrax, and the CDC restricts entry

o animal hide drums rom Haiti i they have not been

processed in a way that renders them non-inectious

Travelers should be aware that untanned animal hide

drums rom Arica may pose a similar but low risk orcutaneous anthrax

Meats, Livestock and PoultryThe regulations governing meat and meat products are

stringent You may not import resh, dried or canned

meats or meat products rom most oreign countriesinto the United States Also, you may not import ood

products that have been prepared with meat

The regulations on importing meat and meat products

change requently because they are based on diseaseoutbreaks in dierent areas o the world APHIS, which

regulates meats and meat products as well as ruits and

vegetables, invites you to contact them or more inor-

mation on importing meats A list o countries and/or

regions with specic livestock or poultry diseases can

be ound at www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/ani-mal_disease_status.shtml.

MedicationRule o thumb: When you go abroad, take the medicines you will

need, no more, no less. Narcotics and certain other drugs

with a high potential or abuse—Rohypnol, GHB and

Fen-Phen, to name a ew—may not be brought into the

United States, and there are severe penalties or trying

to do so I you need medicines that contain potentially

addictive drugs or narcotics (eg, some cough medi-

cines, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antidepressants orstimulants), do the ollowing:

• Declarealldrugs,medicinals,andsimilarprod-

ucts to the appropriate CBP ocial;

• Carrysuchsubstancesintheiroriginalcontain-ers;




• Carryonlythequantityofsuchsubstancesthat

a person with that condition (eg, chronic pain)

would normally carry or his/her personal use;

and

• Carryaprescriptionorwrittenstatementfrom

your physician that the substances are being

used under a doctor's supervision and that they

are necessary or your physical well being while

traveling

US residents entering the United States at interna-

tional land borders who are carrying a validly obtained

controlled substance (other than narcotics such as mar-

ijuana, cocaine, heroin, or LSD), are subject to certain

additional requirements I a US resident wants tobring in a controlled substance (other than narcotics

such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or LSD) but does

not have a prescription or the substance issued by a

US-licensed practitioner (eg, physician, dentist, etc)

who is registered with, and authorized by, the DrugEnorcement Administration to prescribe the medica-

tion, the individual may not import more than 50

dosage units o the medication into the United States

I the US resident has a prescription or the controlled

substance issued by a DEA registrant, more than 50 dos-

age units may be imported by that person, provided allother legal requirements are met

Please note that only medications that can be legally

prescribed in the United States may be imported or

personal use Be aware that possession o certain sub-

stances may also violate state laws As a general rule,

the FDA does not allow the importation o prescription

drugs that were purchased outside the United States

Please see their Web site or inormation about the

enorcement policy or personal use quantities

Warning: The US Food and Drug Administration

prohibits the importation, by mail or in person, o

raudulent prescription and nonprescription drugs and

medical devices These include unorthodox “cures” or

such medical conditions as cancer, AIDS, arthritis or

multiple sclerosis Although such drugs or devices maybe legal elsewhere, i the FDA has not approved them



Know Beore You Go44

or use in the United States, they may not legally enter

the country and will be conscated, even i they were

obtained under a oreign physician’s prescription

Additional inormation about traveling with and

importing medication can be ound at www.da.gov/ora/

import/traveler_alert.htm.

Merchandise from Embargoed Countries

Generally, you may not bring in any merchandise romCuba, Iran, Burma (Myanmar) or most o Sudan The

Oce o Foreign Assets Control o the US Department

o Treasury enorces economic sanctions against these

countries To bring in merchandise rom these coun-

tries, you will rst need a specic license rom the

Oce o Foreign Assets Control Such licenses are rarelygranted You can write to the Oce o Foreign Assets

Control, Department o the Treasury, Washington, DC

20220, or visit their Web site at www.treas.gov/oac.

