Birds are usually subject to Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) quarantine. For more information request 

Customs and Border Protection publication Pets and Wildlife. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains very strict controls 

on importing animals, birds, turtles, wildlife, endangered species, and almost all products made from the foregoing. Contact 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 703.358.1949 for more 

information. For health-related requirements for animals other 

than pet dogs or cats, contact the APHIS, USDA Veterinary 

Services at 301.734.8645. 

Currency

There is no limitation on the amount of monetary instruments 

that may be brought into or out of the United States. If you take 

out or bring in more than $10,000 in currency or negotiable 

instruments, you must fi le a report (FinCen Form 105) with 

CBP. This can be done at any port of arrival or departure. Failure 

to do so can result in civil or criminal penalties. 

Search Authority

Title 19, Section 1582 of the U.S. Code authorizes U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection offi cers and agriculture specialists to 

search, inspect, and/or examine, all persons, luggage, and 

merchandise discharged or unladen from a carrier arriving in 

the United States from a foreign destination. CBP offi cers randomly select individuals for inspections to ensure compliance 

with U.S. laws. 

As amended, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), authorizes offi cers to question, under oath, any person coming into 

the United States to determine his or her admissibility. In addition, offi cers have the authority to search, without a warrant, 

the person and effects of any person seeking admission, when 

there is reason to believe that grounds of exclusion exist that 

would be disclosed by such a search.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

Customer Service Standards

Customer service standards, which are our pledge to the 

traveler, are posted throughout the inspection areas. They 

guarantee that CBP offi cers and agriculture specialists will be 

professional and courteous to everyone, and that the offi cers 

will clear the majority of international travelers within fi ve 

minutes of claiming baggage. A supervisor or passenger service representative will be on hand in the inspection area to 

answer any questions or concerns. If you feel that we have 

not lived up to our standards and you wish to lodge a written 

complaint, be sure to include your phone number and a CBP 

offi cial will contact you about your concerns within one day 

of receiving your correspondence. 

Play It Safe

This is only a brief overview of U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection requirements. To request additional information 

please contact your local U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

offi ce. You will fi nd listings for ports of entry on our Web 

site at www.cbp.gov. You may also call U.S. Customs and 

Border Protection in Washington, D.C., at 1.877.CUSTOMS or 

202.354.1000. We will be happy to send you a copy of our brochure Know Before You Go which describes in detail everything 

that you should . . . know before you go. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Washington, D.C. 20229

Please visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Web site at: 

www.cbp.gov

CBP Publication No. 0000-0506

Revised December 2004

U.S. Customs and

Border Protection

In Brief
Immigration Declarations

Upon arriving in the United States, all non-United States citizens will receive either Form I-94 (white), Arrival/Departure 

Record, or Form I-94W (green), Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver 

Arrival/Departure Form to complete. The forms ask for basic 

identifi cation information and the address where you will be 

staying in the United States.

If you are a foreign visitor, the offi cer must determine why 

you are coming to the United States, what documents you 

may require, if you have those documents, and how long you 

should be allowed to initially stay in the United States. These 

determinations usually take less than one minute to make. If 

you are allowed to proceed, the offi cer will stamp your passport 

and issue a completed Form I-94 to you. A completed form will 

show what immigration classifi cation you were given and how 

long you are allowed to stay.

Required Documents

If traveling from outside of the Western Hemisphere (North, 

Central, and South America) a U.S. citizen must present a 

passport. If traveling from inside the Western Hemisphere, any 

proof of U.S. citizenship that clearly establishes identity and 

nationality is permitted such as a birth certifi cate or baptismal 

record. 

A non-U.S. citizen who is a lawful permanent resident of the 

United States must present a permanent resident card, a.k.a. 

“green card” (INS Form I-551), a reentry permit, or a returning 

resident visa. 

Generally, a foreign visitor must present a passport and a valid 

visa issued by a U.S. Consular offi cial. 

