Guide · United States

What to declare when you enter the United States by land

General information, not official or legal advice. Customs, immigration and border rules change and every situation is different. Check the linked official sources and the agency’s current page before you travel. This site is not affiliated with CBP, the CBSA, DHS or any government.

Steps

1. CBP says travelers without a WHTI-compliant travel document are likely to be delayed; its WHTI page lists accepted documents by citizenship.^[3]
2. CBP says agricultural items are declared by checking "Yes" on Question 11 of CBP Declaration Form 6059B, and its Ready Lanes page lists food and agricultural items among things to declare.^[1][4]
3. CBP says federal law requires reporting amounts exceeding $10,000, and that the report can be filed electronically on the FinCEN Form 105 website.^[5]
4. CBP says medications (up to a 90-day supply) must be declared and should be in the original package.^[1]
5. CBP says to declare everything you bring in from abroad, even if bought in a duty-free shop^[6], and suggests keeping purchase receipts handy.^[9]

Who is inspected and how

CBP says almost a million individuals enter the US daily and that everyone arriving at a port of entry is subject to inspection by CBP officers for compliance with immigration, customs and agriculture regulations.^[2] Officers are authorised to ask about your trip and background and anything you bring back that you did not have when you left; they have legal authority to search you, your baggage or your vehicle.^[9]

Agricultural items

CBP says agriculture products may be prohibited from certain countries because they may carry plant pests and foreign animal diseases, that all agriculture items must be declared and are subject to inspection, and that prohibited or restricted items may include meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, seeds, soil and products made from animal or plant materials.^[10] CBP says declared, prohibited items in non-commercial quantities can be abandoned at the port if you wish to continue; undeclared prohibited items are confiscated and can bring a civil penalty.^[10]

Two CBP pages state penalty figures differently. The "Prohibited and Restricted Items" page says the civil penalty for failing to declare agricultural items is $300 for first-time offenders and $500 for a second violation.^[8] The agricultural products page says penalties "may range up to $1,000 per first-time offense" for non-commercial quantities.^[4] CBP publishes both figures; neither is a guarantee of what an officer will assess.

For goods from Canada, CBP's agricultural page says many products grown in Canada are allowed, but seed potatoes from Canada currently require a permit and fresh tomatoes and bell peppers are prohibited from Canada.^[4] This is as published on that CBP page (modified 2026-06-11); CBP can change such rules.

Currency and monetary instruments

Federal law mandates that you report amounts exceeding $10,000 when entering or leaving the US. This applies to individuals who bring, send or receive currency or monetary instruments totalling more than $10,000 at one time; for families or groups the $10,000 threshold applies to the total they carry collectively.^[5] CBP recommends filing electronically on the FinCEN Form 105 website, or you can print and complete the form beforehand and present it to a CBP officer.^[5] CBP says travelers who do not file risk having their currency or monetary instruments forfeited and seized and, in some instances, may face civil or criminal penalties such as fines or imprisonment.^[5] What happens in a particular case is decided by the officer and the law, not by this guide.

Medications

CBP's Ready Lanes page says medications (up to a 90-day supply) must be declared and should be in the original package with a prescription in the traveler's name.^[1] See the separate guide on prescription medication for what CBP and the FDA say.

Duty-free amounts: what we could and could not source

The only visitor-oriented CBP page we read that states alcohol and tobacco amounts is the Ready Lanes page quoted above.^[1] CBP's "Know Before You Go" pages, aimed at returning US citizens and lawful permanent residents, state personal exemptions of $200, $800 or $1,600 depending on the countries visited, and say gifts worth more than $5 that contain alcohol, tobacco products or perfume containing alcohol may not be included as gifts in the duty-free exemption.^[11] Those figures are the ones CBP publishes for returning U.S. residents; exemptions for visitors can differ, and an officer decides how they apply. We did not find a CBP page setting out visitor exemptions in a single table, and CBP's pages say specific exemptions are on CBP.gov/travel.^[9]

Joint declarations

CBP lets family members residing in one household file a joint declaration; for returning US residents who group their exemption, they must have lived together and intend to continue doing so. For visitors, CBP says a single family declaration is available.^[12]

About this guide

Officers decide at the border; this is general information, not official guidance. travel.tnaado.ca is not affiliated with CBP, CBSA, DHS or the Government of Canada.