Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bibbitybop]

Sure, I can look it up online, but I'd rather trust esl teachers than the US customs website:


How much and how many bottles of soju are allowed to be brought back into the US? I'm thinking of bringing some of those BIG bottles (1.5-2 liters?). If they charge for additonal bottles beyond the duty-free allowance, how much do they charge?

Thank you

[peacemaker]

I am also interested in this question, though I'm looking to bring home maybe 5-10 of the small bottles to give people as gifts. I know the usual allowance is one bottle of hard liquor duty free, so I'm not sure where soju lands on that.

[Bibbitybop]

Ok, so I broke down and turned to the US customs website:

One liter (33.8 fl. oz.) of alcoholic beverages may be included in your exemption if:

# You are 21 years old.
#It is for your own use or as a gift.
#It does not violate the laws of the state in which you arrive


pad

What You Should Know Before You Go

This information is taken from the "Know Before You Go" brochure provided by the U.S. Customs Service. If you are planning a trip out of the country you should check with the Customs Service for more current, updated information.

The U.S. Customs Service is America's frontline against the smuggling of drugs and other prohibited goods. Customs has discovered large amounts of drugs in baggage, vehicles, and on passengers themselves.

When you return to the United States, we will treat you in a courteous, professional manner. We realize that very few travelers actually violate the law, but we may still need to examine your baggage or your vehicle, which, by law, we are allowed to do. We may ask you about your citizenship, your trip, and about anything you are bringing back to the United States that you did not have with you when you left.

If you need help clearing Customs, please do not hesitate to ask the Customs inspector for assistance.

"Duty" and "dutiable" are words you will find frequently throughout this brochure: Duty is the amount of money you pay on items coming from another country. It is similar to a tax, except that duty is collected only on imported goods. Dutiable describes items on which duty may have to be paid. Most items have specific duty rates, which are determined by a number of factors, including where you got the item, where it was made, and what it is made of.

To "declare" means to tell the Customs officer about anything you're bringing back that you did not have when you left the United States. For example, you would declare alterations made in a foreign country to a suit you already owned, and you would declare any gifts you acquired overseas.



U.S. Customs Mission
We are the guardians of our Nation's borders - America's frontline. We serve and protect the American public with integrity, innovation, and pride. We enforce the laws of the United States, safeguard the revenue, and foster lawful international trade and travel.

When You Return to the United States
When you come back, you'll need to declare everything you brought back that you did not take with you when you left the United States. If you are traveling by air or sea, you may be asked to fill out a Customs declaration form. This form is almost always provided by the airline or cruise ship. You will probably find it easier and faster to fill out your declaration form and clear Customs if you do the following:

* Keep your sales slips! As you read this brochure,
you'll understand why this is especially important
for international travelers.
* Try to pack the things you'll need to declare
separately.
* Read the signs in the Customs area. They contain
helpful information about how to clear Customs.

Be aware that under U.S. law, Customs inspectors are authorized to examine luggage, cargo, and travelers. Under the search authority granted to Customs by the U.S. Congress, every passenger who crosses a U.S. border may be searched. To stop the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband into our country, we need your cooperation. If you are one of the very few travelers selected for a search, you will be treated in a courteous, professional, and dignified manner. If you are searched and you believe that you were not treated in such a manner, or if you have any concerns about the search for any reason whatsoever, we want to hear from you. Please contact the Executive Director, Passenger Programs. What You Must Declare

* Items you purchased and are carrying with you upon return to the United States.
* Items you received as gifts, such as wedding or birthday presents.
* Items you inherited.
* Items you bought in duty-free shops or on the ship or plane.
* Repairs or alterations to any items you took abroad and then brought back, even if the repairs/alterations were performed free of charge.
* Items you brought home for someone else.
* Items you intend to sell or use in your business.
* Items you acquired (whether purchased or received as gifts) in the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or in a Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act country (please see section on $600 exemption for a list of these countries) that are not in your possession when you return. In other words, if you acquired things in any of these island nations and asked the merchant to send them to you, you must still declare them when you go through Customs. (This differs from the usual procedure for mailed items, which is discussed in the section on Sending Goods to the United States.



