BajaNomad

OK, So which is it 1 liter or 2 liters allowed per person across the border?

John Lee - 9-28-2005 at 04:44 PM

Crossed back into the US and the border crossing authority/agent told me I could only take one liter per person back into the US. I always thought it was 2 liters per person. Where did I get that? Am I wrong? He let me keep them but was very firm that I was wrong.



[Edited on 9-28-2005 by John Lee]

bajajudy - 9-28-2005 at 04:48 PM

Where did you cross?

Diver - 9-28-2005 at 04:56 PM

Last time through Tijuana we had two bottles per adult and a few for the kids. The nice officer told us that we were only allowed one liter per adult but let us through anyway.

When he first asked "Do you have anything to declare ?", my 4 year old asked "What does that mean ?" The officer said "Did you buy anything in Baja to bring home ?"
My four year old replied " I got lot's of presents and my dad bought lot's of cigars...........". Luckily they were Mexican, not Cuban, but he did give my an interesting look for a minute there. Loud mouth kid !!
.

Cincodemayo - 9-28-2005 at 04:59 PM

Duct tape does wonders....

Diver - 9-28-2005 at 05:39 PM

My wife will let me use duct tape for anything else but the kids.
I too, thought it was a worthy solution. :lol: :lol:

David K - 9-28-2005 at 05:50 PM

For California residents it is one litre booze, or 3 beers per person... isn't that a shame!

Anonymous - 9-28-2005 at 06:22 PM

Well glad to see that I didn't push it. All this time I thought it was 2 liters per person. Next time I will not push my luck. Silly me. I guess I've gotten away with 2 per person for too long. Oh well, threre goes my tequila stash. I'll either have to go to Baja more often or drink less tequila. The later would be healthier but the former would be much more fun.

roundtuit - 9-28-2005 at 07:07 PM

One liter by car two by plane
Liquors like kahula is double as it is a liquor

John Lee - 9-28-2005 at 07:51 PM

TJ/SY crossing

capt. mike - 9-29-2005 at 05:11 AM

customs rules don't change entering by plane vs car. its still one liter per human bean.

BajaNomad - 9-29-2005 at 06:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by roundtuit
Liquors like kahula is double as it is a liquor
I'm not aware of that being the case - but I haven't brought any Kahlua back in a while (still have a half-full bottle).

To the best of my knowledge it's up to 1 liter of an alcoholic beverages, regardless of the "proof." So if it's beer, it's one liter (or say, no more than 3-300ml bottles - or 1 ballena/caguama), and if it's tequila it's still no more than 1 liter. I would think the same for Kahlua as well.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/dutyfree_exe...

--
Doug

Taco de Baja - 9-29-2005 at 07:19 AM

Always been 1 liter per person, as long as I have been going....which was around 1969 as a 3-year old. Of course I did not count as a 'person' so my mom and dad could still only bring 2 liters across :lol:

elizabeth - 9-29-2005 at 08:46 AM

Here are the actual rules from customs...end speculation!!!!

Customs - General Rules & Regulations

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 releasing it 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.

Figures, it's a Kalibfornia rule......

Hook - 9-29-2005 at 08:55 AM

.....I seem to recall that crossing at Nogales, it was two liters.

Ain't NAFTA great? Look at how it has freed up trade on the average person.......gasoline in jugs, alcohol, simple building supplies.

Another federal law that only favors big business.

[Edited on 9-29-2005 by Hook]

bajajudy - 9-29-2005 at 09:02 AM

That was why I asked where he crossed. I flew into Phoenix one time and they took away a bottle of Kahlua.

bajalou - 9-29-2005 at 09:06 AM

From the CBP website.


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.

Illustration of a bottle of wine

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. CBP officers are authorized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to 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 releasing it to you. If you intend to bring back a substantial quantity of alcohol for your personal use, you should contact the port through which you will be re-entering the country, and make prior arrangements for entering the alcohol into the United States.

Also, you should be aware that state laws might 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 CBP, even though it may be more restrictive than 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 $800 or $1,600 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 $800 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.

I beliebe Calif law prohibits more than 1 liter with a state import lisence

:?:

bajalera - 9-29-2005 at 09:09 AM

Why is there any limit at all? The Free Trade Agreement ought to trickle down to booze.

elizabeth - 9-29-2005 at 09:11 AM

Customs also has an exemption to the 1 liter rule if arriving by common carrier. Check the customs website. Anything past the 1 liter amount is subject to duty. We have often flown in from Nicaragua with 8 bottles of eight year old Flor de Cana rum...declared it...and have never had to pay duty! Go figure...it's a little like Mexico...depends upon the customs agent that you end up with.

wilderone - 9-29-2005 at 09:13 AM

I looked into this in depth one time because I was doing some cursory planning for a wine tour bus trip. In CALIFORNIA there are laws protecting our wine industry. So regardless of whether or not you can pay duty on goods over the duty-free dollar limit, in California, it's still just one litre per person. I believe if you cross into other states or fly into other states you can declare more alcoholic beverages and pay duty. You pay more duty on liquors than spirits, and less on wine and beer. There's a whole list of the duty amounts per type of alcohol.

