A bizarre "bringing beer through customs" question

You can legally bring in up to a certain amount
I believe it is as high as a case.
May want to check immigrations online first but usually in all my trips
No hassles

 

It used to be two cases or some gallon amount, but it might have changed since I looked. Unless it's a meat or fruit/vegetable product, they are not going to care. I used to bring back a bottle or two of Cuban rum every time I stopped at the duty-free store at the border. Not even a blink from customs. The only time they frowned is when we had a small canned DAK ham in the car and had to take the bus when the car broke down in Canada. So customs pulled out the can out of the duffel and kept looking at it. I pointed at the price sticker that clearly identified a Boston store on it, and they were happy after that--so no ham or sausage that they are going to find, but beer is OK. And throw away all fruit before crossing the border or they will shake out everything.

 

My wife and I came back from a trip to my French inlaws with about 20 bottles of Belgian and french beer, 4 or 5 bottles of wine and 2 10 liter boxes of wine, substantially over the limit. BTW this was before the days of strict weight limits and 2 weeks before liquids in carry-ons were banned. The Customs guy in Cleveland reamed me about being so far over the limit, but then he said he would have to fill out paperwork for 30 minutes to collect about a dollar of taxes so he let us go with just a stern warning. Don't try to hide anything, declare everything you have and you'll be OK. Otherwise you could technically get accused of smuggling.

 

Good advice, but do check the customs forms prior to filling them out. You may not have to declare if you are not over the limit. Be upfront about what you have when they ask. But putting too much info on forms also annoys them because then they have to read it. Here's the form. And here are the guidelines for bringing alcohol in. From a quick read it looks like most of us were wrong about the current levels--I only see the uniform 1L no-duty limit. But if you read the tables, the tax is literally 2 cents per 12oz bottle/can, which amounts to less than 5 cents per 750cc. So even if you're over, it's not going to matter much. And if you tell them what happened in terms of accidental "reimportation", they might just ignore the whole thing completely--generally, you only have to declare items purchased or otherwise acquired in the country you're coming from. Since the bottle originated in the US and not in Canada, you may not have to declare it, but you will have to explain it. If you're coming by car things are generally a lot smoother than coming by bus, rail or air.

 

So, your friend bought you american beer, gave it to you in canada, and now you are bringing it back to the US? Is that what you're saying?

If so, don't worry about it. Declare the number of bottles on the slip and thats that. The limit is higher than you can physically carry in a checked bag. I travel internationally several times a year and I usually bring back 12 750ml bottles, if not more, from Europe to the US. I declare it every time, have never had any problems at any US airports.

I hear its different bringing alcohol into Canada, but I don't think that is your situation...

 

Being a duel citizen and living close to the border, I cross back and forth often. The advice above is right on. Just be honest about what you are bringing and you will breeze through CBP.

 

As long as the total price for the beer was under $200, you're fine. If it's over $200, you'll have to pay duty tax. Just give an estimate as to what you spent on the beer on the immigration form they give you on the plane. Also, I don't believe you have to declare the beer itself. There is a box for "food" but none for drink. My wife and I returned from Spain recently and brought back 5 bottles of wine from Rioja (craft beer is non-existent in Spain). I just listed the amount we paid for the wine, and everything went through just fine.

 

Wow, apparently I got away with one. Pay no mind to my post above. For what it's worth, I was fine declaring nothing, but I don't advise that path to others.

 

Rule #1: Don't argue with customs agents even if you know they are wrong, especially if it's a matter of pennies in tariffs or duty (different things). Rule #2: Ignore Rule #1 when your legal status is put in jeopardy.

I'd need to check the case law on this and the requirements have been pretty fluid over the past decade, but that sounds just wrong. According to CBP's own website (and the corresponding Code chapter), there is no limit on the amount you can bring, as long as you declare it and pay the duty/tariff. You can check the link I posted earlier and I doubt very much that I misinterpreted it. 8 L might be the unstated no-duty limit.