BajaNomad

Tax at San Ysidro?

boe4fun - 1-7-2015 at 10:04 AM

Planning to cross at San Ysidro Saturday AM with 3 new steel screen doors - value of $240.00. Can tax be paid there or do I have to go through Otay Mesa? Thanks in advance. Paul Boe

bkbend - 1-7-2015 at 12:09 PM

You can pay the tax there. I can't remember the limit on what you can import at San Ysidro but you will not be over it. I declared about that same value a year ago and they accepted my money.

karenintx - 1-7-2015 at 12:09 PM


According to the "Customs Declaration For Passenger Coming From Aboard" form issued in 2013 you should not have to pay any tax...

By land you are allowed $300 USD
By air/sea you are allowed $500 USD

Here is a website...click on "customs"

http://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/reinounido/index.php/visas/79

When I fly into SJD I have my receipts ready for inspection and so far I have not had any problems.

Good Luck!


DENNIS - 1-7-2015 at 01:00 PM



Used to be, and probably still is....they draw the line at $1000 dlls. Anything more should be taken through Otay and imported.
Then again....eees Mexico, so anything can happen.

Dennis - are you suggesting the government is inconsistent??

thebajarunner - 1-7-2015 at 04:05 PM

Quote: Originally posted by DENNIS  


Used to be, and probably still is....they draw the line at $1000 dlls. Anything more should be taken through Otay and imported.
Then again....eees Mexico, so anything can happen.


DENNIS - 1-7-2015 at 04:23 PM



Yep.....Consistantly inconsistent.

Bob53 - 1-7-2015 at 04:58 PM

Or are they Inconsistently consistent?

theotherone - 1-7-2015 at 10:02 PM

Here's my two cent...

I'm not sure if it's changed, but about 4 years ago I attempted to import 4 cases of Mexican Wine (48 bottles, 750ml each) at the San Ysidro Port of Entry at around 1:00AM. In addition to the cases of wine, my 2010 Toyota Prius was filled to the top with luggage, olive oil & Mexican Coca Cola. Since I didn't want the risk of CBP confiscating my wine, thus losing my money, I intended on declaring everything & paying the duty (ie. importation tax).

During my inspection, I declared my bottles stating that I would like to "pay the duty" on the wine. The young CBP inspector just looked at me with a puzzled look & said that there was no place to "collect the duty" except at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry & their collection office was closed at 8PM.

He then asked another CBP officer and he also didn't know what to do. I was expecting them to send me to Secondary Inspection, but instead he just let me pass & said next time to pay the duty before 8PM at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.



BajaBlanca - 1-8-2015 at 08:10 AM

you don't even have to declare since you are under the $300 limit. Go thru the no declare line and if you get the green light, you good to go.

boe4fun - 1-8-2015 at 09:48 AM

Thanks for all the info amigos - see you all in BA in a few days!

BajaBlanca - 1-8-2015 at 06:10 PM

don't forget your receipt- and if you have time/room- visit Eva and get the suitcase she has for me :biggrin:

chavycha - 1-8-2015 at 06:29 PM

Have a safe drive! Shrimp tacos await.

North bound??

thebajarunner - 1-8-2015 at 06:32 PM

Quote: Originally posted by theotherone  
Here's my two cent...

I'm not sure if it's changed, but about 4 years ago I attempted to import 4 cases of Mexican Wine (48 bottles, 750ml each) at the San Ysidro Port of Entry at around 1:00AM. In addition to the cases of wine, my 2010 Toyota Prius was filled to the top with luggage, olive oil & Mexican Coca Cola. Since I didn't want the risk of CBP confiscating my wine, thus losing my money, I intended on declaring everything & paying the duty (ie. importation tax).

During my inspection, I declared my bottles stating that I would like to "pay the duty" on the wine. The young CBP inspector just looked at me with a puzzled look & said that there was no place to "collect the duty" except at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry & their collection office was closed at 8PM.

He then asked another CBP officer and he also didn't know what to do. I was expecting them to send me to Secondary Inspection, but instead he just let me pass & said next time to pay the duty before 8PM at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.








As I read your post you were northbound- into the US/California.
If so you got lucky, real lucky.
You are allowed, by California ABC law, exactly one liter per person, north bound.

this is the cut and paste from the ABC regs:
A California resident crossing the international border in a vehicle that is not a common carrier may bring in only the amount of alcoholic beverages which are exempt from payment of duty in accordance with the existing provisions of federal law (currently, this is one-liter every 31 days).

It does not talk about duty, because CalABC does not collect duty- the law says 1 liter... (Which most of us ignore on a regular basis, I must add)

If you were Southbound, into Baja, well then I guess you still got lucky,

So, which direction were you lucky???

theotherone - 1-9-2015 at 12:57 AM

I was traveling northbound into the USA.

I understand that I am able to import 1 liter of alcohol "duty free" once every 31 days. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it is my understanding that I can import more qualities of alcohol just as long as it's "declared", for personal consumption, non-commercial purposes & subsequent duties be "paid".

I assumed that anyone traveling northbound into the US would be passing through the San Ysidro Port of Entry and that anyone traveling southbound into Mexico would be using the "El Chaparral" or in the past "Puerta Mexico" port of entry...

[Edited on 1-9-2015 by theotherone]

Martyman - 1-9-2015 at 09:33 AM

I also declared a case of Mexican wine. The US CBP officer said "you paid taxes for that in Mexico...don't worry about it" and that was that.

The law is the law

thebajarunner - 1-9-2015 at 10:28 AM

Re-read my cut and paste.
California Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) says 1 liter, and they have no way to collect this tax.
The border officer is Federal, and he is being asked to enforce California law.
You both got lucky- you got a Fed who did not give a crap about the State (funny, that is also the way I feel about this state)
Am I the only one that has stood at "the sink" on a hot Sunday afternoon and sadly poured cold Negras down the drain???

Have not crossed at El Paso for many years, but back in the day they had a Texas window at the border and you paid the lady the Texas state tax for what you brought back across the line.

bajachris - 1-9-2015 at 10:46 AM

It's generally 16% and we always cross at Otay to declare construction material. We have done this probably 30 times. They will give you a discount or exemption, I think $300 per person in the car which will be exempt from tax. So the more people in the car, the less you will pay. Generally. But this seems to change depending on the inspector. Sometimes they don't give any discount for wood, for example. Have never brought anything across San Ysidro. Last time we crossed with wood, they said we had too much wood. What's too much? Who knows. They said 30 pieces of wood is too much. Screen doors, piece of cake. If they will see the material, declare it. Have original receipt or be prepared to tell them the value.

theotherone - 1-9-2015 at 01:18 PM

I understand that the CBP has the authority to enforce US federal codes, but my question is whether they have the right to enforce individual state laws & to what extent.

No, I've never been made to "throw out my liquor", but I have been warned & threaten multiple times by CBP. Each and every time I have claimed ignorance & have I apologized.

[Edited on 1-9-2015 by theotherone]