Originally Posted by jackal

Seems as good a time as any to ask: what if you are under your personal limit?

I walked back across the border from Tijuana last week carrying one 750mL bottle of wine I had purchased. Obviously it was visible to the agent checking my passport, since it was literally the only thing I had in my hands (didn't bring a backpack or anything), and I sort of held it up with a questioning look and he just waved me out the exit.

If I had a backpack or were driving across the border or it otherwise weren't obvious, do I need to mention any alcohol in my possession if it is under my personal exemption? (Same thing bringing back wine from, say, Australia in checked luggage.) I have not been able to find the answer to this anywhere on the CBP website. The closest I have come is a requirement (from a CBP press release) to declare everything purchased abroad:

(http://www.cbp.gov/archived/xp/cgov/...010_6.xml.html)

Driving (or walking) across the border, this is probably a non-issue, as simply informing the officer "I have one bottle of wine" will likely result in them just waving you on, but coming through customs in an airport, choosing the "nothing to declare" versus the declaring line can be a significant difference in time. I just don't want to lose NEXUS by choosing "nothing to declare" and then having it be a problem if they find it.