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Because Customs inspectors are stationed at ports of entry and along our land and sea borders, they are often called upon to enforce laws and requirements of other U.S. government agencies. This is done to protect public health and safety and to preserve domestic plant and animal life.
Should you attempt to bring in merchandise that is prohibited by law, it will be seized and you may be liable for a personal penalty. Restricted merchandise must be inspected by the agency that imposed the restrictions--for example, the Departments of Agriculture and Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and others. Only then will it be released; it may be detained, however, until conditions attached to the restrictions are complied with--for example, making automotive modifications required to meet U.S. safety standards or obtaining certain inoculations for pets. You will be given a receipt for any articles that Customs detains.
Prohibited articles include: lottery tickets, narcotics and dangerous drugs, obscene articles and publications, seditious and treasonable materials, hazardous articles (e.g., fireworks, dangerous toys, toxic or poisonous substances), products made by prison convicts or forced labor, and switchblade knives (the only exception is for a one-armed traveler, in which case the blade must be no longer than three inches).
Biological Materials
Unsterilized specimens of human and animal tissue (including blood, bodily discharges and excretions); cultures of living bacteria, viruses or similar organisms; animals suspected of being infected with a disease transmissible to humans; and insects, snails, and bats may require an import permit from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Write to the Office of Health and Safety, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (F-05), 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Biological materials produced from animals or animal products may require an additional permit from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Please write to USDA'S Import-Export Products Staff, APHIS, Federal Building, 6505 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782, USA, for further information and an application for an import permit.
Books, Video Tapes, Computer Programs & Cassettes
Pirated copies of copyrighted articles--that is, unlawfully made reproductions; articles produced without the copyright owner's authorization--are prohibited from importation into the United States. Pirated copies will be seized and destroyed.
Artifacts/Cultural Property
An export certificate is required by most Latin American countries to export pre-Columbian artifacts, monumental and architectural sculpture, or murals, whether they are shipped directly or indirectly from the country of origin into the United States.
Firearms & Ammunition
If your travel to the U.S. Is primarily for the purpose of hunting or lawful sporting activities, your firearms and ammunition may be brought into the United States provided you take the firearms and any remaining unfired ammunition out of the United States when you depart.
If hunting or a sporting event is a secondary reason for coming to the U.S., i.e., you are moving here temporarily or permanently, your firearms and ammunition are subject to restrictions and import permits. Fully automatic weapons and semi-automatic assault-type weapons are prohibited. For complete information, contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Department of the Treasury, Firearms and Explosives Import Branch, Washington, D.C. 20226, USA.
Food Products
Bakery items and all cured cheeses are admissible. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) publishes a pamphlet called Travelers Tips, which offers detailed information on bringing food, plant, and animal products into this country. Imported foods are also subject to requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
Fruits, Vegetables, Plants
Many fruits, vegetables, plants, cuttings, seeds, unprocessed plant products, and certain endangered plant species are either prohibited from entering the country or require an import permit. Endangered or threatened species of plants and plant products, if not prohibited from importation, will require an export permit from the country of origin. Every single plant, plant product, fruit, or vegetable must be declared to the Customs officer and must be presented for inspection no matter how free of pests it appears to be. Most canned or processed items are admissible.
Applications for import permits or requests for information should be addressed to: Permit Unit, USDA-APHIS-PPQ, 4700 River Rd., Unit 136, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, USA.
Meats, Livestock, Poultry
Meats, livestock, poultry and their by-products (e.g., sausage, pâté) are either prohibited or restricted from entering the United States, depending upon the animal disease condition in the country of origin. Fresh meat is generally prohibited from most countries. Canned meat is permitted if the inspector can determine that it is commercially canned, cooked in the container, hermetically sealed, and can be kept without refrigeration. Other canned, cured, or dried meat is severely restricted.
You should contact the USDA's Import-export Products Staff, APHIS-VS, 4700 River Rd., Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, USA, for detailed requirements.
Hunting Trophies
If you plan to import game or a hunting trophy, check with the Fish and Wildlife Service first. Such items generally require a license, and only certain ports are designated to handle them. Hunting trophies and hides must be shipped to a USDA-approved taxidermy service for processing. Trophies may also be subject to an APHIS inspection for sanitary purposes. General guidelines for importing game and trophies may be found in APHIS's publication Travelers Tips.
