Buying booze to bring home

[edbro]

Is the import limit still 1 ltr/person? I'd like to pick up some rum to bring home. I'm driving so airline limits aren't a consideration.

 

Are the prices in the Caribbean worthwhile? How much are the import duties if I bring back more than 1? How through are the spot checks?

 

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[elcuchio24]

Pretty sure the limit is still 1 lt per person. If they charged you duty on additional bottles it's only a few percent. We usually bring back at least 4 or 5 bottles between my wife and myself, and have NEVER been charged duty on anything.

[harlekuin]

You can bring back as many as you want. The TAX FREE limit is 1 liter per person. If you bring back 12 bottles, just be advised that you MAY be asked to pay the duty on each of those bottles (somewhere around $2.50 per bottle).

[cruise_girl2002]

you can bring back more than 1 but you are charged duty for the extra bottles. when i was on the inspiration with a friend she bought 6 bottles and before you got off the ship, you had to go to a certain lounge and pay the duty. (customs let the woman in front of her go without paying, ticked off my friend who was told she had to pay). i guess a few people tried to get away with not paying, never showed up and delayed us getting off the ship. carnival kept paging them. they FINALLY showed up and paid. that day, yes customs was strict

[flounder315]

I have never paid duty, but never went over the 2 liters per person. I plan on testing it in Oct. bringing home bottles of Sheiodans for Christmas gifts, that you can only get on board... :D

[jiggs]

I was under the impression that it was also dependent on what islands you visit. I thought the 'legal' limit was different if you stopped in St Thomas.

[harlekuin]

you can bring back more than 1 but you are charged duty for the extra bottles. when i was on the inspiration with a friend she bought 6 bottles and before you got off the ship, you had to go to a certain lounge and pay the duty. (customs let the woman in front of her go without paying, ticked off my friend who was told she had to pay). i guess a few people tried to get away with not paying, never showed up and delayed us getting off the ship. carnival kept paging them. they FINALLY showed up and paid. that day, yes customs was strict

 

The people that were being paged were probably non-US citizens that are required to report prior to anyone being let off the ship. Customs would have no way of knowing how many bottles you have ahead of time.

[Alliezona09]

Someone posted on another thread that as long as you declare everything you have you'll be fine~ most people aren't made to pay~ I brought off 3 bottles in '05 and didn't have to~ Just declare it cuz if they find out you have 6 bottles but only declared 2~that's where they get ya!

[elcuchio24]

you can bring back more than 1 but you are charged duty for the extra bottles. when i was on the inspiration with a friend she bought 6 bottles and before you got off the ship, you had to go to a certain lounge and pay the duty. (customs let the woman in front of her go without paying, ticked off my friend who was told she had to pay). i guess a few people tried to get away with not paying, never showed up and delayed us getting off the ship. carnival kept paging them. they FINALLY showed up and paid. that day, yes customs was strict

 

What you are talking about is for non US folks. Any duty that an American would have to pay would be imposed when you go thru customs, after you are off the ship. Unless you are bring cases or alcohol, I would not expect to pay duty. Most customs folks are not interested in charging you $5. Just looking at your passport and moving you through.

[RedRover96]

I just brought back 7 bottles of tequila through Long Beach. Declared the exact $ amount (had receipts to prove it). I was never asked how many bottles, nor did they say anything, maybe I was just lucky. Back in the day, when you could check booze on the plane, we use to bring one of those carry-on boxes each, something like 6 bottles per box. Customs never said a word….

[slotguy777]

Our last cruise we brought home 4 bottles and they didn't charge us (my wife and I)!

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

My mom brought back 4 bottles of liquor home last month & was never asked to pay taxes on it. However! Please be careful on how you pack the bottles. My mom wrapped the bottles with her clothes and one of the bottles broke in her luggage. While we were waiting for our luggage at the cruise terminal, we saw a brownish liquor on the belt, and her luggage behind it, pouring Bailey's out the seams :(

[BSQ]

1 liter per person of the age of 21 is duty free. Anything after that is subject to duty (tax). Duty is usually a nominal amount and most customs agents don't bother with the paperwork involved. After that, your limit is usually phrased as "personal consumption". PC guidelines may vary from state to state, so if you're really concerned about going over the allowable, check with your states alcohol board.

 

Texas is the only state I'm aware of that has tight controls on what their residents can bring in. There may be others, but I haven't lived in em yet. :D

 

Absolutely declare everything and leave it up to the customs agent.

[kujobie]

I've never brought less than 6 bottles home and never had to pay a dime.

[edbro]

I've never brought less than 6 bottles home and never had to pay a dime.

 

Do you declare it or just keep walking?

[bonsai3s]

I just brought back 7 bottles of tequila through Long Beach. Declared the exact $ amount (had receipts to prove it). I was never asked how many bottles, nor did they say anything, maybe I was just lucky. Back in the day, when you could check booze on the plane, we use to bring one of those carry-on boxes each, something like 6 bottles per box. Customs never said a word….

 

Redrover96, we did the same thing (before 9/11) and carried boxes of liquor (6 bottles per box) from all over the world. We have a collection of approximately 475 unopened liquor bottles prominently displayed in our family room. Now that we can't carry them on the plane, we simply place them inside our hard case luggages. Note: Due to weight limitations, we now limit ourselves to 2 bottles per trip. All these years, we have never been questioned by U.S. Customs...maybe we were just lucky as well. :)