Bringing items from Canada to the US

[kylenyc]

On 9/28/2022 at 8:32 PM, UKstages said:

 

 that's sort of true.

 

but also sort of not.

 

the rule still applies, regardless of whether a declaration form is being used... but the language is very broad.

 

i've traveled extensively by air and also by sea. and several times, with packaged food, such as jam from england and maple syrup from canada and cheese from holland (via aruba), i have asked about this very thing. and they have always said: "no, no, we don't care about that. we want to know about raw or organic food, plants and meats." and they just waved me through.  

 

they're looking for balut, they're looking for plants, they're looking for uncooked meat and fish. anything packaged and sealed is generally OK.

 

as for maple syrup, on my most recent cruise on the joy, after coming back on board with two bottles of maple syrup... the NCL security personnel insisted - after viewing them in the x-ray machine - that i had alcoholic beverages and they asked me to open my bag.

Then you would be wrong.

 

Border agents have a great deal of discretion. Just because you met a friendly or inexperienced agent during a time when restrictions are relaxed doesn't mean it's true today. You don't want to be the one out of ten encountering an agent that's having a bad day or on a power trip, or a new agent trying to impress the boss.

 

I was recently asked if I had noodles. I said no and asked why out of curiosity. I was told it's because the ramen seasoning packet may contain meat/bullion. Could the agent just want to confiscate a cheap lunch or are they trying to protect US agriculture from the swine flu. A long time ago, Miami agents made us ditch the NCL cookies i was taking off the ship for a snack (this was before NCL warned us not to bring food off the ship).

 

It's better to declare everything rather than not. Doubtful an agent will confiscate your ramen or  grandma's shepherds pie unless you're bringing it to a farm. However, they will probably give you a hard time if they suspect you're not declaring everything.

 

US Customs and Border Protection
"You must declare all food products. Failure to declare food products can result in up to $10,000 in fines and penalties."
 

"Meat, milk, egg, poultry, and their products, including products made with these materials are either prohibited or restricted from entering the United States."

 

Yes a lot of food produced in Canada (not simply purchased in a store in Canada) including Canadian meat products are allowed in depending on how it's processed and packaged.

Edited September 30, 2022 by kylenyc

[ziggyuk]

On 9/27/2022 at 3:23 PM, Holly g said:

I know if you buy beer or wine in Canada that NCL will hold it for you and give it to you  before you disembark. But can you bring back items such as honey and maple syrup without any problems?

 

Just to go back the the first part of your question, if you bring wine onboard and have a beverage package NCL will not hold it or charge a corkage, you are now free to take wine to your cabin.

[UKstages]

2 hours ago, kylenyc said:

Then you would be wrong.

 

oh, gosh, i fell into your trap, didn't i?

 

i answered your question, innocently believing you didn't understand what i was saying, even though the meaning was clear from the context. apparently you just wanted to pounce and pontificate.

 

in the before times, i traveled internationally a dozen times a year or more. i'm intimately familiar with the way this works and i don't really need to be edumicated by anybody, thankyouverymuch. i bend over backwards to preserve my global entry privileges and that is exactly why i've asked these questions many times, many ways.  not to one CBP agent, but a bunch of them. and it was always prefaced by saying "i just want to know... i don't want to do anything wrong here." your characterization of these agents as friendly and/or inexperienced is disingenuous at best.

 

i know full well what i'm doing and so do they. the advice i gave is sound and based on personal experience. nobody at CBP is interested in a sealed bottle of maple syrup or a nutrition bar or a bottle of ribena concentrate. they're just not.

[kylenyc]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

 

oh, gosh, i fell into your trap, didn't i?

 

i answered your question...<snipped since  premise is wrong>

non sequitur since neither dandelpino or I are the OP and neither of us asked you any questions.

 

[Sailing12Away]

We were just on the Joy a few weeks ago and didn't experience half of what the experts in here are talking about. Our itinerary had us going to Canada as our first port of call. We had to fill out the customs form the day before we arrived - so how in the world can I declare if I'm brining anything back from Canada when I haven't even been there yet? You just had to promise you weren't bringing anything from the states INTO Canada.

