How To: US customs regulations

As with all travel destinations, you should inform yourself before departure on what you may or may not import before traveling to the US. Quite frequently, customs will also confiscate goods upon leaving the country, or you will have to pay severe fines. Special regulations apply, for example, to taking your pets, food stuffs, or gifts.

Below, find an over view of the most important customs regulations for the US.

Your pet Of course, many tourists don't want to leave their pets at home while they go on vacation. The regulations for cats and dogs are quite similar, with only small differences.

For your dog, you will need a certificate of health in order to prove that it has no diseases that may be transferred to humans. You will get this from your veterinarian. Please ask him to issue the certificate in English. In addition, your dog must have had an anti-rabies inoculation at least 30 days before departure. Exempt from this rule are only puppies younger than 3 months or dogs from regions that have been declared free of rabies by the official health service (or dogs who have lived in such a region for at least six months). However, we recommend to have your dog inoculated anyway. To prove this, you must have a valid inoculation certificate. This certificate should contain a detailed description of the dog, as well as the date and validity of the inoculation. Always have a certified vet issue and sign this certificate (in English).
Please note: the state of Hawaii and the territories of Guam and American-Samoa have special regulations - all dogs must be in a 120-day quarantine before being admitted into the country. Please consider carefully whether you really want to inflict that upon your dog.

If you want to take your cat to the US, you have to know about the following regulations:
You will need a certificate of health in order to prove that it has no diseases that may be transferred to humans (same as for a dog). In case the cat is not obviously healthy at the border, further examinations by a certified veterinarian might be necessary, which you will have to pay for. For cats as well, the strict quarantine regulations apply for Hawaii and the territories of Guam and American-Samoa.

Sending packages to the US In case you want to send a package and/or gift to the US, you should observe the following regulations:

You will have to fill out an international customs declaration on which you correctly state the entire contents and stick it on the package. You won't have to pay customs duty if the contents are worth less than $100. Perfumes that include alcohol and tobacco products are generally not duty free, unless the total worth is no higher than $5.

In case you are planning to send food stuffs to the US, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to receive a "Prior Notice" before the food can be imported. Please note that this notice has to be submitted before the package is sent. Please include the FDA confirmation in the package. You may obtain this electronically under www.foodsafety.gov/~pn/pnoview.html

You may send the following foodstuffs without a Prior Notice:

- home-made products that you send as a gift
- foodstuffs that include household goods
- foodstuffs that are being send as a gift from one private individual to another

Importing foodstuffs yourself If you don't want to do without your bratwurst on vacation, the following advice may be important for you:

The regulations of the US Department of Agriculture prohibit the import of fresh, dried and canned meat and meat products from almost all countries. Any food that includes meat is prohibited.
Baked goods and storable cheese, however, are permitted.
In general, however, all imported foodstuffs are subject to the US food authorities and can be confiscated at any time if it is suspected that they pose a health risk. Find all authorized foodstuffs on this homepage of the US Department of Agriculture: www.aphis.usda.gov/travel/usdatips.html#approved

Medication at the border Of course, narcotics and dangerous medication may not be imported and may be confiscated at the border. A traveler who needs medication that contains addictive substances or narcotics (e.g. heart medication, sleeping pills, antidepressants, amphetamines, cough medicine etc), however, have to bring the following documents:

- documentation for all medication (instruction leaflet)
- persons with health problems may only import the dosages they need for the duration of their trip
- either a prescription or a written note from the doctor that the medication is required for the patient's physical or mental well-being

Alcohol Adults at least 21 years of age may not import more than one liter of alcohol for personal use without paying taxes and customs duty. Anything beyond that has to be declared and are subject to taxation and customs duty. The fees for beer are approx. 16 cents per liter and for wine ca. 36 cents per liter. Please also inform yourself about the regulations of the individual states, these will sometimes be even more restrictive. By the way, US mail laws prohibit the sending of alcohol by mail.

Cash How much cash may I import into the US?
There is no limit to the amount of cash you may import into the US. However, if you want to import more than $10,000, you have to fill out customs form 4790 at US customs. If you fail to do this, you have to be prepared for fines or penalties, including the confiscation of your money. Currency includes American or foreign coins, currencies, traveler checks, money orders, as well as transferable securities and investment securities.