Assuming I have enough space to take everything I want home, is there a limit on how much stuff I can bring back from my cruise? I saw somewhere that the first 800 dollars is tax free and the next one thousand dollars is 4%, and someone mentioned that I am only allowed to bring back one bottle of alcohol tax free and the rest will be taxed, but is there a limit otherwise? If I wanted to, could I bring back 100 bottles of alcohol, and a million dollars in merchandise as longs as I paid the taxes on them? I know Im asking about extremes, but we'd like to get several bottles of alcohol from each place we visit that are local to that area. And I saw the rum cakes at the tortuga factory and I'd love to get several of those. I just don't want to have 10 bottles of alcohol and have customs tell me that I can't bring it back home. Besides fruit and flowers, is there anything else that I can't bring back?
Assuming I have enough space to take everything I want home, is there a limit on how much stuff I can bring back from my cruise? I saw somewhere that the first 800 dollars is tax free and the next one thousand dollars is 4%, and someone mentioned that I am only allowed to bring back one bottle of alcohol tax free and the rest will be taxed, but is there a limit otherwise? If I wanted to, could I bring back 100 bottles of alcohol, and a million dollars in merchandise as longs as I paid the taxes on them? I know Im asking about extremes, but we'd like to get several bottles of alcohol from each place we visit that are local to that area. And I saw the rum cakes at the tortuga factory and I'd love to get several of those. I just don't want to have 10 bottles of alcohol and have customs tell me that I can't bring it back home. Besides fruit and flowers, is there anything else that I can't bring back?
Cuban cigars are a big no no as well as more than one carton of cigerettes. You can bring back as much alcohol as you want. Duty is normally around $2.77 a bottle (NOLA, Mobile, Galveston) The only exception is Texas where they limit non-Texans to 1 gallon of distilled spirits or wine (or any combination of the two). (Texas law).
If you happen to go to St. Thomas or any other US territory, then your limits go up. They will go over of this at the dis-embark talk on the last seaday.
Dave
__________________ NCL Star 11/18/12 CCL Breeze 01/19/13
Assuming I have enough space to take everything I want home, is there a limit on how much stuff I can bring back from my cruise? I saw somewhere that the first 800 dollars is tax free and the next one thousand dollars is 4%, and someone mentioned that I am only allowed to bring back one bottle of alcohol tax free and the rest will be taxed, but is there a limit otherwise? If I wanted to, could I bring back 100 bottles of alcohol, and a million dollars in merchandise as longs as I paid the taxes on them? I know Im asking about extremes, but we'd like to get several bottles of alcohol from each place we visit that are local to that area. And I saw the rum cakes at the tortuga factory and I'd love to get several of those. I just don't want to have 10 bottles of alcohol and have customs tell me that I can't bring it back home. Besides fruit and flowers, is there anything else that I can't bring back?
Cuban cigars are a big no no as well as more than one carton of cigerettes. You can bring back as much alcohol as you want. Duty is normally around $2.77 a bottle (NOLA, Mobile, Galveston) The only exception is Texas where they limit non-Texans to 1 gallon of distilled spirits or wine (or any combination of the two). (Texas law).
If you happen to go to St. Thomas or any other US territory, then your limits go up. They will go over of this at the dis-embark talk on the last seaday.
Dave
Actually they will go over it before then in the shopping talk for each port. After what could what good would it do if they wating to the end.
__________________
Joe
Imagination 1996
Sensation 1997
RCI Monarch of The Seas 1998
Ecstasy 2000
Carnival Miracle 9/24/07
Upcoming Fascination 11/5/09
I don't know how many bottles are too many to bring back, but I can tell you this:
I mistakenly thought we could bring back two bottles each so we bought 4.
When I filled out the customs card I saw that it was really 1 bottle each for a total of tw0.
I filled it out honestly (claiming four) and figured I'd either have to toss two away or pay a tax.
When we got to the agent he just added the card to a pile and said "Happy New Year".
Not saying that will happen to others but it happened to us.
__________________
Dan
Peace through superior firepower.
Assuming I have enough space to take everything I want home, is there a limit on how much stuff I can bring back from my cruise? I saw somewhere that the first 800 dollars is tax free and the next one thousand dollars is 4%, and someone mentioned that I am only allowed to bring back one bottle of alcohol tax free and the rest will be taxed, but is there a limit otherwise? If I wanted to, could I bring back 100 bottles of alcohol, and a million dollars in merchandise as longs as I paid the taxes on them? I know Im asking about extremes, but we'd like to get several bottles of alcohol from each place we visit that are local to that area. And I saw the rum cakes at the tortuga factory and I'd love to get several of those. I just don't want to have 10 bottles of alcohol and have customs tell me that I can't bring it back home. Besides fruit and flowers, is there anything else that I can't bring back?
