U.S. Customs

Before your ship lands, each individual or family must fill out a customs declaration, regardless of whether anything was purchased abroad. You will need to itemize your purchases in writing on the back of the declaration form if they exceed the allowable duty-free exemption plus $1,000. (The first $1,000 beyond the duty-free exemption is taxed at a flat rate of 2%). Be prepared to pay whatever duties are owed directly to the customs inspector, with cash or check.

U.S. Customs now preclears a number of ships sailing into and out of Miami and other ports -- it's done on the ship before you disembark. In other ports you must collect your luggage from the dock, then stand in line to pass through the inspection point. This can take up to an hour.

Allowances. You may bring home $400 worth of foreign goods duty-free if you've been out of the country for at least 48 hours and haven't already used the $400 exemption, or any part of it, in the past 30 days. Note that these are the general rules, applicable to most countries; passengers on certain Caribbean or Panama Canal itineraries may be entitled to bring back $600 worth of goods duty-free, and if you're returning from a cruise that called in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the duty-free allowance is higher -- $1,200. If you haven't been out of the country for at least 48 hours, or if you've been out of the country more than once in a 30-day period, you are still entitled to a duty-free allowance of $200.

Alcohol and Tobacco. Travelers 21 or older may bring back 1 liter of alcohol duty-free, provided the beverage laws of the state through which they reenter the United States allow it. In some Caribbean countries, 2 liters are allowed, and in the case of the U.S. Virgin Islands, 5 liters are allowed. In both cases, one of the liters must be a product of that country. In addition, 100 non-Cuban cigars and 200 cigarettes are allowed, regardless of your age. From the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1,000 cigarettes are allowed, but only 200 of them may have been acquired elsewhere. Antiques and works of art more than 100 years old are duty-free.

Gifts. You may also send packages home duty-free: up to $200 worth of goods for personal use, with a limit of one parcel per addressee per day (and no alcohol or tobacco products or perfume containing alcohol and worth more than $5); label the package "Personal Use" and attach a list of its contents and their retail value. Do not label the package "Unsolicited Gift," or your duty-free exemption will drop to $100. Mailed items do not affect your duty-free allowance on your return.

For More Information. For a copy of "Know Before You Go," a free brochure detailing what you may and may not bring back to the United States, rates of duty, and other pointers, contact the U.S. Customs Service (Box 7407, Washington, DC 20044, tel. 202/927-6724). The brochure is also available to view in full at the U.S. Customs Web site.

U.S. Customs for Foreigners

If you hold a foreign passport and will be returning home within hours of docking, you may be exempt from all U.S. Customs duties. Everything you bring into the United States must leave with you when you return home. When you reach your own country, you will have to pay appropriate duties there.