Exceptions:

• Youmay,however,bringfromanyofthese

countries inormation and inormational materials —

books, magazines, lms, posters, photographs,

microlms, tapes, CDs, records, works o art, etc

Blank tapes and blank CDs are not inormationalmaterials

• AllowedimportationsofmerchandisefromIran

include oodstus intended or human consump-

tion, carpets and other textile foor coverings,

and gits o up to $100 (US) in value

• Allowedimportationsofmerchandisefrom

Sudan include gits o up to $100 (US) in value

• ImportationsofmerchandisefromSudanaregenerally allowed i acquired directly rom

these parts o Sudan: Southern Sudan, Southern

Kordofan/NubaMountainsState,BlueNileState,

Abyei, Darur, and certain marginalized areas in

andaroundKhartoum.(Notethatsuchmerchan-

dise may not be commercially shipped through




Khartoum,PortSudanorotherareasofSudan

that remain subject to sanctions)

There are non-comprehensive embargo programs

administered by Treasury's Oce o Foreign Assets

Control with respect to the ollowing regions, coun-

tries or entities: Western Balkans; Belarus, Cote

d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic o the Congo, Iraq

(or cultural property), Liberia (Former Regime o

Charles Taylor), Sierra Leone, Syria, Zimbabwe, andPersons Undermining the Sovereignty o Lebanon or its

Democratic Processes and Institutions

OFAC also administers programs that target individuals

and entities wherever they are located Those programs

currently relate to oreign narcotics trackers, oreignterrorists, and Weapons o Mass Destruction proliera-

tors See OFAC’s Website or a list o those persons and

entities

There are some travel restrictions with respect to cer-tain embargoed countries You should check www.treas.

gov/ofces/enorcement/oac/programs/ to determine which

countries are subject to travel restrictions beore mak-

ing any plans to visit these countries

PetsI you plan to take your pet abroad or import one on

your return, please review a copy o the CBP brochure

Pets and Wildlife You should also check with state,

county and local authorities to learn i their restric-

tions and prohibitions on pets are stricter than ederal

requirements

Importing animals is closely regulated or public health

reasons and also or the well-being o the animals

There are restrictions and prohibitions on bringing

many species into the United States

Cats are subject to inspection at ports o entry and may

be denied entry into the United States i they have evi-

dence o an inectious disease that can be transmitted

to humans I a cat appears to be ill, urther examina-

tion by a licensed veterinarian at the owner's expensemight be required at the port o entry










Plants and seedsSome plants, cuttings, seeds that are capable o prop-

agation, unprocessed plant products and certain

endangered species are allowed into the United States

but require import permits and other documents; some

are prohibited entirely Threatened or endangered spe-

cies that are permitted must have export permits rom

the country o origin

Every single plant or plant product including handicratitems made with straw, must be declared to the CBP

ocer and must be presented or CBP inspection, no

matter how ree o pests it appears to be For inorma-

tion on importing plants or plant products visit www.

aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits/plantproducts/index.html.

SoilSoil is considered the loose surace material o the

earth in which plants, trees, and scrubs grow In most

cases, the soil consists o disintegrated rock with an

admixture o organic material and soluble salts Soilis prohibited entry unless accompanied by an import

permit Soil must be declared and the permit must be

veried

Textiles and Clothing

In general, there is no limit to how much abric andclothing you can bring back as long as it is or your

personal use or as gits I you have exceeded your

personal exemption, you may have to pay duty on the

items Unaccompanied personal shipments (packages

that are mailed or shipped), however, may be subject to

limitations on amount

On January 1, 2005, quotas or all countries that are

part o the World Trade Organization (WTO) were

eliminated There are still some countries, like Vietnam,

that are not part o the WTO that have quotas inplace or commercial shipments These countries may

require an additional document called a “visa” accom-

pany the shipment

China could have limits on particular garments called

“saeguards” It is recommended that you contact a CBPimport specialist in your area or at the port where you



Know Beore You Go50

plan to import to determine what countries are subject

to quotas and what products rom China are subject to

saeguards

There may be additional documentation required or

textiles rom other countries such as the Arican coun-

tries that require a visa to be placed on a commercial

invoice in order to get duty-ree treatment There may

also be a certicate o eligibility document require-

ment to get duty-ree treatment under many o theree trade agreements that are negotiated between the

United States and the oreign government These are

not admissibility documents, but allow you to import

your garments duty-ree, provided certain conditions

are met

Trademarked and Copyrighted ArticlesCBP enorces laws relating to the protection o trade-

marks and copyrights Articles that inringe a ederally

registered trademark or copyright or copyright pro-

tected by the Berne Convention or the Protection o Literary and Artistic Works are subject to detention and/

