What is the US duty-free allowance when you return from abroad?
The short answer
CBP says the duty-free personal exemption is $200, $800 or $1,600, depending on the countries you visited. Most travellers get $800 if the goods are in their baggage. Goods bought in a duty free shop are not automatically free of duty.
The three exemption amounts
CBP lists three personal exemptions. Which one applies depends on where you travelled and for how long.
- $800: arriving from anywhere other than a US insular possession, as long as you bring the items with you (accompanied baggage). The same $800 applies to Caribbean Basin and Andean countries.
- $1,600: returning directly or indirectly from the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa or Guam.
- $200: if you cannot claim another exemption because you were away less than 48 hours, or were out of the country more than once in a 30-day period.
Rules that catch travellers out
If you bring back more than $200 of dutiable items under the $200 exemption, the entire amount is dutiable, not just the extra. Family members may not combine their individual $200 exemptions.
Goods from a duty free shop count towards your exemption. At entry level you may include only very limited amounts of alcohol and tobacco. The $200 exemption can include 50 cigarettes, 10 cigars and 150 milliliters of alcohol or perfume containing alcohol.
Gifts and items you mail home
Gifts you receive abroad and items you buy as gifts must be declared. They can count towards your exemption, but business gifts cannot. Gifts worth more than $5 that contain alcohol, tobacco or perfume containing alcohol cannot count as gifts in your exemption. CBP says not to gift wrap items you carry, because they may need to be unwrapped.
Gifts worth up to $100 may be sent duty and tax free to US friends and relatives, if one person does not receive more than $100 of gifts in one day. Gifts sent home do not have to be declared on CBP Declaration Form 6059B. Rules change, check the official page before you travel.
Sources: CBP: Types of Exemptions, CBP: Shopping Abroad, Duty Free, Gifts, Household Items. Read 5 November 2026. Rules and fees change, so check the official page before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Is fine art counted against the $800 exemption?
CBP gives an example where a $500 painting comes home on top of $800 of other goods with no duty, because fine art is duty-free.
Are duty free shop purchases free of US duty?
No. CBP says goods bought in a duty free shop are not automatically free of duty when you return to the US.
Do I declare gifts I mail home?
No. CBP says gifts sent home do not have to be declared on Form 6059B, but gifts you carry must be declared.
Can I bring more than $800 of goods without paying duty?
CBP says yes in some cases. Its example is $1,300 of goods, including a $500 painting, with no duty because fine art is duty-free.