You must state on the Customs declaration, in United States currency, what you actually paid for each item. The price must include all taxes. If you did not buy the item yourself - for example, if it is a gift - get an estimate of its fair retail value in the country where you received it. If you bought something on your trip and wore or used it on the trip, it's still dutiable. You must declare the item at the price you paid or, if it was a gift, at its fair market value.
Joint Declaration
Family members who live in the same home and return together to the United States may combine their personal exemptions. This is called a joint declaration. For example, if Mr. and Mrs. Smith travel overseas and Mrs. Smith brings home a $600 piece of glassware, and Mr. Smith buys $200 worth of clothing, they can combine their $400 exemptions on a joint declaration and not have to pay duty.

Children and infants are allowed the same exemption as adults, except for alcoholic beverages.



Register Items Before You Leave the United States
If your laptop computer was made in Japan - for instance - you might have to pay duty on it each time you bring it back into the United States, unless you could prove that you owned it before you left on your trip. Documents that fully describe the item - for example, sales receipts, insurance policies, or jeweler's appraisals - are acceptable forms of proof.

To make things easier, you can register certain items with Customs before you depart - including watches, cameras, laptop computers, firearms, and tape recorders - as long as they have serial numbers or other unique, permanent markings. Take the items to the nearest Customs Office and request a Certificate of Registration (Customs Form 4457). It shows Customs that you had the items with you before leaving the U.S. and all items listed on it will be allowed duty-free entry. Customs inspectors must see the item you are registering in order to certify the certificate of registration. You can register items with Customs at the international airport from which you're departing. Keep the certificate for future trips.

Duty-free Exemption
The duty-free exemption, also called the personal exemption, is the total value of merchandise you may bring back to the United States without having to pay duty. You may bring back more than your exemption, but you will have to pay duty on it. In most cases, the personal exemption is $400, but there are some exceptions to this rule, which are explained below.



Exemptions
Depending on the countries you have visited, your personal exemption will be $400, $600, or $1,200. (The differences are explained in the following section.) There are also limits on the amount of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products you may include in your duty-free personal exemption.

The duty-free exemptions ($400, $600, or $1,200) apply if:

* The items are for your personal or household use.
* They are in your possession (that is, they accompany you) when you return to the United States. Items to be sent later may not be included in your $400 duty-free exemption.
* They are declared to Customs. If you do not declare something that should have been declared, you risk forfeiting it. If in doubt, declare it.
* You are returning from an overseas stay of at least 48 hours. For example, if you leave the United States at 1:30 p.m. on June 1, you would complete the 48-hour period at 1:30 p.m. on June 3. This time limit does not apply if you are returning from Mexico or from the U.S. Virgin Islands. (See the section on the $200 exemption.)
* You have not used your exemption, or any part of it, in the past 30 days. If you use part of your exemption - for example, if you go to England and bring back $150 worth of items - you must wait another 30 days before you are allowed another $400 exemption. (However, see the section on the $200 exemption.)
* The items are not prohibited or restricted as discussed in the section on Prohibited and Restricted Items. Note the embargo prohibitions on products of Cuba.



$200 Exemption
If you can't claim other exemptions because you've been out of the country more than once in a 30-day period or because you haven't been out of the country for at least 48 hours, you may still bring back $200 worth of items free of duty and tax. As with the exemptions discussed earlier, these items must be for your personal or household use.

Each traveler is allowed this $200 exemption, but, unlike the other exemptions, family members may not group their exemptions. Thus, if Mr. and Mrs. Smith spend a night in Canada, each may bring back up to $200 worth of goods, but they would not be allowed a collective family exemption of $400.

Also, if you bring back more than $200 worth of dutiable items, or if any item is subject to duty or tax, the entire amount will be dutiable. Let's say you were out of the country for 36 hours and came back with a $300 piece of pottery. You could not deduct $200 from its value and pay duty on $100. The pottery would be dutiable for the full value of $300.

You may include with the $200 exemption your choice of the following: 50 cigarettes and 10 cigars and 150 milliliters (5 fl. oz.) of alcoholic beverages or 150 milliliters (5 fl. oz.) of perfume containing alcohol.
$400 Exemption
If you are returning from anywhere other than a Caribbean Basin country or a U.S. insular possession (U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Guam), you may bring back $400 worth of items duty-free, as long as you bring them with you (this is called accompanied baggage).

Duty on items you mail home to yourself will be waived if the value is $200 or less. (See sections on "Gifts" and "Sending Goods to the United States.") Antiques that are at least 100 years old and fine art may enter duty-free, but folk art and handicrafts are generally dutiable.

