Originally Posted by
gabelle1995
I'm a US citizen, expat, living in Europe. While coming home at Christmas one year, after handing the agent my US passport (the only one I have), I was asked how long I would be staying in the US. Um...well, I could stay forever since I am a US citizen...duh!
The basis behind this question has a rationale. You are presumably bringing with you (or might be shipping separately) things you purchased outside the USA that exceed your personal exemption. If you intend to repatriate, then in general the USA has the right to charge customs duty on those items. There are however exemptions for bringing household goods and personal effects back to the USA duty free, but it requires you to fill out forms. However, this is one area where they can ding you:
If your professional equipment or tools of trade were acquired abroad they are not entitled to duty-free consideration unless they were in your possession for one year prior to your return to the United States. If they were in your possession when you moved abroad, and are being brought back in connection with your return to the U.S. they are exempt from duty.
So if you told the CBP guy that you are staying for a say couple years (I suspect 6 months would be the trigger) then you'd be spending more time with him or his colleague in the customs area to clear you, and whether that high end laptop computer of yours or that camera with the telephoto lens are personal effects or professional equipment might depend on what you do for a living.