What to bring to the US and how?

Definition: Customs status For importing goods into the US, US customs uses a definition system that divides people entering the US into several groups. How many and what kinds of goods can be imported into the US and the formalities that go along with it depend upon this classification.

Non-resident/first time immigrants Interestingly, first-time immigrants in the US are classified as non-residents when they enter the US with this status for the first time. After that, they will be classified as returning residents provided they are holding the "alien registration form," better known as green card.

Part-time residents A part-time resident can have two households abroad and inside the US. According to the definition, they can be in the US on business, as tourists, or students. For custom purposes, a part-time resident can be classified as returning resident or non-resident. What status exactly you will get depends on the individual case, based on different criteria. Decisive factors may be your nationality, where you pay your taxes and where you are employed, what country your driver's license is from etc.

General procedure for importing household effects and personal goods

Depending on how you want to proceed, you will need the following for the import: the Customs Declaration for imported goods, that is the form CF 6059B or CF 3299 (Declaration For Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles).

When you are filling them out, please keep in mind that the general information that the goods are household effects is not sufficient. You will have to list all items separately and present them at customs upon request (in English, of course). Here is one example of what such a list may look like:

FURNITURE: tables, chairs, sofas, beds, office and living room furniture, desks, lamps, mirrors

KITCHEN: silverware, glassware, frying pans, pots, technical utensils

HOUSEHOLD EFFECTS: bed sheets, cleaning products, decoration, works of art, toys, television sets and radios, washing machines, dryers etc.

SPORTING EQUIPMENT: (no weapons!) bikes, skiing equipment, skate and surfboards

CLOTHES: clothes of men, women and children

BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS: books, calendars, personal records (such as letters), photo albums

EQUIPMENT FOR HOUSES AND OFFICES: computer technology (please list in detail), paper shredders, fax machines, telephones, calculators

OTHER: please list all items that don't belong to one of the categories above in this extra chapter.

Goods you are bringing along Goods that are arriving with you on the plane will be regarded as import goods you are bringing along with you. The same applies to articles that you have stated as air cargo for this flight. In this case you should fill out customs declaration 6059 B that contains questions about the goods to be imported. On this form you will find information helping you to determine which goods are free and which are not. Mark them accordingly, even if you are not sure. Explain your situation to the customs officer and answer all his questions before he looks at your goods.

Separately imported goods Any goods that are free do not have to be imported upon your initial entry, you can have them sent to the US later. These goods will also be checked by customs, unless you have commissioned a company to transport your possessions to a customs point inside the country that is easier to reach for you. Please note that unfortunately US customs cannot inform you when your goods arrive! If you don't get your things within two weeks they will be taken to a warehouse and sold after six months if you don't come to claim them.

When you arrive at customs, you must fill out the Customs Declaration 3299 (Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles). A friend or relative may do this for you in case you cannot be there yourself. In this case, please write a consent form authorizing this person to get your things. You should address this to the "Officer in Charge of Customs."

Household effects Household effects include furniture, plates, books, works of art, and similar things in your possession. You must have owned these things for at least one year, and they may not be meant to be sold or given to others. The year of usage of these items may have been interrupted and it doesn't need to be the year prior to importing them into the US. These items can be imported without paying customs duty.

Household effects that are still in use in your home country and that apply to the above mentioned criteria can be imported without customs duty ten years after your initial entry as an immigrant at the latest.

Personal effects The personal effects that an individual brings with him include jewellery, clothes, and photo equipment. They cannot be declared as household effects.

Personal effects can be imported by ship or mail. The package or containers should be marked "Used Personal Effects." All objects of value must have been in your possession before, new items require customs duty.

Inherited items Inherited items can be imported as household or personal effects without customs duty provided they belong to the following categories: antiquities (more than 100 years old), unless you have special documentation. Or they were in the household the year preceding your move to the US, for example in the house of your parents in which you grew up.

Even if the above mentioned criteria don't apply to you, because usually inherited items are used, you will probably not have to pay customs duty for a lot of those objects.

Cars Non-residents/first-time immigrants can sometimes import a car into the US without paying customs duty, provided the car arrives the same time you do. According to the US definition this means that you will arrive at the first of a month, and your car maybe a few weeks later. In case your car arrives in the US significantly later than you, you have to explain why it was necessary to have it imported later. The US defines everything from motorbike to car and from boat to plane as "vehicle." In any case, the vehicle has to correspond with US emission regulations, otherwise you have to export it again after one year because it cannot be sold in the US. However, most western European vehicles will probably correspond with the strict US regulations. In case you wish to sell your car within the first year, you have to be careful. In that case, the exemption from customs duty would be revoked in retrospect and you would have to pay customs duty.

In case you are planning to import a new car when you are immigrating into the US, you have to pay the following percentages of the market value as customs duty: cars: 2.5%, motorbikes, mopeds up to 700 cc are free, between 700 and 970 cc 2.4%, over 970 cc they are free again. By the way, these percentages may change every year.

Cash According to US law, there is no limit on how much cash you may import to the US. However, if you have more than $10,000 in cash, you will have to fill out a declaration. The reason is the washing of drug money, or profits from organized crime, money that they don't want to have imported into the US. The necessary form is the Customs Declaration 4790 (Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act). In case you do not fill out the declaration and the money is found on you, you have to be prepared to have the cash confiscated or pay significant fines, so better be honest. The mentioned sum, by the way, also applies to other forms of non-cash, e.g. traveler checks.

Find more information and the forms on www.customs.gov/travel/travel.htm.

Or request them from Customs Headquarters, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20229