Customs and Border Protection

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the allowance for alcoholic beverages brought into the United States?

Adults may bring in, free of duty and internal revenue tax, not more than one liter of alcoholic beverages - beer, wine, liquor - for personal use. Quantities above the one-liter limitation are subject to duty and internal revenue tax.

DUTY AND TAX RATES SAMPLES (Approximate):
Beer - 15 cents per liter
Still Wine - 34 cents per liter
86 Proof Scotch - $3.06 per liter

Be aware, however, that in addition to federal laws, you must meet state alcoholic beverage laws which may be more restrictive than federal liquor laws. This means that if the state in which you arrive permits less liquor (wine, beer) than you have legally brought into the United States, that state's laws apply to your importation of alcoholic beverages for personal use.

NOTE : SHIPPING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES BY MAIL IS PROHIBITED BY UNITED STATES POSTAL LAWS

How do I bring my prescription medicine into the United States?

NARCOTICS AND DANGEROUS DRUGS ARE PROHIBITED ENTRY. THERE ARE SEVERE PENALTIES IF IMPORTED.

A traveler requiring medicines containing habit-forming drugs or narcotics (e.g. cough medicine, diuretics, heart drugs, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, depressants, stimulants, etc.) should:

• Have all drugs, medicines, and similar products properly identified;
• Carry only the quantity that might normally be used by an individual having a health problem requiring such drugs or medicine:
• Have either a prescription or written statement from your personal physician that the medicine is being used under a doctor's direction and is necessary for your physical well-being while traveling.

Medication can be sent by post if the prescription or doctor's letter is included. A notation should be placed on the outside of the parcel stating, for example, "DOCTOR'S LETTER ATTACHED."

Can I bring my persian carpet into the United States?

YES. PERSIAN CARPETS ARE NOW PERMITTED

For further information contact:

THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of Foreign Assets Control
Washington, D.C. 20220
001-202-622-2480

What are the requirements for bringing my cat or dog into the United States?

To bring a dog or cat from the UK into the US you should have a health certificate from a veterinarian. There is no special form for this certificate. Such a certificate is usually required by the airlines, so you should check with the airlines shipping your pet for any time limitations or other details.

The UK is a rabies-free area so your pet will not be quarantined and will not need a rabies vaccination unless required by the state or local authorities in the place of your final destination. We do not have information on any state and local regulations and laws. It is suggested, therefore, that if you have a contact in the area where you are going, they should call the city or county health department for local requirements.

Can I get a refund of the tax paid on merchandise and services purchased in the United States?

Sales taxes in the United States are assessed and collected by various State and local authorities, not by the Federal Government. According to information available to this office, only the State of Louisiana has any provisions to refund the sales tax to visiting tourists and business travelers. Therefore, unless purchases were made in Louisiana, no sales tax refund is possible.

What kind of food products can I bring to the U.S.?

Food, Plant, and Animal Products
General List of Approved Products

This list covers products from all areas except Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Bamboo - dried poles only
Beads made of seeds - (but not jequirity beans)
Breads, cakes, cookies, and other bakery goods
Candies, confectionery, chocolates
Cheeses - fully cured hard cheese only
Coconuts - (but husks or milk must be removed)
Coffee - roasted beans only
Dried foods - including polished rice, beans, and tea
Fish
Flower bulbs (*)
Flowers (*)
Fruits - canned or dried products only
Herbarium plants - (but not witchweed)
Herbs - dried, for medicinal use
Mushrooms
Nuts - (but not chestnuts or acorns or nuts with outer husks)
Sauces - canned or processed
Seaweed
Seeds - (but not avocado, bamboo, barberry, coconuts, corn, cotton, currant, elm, hibiscus, lentil, mahonia, mango, pearl millet, potato, rice, sorghum, and wheat)
Shamrocks - without root or soil
Soup and soup mixes - (but not those containing meat)
Spices - dried (but not curry leaves)
Straw animals, hats, baskets, and other souvenirs - (but not items stuffed with straw)
Vegetables - canned or processed

*  Check with the U.S. Department of Agriculture at www.aphis.usda.gov regarding Plant Protection and Quarantine Permits .   A phytosanitary certificate is required for propagative material.

Those sending food products commercially will need to go the FDA web site at www.access.fda.gov (Embassy personal cannot enter this information for you).

Further information on the BTA can be found at www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html

Is there a duty-free allowance for merchandise shipments?

Yes - $200.00 for commercial shipments or for a personal shipment of merchandise sent to oneself.

What is the duty-free allowance for sending gifts?

Gifts Sent By Mail

Persons in the U.S. may receive, free of duty, a gift mailed from a foreign country or a Caribbean Basin beneficiary country if the shipment does not exceed $100 based upon its retail value, or $200 if sent from the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Guam. You may send as many gifts as you wish, but the U.S. addressee will be required to pay duty if the gift parcels received in one day total more than $100 (or $200). Gifts that exceed these amounts will be subject to customs duty based on the entire value. There is no $100 (or $200) deduction.

Packages should be marked "Unsolicited Gift", with the name of the donor, nature of the gift, and fair retail value of the package clearly written on the outside wrapper.

