Items You Can Bring Back Into the U.S.
If you are traveling outside of the country, there’s a good chance that you want to purchase something to bring back into the U.S. While purchasing souvenirs is generally a good thing, not every memento you want to bring home is allowed. Here’s what types of items you can bring back from an overseas trip and which ones you need to leave in the country you visited.
- Alcohol
Many countries have fantastic alcoholic beverages. You may want to enjoy some at home by purchasing a bottle or two to bring back home with you. However, there are some restrictions about what you can take. These are the general guidelines:
-Less than 24% alcohol content. You can bring back as much as you’d like in your checked luggage.
-24%-70% alcohol content. You are allowed to put as many as 5 liters in your checked luggage.
-Higher than 70% alcohol content. You aren’t allowed to bring back any beverages that have higher than a 70% alcohol content.
- Food
There are all sorts of requirements when it comes to bringing foods items into the U.S. on an international flight. For the most part, you can’t bring back fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s just too much of a chance that you could bring back pests or diseases. You can bring prepared items back with you as long as they don’t contain any meat products. Most products that contain cheeses can be brought back into the United States as well. Chocolate, candy, spices, nuts, condiments, honey, tea and coffee are all popular items to bring back from other countries. - Wrapped Gifts
While you are traveling abroad you may find the perfect gift for someone. It is tempting to wrap a present at your destination so that you can give it to them as soon as possible. You technically can do so and put it in your checked bag. However, if TSA agents can’t see what’s inside when they screen your luggage, then they will have to unwrap it. So it’s best to keep those souvenirs unwrapped until you get home. Another thing to keep in mind is the amount of money that you spend on the gift. For the most part, if you want your purchase to be Duty-Free, it can’t cost more than $800 in most instances. - Holiday Related Items
With Christmas is not that far off you may want to purchase some holiday related items during your travels. If you want to bring back garland or a wreath, it has to be healthy and it will be inspected by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure that it’s in good condition. If you plan on bringing back some mistletoe that you can use to smooch your honey later, it can’t have any berries on it.
Popular souvenirs from around the world include jewelry, perfume, sculptures, mugs, shot glasses, Christmas ornaments, condiments, coffee, liquor, clothes, magnets, key chains, snow globues, music boxes and other simple gifts.
Keep in mind that there may be additional requirements depending on the country where you are traveling from. Before traveling, it’s a good idea to check what is and isn’t allowed to be brought back into the U.S. from the destination that you are visiting. You can find out more information by visiting the US Department of State website.
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