Originally Posted by
Delta767
Will it be ok if I take a handful of sand home with me as a souvenir?
I've heard that taking soil and water is not encouraged because of the foreign bacteria, etc. but how about sand?
According to the CBP website under the
Soil, Sand, Minerals, and Shells section
-http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing/agri_prod_inus.xml:
Pure sand, such as a small container of decorative beach sand, is usually allowed. Always check with the permit unit in advance for details.
It's the soil and earth that they have issues with. I remember I went to a cheese farm in Canada and played with some goats (hey, I do strange things on vacations). On the Customs form, I did indicate that I went to a farm and had been handling livestock -- the agents (
politely) asked for the shoes and clothes I was wearing to check for any soil that may have been left. There wasn't, but if there were, they said they would have cleaned and disinfected the shoes or garments. Although, that situation wasn't really that big of a concern because I had been in Canada (the place is cleaner than the U.S. for the most part.), but had I come from Asia or Africa there would have been a greater concern.
I think you may be OK to re-enter with sand from Egypt, but check with the Egyptian laws to make sure you can take it out of the country.