Bringing extra alcohol back to the US: what will it cost?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 22 Jul, 2023
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As I originally pointed out the quantity was with-in reasonable personal use, but still theoretically subject to tax.
I did declare the small overage but customs agents weren’t interested in it and waved me through.
Here are the rates for excise tax and for duty that I’d have had to have payed, they amount to under $5 a bottle.
This is anecdotal, but the last time I returned to the US from abroad (Singapore), my brother in law unloaded a bunch of his liquor on me because he gets it for Christmas, Chinese New Years, etc., but he doesn’t drink. I queried the US Customs site, and it basically came down to: as long as the Customs officer doesn’t think you’re bringing it back to sell, there’s no real restriction. I think I brought back half a dozen bottle of high end cognac and whisky, declared them, and didn’t even get asked about them on the way in. If you’re only bringing 3 liters of booze into the country, there’s little reason to be concerned. Bear in mind this was about four years ago (2010), and the rules may have changed, so, prudence would dictate that you check on their site, but I’d imagine you’d be fine.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