When we sailed on the Conquest in May....only the Texans were limited to one bottle (I don't think it was a gallon, but it could have been) of alcohol. I know this to be true because some Texans became great friends with those of us from Louisiana and we claimed the rest of their alcohol and gave it to them when we were through customs. Rum cakes don't count as alcohol. So, find a friend or two and get them to bring your other bottles of alcohol through customs! As far as the other stuff....do they ever really check it???? Each time I go through customs, they ask the questions, I answer and we go on. Plus, I've had merchants offer me receipts at lower costs. I didn't need it, but if they offer it to me, surely they offer it to others. AND I think the dollar limit applies to each person, although I think you have to be of legal drinking age to claim alcohol (and that's 21 in the US). Besides, who knows when I bought my tanzanite ring....this cruise or last cruise? Spread out your purchases among your traveling party and pay taxes on the overage. I don't think you will have a problem as long as you aren't bringing a cargo load back!
AND.....I know that cubans are brought back into the US. I know it's illegal, but I know it has been done. I don't recommend it, because they will seize the cigars and you are out the money you paid for them. The story I heard was.....the dogs sniff the luggage you put out your door the night before debarkation. I've been told you should remove the labels and put them in your carry on bag, preferably in a box of tampons.
Melody
__________________
If you are going to walk on thin ice, you may as well dance!
In Mobile I have come through with 19 bottles and not been charged and other times with 6 and got charged. It is really up to the CBP officer if he wants to be bothered with it.
Dave
__________________ NCL Star 11/18/12 CCL Breeze 01/19/13
In Mobile I have come through with 19 bottles and not been charged and other times with 6 and got charged. It is really up to the CBP officer if he wants to be bothered with it.
Dave
Hey Dave, you are even worse than yours truly!
19 freaking bottles? Daughter getting married?
In Mobile I have come through with 19 bottles and not been charged and other times with 6 and got charged. It is really up to the CBP officer if he wants to be bothered with it.
Dave
Hey Dave, you are even worse than yours truly!
19 freaking bottles? Daughter getting married?
Nice to see you post here, buddy. Thanks.
Captain
If I could get away with it, I would too!
When I go to California I always bring back a couple cases of the 1.75 ltr (1/2 gallon) bottles. Save at least 50% over the Tax and Take states of OR and WA.
__________________
Dan
Peace through superior firepower.
In Mobile I have come through with 19 bottles and not been charged and other times with 6 and got charged. It is really up to the CBP officer if he wants to be bothered with it.
Dave
Hey Dave, you are even worse than yours truly!
19 freaking bottles? Daughter getting married?
Nice to see you post here, buddy. Thanks.
Captain
If I could get away with it, I would too!
When I go to California I always bring back a couple cases of the 1.75 ltr (1/2 gallon) bottles. Save at least 50% over the Tax and Take states of OR and WA.
In Mobile I have come through with 19 bottles and not been charged and other times with 6 and got charged. It is really up to the CBP officer if he wants to be bothered with it.
Dave
Hey Dave, you are even worse than yours truly!
19 freaking bottles? Daughter getting married?
Nice to see you post here, buddy. Thanks.
Captain
If I could get away with it, I would too!
When I go to California I always bring back a couple cases of the 1.75 ltr (1/2 gallon) bottles. Save at least 50% over the Tax and Take states of OR and WA.
BOOTLEGGER!
hey Dan, how are ya, buddy?
I'm great, Captain!!
Isn't a bootlegger someone who resales?
My booze is for personal consumption....I can make a case last more than a week!
I suppose I'm bending some kind of law to avoid the excessive tax.
__________________
Dan
Peace through superior firepower.
In Jan. at Mobile dock, I got stopped by customs because we had gone horsebackriding. So they pulled us behind the partition and started asking questions. I had 18 bottles of booze. When he asked if I had any I nodded yes, he asked how many I said 15. He thought about it and then let me go. I've heard they don't like to do the paper work so they let you on thru. Thank goodness!!
When I fill out my customs card I just put that amount under souvenirs and don't list it as alcohol.
Also if your going to stock up on alcohol from the ship, get it the first day when a lot of it is on pre-sale. Saves money!
You are very lucky. Falsely stating amounts on the form usually causes them to get very mad at you and could have led to them confiscating all of the booze you had.
Capt,
I had a bunch of my jetski customers wanting booze.
Dave
__________________ NCL Star 11/18/12 CCL Breeze 01/19/13
You are very lucky. Falsely stating amounts on the form usually causes them to get very mad at you and could have led to them confiscating all of the booze you had.
Capt,
I had a bunch of my jetski customers wanting booze.
