An important attraction of cruise vacations is the ability to purchase some items, for less, and duty-free outside of the United States. This is popular on cruises especially in the Caribbean.
Duty-free means that the goods you purchase are free of taxes in the country where you are buying them. This does not mean you will not pay taxes on your foreign purchases when you arrive back in your home country.
All purchases being brought back to the United States are subject to duty, if you exceed your standard exemption. All U.S. citizens are allowed to bring a certain amount of duty free purchases back into the U.S. exempt from taxes. This depends on your cruise itinerary and the ports you visit. The actual amounts will vary depending on your destinations.
All duty-free items sold must be taken out of the country prior to use. They are not meant to be used, worn, eaten, drunken, etc. in the country where you purchased them.
All allowances are per person including children and infants. So if you exceed your allowance you can pass them on to someone else in your family who has not exceeded their duty-free allowance. No duty will be paid as long as the total declared is under the allowed limit.
While duty free import limits are set by the traveler’s home country on how much he or she can bring home without paying some import duties, most countries give their citizens traveling in the Caribbean generous duty-free allowances.
The following guidelines pertain to U.S. residents only. Non-U.S. residents must comply with customs laws in their country. Check with Customs for guidelines on current requirements.
Below are current examples of items and allowances for certain countries.
General duty free allowances in Barbados
Personal Effects: 1 liter of potable spirits or wine, 200 cigarettes (one carton) or 100 cigars or 50 cigars and cigarettes not exceeding 230 grams in aggregate.
All articles in excess of this exemption are subject to the relevant duty and tax.
Personal effects are passengers’ baggage containing apparel and articles for personal use which a traveler may reasonably require during his vacation e.g. clothing, cosmetics and accessories.
Jamaica Customs & Duty-free Allowances and Restrictions
- Tobacco…………………………200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams tobacco
- Liquor…………………………….2 liters of spirits (excluding rum) and 2 liters of wine
- Perfume…………………………340ml of eau de toilette and 150 grams of perfume
- Goods……………………………up to a value of j$150
- Cameras………………………..no restrictions
- Film………………………………reasonable for personal use
- Agricultural items/currency/gifts
- Prohibited items……………….explosives, firearms, dangerous drugs (including marijuana), meat, flowers, fresh fruit, rum, vegetables (unless canned), coffee of any form and honey cannot be brought into Jamaica. cats and dogs are also prohibited unless arriving directly from the U.K., having been born and bred there, carrying a certificate from the ministry of agriculture, fisheries and food and if a permit for their import has been obtained from the ministry of agriculture, hope gardens, Kingston 6.
Grand Cayman Duty Free Allowances
U.S. citizens, for example, can bring home $800 per person duty free which suggests that your purchases can add up, especially for a family when traveling together, as each member of the family is given the same duty free dollar allowance. When purchases exceed the basic allowance, U.S. Customs typically applies a duty of only 10% on the first $1000 in purchases over the allowance.
Duty-free allowance on ships that call at any of the U.S. Virgin Islands – $1,200 (retail) of duty-free purchases per adult, including 5 liters of liquor per adult, of which at least one must be a product of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of the $1,200, no more than $600, including 1 liter of liquor, 1 carton of cigarettes and 100 cigars (non-Cuban) may be purchased in other ports or on board.
Duty-free allowance on ships sailing EXCLUSIVELY to Mexico, Alaska and/or U.S. Ports – $400 (retail) of duty-free purchases per adult, including 1 liter of liquor, 1 carton of cigarettes and 100 cigars (non-Cuban) per adult.
Duty-free allowance on all other ships - $600 (retail), includes 2 liters of liquor per adult, depending on the port of purchase.
ATF regulations -According to the ATF, cigarettes and other tobacco products made in the U.S. for “Export Only” may not be returned to the U.S. under any circumstances. Cigarettes that note “Tax Exempt - for use outside U.S.“ or “U.S. tax exempt - for use outside U.S.” will be seized and a potential $1,000.00 penalty may be imposed. This includes cigarettes and tobacco products purchased in the U.S. Virgin Islands and San Juan. This new federal regulation went into effect January 1, 2000 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Foreign-made cigarettes and tobacco products may be brought into the U.S. in personal use quantities (Example: 1 carton per person).
The above are just some examples. As you can see, if you visit more than one country this can be a complicated process.
There are certain items that you are not allowed to bring into the United States. If you are caught with these items they will be confiscated and you could be receiving a stiff fine. If you bring in Cuban cigars you may receive a criminal charge. Here is a list of some of the forbidden items:
- Live animals
- Items made from an endangered species. I.e. elephant ivory, sea turtles, items from coral reefs, crocodile skin or furs from exotic cats
- Fresh meat
- Fresh produce
- Cuban cigars
- Antiques that are over 100 years old and sold without a proper permit
- Cultural artifacts unless sold with an export permit issued by the country of the item’s origin.
- Narcotics, including drugs that are legal in the United States with a prescription
- More than $10,000 in currency
The U.S. Customs Service offers a wealth of information about what you can and cannot bring back into the country. They also offer all the rules and regulations reference bringing items back into the United States. They offer a free booklet you can request. To learn more go to www.customs.gov.
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