This means that, depending on what items you're bringing back from your trip, you could come home with more than $400 worth of gifts or purchases and still not be charged duty. For instance, say you received a $300 bracelet as a gift, and you bought a $40 hat and a $60 color print. Because these items total $400, you would not be charged duty, because you have not exceeded your duty-free exemption. If you had also bought a $500 painting on that trip, you could bring all $900 worth of merchandise home without having to pay duty, because fine art is duty-free.




Tobacco Products: Passengers/travelers may import previously exported tobacco products only in quantities not exceeding the amounts specified in exemptions for which the traveler qualifies. Any quantities of previously exported tobacco products not permitted by an exemption will be seized and destroyed. These items are typically purchased in duty-free stores, on carriers operating internationally, or in foreign stores. These items are usually marked "Tax Exempt. For Use Outside the U.S.," or "U.S. Tax Exempt For Use Outside the U.S."

For example, a returning resident is eligible for the $400 exemption, which includes not
more than 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars. If the resident declares 400 previously exported cigarettes,
the resident would be permitted 200 cigarettes, tax-free under the exemption and the remaining 200 previously exported cigarettes would be confiscated. If the resident declares 400 cigarettes, of which 200 are previously exported and 200 not previously exported, the resident would be permitted to import the 200 previously exported cigarettes tax free under the exemption and the resident would be charged duty and tax on the remaining 200 not previously exported cigarettes.

The tobacco exemption is available to each person. Tobacco products of Cuban origin, however, are prohibited unless you actually acquired them in Cuba and are returning directly or indirectly from that country on licensed travel. You may not, for example, bring in Cuban cigars purchased in Canada. Persons returning from Cuba may bring into the U.S. no more than $100 worth of goods.


Alcoholic Beverages: One liter (33.8 fl. oz.) of alcoholic beverages may be included in your exemption if:



#

You are 21 years old.
#
It is for your own use or as a gift.
#
It does not violate the laws of the state in which you arrive.




Federal regulations allow you to bring back more than one liter of alcoholic beverage for
personal use, but, as with extra tobacco, you will have to pay duty and Internal Revenue
Service tax.

While federal regulations do not specify a limit on the amount of alcohol you may bring back
for personal use, unusual quantities are liable to raise suspicions that you are importing the alcohol for other purposes, such as for resale. Customs officers are authorized by Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) make on-the-spot determinations that an importation is for commercial purposes, and may require you to obtain a permit to import the alcohol before leasing to you. If you intend to bring back a substantial quantity of alcohol for your personal use you should contact the Customs port you will be re-entering the country through, and make prior arrangements for entering the alcohol into the U.S.

Having said that, you should be aware that State laws may limit the amount of alcohol you can bring in without a license. If you arrive in a state that has limitations on the amount of alcohol you may bring in without a license, that state law will be enforced by Customs, even though it may be more restrictive then Federal regulations. We recommend that you check with the state government before you go abroad about their limitations on quantities allowed for personal importation and additional state taxes that might apply.

In brief, for both alcohol and tobacco, the quantities discussed in this booklet as being eligible for duty-free treatment may be included in your $400 (or $600 or $1,200) exemption, just as any other purchase would be. But unlike other kinds of merchandise, amounts beyond those discussed here as being duty-free are taxed, even if you have not exceeded, or even met, your personal exemption. For example, if your exemption is $400 and you bring back three liters of wine and nothing else, two of those liters will be dutiable. Federal law prohibits shipping alcoholic beverages by mail within the United States.

$600 Exemption
If you are returning directly from any one of the following 24 Caribbean Basin countries, your customs exemption is $600:

Antigua and Barbuda

El Salvador

Nicaragua
Aruba Grenada Panama
Bahamas Guatemala Saint Kitts and Nevis
Barbados Guyana Saint Lucia
Belize Haiti Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
British Virgin Islands Honduras Trinidad and Tobago
Costa Rica Jamaica
Dominica Montserrat
Dominican Republic Netherlands, Antilles

You may include two liters of alcoholic beverages with this $600 exemption, as long as one of the liters was produced in one of the countries listed above (see section on Unaccompanied Purchases from Insular Possessions and Caribbean Basin Countries).



Travel to More Than One Country
If you travel to a U.S. possession and to one or more of the Caribbean countries listed above (for example, on a Caribbean cruise), you may bring back $1,200 worth of items without paying duty. But only $600 worth of these items may come from the Caribbean country(ies); any amount beyond $600 will be dutiable unless you acquired it in one of the insular possessions.

