Customs and Immigration Alcohol rule

[Mrs.Kearns]

Guys, my fiancé went into the duty free liquor store for cigarettes . I took a small detour and I guess I was excited about this new experience (first time cruising) that I really didn't understand that I just sent him into a liquor store alone ... with good prices . I practically took off running but I was too late . I had totally forgot about that you were only allowed to bring so much back into the states . He bought two 750 ml of something . I forgot the name of it . I just remember that , and that it's 92 proof . I remember reading that you can only bring back 1000ml duty free ? Now I really don't understand the whole duty free concept . So will he be able to bring both bottles? Or just one ? Thankfully they didn't cost that much ... so if we have to lose one it'll be ok...

 

We disembark in Miami

 

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

If I remember correctly, you can bring back 5 750mL bottles. However I do believe there's a rule about the proof of the alcohol, but I don't know what it is. The likelihood that anyone will actually look at your individual bottles is low, unless you're sailing from Galveston, which makes you pay taxes on stuff you bring back. Since you're sailing from Miami I wouldn't worry too much.

 

 

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[njkruzer]

The amount you can bring in has to with not paying duty so if you are over the limit you have to pay the duty. You can each bring in one liter duty free, that's 1000ml, so you should be ok.

[NW Native1]

I was over the allowable amount and had to pay duty on the additional bottles when I disembarked in Long Beach a couple of years ago - it was less than $3.00 a bottle.

[traveler279]

Playing the Duty Free game is one of Canada's national sports. The basic rules are the same as the US in that the government sets a limit on what one can bring back free of any additional taxes and duty. You can actually bring back as much as you want. A case of Rum, anyone? You will owe duty and taxes on the excess.

 

In Canada the rule regarding alcohol (liquor) is 1.14 L per adult. For the two of us that's 2.28 L. We regularly bring back two 1 L bottles from Duty Free and a 750 ml bottle of Rum. That puts us 470 ml over limit. We've always been waved through no charge.

 

 

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[Homosassa]

I debarked in Miami two weeks ago.

 

I was surprised not to receive a Custom's Declaration form on board ship.

 

When I asked my cabin steward for one. he told that use of the form was dropped two months ago (must have been after my cruise in January) and that we just needed to orally declare at Customs.

 

He was right. The Customs agent just briefly looked at our passports, did not scan them) and handed them back to us and waved us through without any conversation.

 

I have to say the lackadaisical approach didn't inspire any confidence in border security.

[alfaeric]

I have to say the lackadaisical approach didn't inspire any confidence in border security.

 

Uh- the people coming in from a cruise ship are a captive audience. The ship keeps track of everyone getting on and off the ship all the time- so the risk of some unknown person coming off a cruise ship is massively small. That includes both the crew and guests.

 

For US citizens- here's a good web page- https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/customs-duty-info

 

The rules say 1l per person. But it's still up to the agents to do something- and the best way to deal with it is declare everything, hide nothing. We've bought 5 bottles of rums across all of the islands, put them all on the form, and did not pay a duty on those. Not that it would have been a lot, as the duty would have not stopped me from getting things I cant get.