Medicine/Narcotics
A traveler requiring medicines containing habit-forming drugs or narcotics (e.g., cough medicine, diuretics, heart drugs, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antidepressants, stimulants, etc.) should:
- Have all drugs, medicines, and similar products properly identified;
- Carry only such quantity as would normally be used by an individual having the health problem requiring the drugs or medicines in your possession;
- Have either a prescription or written statement from your personal physician that the medicine is being used under a doctor's direction and that it is necessary for your physical well-being while traveling.
- Declare such drugs or medications to the Customs officer.
Money
There is no limit on the total amount of monetary instruments that may be brought into or taken out of the United States, nor is it illegal to do so. However, if you transport or cause to be transported (including by mail or other means), more than $10,000 in monetary instruments on any occasion into or out of the United States, or if you receive more than that amount, you must file a report (Customs Form 4790) with U.S. Customs (Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act, 31 U.S.C. 1101, et. Seq.). Failure to comply can result in civil and criminal penalties, including seizure of the currency or monetary instruments. Monetary instruments include U.S. or foreign coin, currency, travelers checks, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form.
Pets
There are controls, restrictions, and prohibitions on bringing animals, birds, turtles, wildlife, and endangered species into the United States.
- Cats must be free of evidence of diseases communicable to man when examined at the port of entry. If the animal is not in apparent good health, further examination by a licensed veterinarian may be required at the owner's expense.
- Dogs must be free of evidence of diseases communicable to man and must be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to arrival. (This requirement does not apply to puppies less than three months of age; puppies up to three months must be confined at the owner's expense, then immunized and confined for an additional 30 days.)
A valid rabies vaccination certificate must accompany the animal. This certificate should identify the animal, the dates of vaccination and expiration, and bear the signature of a licensed veterinarian. If no expiration date is specified, the certificate is acceptable if the date of vaccination is no more than 12 months prior to arrival in the United States. Vaccination against rabies is not required for dogs arriving from rabies-free countries.
- Personally-owned pet birds may be entered, but only two may be entered from the psittacine family. APHIS and Public Health Service requirements must be met, which may include quarantine at the owner's expense at an APHIS facility at specified locations. Advance reservations are required for quarantines.
- Non-human primates such as monkeys, apes and similar animals may not be imported.
Trademarked Articles
Trademark owners often register their trademarks with the Customs Service, even when the trademarked merchandise is foreign-made, in order to control the importation of counterfeits. Customs imposes restrictions on the importation of articles whose trademarks have been registered, and these restrictions apply to purchases that accompany nonresident visitors.
Visitors are allowed an exemption, usually one article of each type bearing a protected trademark. One-of-each-type means one pair of shoes, one scarf, one coat, one handbag, one camera, one watch, or one bottle of perfume, for example, regardless of whose trademark the articles bear and regardless of whether the products are genuine, gray market, or counterfeit.
Gray-market merchandise is genuine, legitimately manufactured, noncounterfeit merchandise whose importation is restricted to a certain number or quantity. Items that are new, intended as gifts, or imported in such quantity as to be construed a commercial importation, may likely be gray-market items, so travelers are advised to restrict themselves to one of each type. Items that are clearly personal effects--one's clothing, for example--have no such restrictions.
As a visitor, you may claim this exemption for the same type of article once every 30 days. If the exempted article is sold within the year following importation, it is subject to forfeiture, and you may be assessed a financial penalty based upon its value.
Fish & Wildlife
Fish and Wildlife are subject to import and export restrictions, prohibitions, permits, certificates, and quarantine requirements that cover:
- Wild birds, mammals, marine mammals, reptiles, crustaceans, fish, and mollusks;
- Any part or product thereof, such as skins, feathers, eggs; and
- Products and articles manufactured from wildlife and fish.
Endangered species of wildlife and products made from them are prohibited from importation and exportation. All ivory and ivory products made from elephant or marine ivory are generally prohibited. Antiques containing wildlife parts may be imported provided they can be documented as being at least 100 years old.
Federal regulations do not authorize the importation of any wildlife or fish into any state of the United States if the state's laws or regulations are more restrictive than any applicable federal treatment. Wild mammals or birds taken, killed, sold, possessed, or exported to the United States in violation of any foreign laws are also not allowed entry into the United States.
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