Taking sand thru customs

[alyssazoll]

I haven't been outside of the country since I was a child so I am unfamiliar with the customs process.

I have been collecting sand from the beaches I have been to recently in the US. From what I've read it's "possible" that customs could confiscate it when declaring. Anyone have any experience of this? Is there a way to do it legally, or is it not worth the hassle? Thanks!

 

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[Pookie092403]

I haven't been outside of the country since I was a child so I am unfamiliar with the customs process.

I have been collecting sand from the beaches I have been to recently in the US. From what I've read it's "possible" that customs could confiscate it when declaring. Anyone have any experience of this? Is there a way to do it legally, or is it not worth the hassle? Thanks!

 

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When we went to Bermuda last May my daughter got some sand from horseshoe beach (she bottled it in a soda bottle) and when we went to get back to the ship the made her throw it away. We asked if we would have put it in something else and they said no.

[BirdTravels]

You may not carry sand/soil into the United State. In ports where this is prevalent (e.g., pink sands of Bermuda), the ship is carefully watching for such items and there is always a pile of bottles of sand at the gangway.

 

Customs: "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.

 

Prohibited items that are not declared by passengers are confiscated and disposed of by CBP agriculture specialists. More importantly, civil penalties may be assessed for failure to declare prohibited agricultural products and may range up to $1,000 per first-time offense for non-commercial quantities.

 

No soil or earth of any kind is allowed into the United States without a permit issued in advance by USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine Permit Unit. Pure sand, such as a small container of decorative beach sand, is usually allowed."

Edited January 16, 2017 by BirdTravels

[Flatbush Flyer]

I haven't been outside of the country since I was a child so I am unfamiliar with the customs process.

I have been collecting sand from the beaches I have been to recently in the US. From what I've read it's "possible" that customs could confiscate it when declaring. Anyone have any experience of this? Is there a way to do it legally, or is it not worth the hassle? Thanks!

 

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Don't know where you're from but...

It's the "hitchhiking" bugs and microbes you cannot see (in sand, dirt, etc) that can easily decimate (or worse) whole segments of an agricultural ecosystem. PLEASE avoid the urge to transport uninspected "cute" (but potentially devastating) sand into areas depending so heavily on the integrity of their agriculture. In other words, for example, please keep your sandwiches, fruits, sand and any other non-prepackaged/non-inspected stuff out of ports like those in California, Hawaii, Australia, NZ, ....get the picture?

 

 

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[goldmom]

I know it's not the same thing. But often gift shops will have little bottles of sand for sale. It may not be from the exact beach you visited, but would work as a memento of your trip and is safe to transport.

[nissach]

If it really that important, just fill a small container, seal it with the sand inside, and put it in your bag. They may or may not 'catch' it. It is up to you. The worst that will happen is that they will take it away.

[orchestrapal]

If it really that important, just fill a small container, seal it with the sand inside, and put it in your bag. They may or may not 'catch' it. It is up to you. The worst that will happen is that they will take it away.

 

No, actually the worst that can happen is that you are directed to another line.There special officers with sniffer dogs will inspect and remove any soil or sand and you will have spent an extra hour or more in the airport. Not fun!!!

[biker@sea]

We use a Parasheet Beach blanket that has 4 corner pockets to be fill with sand to keep it place.

 

Some sand could be " stuck " in the folds. ;)

 

.

[hawkeyetlse]

You may not carry sand/soil into the United State.

You say this, then you provide an official quote that explicitly says that sand is usually allowed.

 

If the ship confiscates sand and sea glass from passengers coming back on board in Bermuda, it's because Bermuda doesn't want this stuff being taken from its beaches.

[happy cruzin]

No, actually the worst that can happen is that you are directed to another line.There special officers with sniffer dogs will inspect and remove any soil or sand and you will have spent an extra hour or more in the airport. Not fun!!!

 

 

That's pretty extreme! :eek: Families and kids bring back sand all the time - some by accident and some on purpose!

 

OP if it's important to you I agree with the others that have said put it in a sealed container and keep in in your bag. If they take it upon boarding there's not much you can do. But after that you should be good!

[LrgPizza]

We use a Parasheet Beach blanket that has 4 corner pockets to be fill with sand to keep it place.

 

Some sand could be " stuck " in the folds. ;)

 

.

 

We also use one of those. They are the best!

 

I agree with this idea. Shove some in the pockets of your swim trunks and act like you didn't get it all shook out. :D

[mking8288]

It's not crystal clear OP's question is on declaring and/or bring sand back into the U.S. upon re-entry (disembarkation) or it's a question about boarding the ship at non-U.S. (foreign) ports on a sailing - and, screening by port security or immigration/custom, i.e. Bermuda or even Florida on a stopover. There are warning signs/posters & reminders given to all pax, even as they step up to the gangways, with barrel drums for voluntary surrendering.