Dave
jetskier,
I agree. It's a lot easier to explain a mistake than a lie.
__________________
Dan
Peace through superior firepower.
Here's the deal on the livestock/animals question:
On the Customs Declaration Form 6059B, question 12 asks:
I have (We have) been in close proximity of (such as touching or handling) livestock....................................YES NO
Naturally, if you have gone horse-riding or done any other similar activities you should answer YES and that is what would prompt a Customs and Border Protection agent to question/interrogate you.
Fear not though! LMAO
When on the Legend last summer, they had a last day on the ship "special" on Cruzan Rum, if you bought 4 bottles.....so I did. So here I am going thru Customs with the nicely packaged, obviously booze, cardboard carrying case and the agent loudly asked, "Now just how many bottles are in there?" I reply, "Four". He says, "ALL for you?" I reply, "Yes, sir"(oops). He takes me by the arm and leads me a couple of feet out of the line. I am now sweating bullets and wondering what kind of trouble am I in now...lol. He says, in a low voice, "You MEANT to say that, ONE bottle is for you, and ONE is for her (pointing to my daughter), ONE is for him (pointing to my son-in-law) and ONE is for him (pointing to his co-worker....). R-i-i-i-g-g-h-h-t-t-t.....???". I laughed and followed his lead by declaring, word for word, who the booze was supposedly for. He then winked and wished me a good day. The little sweetie....
__________________
RCCL, 1992, 3 days, Empress of the Seas
CCL, 1997, 7 days, Celebration
CCL, 2007, 7 days, Legend (first family cruise)
Yes, I got pulled in because I came in contact with farm animals. They sprayed our shoes with lysol. This is good because I wouldn't want to bring something back home to my horses. One of the guys said "it's probably already worn off, but spray them anyway"
I didn't really falsely state it on the form, they are souvenirs for me and friends, takes me back to the islands everytime I have a jello-shooter!
please read up on what you can and cannot bring in. Visit the cbp.gov webpage - know before you go. Do not depend on the advice you are getting here as I know, b/c I work for CBP, that you can actually bring back more liquor as an exemption from the carribean - but you need to go check the specifics. Bottom line is you can bring back what you want, but once you go over a certainn amount you will have to pay duty. this is all spelled out on their site.
the link above is for us residents. there are also links on their web page for non residents.
Also know that if you do lie regarding undeclared merchandise or anything and you get caught, you can be subject to a penalty of up to six times the duty you would have paid had you declared it up front.
I can't imagine the carribean having anything to buy that I can't get online a lot cheaper that would put me over my exemption. I pass on the booze because I always have to fly to the port of embarkation and wouldn't risk it breaking on the flight home.
I did some research at work yesterday and here is what I found verbatim from the US customs website
"While Federal regulations do not specify a limit on the amount of alcohol you may bring back for personal use, unusual quantities are liable to raise suspicions that you are importing the alcohol for other purposes such as for resale. CPB officers are authorized to make on the spot determinations that an importation is for commercial purposes and may require you to obtain a permit to import the alcohol berfore releasing it to you...... Also, you should be aware that state laws might limit the amount of alcohol you can bring in without a license...That state law will be enforced by CBP...We reccomend that you check with the state government about their limitations on quantities allowed for personal importation and additional state taxes that might apply"
So I guess now I have to see if Texas has any limitations. I wouldn't worry about it so much, except there really isn't anyone to divvy up the alcohol with- Everyone that's going with me is an alcoholic senior in college just like me! !
When on the Legend last summer, they had a last day on the ship "special" on Cruzan Rum, if you bought 4 bottles.....so I did. So here I am going thru Customs with the nicely packaged, obviously booze, cardboard carrying case and the agent loudly asked, "Now just how many bottles are in there?" I reply, "Four". He says, "ALL for you?" I reply, "Yes, sir"(oops). He takes me by the arm and leads me a couple of feet out of the line. I am now sweating bullets and wondering what kind of trouble am I in now...lol. He says, in a low voice, "You MEANT to say that, ONE bottle is for you, and ONE is for her (pointing to my daughter), ONE is for him (pointing to my son-in-law) and ONE is for him (pointing to his co-worker....). R-i-i-i-g-g-h-h-t-t-t.....???". I laughed and followed his lead by declaring, word for word, who the booze was supposedly for. He then winked and wished me a good day. The little sweetie....
Phewwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! I sure am glad you did not try to reach for the agent's .380 pistol ...........that would have not been such a "bright idea"
You'd be a hoot to cruise with, sweetheart!
