Bringing wine back from Ensenada

In two weeks we're going to be doing the wine excursion. In case we find some we just have to have, what might we run into? We know we can't bring it back to our room, that the ship will take it and return it later. That's fine. Any issues with quantity, packaging, etc. for either Carnival or US Customs?

In two weeks we're going to be doing the wine excursion. In case we find some we just have to have, what might we run into? We know we can't bring it back to our room, that the ship will take it and return it later. That's fine. Any issues with quantity, packaging, etc. for either Carnival or US Customs?

We have not done the wine tour with Carnival, but have several times on Princess and Royal Caribbean. They have always allowed us to take the wine back to our cabin. Usually, of course, Ensenada is the stop the day before returning back to Los Angeles.

No problem with just a bottle of wine from the Customs people.

Just a quick search of the Internet will find the US Customs regulations. You will pay duty, depending on how much you bring back.

You know the Carnival requirements- they will hold until you are ready to clear Customs. I would suspect the winery will take care of sturdy packing.

Friends always buy a case. Some times they're charged duty, sometimes not.

The supermarkets in town have other local wines.

From the USA Customs web site:

Alcoholic Beverages

One American liter (33.8 fl. oz.) of alcoholic beverages may be included in your returning resident personal exemption if:

You are at least 21 years old.

It is intended exclusively for your personal use and not for sale.

It does not violate the laws of the state in which you arrive.

Federal and state regulations allow you to bring back one liter of an alcoholic beverage for personal use duty-free. However, states may allow you to bring back more than one liter, but you will have to pay any applicable Customs duty and IRT.

While federal regulations do not specify a limit on the amount of alcohol you may bring back beyond the personal exemption amount, unusual quantities may raise suspicions that you are importing the alcohol for other purposes, such as for resale. CBP officers enforce the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) laws, rules, and regulations and are authorized to make on-the-spot determinations that an importation is for commercial purposes. If such determination is made, it may require you to obtain a permit and file a formal entry to import the alcohol before the alcohol is released. If you intend to bring back a substantial quantity of alcohol for your personal use, you should contact the U.S. Port of Entry (POE) through which you will be re-entering and make prior arrangements for the importation.

Also, state laws might 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's law will be enforced by CBP, even though it may be more restrictive than federal regulations. We recommend that you check with the state government about their limitations on quantities allowed for personal importation and additional state taxes that may apply. Ideally, this information should be obtained before traveling.

In brief, for both alcohol and cigarettes, the quantities eligible for duty-free treatment may be included in your $800 or $1,600 returning resident personal exemption, just as any other purchase should be. But unlike other kinds of merchandise, amounts beyond those discussed here as being duty-free are taxed, even if you have not exceeded, or even met, your personal exemption. For example, your exemption is $800 and you bring back three liters of wine and nothing else, two of those liters will be dutiable and IR taxed. Federal law prohibits business-to-private consumer shipping of alcoholic beverages by mail within the United States.