 

Nassau and Caribbean ports, I don't recall it being given and/or strictly enforced - ship security is busy on the lookout for everything else, like liquor, soda & bottled water, plus other banned & illegal substances, etc. - anything undesirable not to be taken back onto the ship.

 

On the other hand, we have had to clean up loose dirt & sands ;) that're tapped in odd places after coming home ... including Crocs sandals while going ashore to a beach ... Atlantis resort in Nassau come to mind. It wasn't much, unlike a bottle's worth collected "on purpose".

 

Not suggesting nor endorsing anyone to so otherwise, at their own "risk".

[okeytaco]

No, actually the worst that can happen is that you are directed to another line.There special officers with sniffer dogs will inspect and remove any soil or sand and you will have spent an extra hour or more in the airport. Not fun!!!

Actually it can be worse than that. Returning from Thailand I had nothing to declare but upon reading a sign that said "If you have something you have not declared you may do so now and there will be no consequences. However if WE discover something you didn't declare there will be consequences." I had dried kefir lime leaves in a sealed container which I had assumed would be legal but after reading that I decided to mention them. Well...long story short they had to fumigate the luggage hold of the airplane! I was in no trouble whatsoever since I had told them but I sure was embarrassed!

[hawkeyetlse]

Looks like the OP is booked on the Getaway in February, so they would be bringing back sand from Roatán (Honduras), Harvest Caye (Belize), and Costa Maya/Cozumel (Mexico). People with recent experience at those ports can give advice about whether the ship security takes sand away from reboarding passengers.

 

As for US customs, the declaration form doesn't mention sand anywhere (soil is not the same thing as sand), so there is no need to declare it for agricultural inspection. As long as you are confident that it really is just pure sand (i.e. no animal products like seashells mixed in). In case of doubt, go ahead and declare it.

[nissach]

That's pretty extreme! :eek: Families and kids bring back sand all the time - some by accident and some on purpose!

 

OP if it's important to you I agree with the others that have said put it in a sealed container and keep in in your bag. If they take it upon boarding there's not much you can do. But after that you should be good!

 

I agree, that is very extreme and very unlikely to actually happen....we have friends that collect sand from the different beaches they have been to in a small bottle...they put it in their checked luggage and it always has arrived home, safe and sound. :)

[packer99]

I have to admit, we brought sand back from each destination. It was maybe a 1/2 inch put in a small baggy. Then in Nassau we bought a small jar and put the sand in by order of Port. We sealed the jar and put in our suitcase. Not saying what we did is right but my husband is a world traveler and seen much more worse than little sand. No one questioned it.

[$hip$hape]

I haven't been outside of the country since I was a child so I am unfamiliar with the customs process.

I have been collecting sand from the beaches

I have been to recently in the US. From what I've read it's "possible" that customs could confiscate it when declaring.

Anyone have any experience of this? Is there a way to do it legally, or is it not worth the hassle? Thanks!

 

Sent from my SM-G920P using Forums mobile app

 

I know it's not the same thing. But often gift shops will have little bottles of sand for sale.

It may not be from the exact beach you visited, but would work as a memento of your trip and is safe to transport.

OP, I just have to ask,

When you die, what will your relatives do with all the sand you collected?:)

[worldspan]

Routinely brought back sand from the Caribbean like 15-20 times between flying and cruises for a buddy of mine from the gym who is an obsessed collector of sands from around the world.

 

Always did it in Ziploc storage bags so readily apparent to customs and MIA and FLL and not once did I ever have a problem!

[Flatbush Flyer]

As I said earlier: it's what you can't see in that seemingly harmless non-native sand that is reason for realistic concern.

 

Consider sand grain sized miconia seeds transported from areas like Central America's beaches to an agricultural environment abroad- http://www.oahuisc.org/miconia/

And that's only one of many many mini-invaders often found but not seen in sand.

 

Please leave natural features (yours theirs and ours) alone. At the very least, Californians and Hawaiians will thank you.

 

 

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[Loonbeam]

There are 2 factors here:

 

1> Inbound customs - they may allow sealed SMALL decorative jars as these are often cleaned before sealing to prevent discoloration. For whoever said, sand IS the same as soil/earth legally, and you can have it confiscated and possibly be fined. Also, a lot of the sand from those bottles doesn't come from the beaches, but quarries and is basically ground rock.

 

2> Outbound - certain areas, especially those with more distinctive sand, do not allow taking of the material without a permit. The reason is simple. Bermuda for example sees between 300,000 and 400,000 visitors per year. If each person decided to take an ounce of sand, that's 10 tons of sand stripped from the beaches each year. Doesn't sound like much but it adds up.