Taco de Baja - 9-29-2005 at 09:34 AM

So anyone know what the duties are?

Are they based on the purchase price? or based on the type?
I.e. $1.00/bottle for hard liquor, $0.50/liter wine, $0.10/serving of beer
or just a simple formula of 10% of the price paid?

And who the heck gets the money?

Maybe it's simpler to just go to the Duty Free shop just across the border......

bajalou - 9-29-2005 at 10:06 AM

Duty is based on alcohol content - no idea of the rates now but I don't think you can bring more than 1 liter into Calif. even if you want to pay duty.

Duty money goes to fed gov. Before income taxes, it was one of the major sources of revenue to support the US Gov.

:rolleyes:

Found the rates

Taco de Baja - 9-29-2005 at 10:23 AM

If you like beer or wine, seems like a good deal...or if buying expensive tequila....
Here they are:
Quote:
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: if 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 3 percent, plus any Internal Revenue Service tax.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/paying_duty....
Quote:

Alcohol tax:
Beer: $0.05 per 12 oz can/bottle
Wine: $0.21-0.31 per 750 ml bottle
Sparkling wine: $0.65 per 750 ml bottle
Spita taas: $2.14 per 750 ml bottle

http://www.ttb.gov/alcohol/info/atftaxes.htm


However if you live in CA as Lou pointed out, you can still only bring across one liter, unless you are on a boat or plane.....if you live in another state, but travel through CA, you apparently have to ship it.
Quote:
Introduction

This article summarizes the law on bringing alcoholic beverages into California.

Adults (persons age 21 or older) who bring alcoholic beverages into California for commercial or business purposes must be licensed by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).

Adults who bring alcoholic beverages into California for personal or household use do not need an alcoholic beverage license; however, some restrictions do apply, as explained below (Section 23661 Business and Professions Code).

Returning from a Foreign Country
Alcoholic beverages must accompany the returning traveler and may not be shipped to California at a later date.

Travel by Steamship or Airplane
Adults traveling into California from a foreign country by steamship or airplane may bring with them a reasonable amount of alcoholic beverages for personal or household use. A reasonable amount is not more than 60 liters (approximately five cases). (ABC agreement with U.S. Customs)

Returning from Mexico
California adult residents returning from Mexico by motor vehicle or on foot may only bring in one liter of alcoholic beverages (the duty-free amount) for personal or household use.

Out-of-State Residents Traveling Through California
Out-of-state adult residents, who enter California from a foreign country, may arrange for their baggage containing alcoholic beverages to be continuously transported through California via common carrier. The traveler may not use the alcoholic beverages within California's borders. (Section 23109 Business and Professions Code)

http://www.abc.ca.gov/permits/importing.html

[Edited on 9-29-2005 by Taco de Baja]

You can bring back unlimited alcohol...

The Gull - 10-3-2005 at 07:48 PM

...as long as you are carrying it internally and not driving.:lol::lol:

Oso - 10-4-2005 at 08:27 AM

The amount is controlled by the bordering state. I can't remember what the situation is in Texas and New Mexico. Being an AZ resident, I can only bring one liter per adult into AZ. But, last time I was in Algodones the Customs agent told me I could bring more into CA by paying duty, as I was not a CA resident. I'm going to try this in a couple months if I can find a case or two of Nochebuena. Unfortunately, the other thing I learned is that most Customs agents are not that well versed on what the duties are and only a few of them have "the book" with them and some may not have the patience to deal with it.

OK, what about liquor going the other way?

Sharksbaja - 10-4-2005 at 11:34 AM

Whats' the story on taking booze into Mexico?

comitan - 10-4-2005 at 11:36 AM

Never been asked or checked.

Dave - 10-4-2005 at 11:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by comitan
Never been asked or checked.


Hard to believe. No one has ever asked:

What are you bringing back from Mexico?

<Sorry, Comi. I didn't read the previous post before responding.>

[Edited on 10-4-2005 by Dave]

Dave - 10-4-2005 at 11:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Whats' the story on taking booze into Mexico?


3 ltrs per adult.

comitan - 10-4-2005 at 12:00 PM

Dave

Sharks was asking about Booze coming into Mexico.