or seizure Inringing articles may consist o articles

that use a protected right without the authorization o

the trademark or copyright owner or articles that copy

or simulate a protected right

Articles bearing marks that are countereit or inap-

propriately using a ederally registered trademark are

subject to seizure and oreiture The importation o

articles intended or sale or public distribution bearing

countereit marks may subject an individual to a civil

ne i the registered trademark has also been recorded

with CBP Articles bearing marks that are conusingly

similar to a CBP recorded registered trademark, and

restricted gray market articles (goods bearing genuine

marks not intended or US importation or which CBP

granted gray market protection) are subject to detentionand seizure

However, travelers arriving in the United States may

be permitted an exemption and allowed to import one

article o each type, which must accompany the person,

bearing a countereit, conusingly similar or restricted




gray market trademark, provided that the article is or

personal use and is not or sale

This exemption may be granted not more than once

every 30 days The arriving passenger may retain one

article o each type accompanying the person For

example, an arriving person who has three purses,

whether each bears a dierent inringing trademark, or

whether all three bear the same inringing trademark,

is permitted only one purse I the article importedunder the personal exemption provision is sold within

one year ater the date o importation, the article or its

value is subject to oreiture

In regard to copyright inringement, articles that are

determined by CBP to be clearly piratical o a protectedcopyright, ie, unauthorized articles that are substan-

tially similar to a material protected by a copyright, are

subject to seizure A personal use exemption or articles,

similar to that described above also applies to copy-

righted articles or the personal, non-commercial use o the importer and are not or sale or distribution

You may bring back genuine trademarked and copy-

righted articles (subject to duties) Products subject to

copyright protection most commonly imported include

sotware on CD-ROMs, sound recordings, toys, stuedanimals, clothing with cartoon characters, videotapes,

DVDs, music CDs and books Products subject to trade-

mark protection most commonly imported include

handbags and accessories, and clothing

Money And Other MonetaryInstruments

You may bring into or take out o the country, includ-

ing by mail, as much money as you wish However, i

it is more than $10,000, you will need to report it toCBP Ask the CBP ocer or the Currency Reporting

Form (FinCen 105) The penalties or non-compliance

can be severe

“Money” means monetary instruments and includes US

or oreign coins currently in circulation, currency, trav-

elers’ checks in any orm, money orders, and negotiableinstruments or investment securities in bearer orm



Know Beore You Go52

Photographic Film

CBP will not examine lm you bought abroad and

are bringing back unless the CBP ocer has reason to

believe it contains prohibited material, such as child

pornography

You will not be charged duty on lm bought in the

United States and exposed abroad, whether it is devel-

oped or not But lm you bought and developed abroadcounts as a dutiable item

CBP’s Pledge to Travelers

• Wepledgetocordiallygreetandwelcomeyouto

the United States• Wepledgetotreatyouwithcourtesy,dignity

and respect

• WepledgetoexplaintheCBPprocesstoyou.

• Wepledgetohaveasupervisorlistentoyour

comments• Wepledgetoacceptandrespondtoyourcom-

ments in written, verbal or electronic orm

• Wepledgetoprovidereasonableassistancedue

to delay or disability

I you have a concern or need help understandingCBP regulations and procedures, ask to speak with the

supervisor on duty

I you have any questions about CBP procedures,

requirements, or policies regarding travelers, or i you

have any complaints about treatment you received rom

CBP ocers or about your CBP processing, please write

to:

Customer Service Center

Oce o Public Aairs, Room 34-AUS Customs and Border Protection

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20229

Or call 1877CBP5511 (18772275511)




Allegations o criminal or serious misconduct may

be reported to the Joint Intake Center by telephone

at 1.877.2INTAKE (1.877.246.8253), by email to Joint.

Intake@dhsgov, by ax to 2023443390, or by mail

to:

US Customs and Border Protection

PO Box 14475

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20044

DHS Traveler Redress InquiryProgram

The Department o Homeland Security’s TravelerRedress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) provides a single

point o contact or individuals who have inquiries or

seek resolution regarding diculties they experienced

during their travel screening at airports or train sta-

tions or crossing US borders, including:

• Deniedordelayedairlineboarding;

• Deniedordelayedentryintoandexitfromthe

United States at a port o entry; or

• Continuouslyreferredtosecondaryscreening.

To initiate an inquiry, please log onto DHS TRIP’s inter-

active Web site at www.dhs.gov/trip.

You will be asked to describe your concerns and expe-

rience, provide contact inormation and be assigned a

case number to help you monitor the progress o your

inquiry

Ater ling online, you will be asked to provide sup-porting documentation within 30 days DHS TRIP will

process your request ater the supporting paperwork is

received You may check the status o your request at

any time through the DHS TRIP Web site at www.dhs.

gov/trip.