When on the Legend last summer, they had a last day on the ship "special" on Cruzan Rum, if you bought 4 bottles.....so I did. So here I am going thru Customs with the nicely packaged, obviously booze, cardboard carrying case and the agent loudly asked, "Now just how many bottles are in there?" I reply, "Four". He says, "ALL for you?" I reply, "Yes, sir"(oops). He takes me by the arm and leads me a couple of feet out of the line. I am now sweating bullets and wondering what kind of trouble am I in now...lol. He says, in a low voice, "You MEANT to say that, ONE bottle is for you, and ONE is for her (pointing to my daughter), ONE is for him (pointing to my son-in-law) and ONE is for him (pointing to his co-worker....). R-i-i-i-g-g-h-h-t-t-t.....???". I laughed and followed his lead by declaring, word for word, who the booze was supposedly for. He then winked and wished me a good day. The little sweetie....
Phewwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! I sure am glad you did not try to reach for the agent's .380 pistol ...........that would have not been such a "bright idea"
You'd be a hoot to cruise with, sweetheart!
Captain
He was kinda cute.....I'd like to see his .380 on my bedside
__________________
RCCL, 1992, 3 days, Empress of the Seas
CCL, 1997, 7 days, Celebration
CCL, 2007, 7 days, Legend (first family cruise)
When on the Legend last summer, they had a last day on the ship "special" on Cruzan Rum, if you bought 4 bottles.....so I did. So here I am going thru Customs with the nicely packaged, obviously booze, cardboard carrying case and the agent loudly asked, "Now just how many bottles are in there?" I reply, "Four". He says, "ALL for you?" I reply, "Yes, sir"(oops). He takes me by the arm and leads me a couple of feet out of the line. I am now sweating bullets and wondering what kind of trouble am I in now...lol. He says, in a low voice, "You MEANT to say that, ONE bottle is for you, and ONE is for her (pointing to my daughter), ONE is for him (pointing to my son-in-law) and ONE is for him (pointing to his co-worker....). R-i-i-i-g-g-h-h-t-t-t.....???". I laughed and followed his lead by declaring, word for word, who the booze was supposedly for. He then winked and wished me a good day. The little sweetie....
Phewwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! I sure am glad you did not try to reach for the agent's .380 pistol ...........that would have not been such a "bright idea"
You'd be a hoot to cruise with, sweetheart!
Captain
He was kinda cute.....I'd like to see his .380 on my bedside
Re: Here's the deal on the livestock/animals question:
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainEdwardJohnSmith
On the Customs Declaration Form 6059B, question 12 asks:
I have (We have) been in close proximity of (such as touching or handling) livestock....................................YES NO
Naturally, if you have gone horse-riding or done any other similar activities you should answer YES and that is what would prompt a Customs and Border Protection agent to question/interrogate you.
Fear not though! LMAO
Captain
Captain, now you are going to get me going...
I find that when I am on the ship or on excursions, I am in the constant vicinity of Cows, Hippos, Horses, Jackasses, Whales... What? Oh, wrong animals.
__________________
Michael
Cruised more times than I can remember.
Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
Courage and perserverance have a magical talisman; before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into the air.
Pick your company wisely! Hang around people who are going to help you become all God created you to be.
Re: Here's the deal on the livestock/animals question:
Quote:
Originally Posted by mehawk
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainEdwardJohnSmith
On the Customs Declaration Form 6059B, question 12 asks:
I have (We have) been in close proximity of (such as touching or handling) livestock....................................YES NO
Naturally, if you have gone horse-riding or done any other similar activities you should answer YES and that is what would prompt a Customs and Border Protection agent to question/interrogate you.
Fear not though! LMAO
Captain
Captain, now you are going to get me going...
I find that when I am on the ship or on excursions, I am in the constant vicinity of Cows, Hippos, Horses, Jackasses, Whales... What? Oh, wrong animals.
Michael! Behave!
__________________
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Question about bringing back items..
Rum cakes don't count as alcohol. 
So, find a friend or two and get them to bring your other bottles of alcohol through customs! As far as the other stuff....do they ever really check it???? Each time I go through customs, they ask the questions, I answer and we go on. Plus, I've had merchants offer me receipts at lower costs. I didn't need it, but if they offer it to me, surely they offer it to others. AND I think the dollar limit applies to each person, although I think you have to be of legal drinking age to claim alcohol (and that's 21 in the US). Besides, who knows when I bought my tanzanite ring....this cruise or last cruise? Spread out your purchases among your traveling party and pay taxes on the overage. I don't think you will have a problem as long as you aren't bringing a cargo load back! 
I know it's illegal, but I know it has been done. I don't recommend it, because they will seize the cigars and you are out the money you paid for them. The story I heard was.....the dogs sniff the luggage you put out your door the night before debarkation. I've been told you should remove the labels and put them in your carry on bag, preferably in a box of tampons. 
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