If staying for no more than 90 days, under the Visa Waiver 

Program, nationals of participating countries do not require a 

visa to apply to enter the United States as a visitor for business 

or pleasure. 

Canadians do not generally require a visa unless entering the 

United States as a Treaty Trader, classifi cation E.

Customs Declarations

You will receive a U.S. Customs and Border Protection declaration form (CBP Form 6059-B) on your fl ight or vessel before 

you return to the United States. You must fi ll out and sign the 

declaration form in its entirety. Families returning together 

may prepare a joint declaration. You must declare the total 

value of all articles acquired abroad and in your possession at 

the time you return. This includes articles you bought; gifts 

you received; repairs, or alterations made while you were 

out of the United States; and any items you brought home for 

someone else. (Items you intend to sell or use in a business 

must be declared separately.) If an item was not purchased, but 

was given to you, make an estimate of its fair retail value in 

the country in which it was acquired, and declare that amount 

when you return. 

WARNING: If you understate the value of, or otherwise misrepresent, an article you have declared, you may be assessed 

penalties in addition to duty. 

Standard Exemption

If you are a returning U.S. resident and the items you acquired 

abroad accompany you, your duty-free exemption is $800. This 

duty-free exemption may include: 

• 100 cigars and 200 cigarettes. (Products of Cuban tobacco 

are prohibited entry into the United States unless the product 

was purchased in Cuba in accordance with Offi ce of Foreign 

Assets Control Regulations [31 CFR 515.560].) 

• One liter of wine, beer, or liquor if you are at least 21 years 

old. 

However, the duty-free exemption is $600, if you are returning 

directly from a Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act country and the exemption is $1,200, if returning from American 

Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Articles imported in excess of your exemptions will be subject 

to duty. If your purchases and acquisitions exceed the allowable 

duty-free exemption plus $1,000, you must itemize in writing 

these purchases/acquisitions on the back of the declaration 

form. Sales slips, invoices, or other evidence of purchase will be 

helpful when you complete your declaration.

If you are visiting the United States, you may bring in personal 

effects duty free, including 200 cigarettes or 100 cigars and one 

liter of alcoholic beverages. You may bring in gifts up to $100 in 

value duty free, but alcohol and tobacco may not be included in 

the gift exemption. The prohibition on Cuban tobacco products 

applies to both visitors and returning U.S. residents. 

Mailing Gifts and Purchases 

from Abroad

Gifts mailed from abroad to people in the United States can 

be received by them free of duty if the value of the gift does 

not exceed $100. Gifts for more than one person can be consolidated into one package. To be eligible for this waiver, each 

recipient’s name must be clearly marked on the package. Nongift purchases mailed to the United States will pass duty-free if 

their value does not exceed $200. The outer wrapping must be 

marked with the fair retail value of the contents; a description 

of the contents (e.g., shirts, belts, watch, fi gurines, etc.); and 

whether the package is a gift ($100 exemption) or for personal 

use ($200 exemption). 

NOTE: Duty owed on a mailed package must be paid after it 

arrives in the United States. Despite what a shop owner abroad 

may tell you, you cannot prepay duty. Mailed goods are not 

eligible for the duty-free exemption for U.S. residents.

Agricultural Items

To prevent the introduction of pests or crop disease into the 

U.S. food supply, all agricultural and food items brought into 

the United States must be declared. To learn more about what 

agricultural products can be brought into the United States, 

contact Quarantines, USDA-APHIS-PPQ at 301.734.8645 (plant) 

or 301.734.7885 (animal); or visit their Web site at www.aphis.

usda.gov/ppq.

Duty-Free Shops

Articles purchased in “duty-free” shops, or on a plane, or ship 

are subject to duty and other restrictions, but may be included 

in your exemption. Articles bought in American duty-free shops 

are subject to duty and IRS tax if reentered into the United 

States. 

Pets and Wildlife

Cats and dogs must be free of evidence of diseases communicable to humans. Dogs older than three months must have proof 

of a rabies vaccination. This vaccination must have been given at 

least 30 days, but no more than one year, before the travel date.