Can a twenty-year-old bring to the USA alcohol purchased legally in Spain?

4/12/2018 12:35:15 AM

I brought back a bottle of pisco (brandy) from Chile last year. I was 19. Got detained when I arrived back in the states, but after 20 minutes of waiting they let me go. It was really weird and I probably wouldn’t do it again, but maybe you’ll get lucky too. I said it was for my parents and that seemed like a good enough excuse to them, I guess. Don’t tell jeff sessions

4/11/2018 9:20:47 PM

Legally, no.

In practice yes, provided you are a little lucky and it is under a liter. I successfully did it a few times when I was under 21.

In my experience if you are a US citizen, and you do not declare anything, you are likely waved through US customs without an additional check of your bag. This is not a guarantee and depends on the customs agent’s mood and view of you.

I believe there is possible random check before you receive your bags from baggage claim for smuggled goods and dangerous items. Since you are allowed to bring up to one liter of liquor undeclared a single bottle of wine or hard liquor in a suitcase is not going to raise any eyebrows. The people checking for serious smuggling are not going to waste time checking the age of each person with a single bottle in their bag.

It is my understanding if you are caught, customs will simply confiscate the alcohol. You are not violating any customs laws as long as you are under the amount that must be declared.

4/11/2018 3:41:49 PM

The fact that you bought something legally somewhere else isn’t actually relevant. When you want to bring an item into a country, it’s that country’s law that applies.

Indeed, the law about what you can bring into a country is usually even stricter than the law about what you can buy when you’re there. For example, you can legally buy raw meat in Spain and in the US but you can’t bring raw meat from either one to the other.

4/10/2018 9:44:30 PM

Simply, no.

If the traveler declares the alcohol, it will be seized as the traveler is not of age to import it.

If the traveler does not declare the alcohol, and it is discovered, it will be seized as the traveler is not of age to import it, and will be penalized for smuggling undeclared goods into the United States.

If the traveler is traveling with someone of age, perhaps that person can import it on his behalf, but even that is legally sketchy. It would be best to consume the alcohol abroad, where possession of it is legal.

Here is a reference from CBP about this.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

Search Posts

Latest posts

Popular posts