Am I allowed to reimport duty free items bought at US airports?
Oct 19, 2019, 4:06 pm
#1
formerly Sleepy_Sentry
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 614
Am I allowed to reimport duty free items bought at US airports?
Later this month I'll be traveling from the USA to Europe. A family member in the US has asked that I buy a specific brand of cigarettes from duty free. These cigarettes are not available in Europe, so I would have to buy them at EWR and fly back with them later.
The EU allows me to import up to 800 cigarettes, but the US limit is only 200. I plan to buy 800 and save the receipt from the US.
Would I actually be importing anything since I bought the cigarettes in the US? Or would normal restrictions apply since duty free has no taxes applied?
The EU allows me to import up to 800 cigarettes, but the US limit is only 200. I plan to buy 800 and save the receipt from the US.
Would I actually be importing anything since I bought the cigarettes in the US? Or would normal restrictions apply since duty free has no taxes applied?
Oct 19, 2019, 4:09 pm
#2
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Join Date: Sep 2009
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IIRC items that you buy in USA duty free stores are not considered to have been acquired abroad and thus are not subject to the standard duty free allowance, at least in terms of the dollar value exemption.
Oct 20, 2019, 4:08 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,918
Later this month I'll be traveling from the USA to Europe. A family member in the US has asked that I buy a specific brand of cigarettes from duty free. These cigarettes are not available in Europe, so I would have to buy them at EWR and fly back with them later.
The EU allows me to import up to 800 cigarettes, but the US limit is only 200. I plan to buy 800 and save the receipt from the US.
Would I actually be importing anything since I bought the cigarettes in the US? Or would normal restrictions apply since duty free has no taxes applied?
The EU allows me to import up to 800 cigarettes, but the US limit is only 200. I plan to buy 800 and save the receipt from the US.
Would I actually be importing anything since I bought the cigarettes in the US? Or would normal restrictions apply since duty free has no taxes applied?
Oct 20, 2019, 5:10 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEL
Posts: 1,056
Goods bought at a duty-free shop on your way out of the U.S. are treated exactly the same as items acquired abroad--because either way, U.S. taxes haven't been paid. If an exemption applies ($800, 1L of alcohol, 1 carton of cigarettes, etc), it applies the same to something bought on the way out as to something you acquired abroad.
In the specific case of tobacco, you're not allowed to import more than 200 cigarettes into the U.S. at all, so you run the risk of donating the extra cigarettes to The Man.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...toms-duty-info
In the specific case of tobacco, you're not allowed to import more than 200 cigarettes into the U.S. at all, so you run the risk of donating the extra cigarettes to The Man.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...toms-duty-info
Oct 21, 2019, 7:46 am
#6
formerly Sleepy_Sentry
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 614
Goods bought at a duty-free shop on your way out of the U.S. are treated exactly the same as items acquired abroad--because either way, U.S. taxes haven't been paid. If an exemption applies ($800, 1L of alcohol, 1 carton of cigarettes, etc), it applies the same to something bought on the way out as to something you acquired abroad.
In the specific case of tobacco, you're not allowed to import more than 200 cigarettes into the U.S. at all, so you run the risk of donating the extra cigarettes to The Man.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...toms-duty-info
In the specific case of tobacco, you're not allowed to import more than 200 cigarettes into the U.S. at all, so you run the risk of donating the extra cigarettes to The Man.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...toms-duty-info