arttravel

Admiral Ackbar

I have always had good experiences (this is with Canadian customs) declaring everything when I am over the duty allowances. They always let go a few items and charge HST (Canada harmonized sales tax) on the lowest amounts, can't remember last time I had to pay a duty.

I also go by instantly (no NEXUS) whenever I do not declare anything, must say threat level=0 or something in my file. I like to think the two are related.

Carl Johnson

And why are we seeing this kind of advice addressed to an OP who made it clear he is going to declare everything?

Here:

https://quillandpad.com/2019/05/17/y...oid-the-worst/

They speak very strongly against wearing the watch into the country but not declaring it and they say that customs people know what watches come from where. They also give some information about customs rates, which might be useful to the OP, but that question appears to have been answered above. The imprecations against trying to cheat may be of general interest to the OP but no more than that.

MSPeconomist

TWA884

^

Let me just add in my role as a moderator that promoting illegal activity is against the FlyerTalk Rules.

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator

USA_flyer

Not necessarily. We use carnets for temporary exports, I am willing to bet there is something similar for this situation.

guv1976

Items acquired abroad which are subsequently taken out of the U.S. on a trip can be registered with CBP before departing the U S., as long as the items have a serial number. (Expensive watches should.)

Details, and a link to the registration form, here:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...ring%20jewelry

MSPeconomist

andrewesque

Wait, really? So, for example, if I purchase a scarf in France and bring it home to the US (declaring it and paying no duty since it's not an $800+ scarf), and I pack the scarf on another international trip and then return to the US, I have to declare it on my form? I always thought it was just those items that have been acquired on that particular trip.

fast passenger

I've purchased 2 watches overseas over the years (~$3000 and ~$4000). Each time I got an X on my GE printout after answering the questions, and was taken to the secondary screening waiting room. The CBP officer had a little harmonized tariff cheat sheet, and quickly assessed duty of less than $100 for each watch if I remember correctly. There was a little cashier booth near the exit of the customs area (JFK T4) where I paid with a credit card.

arttravel

Often1

This is incredibly poor advice and hopefully will be ignored, not only by OP but by others.

Presuming that we are talking about the US, plain and simple, the watch must be declared. The duty payable is dependent on both the country from which the watch is imported and the country is manufactured. This can all be calculated in advance. Alternatively, one can use one's personal allowance and then pay 3% on the balance. That amounts to roughly $125.

It is sometimes the case that when properly declared and the receipts made readily available on request, some or all of the duty may be waived.

Not declaring the item, if caught, could mean:
1. Forfeiture of the item to the US government.
2 Duty of 300% of the standard amount, e.g. $375.
3. A penalty of up to $11,000.
Also, potentially a misdemeanor crime, but rarely enforced,
Finally, pulling such a stunt typically winds one on a watch list making future entries a hassle for a period of time.

Even if one happens to be the type of who weights these things, which OP is not as he made it clear that he wishes to obey the law, this is a silly place to violate the law.

As to future entries with the item, registering it with CBP is a one-time affair. I have the form with my other documents for several items and have never been asked for any of them. But, other than the one-time minor hassle, if I were asked, it would be a 30-second issue to locate and produce my forms.

arttravel

RGS5526

A cautionary tale regarding UK customs, which may or may not be relevant to the US:

A former work colleague bought an expensive camera in the US, at a price somewhat below the UK price for the same model. He brought it into the UK and had no problems carrying it through customs without declaring it. On his next trip to the US he took the camera with him, confident that having used it at home he would have no future problem at customs. However, on returning to the UK he was stopped and questioned about the camera. The officer deduced from the serial number that the camera had been bought in the US, and that since my friend had no evidence that he had paid UK duty on it, treated it as a smuggled item and confiscated it. My friend was eventually able to buy it back, for less than the UK retail price but considerably more than the duty he should have paid in the first place.

If you are going to take an expensive item bought overseas out of the country again, then get a receipt that identifies the item and carry it abroad with you.

guv1976

Why? Wouldn't a single registration cover all future departures from the U.S.? Or are you saying that a separate registration has to be completed before every departure?