rdurlabhji

So 3 cases of wine = 3x12 = 36 bottles x .75L per bottle = 27 Liters

Now if the tax is .079 cents per liter above the duty free limit the tax they would collect would be $.079 x 26 = $2.05. Probably not worth the time for the customs guy to fill out the needed paperwork to collect $2 from you. ^

The taxes are there to levy on mass importers.

Flaneurs

Thanks all of you for sharing your experiences with this. I appreciate it and it will make me now rethink the situation and maybe give it a go if I find some unique wines.

Wellington

I got caught in a weird situation myself and lost. I was returning SEZ-AUH-JFK. I had bought a bottle of Takabaka, the rum that is from Seychelles and had it in a sealed duty free bag in my carry on since of course I bought it after check in. When I went through the CBP pre-clearance in Abu Dhabi they forced me to throw the bottle away. I fought with them about it because it was very clearly in a duty free bag and was not tampered with in any way but they would not budge.

Really annoying that there isn't something clearly published with the regulations. I couldn't have avoided the situation since I never got to see my checked bag until JFK but I just wouldn't have bought the bottle.

janetdoe

DFW data - I have brought a mixed case of wine into DFW. They asked if I had receipts for the wine, and I said no. They asked if all the bottles were the same and I said no. They asked me if it was for personal consumption and I said yes. They waved me through. I got the impression they were supposed to charge me a tax based on the cost of the wine, but realized it would be a nightmare to calculate it.

For hard liquor, I have brought more than my limit (1 liter, but in practice 2 x 750 mL is generally waved through) and had to pay $1 or $2 per bottle. For some reason they did not take cash and I had to charge $4 to a credit card.

I have been told by CBP that the limit in Texas is 1 liter, regardless of alcohol content so a liter of scotch is OK but technically 3 x 12oz bottles of beer is dutiable. <shrug>

der_saeufer

I've never, from either side of the counter, seen CBP collect duty or IRT on beer or wine brought in air pax baggage or by POV at the border. It's simply not worth it. IRT is 5¢ on a 12-oz bottle of beer or 21¢ on a 750mL bottle of wine below 14%, and unless it's really expensive wine it's within your $800 duty exemption so there's no duty, only IRT.

IRT on liquor can be worth collecting ($13.50 per proof gallon = $2.14 per 750mL bottle of 80° liquor), and some ports of entry are bored enough that they'll charge you for that second bottle. Busy airports will usually waive anything under about $10 because it's not worth tying up the staff to collect it.

IRT rates for the curious.

And, incidentally, IRT on cigarettes is pretty steep, so that's a quick way to get sent to the cashier.

Flaneurs

Great to have the expert's data points.

Aloha1

Why not just ship the wine to your home? We have done this numerous times for not much more than the baggage cost to put it on a plane. Saves all the hassle and hauling.

TAPAL10

OP - I have flown many times in to the DFW and IAH hubs and have been repeatedly told by CBP that the limit for Texas is 1 liter. I would look at another point of entry for any large purchases as it would be a roll of the dice to depend on not paying the taxes.

I used to spend a lot of time trying to figure out which POE would be best but after the advent of the TSA and restrictions on liquids as well as having had bottles confiscated in the early days from these restrictions I decided it is just not worth it to try to deal with buying items duty free. For a savings of generally less than $5 a bottle I had lost much more.

Good luck!

Flaneurs

I don't think it is legal to use the international postal system to ship wine. Fedex and UPS both require a license to ship wine which they wouldn't even give me when I was a licensed wine connoisseur/importer (Montana has since stopped this program which is why I now am having problems.)

So, I don't know of a way to ship the wine and even if I did, I don't think Montana or the US Government allows for me to do it even for personal consumption, which this clearly is.

I would love to have some further insight into shipping if anyone has any great ideas.

OP- Sorry I mini-hijacked your thread but it seemed like a good place for this discussion.

Edited: to fix formatting issue from mobile app.

spd476

I'll be flying back from France later this year with a connection in Toronto and my final destination is in the US. I know I clear US customs at YYZ but will I also have to clear Canadian customs too? I am curious if I need to worry about Canadian customs too if I bring back more wine or liquor than my allowance.

MaxBuck

I can't help you with Montana law, but when I was in Burgundy earlier this year, both Drouhin and Marche aux Vins offered shipping programs whereby one could have any quantity of wine shipped to the US. Pricing was pretty steep, though; I want to say a case quantity would run at least $50.

N1120A

Enter in California. We like alcohol.

Has nothing to do with the border with Mexico, and everything to do with the ridiculous Temperance movement.

No, only Canadian immigration.

FlyingHoustonian

Cali law still charges duty: Motor vehicles entering from Mexico may only import 1 liter of alcohol (duty-free).


As an aside, having access to Class VI stores on military bases when in the US, I find Uncle Sam's alcohol (ironic that that is an Arabic origin word borrowed from French?) sales the best deal, and they do not have to deal with the pesky state laws wherever they are. Make friends with a retired or current military member and just buy on base. Good selection, great prices ;-) I kid, sort of...

Exiled in Express

Thanks all for the replies, a lot of good information here. I will be proceeding with my plans of a case of Malbec via JFK but think I will opt not to mess with Texas alcohol laws for my extra bottle(s) of tequila.

Section 107

It doesnt make sense to bring wine but not liquor. Its like saying "I am going to bring cookies but not brownies." The guvmint really doesn't care if its beer, wine, or spirits; they just care about the quantity of actual alcohol (even if there are slightly different rates of duty). The most you will have to pay is a couple of bucks - and it is highly unlikely you will even have to pay that. IMO, the only consideration should the convenience (or lack thereof) of carrying the bottles so they remain unbroken.