For example, if you were to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Jamaica, you would be allowed to bring back $1,200 worth of merchandise duty-free, as long as only $600 worth was acquired in Jamaica. (Keeping track of where your purchases occurred and having the receipts ready to show the Customs inspectors will help speed your clearing Customs.)

If you travel to any of the Caribbean countries listed above and to countries where the standard personal exemption of $400 applies - for example, a South American or European country - up to $400 worth of merchandise may come from the non-Caribbean country. For instance, if you travel to Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, your exemption is $600, only $400 of which may have been acquired in Venezuela.

$1,200 Exemption
If you return directly or indirectly from a U.S. insular possession (U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Guam), you are allowed a $1,200 duty-free exemption. You may include 1,000 cigarettes as part of this exemption, but at least 800 of them must have been acquired in an insular possession. Only 200 cigarettes may have been acquired elsewhere. For example, if you were touring the South Pacific and you stopped in Tahiti, American Samoa, and other ports of call, you could bring back five cartons of cigarettes, but four of them would have to have been bought in American Samoa.

Similarly, you may include five liters of alcoholic beverages in your duty-free exemption, but one of them must be a product of an insular possession. Four may be products of other countries (see section on Unaccompanied Purchases from Insular Possessions and Caribbean Basin Countries).

Gifts
Gifts you bring back from a trip abroad are considered to be for your personal use. They must be declared, but you may include them in your personal exemption. This includes gifts people gave you while you were out of the country, such as wedding or birthday presents,and gifts you've brought back for others. Gifts intended for business, promotional, or other commercial purposes may not be included in your duty-free exemption.

Gifts worth up to $100 may be received, free of duty and tax, by friends and relatives in the United States, as long as the same person does not receive more than $100 worth of gifts in a single day. If the gifts are mailed or shipped from an insular possession, this amount is increased to $200. When you return to the United States, you don't have to declare gifts you sent while you were on your trip, since they won't be accompanying you.

By federal law, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and perfume containing alcohol and worth more than $5 retail may not be included in the gift exemption.

Gifts for more than one person may be shipped in the same package, called a consolidated gift package, if they are individually wrapped and labeled with each recipient's name. Here's how to wrap and label a consolidated gift package:

Be sure to mark the outermost wrapper with:
# the words "UNSOLICITED GIFT" and the words "CONSOLIDATED GIFT PACKAGE";
# the total value of the consolidated package;
# the recipients' names; and
# the nature and value of the gifts inside (for example, tennis shoes, $50; shirt, $45; toy car, $15).

Packages marked in this way will clear Customs much more easily. Here's an example of how to mark a consolidated gift package:

Unsolicited gift-consolidated gift package- total value $135

To John Jones-one belt, $20; one box of candy, $5; one tie, $20

To Mary Smith-one skirt, $45; one belt, $15; one pair slacks, $30.

If any item in the consolidated gift parcel is subject to duty and tax or worth more than the $100 gift allowance, the entire package will be dutiable.

You, as a traveler, cannot send a "gift" package to yourself, and people traveling together cannot send "gifts" to each other. But there would be no reason to do that anyway, because the personal exemption for packages mailed from abroad is $200, which is twice as much as the gift exemption. If a package is subject to duty, the United States Postal Service will collect it from the addressee along with any postage and handling charges. The sender cannot prepay duty; it must be paid by the recipient when the package is received in the United States. (Packages sent by courier services are not eligible for this duty waiver.)

For more information about mailing packages to the United States, please contact your nearest Customs office and ask for our pamphlet International Mail Imports.

Duty-free or Reduced Rates
Items from Certain Countries
The United States gives duty preferences - that is, free or reduced rates - to certain developing countries under a trade program called the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Some products that would otherwise be dutiable are not when they come from a GSP country. For details on this program, as well as the complete list of GSP countries, please ask your nearest Customs office for a copy of our pamphlet Gsp & The Traveler.

Similarly, many products of Caribbean and Andean countries are exempt from duty under the Caribbean Basin Initiative, Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, and Andean Trade Preference Act. Most products of certain sub-Saharan African countries are exempt from duty under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Most products of Israel may also enter the United States either free of duty or at a reduced rate. Check with Customs for details on these programs.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect in 1994. If you are returning from Canada or Mexico, your goods are eligible for free or reduced duty rates if they were grown, manufactured, or produced in Canada or Mexico, as defined by the Act. Again, check with Customs for details.

Personal Belongings
Your personal belongings can be sent back to the United States duty-free if they are of U.S. origin and if they have not been altered or repaired while abroad. Personal belongings like worn clothing can be mailed home and will receive duty-free entry if you write the words "American Goods Returned" on the outside of the package.

