bdb55

I'm returning to the US from France on Wednesday, and will be bringing back wine (of course). I'm 20. Am I better off not declaring the wine, or declaring it and hoping they don't care about my age?

Also: I have a bottle of absinthe from the Czech Republic. Would this pose any more problem than the wine? (I'd like to take it back, but it's not essential. I have another month in France, so if it'll be too hard to get back I can leave it in my apartment in Paris and drink it next month).

MKEbound

It's a gamble either way.

In 1998, I was 20 and brought back 10 bottles of wine from Austria.

I declared them and had no problems.

YMMV

edsh

Curious about absinthe, I did an internet search and came up with the following:

Even though absinthe is prohibited in the United States, it is not a controlled substance like Marijuana and Cocaine. Absinthe is not sold in the United States because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not allow the sales of spirited beverages that contain the chemical compound thujone. (although the dangers were mostly due to poor manufacturing techniques several decades ago).

Absinthe is a "prohibited" item and is subject to being seized by the United States Customs.

http://www.absinthebuyersguide.com/faq.html

I would declare that you are carrying "alcohol" on your customs form. If they want to dig around and pull the absinthe out just say you didn't know.

surfinglbi23

If you have some must have wines, ship them home ... its not bad and depending on your state, its perfectly legal. I was able to order wine online when I lived in NJ, not anymore in PA because of state store laws.

FLYMSY

Absinthe is allowed to be sold in the U.S.

http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories...840.xml&coll=1

dfw_plt_aa

Since you are under 21, I would advise drinking the wine before leaving France. I wouldn't take the chance of getting a "Minor in Possession" citation.

spanishflea

Depends how much wine you are bringing back?

As a 19 and later 20 year old, I've brought a couple of bottles of wine through Miami coming back from South America with no trouble.

But then customs officials are probably a lot more lenient in these matters towards Europeans than Americans?

J-M

You can take back up to 1 liter per person or something like that without declaring. Just don't bother declaring and fake ignorance if you get called on it. Absolute worst case that has any remote chance of happening is you get the booze poured out (which ought to count as felony alcohol abuse), but more than likely no one will say anything or search your bag unless you throw a red flag some other way.

The absinthe is a bit more interesting. I would suggest drinking that before you come home.

I am not a lawyer, etc, etc...

MJLogan

I have brought absinthe back from Paris twice. Once I was successful. The second time it was confiscated. I really didn't know it was still illegal in the US--when I saw it in Paris, I figured it had been rehabilitated.

I got the first bottle through LAX customs with no issues--I declared it as "liqueur." The same declaration at DTW got the customs guys, who were on the lookout for college kids bringing absinthe back from Europe, interested in me. When they asked what kind of liqueur, and I told them, I had to go wait to be searched, then watch them pour the absinithe down the drain. The French guy next to me--he was watching them cut his Cuban cigars to pieces--was telling the customs guys that absinthe is harmless, that it contains much, much too little thujol to cause an kind of hallucination. I kept my mouth shut, of course, and listened to the scolding.

The customs guys were pleasant and professional, and treated me as ill-informed, rather than as a criminal.

Palal

Here's my smuggling story.

First of all, I didn't realize that you needed to declare alcohol until now. I always thought that if you had <1L, you didn't need to declare it. I guess I'll start following the law from now on.

Coming back from a 1.5 month European trip, I had:
-A small bottle (0.1L) of absinthe from Prague (A friend specifically asked for it, I still haven't tried the stuff myself).
-1L bottle of Vodka from Moscow inside a nesting doll... a gift from relatives. Couldn't refuse it.
-2x0.5L bottles of home-made honey wine I bought in Ukraine. *

Didn't get stopped for it.... YMMY.

* - had to smuggle this out of Russia. Agents at SVO gave me trouble because the wine was home-made and didn't have tax duty stamps on the bottles. So I couldn't get it into checked luggage. I smuggled it in my short pockets, even despite the liquid ban on all US-bound flights.

bdb55

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll leave the absinthe in Paris, and either drink it next month or try to get it through when I return to the states again at the end of December.

I'm leaning towards declaring the wine. I was planning to take about 10 bottles of wine back, so it would be hard to say that I forgot to declare them -- it's about all that's in my luggage! (I'm going home for Thanksgiving for a few days and was specifically told by my family that I was in charge of bringing the wine for the meal, since I'm coming from France)

Since I want it back for Thanksgiving, shipping it would take too long.

I'm not terribly worried about an MIP; I think, at the worst, I'd just have it all poured out.

tev9999

Lying to customs is on my personal list of things never to do. Having known a customs inspector many years ago, if they catch you in a lie you are in for a much more difficult time. By "forgetting" to list the wine on your customs declaration form, then signing it, you have a pretty obvious lie. You must also declare everything, even if you are bringing back only 1L that is duty free.

I would declare XX bottles of wine and YY bottles of liquor and don't list the name brand. If they stop you just plead ignorance and you will most likely get by with just having it poured down the drain. If you lie about it, expect a much more detailed search and the possiblity of whatever fines go along with not declaring it, and possibly even minor in possession charges.

FWIW, listing the Czech Republic on my declaration form seemed to be an instant flag for secondary at customs (male traveling alone) and I am much older than 20.

cj001f

I suggest using the wine (still in the bottle) as a suppository to be on the safe side.

rjque

I've seen the U.S. Customs agents pour out many a 20 y/o friend's bottle of vodka at US/Canada land crossings.

Are you clearing at PDX? My guess is that Oregonians will be on a much more vigilant lookout for MIPs. The Oregon Liquor Control Comission is out of control.

TMOliver

It has nothing to do with Customs, federal agents who are not (at least in a legal sense) concerned with your age. Of course, if a state or local cop is standing there and you're under 21, you may be in jeopardy. Some states, Texas for instance, for years required that any alcoholic beverage entereing the country the the international border, had to pay a state tax, and in Mexican border points had booth just past "La Migra" to collect the levey.

Don't try to hide the wine. Just walk right thru with it, admitting to its presence if asked. As for the absinthe, there's a lot of debate and most sources claim that the Czech stuff is sort of "faked", no wormwood.... I don't know, but it can't be any worse than that Spanish Anis del Mono (Seco) of my misspent youth.

Incidentally, the US states have a 21 year old "drinking age", because without that standard, they cannot receive federal highway funds.