Declaring Alcohol US Customs
 

Hi,

Sorry if this is in the wrong place! I wasn't sure..

I am a 20 year old that has been studying abroad in England. I purchased an expensive bottle of whiskey as a christmas gift and am wondering the best way to get it through customs as I am technically underage in the United States. Do I declare it and then explain it is a gift? Or do I just not declare it?

Also I recently saw about the automated passport control machines where you scan your passport and fill out the declaration form there... If I scan my passport and then tell the machine I have whiskey do you think a red flag will go off and that it will alert them I am underage?

Please help, I am leaving in two days! (Flying from Heathrow to Dulles Intl if it matters)

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...3D/suggested/1


You must declare it, and they will confiscate it as you are underage. My advice it to either mail it or leave it at home.

If you do not declare it and they find it you will be in a pile of trouble.

You are pretty much screwed trying to fly with it as it must be declared and you are under age.

You can not send it by Royal Post as it greater than 24% ABV:

http://www.royalmail.com/personal/he...Goods-overseas

So your best bet is to leave it in England and have a colleague bring it over.

Exactly. When I did study abroad, there were many younger students making such arrangements with the few who were over 21.

Would the OP be able to FedEx it? I may have missed something, but a quick glance at their terms and I didn't see anything other than the recipient must be of legal age and sign for the package.

From http://www.fedex.com/us/developer/pr...hipping-2.html

The cost of shipping may be prohibitive. Are you traveling with someone that is of US legal age?
If not..have a fun last 2 nights and enjoy it yourself.

CBP at IAD is rather strict on alcohol as well, and has bothered to charge me $3 in duty before.

Remember, local laws do apply, and Virginia laws on this are rather strict.

This - surely you can find someone coming back who is over 21.

Shipping alcohol to the USA is very difficult so that's not a real option. As to the passport machine, who knows if it's programmed to pick up on this. When I take a bottle in, I simply declare it as a gift on the blue form and give its value, not saying it's alcohol as the form doesn't ask. Nobody has ever questioned me - but then I'm not doing anything wrong.

If you hit a crabby, by-the-book inspector, you'd be willing to pay many times what the bottle cost to have a "do over" -- leave it behind!

Declaring Alcohol US Customs
 

You could always find someone at the carousel on arrival and have them carry through and then give it back to you after cbp.

No one is 'definitely going to find it'. If you have the whisky in your checked luggage you may sail through without any inspection. As a returning US citizen I would imagine your chance of an inspection is about 20%. Depending on your tolerance for risk, this is what I would do ("it's a birthday present for my dad.")

Just pack it or bury it in your luggage. Don't declare it. You'll likely sail right through customs. If they do inspect, play dumb - but they will likely take it. You have a low chance of inspection, so if you are okay with that risk just bring it in.

Otherwise find a friend returning and have them ship it when back in the states.

Here is something to consider - if, in the future, you ever might want to get Global Entry and you don't declare the whiskey, and they find it, you will be banned for life from getting GE (which also gets you a trusted traveler #, which also gets you almost 100% domestic pre-check on any airline). In other words, I don't think it's worth it - find someone over 21 to carry it in for you in their luggage, even if it's another student over 21 going to a different U.S. airport you could pay them to send it to you by express mail. Global Entry (GE) is a very valuable benefit that you may really want in the future.