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CSA TRAVEL INFORMATION GUIDE
U.S. federal regulations allow you to bring more than one litre of alcoholic beverage for personal use,
but, as with extra tobacco, you will have to pay duty and Internal Revenue Service tax.
While federal regulations do not specify a limit on the amount of alcohol you may bring for personal
use, unusual quantities are liable to raise suspicions that you are importing the alcohol for other
purposes, such as for resale. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers are authorized by
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to make on-the-spot determinations that an importation is for
commercial purposes, and may require you to obtain a permit to import the alcohol before releasing
it to you. If you intend to bring a substantial quantity of alcohol for your personal use, you should
contact the port you will be entering the United States through, and make prior arrangements for
bringing the alcohol into the U.S.
Having said that, you should be aware that state laws may limit the amount of alcohol you can
bring in without a license. If you arrive in a state that has limitations on the amount of alcohol you
may bring in without a license, that state law will be enforced by CBP, even though it may be more
restrictive than federal regulations. It is recommended that you check with the state government
before you plan to take quantities in excess of the normal tourist limits and additional state taxes
that might apply.
Gifts
Gifts you bring are considered to be for your personal use. They must be declared, but you may
include them in your personal exemption.
Gifts worth up to $100 may be received, free of duty and tax, by friends and relatives in the U.S., as
long as the same person does not receive more than $100 worth of gifts in a single day.
Nonresidents can include cigars in their $100 gift exemption, but may not include cigarettes or
alcohol. Gifts originating from countries currently under sanctions with the U.S. may not be eligible
for the $100 gift exemption (Example: Iraq). To ensure that gifts are eligible for the $100 exemption,
questions should be referred to the Office of Foreign Assets Control at (202) 622-2480.
Gifts for more than one person may be shipped in the same package, called a consolidated gift
package, if they are individually wrapped and labelled with each recipient’s name in accordance with
U.S. customs requirements.
Canada Post/U.S. Mail Shipments
Shipping items to the United States by regular mail or parcel post may be a convenient and cost-
effective option.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) sends all foreign mail shipments to CBP for examination.
Once examined, CBP returns items that do not require duty to the USPS to continue the delivery
process.
If a package does require a payment for duty, CBP attaches a “mail entry” form which indicates how
much duty is payable along with the applicable charges for processing. When the USPS finally deliv-
ers the parcel, they in turn will add their own nominal charge for handling the item.
Be sure to mark your customs declaration “unsolicited gift” or “consolidated gift package” in the case
of many items for different people being included in the package. Be sure a consolidated gift package
had separate labels affixed to each item that indicates the recipient’s name.