Know Beore You Go54

Other Travel-RelatedInformation

Planning or healthy travel: International travelers

can take a number o simple steps to avoid potential

health problems beore and during travel Contact your

physician, local health department, or private or public

agencies that advise international travelers at least 4 to

6 weeks beore departure to schedule an appointment

to receive current health inormation on the countriesyou plan to visit, obtain vaccinations and prophylactic

medications as indicated, and address any special needs

Travel health inormation rom the Centers or Disease

Control and Prevention can be ound at wwwn.cdc.gov/

travel/deault.aspx

Animals also are susceptible to contracting diseases that

were brought back to the United States by unknow-

ing international travelers: diseases such as Exotic

Newcastle Disease and Avian Infuenza that can deci-

mate local poultry populations; Swine Flu, Foot andMouth disease and other animal diseases

Passports are issued by the US Department o State

Passport Agency Please contact the Passport Agency

nearest you or more inormation Postal clerks also

accept passport applications Additional inormationcan be ound at www.travel.state.gov.

Baggage allowance: Ask the airline or steamship line on

which you are traveling or more inormation Contact

the Transportation Security Administration at www.tsa.

gov or a list o prohibited and permitted items

Currency o other nations: Your local bank can be o

assistance

Foreign countries: For inormation about the countryyou will visit or about what articles may be imported

or brought into that country, contact that country’s

embassy, consular oce, or tourist inormation oce

Glossary Of TermsAccompanied baggage – Baggage that you have withyou when you return to the United States




CBP – US Customs and Border Protection was cre-

ated in 2003 by combining the US Customs Service,

Immigration Inspection Service, Animal Plant and

Health Inspection Service, and the US Border Patrol

into one border agency

DHS – Department o Homeland Security is the parent

agency o CBP and also was created in 2003, ater the

9/11 attacks on the United States

Dutiable – Items on which duty may have to be paid

Most items have specic duty rates, which are deter-

mined by a number o actors, including where you got

the item, where it was made, and what it is made o

Duty-ree – This is merchandise you may bring back tothe United States without having to pay duty

Duty-ree exemption – see Personal exemption

Flat duty rate – When determining the duty o theitems a traveler brings with them upon their return to

the US: ater the personal exemption o $200, $800 or

$1,600; the next $1000 o merchandise will be charged

a fat rate o duty o 15 percent or 3 percent

GSP – The Generalized System o Preerences is a tradeprogram that gives duty preerences – that is a ree

rate o duty – or certain goods in certain developing

countries

Joint declaration – Family members who live in the

same home and return together to the United States

may combine their personal exemptions instead o each

amily member ling an individual declaration

Personal exemption – The total value o merchandise

you may bring back to the United States without havingto pay duty

Prohibited items – Items that are not allowed into the

United States under any circumstances

Restricted items – Items that are allowed into theUnited States but have a condition or importation






U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service• Permits-www.ws.gov/permits/

• Listsofanimalsneedingimportpermits-www.

ws.gov/permits/SpeciesLists/SpeciesLists.shtml

• Importinggamebirds-www.ws.gov/migratory-

birds/intrnltr/mbta/mbtintro.html

• Huntingtrophies-www.ws.gov/le/HuntFish/

HuntFishIno.htm

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms andExplosives

• Firearms-www.at.gov/frearms/index.htm

Department of Commerce - www.commerce.gov

Environmental Protection Agency

www.epa.gov

• Importingavehicle-www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/

actmtop.htm.

U.S. Department of Transportation

• OfceofVehicleSafetyCompliance-www.nhtsa.

dot.gov/cars/rules/import/FAQ%20Site/pages/page2.

html

Food and Drug Administration

• Fooditemsexemptfrombioterrorismrequire-ments - www.da.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html

• Medications-www.da.gov/ora/import/traveler_alert.

htm

OFAC

• Countrysanctions-www.treas.gov/ofces/enorce-

ment/oac/programs/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention• TravelerHealth-wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/deault.aspx

• AnimalImportation-wwwn.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/

animal/index.htm• QuarantineStations–www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/quar-

antine_stations.htm



Know Beore You Go58






Know Beore You Go60

Notes




Notes



Know Beore You Go62

Notes



Know Beore You Go

US Customs and Border Protection

Washington, DC 20229To report suspicious activity call

1-800-BE ALERT

CBP Brochure No 0000-0512

Revised May 2009



1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20229