Alcoholic beverages, cigars, cigarettes, and perfumes containing alcohol may not be included within this gift privilege.

Gifts intended for more than one person may be consolidated in the same package provided they are individually wrapped and labeled with the name of the recipient.

Be sure that the outer wrapping of the package is marked: 1) unsolicited gift, 2) nature of the gift, and 3) its fair retail value. In addition, a consolidated gift parcel should be marked as such on the outside with the names of the recipients listed and the value of each gift. This will facilitate customer clearance of your package.

Which countries are included in the GSP program in the United States system?

The following countries, territories and associations of countries eligible for treatment as one country (pursuant to section 502(a)(3) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2462(a)(3)) are designated beneficiary developing counties for the purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences, provided for in Title V of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.):

NOTE: GSP RATES DO NOT APPLY TO ALL PRODUCTS (e.g. textiles).

Textile products of which countries require a "textile visa" (export permit)?

Many (but not all) textile products from the following countries are subject to quotas and require a textile visa:

Can I bring a car to the United States?

If the car will be in the U.S. for not more that one year, you are exempt from the emission control and safety standards. Just bring your registration documentation.

If more than one year, the car must be in compliance with the U.S. requirements.

Cars are duty-free for immigrants and visitors. Returning U.S. residents pay a duty of 2.5%.

Can I bring firearms and ammunition into the U.S.?

An approved ATF Form 6-Part I (5330.3A) is required to import all firearms, ammunition, and implements of war into the United States or any possession. The ATF Form 6 should be submitted approximately 60 days prior to the intended importation.

Fully automatic weapons and semi-automatic "assault" type weapons are prohibited.

For complete information, write:

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Firearms and Explosives Import Branch
Washington, D.C. 20226
001-202-927-8320

How much money can I bring into the United States?

The transportation of currency or monetary instruments, REGARDLESS OF AMOUNT IS LEGAL; however, if you take out of or bring into the United States more than $10,000 (U.S. or foreign equivalent, or a combination of the two) in coin, currency, traveler's checks or bearer instruments such as money orders, personal or cashier's checks, stocks or bonds, you are required BY LAW to FILE a report on Form 4790 with the United States Customs Service. If you have someone else carry the currency or instruments for you, you must also file the report. FAILURE TO FILE THE REQUIRED REPORT OR FAILURE TO REPORT THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU ARE CARRYING MAY LEAD TO THE SEIZURE OF ALL THE CURRENCY OR INSTRUMENTS, AND MAY SUBJECT YOU TO CIVIL PENALTIES AND/OR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

What items are prohibited from entry into the United States?

• Among articles prohibited are absinthe, liquor-filled candy, lottery tickets, narcotics and dangerous drugs, obscene articles and publications, seditious and treasonable materials, hazardous articles (e.g., fireworks, dangerous toys, toxic or poisonous substances), products made by convicts or forced labor, and switchblades (except for use by a one-armed traveler).


• "Piratical" copies of copyrighted articles-produced without the authorization of the copyright owner-are prohibited from importation into the United States.


• Foreign-made trademarked articles may be limited as to the quantity which may be brought into the United States if the American owner of the registered trademark has recorded it with U.S. Customs. The types of articles usually of interest to travelers are: 1) lenses, cameras, binoculars, optical goods; 2) tape recorders, musical instruments; 3) jewelry, precious metalware; 4) perfumery; 5) watches, clocks. Persons arriving in the United States with a trademarked article are allowed an exemption, usually one article of a type bearing a protected trademark. The article must be for your personal use and not for sale.


• Wildlife and fish are subject to certain import and export restrictions, prohibitions, permits or certificates, and quarantine requirements. This includes:
  
  • wild birds, mammals including marine mammals, reptiles, crustaceans, fish, and mollusks;
  • any part or product, such as skins, feathers, eggs; and
  • products and articles manufactured from wildlife and fish.
  
  Endangered species of wildlife and products made from them are prohibited from being imported or exported. If you contemplate importing articles made from wildlife, such as tortoise shell jewelry, leather goods, articles made from whalebone, ivory, skins, or furs, please contact, prior to your departure to the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the following address:
  
     U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
     Department of the Interior
     Washington, D.C. 20240
     001-703-358-2093


• Unsterilized specimens of human and animal tissue (including blood, body discharges and excretions); cultures of living bacteria, viruses or similar organisms; animals suspected of being infected with a disease transmissible to humans; and insects, snails and bats may require an import permit from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please contact the CDC at the following address for further information:
  
     OFFICE OF HEALTH AND SAFETY
     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (F-05)
     1600 Clifton Road
     Atlanta, GA 30333
     001-404-639-3235


• Meats, livestock, poultry and their by-products (such as sausage, pate'), are prohibited or restricted from entering the United States, depending upon the animal disease condition in the country of origin. Please contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the following for further information:
  
     DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
     Imports-Exports Products Staff
     APHIS, VS
     Federal Building
     6505 Belcrest Road
     Hyattsville, MD 20782
     001-301-734-3294
  

Further information on U.S. customs matters may be found at the web site of the U.S. Customs Service which offers information on importing and exporting, law enforcement activities, and a "Know Before You Go" guide for the international traveller.

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