Household Effects
Household effects include furniture, carpets, paintings, tableware, stereos, linens, and similar household furnishings. Tools of trade, professional books, implements, and instruments that you've taken out of the United States will be duty-free when you return.

You may import household effects you acquired abroad duty-free if:
# You used them for at least one year while you were abroad.
# They are not intended for anyone else or for sale.

Clothing, jewelry, photography equipment, portable radios, and vehicles are considered personal effects and cannot be brought in duty-free as household effects.
However, the amount of duty collected on them will be reduced according to the age of the item.

Paying Duty
If you're bringing it back with you, you didn't have it when you left, and its total value is more than your Customs exemption, it is subject to duty.

The Customs inspector will place the items that have the highest rate of duty under your exemption. Then, after subtracting your exemptions and the value of any duty-free items, a flat rate of duty will be charged on the next $1,000 worth of merchandise. Any dollar amount beyond this $1,000 will be dutiable at whatever duty rates apply. The flat rate of duty may only be used for items for your own use or for gifts. As with your exemption, you may use the flat-rate provision only once every 30 days. Special flat rates of duty apply to items made and acquired in Canada or Mexico. The flat rate of duty applies to purchases whether the items accompany you or are shipped.

Here's an example of the different rates if you acquire goods valued at $2,500 from various different places:

Country Total declared value Personal exemption (duty-free) Flat duty rate Various duty rates
U.S. insular
possessions $2,500 $1,200 $1,000 at 1.5 percent $300
Caribbean Basin
countries $2,500 $600 $1000 at 3 percent $900
Other countries or locations $2,500 $400 $1000 at 3 percent $1,100




The flat duty rate will be charged on items that are dutiable but that cannot be included in your personal exemption, even if you have not exceeded the exemption. The best example of this is liquor: Say you return from Europe with $200 worth of items, including two liters of liquor. One liter will be duty-free under your exemption; the other will be dutiable at 4 percent, plus any Internal Revenue Service tax.

Family members who live in the same household and return to the United States together can combine their items to take advantage of a combined flat duty rate, no matter which family member owns a given item. The combined flat duty rate for a family of four traveling together would be $4,000.

If you owe duty, you must pay it when you arrive in the United States. You can pay it in any of the following ways:

* U.S. currency (foreign currency is not acceptable).
* Personal check in the exact amount, drawn on a U.S. bank, made payable to the U.S. Customs Service. You must present identification, such as a passport or driver's license. (The Customs Service does not accept checks bearing second-party endorsements.)
* Government check, money order, or traveler's check if it does not exceed the duty owed by more than $50.
* In some locations, you may pay duty with credit cards, either MasterCard or VISA.

[Scouse Mouse]

Just stock up on the stuff in those small cartons. They look like a soft drink for children so I am sure customs wouldn't give them a second glance

[kigolo1881]

Rule of thumb is : 1000ml=1 liter of liquor (~40%Alc or 80proof) per person.

or 2 Liters of wine.

Soju's so weak, it should be classified as cough syrup. JK.

[kat2]

Don't forget, that you can' tcarry on. Better by the plastic bottles, so you can put it in your checked luggage.

[Bibbitybop]

[intherye]

please forgive me for being a dunce, but is this for, like, everything? even cheap piddly crap that one might take home? clothes? toys?

[OiGirl]

Your used personal items should not be a problem.

[dogshed]

If I didn't register my laptop before coming to Korea does that mean
I have to pay duty when taking it back to the US?

My father sent me a camera from the US. I already paid
duty to Korea via a money transfer to FedEx. Will I have
to pay duty on that?

-Jeff

[Bibbitybop]

With receipts, which you should have for a laptop, they won't charge you.

Most people usually just say "nothing to declare" and move right through customs, so you probably won't get nailed for it.

[dogshed]

[jeffkim1972]

bringing a liter of soju.. what is that 3-4 bottles?

so you save $3 a bottle by bringing them home?

[Bibbitybop]

[contrarian]

It is qite interesting that the Canadian regs are almost identical.

I thought I was returning to Canada permanently this year so I mailed 10 20 kilogram surface mail boxes, and carried stuff in my bags on the plane.

I had been away seven years. The guy in the Post Ofiice said Canadian Customs took one look the pile and said, pass it through, no inspection.

Have short hair, smile a lot, do it just about shift change time (4:00 pm) and you can get away with darned near anything.