Know Before You Go

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The "Know Before You Go" brochure explains the nuts and bolts of U.S. Customs requirements for U.S. residents returning to the U.S. from international travel. Click the links in this Table of Contents to find the information you need. Or use the search engine to find the right page. You may also request a hardcopy of this brochure directly from the U.S. Customs Service.

• Introduction
• When You Return to the United States
• What You Must Declare
  • Joint Declaration
  • Foreign-made Personal Articles Taken Abroad
• Duty-Free Exemption
  • $200 Exemption
  • $400 Exemption
    • Tobacco Products
    • Alcoholic Beverages
  • $600 Exemption
  • Travel to More Than One Country
  • $1200 Exemption
• Gifts
• Duty-Free or Reduced Rates
• Personal Belongings
• Household Effects
• Paying Duty
• Sending Goods to the United States
  • Unaccompanied Baggage
  • U.S Mail Shipments
  • Express Shipments
  • Freight Shipments
• Unaccompanied Purchases from Insular Possessions and Caribbean Countries
• Duty-Free Shops
• Prohibited and Restricted Items
  • Cultural Artifacts and Cultural Property (Art/Artifacts)
  • Absinthe
  • Automobiles
  • Books, Videotapes, Computer Programs, Cassettes and Other Copyrighted Items
  • Trademarked Articles
  • Ceramic Tableware
  • Drug Paraphernalia
  • Firearms
  • Fish and Wildlife
  • Game and Hunting Trophies
  • Food Products
  • Meats, Livestock and Poultry
  • Fruits and Vegetables
  • Plants
  • Medication
  • Merchandise from Embargoed Countries
  • Pets
  • Textiles and Clothings
• Money and Other Monetary Instruments
• Travelling Back And Forth Across the Border
• Photographic Film
• Customer Service Programs