 

When we got home to NY there were no other forms to fill out, no other customs/border agents to talk to. Got off the ship and was in my Lyft headed home within 20 minutes.

 

At the start of our trip we walked onto the ship with 4 bottles of wine/champagne (2 in our checked bags, 2 in carry-on) and were not charged a dime for any of them with the basic FAS drink package. They were in our room the entire time until they ended up visiting our livers.

At each port of call we walked back onto the ship with bottles of wine, mead, 6pks of beer, etc. No one said a word, no one took it from us, no one charged us a dime. It went to the room and was packed back into the luggage on the last day (aside from the cans of cider we picked up for a fellow traveler who didn't think they could bring stuff on board so I bought it for them and gave it to them the next time we saw each other on board). 

[PATRLR]

9 hours ago, UKstages said:

oh, gosh, i fell into your trap, didn't i?

 

7 hours ago, kylenyc said:

non sequitur since neither dandelpino or I are the OP and neither of us asked you any questions.

A trap does not require a lure.

Edited October 1, 2022 by PATRLR

[kylenyc]

On 9/30/2022 at 6:41 AM, PATRLR said:

Why would you want to bring that imposter maple syrup from Canada into the US?  I can connect you with some folks that will send you the best maple syrup on the planet, made in Vermont (says the guy with Vermont roots 😉 ).

But then I see from your profile you are from NY.  I think the only people more adamant that they have the best maple syrup is New Yorkers in the Adirondack area.  Are you sure you will be allowed to bring that Canadian swill into NY?  🙂

(Before our friends to the north get their shorts in a bunch, I'm kidding.  It's all in fun)

I've met a few agents in both direction who had a similar view disposition. 😁

 

Agent: "Do you have any food."

Me: "Yes maple syrup."

Agent: (Frown) "You know there is maple syrup in the United States right?"

Me: (Uncomfortable pause) "Umm yes, but the price was good."

(Q&A continues about other food items I'm bringing with a lot of frowns from the agent.)

 

4 hours ago, PATRLR said:

 

A trap does not require a lure.

The OP asked "can you bring back items such as honey and maple syrup without any problems".

 

The posters that referenced the US CBP rule to declare all food items are correct. Anyone stating "maybe you should" or just because in their extensive travel experience that they are free to selectively declare or not declare food items is wrong.

 

If agents wave cruise passengers by without asking or they don't care what you're bringing from a tourist port-of-call because your no risk to US agriculture, that's in their broad discretion.

 

Simply tell the agent what you have and they will decide.

 

I suppose after 30 cruises and over 100 US Canada border crossings (where I absolutely needed to preserve my Nexus fast pass privilege) and carried thousands of dollars in food products factory sealed and not factory sealed and tens of thousands of dollars in items overall, I would have a bit more standing than most. Then again I'm just some anonymous dude on the interwebz. 🙄

 

US Customs and Border Protection
"All travelers entering the United States are REQUIRED to DECLARE meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals, as well as plant and animal products (including soup or soup products) they may be carrying. The declaration must cover all items carried in checked baggage, carry-on luggage, or in a vehicle."

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by kylenyc

[PATRLR]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18 minutes ago, kylenyc said:

The OP asked "can you bring back items such as honey and maple syrup without any problems".

<snip repetitive pontification>

None of what you wrote after your quote of my statement has anything to do with my statement.  

 

UKstages wrote something, you dismissed UKstages' statement, I pointed out the fallacy in your dismissal.  My statement has nothing to do with CBP, food, or any of what you've been lecturing us all on.

 

For your convenience and reference, this is the thread of quotes:

 

14 hours ago, UKstages said:

oh, gosh, i fell into your trap, didn't i?

12 hours ago, kylenyc said:

non sequitur since neither dandelpino or I are the OP and neither of us asked you any questions.

4 hours ago, PATRLR said:

A trap does not require a lure.