Bringing liquor back into a U. S. airport question

[stogieluver]

If I buy some Havana Club rum at the duty free at the Amsterdam airport (assuming its available there) where I have a layover, will I be able to bring it on the plane?  I will be past the security checkpoint since my flight originated in Venice, so I'm thinking no problem with bringing liquids on board, with some limits, I'm sure. We go from Venice to Amsterdam to Atlanta.  

Can experienced international travelers from the U. S. tell me a.) if I can, & b.) what is the limit?

 

[TheGipper]

Tell the duty free you are traveling to the USA.  They have special bags they put the purchase into that are approved by the TSA.  The bag is clear and is sealed by the duty free shop, so that it can't be tampered with.  You should be able to then keep it in carry on luggage.  Keep the receipt to show TSA if they ask.

See the bottom paragraph on the following page:

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/liquids-rule

As to the limit, I believe it's still 2 liters duty free.  But there is actually no limit to how many you bottles can bring in.  It's just that you are supposed to pay the duty on any amount more than 2 liters.  I often bring more than 2L driving in from Canada.  I just declare how much, and only once in 20 years have I had the customs agent tell me to pull into the station to pay the duty.  I had 6 total bottles and the duty ended up being something insignificant, $11 if I remember right.  Was more annoyed by the time it took to go into the office and pay the duty than I was by the dollar amount.

[stogieluver]

Thanks, Gipper. Hope I find the HC. 

[TheGipper]

Just checked the CBP site below.  The duty free limit is 1L per person, not 2L like I said.  Hmm, was it always 1L and I mis-remembered, or was is lowered at some point?

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/customs-duty-info

If you bring more than the duty free limit, just be sure to state it up front.  Most of the time when I do this, the border agent doesn't even lift an eyebrow.  On the rare occasion when they look up at me after I say "6 bottles", I just say, "I'll happily pay the duty on the extra bottles."  They usually just wave me on.  I think they know the administrative cost of having someone at the desk look up the duty on those bottles and booking my payment probably exceeds the duty they collect anyway.  The one time I did have to pay it, it took the agent inside the building about 10 minutes of looking through printed tables to figure out how much to charge me.

[YOM'$]

I know you specified Atlanta but just in case you have one more leg to the flight, prepare to check a bag.  It may be obvious but it can get overlooked. 

[rhcolbert]

Please drive down to peachtree city upon your arrival in Atlanta. I need to inspect the rum and will provide a cigar for your trouble ?

[luv2fly]

Should be good.  Claim it on the inbound.  At this point, honesty is the best policy.  All good at that point.  For now........

[QuaiDorkay]

Just brought in 4 liters of Havana club 7yr.  To Ft. Lauderdale airport.  Was stopped twice.  They both said the time/paperwork for the duty would cost the taxpayers more than the revenue and let me go through, duty free.  

[semifan1]

6 hours ago, stogieluver said:

If I buy some Havana Club rum at the duty free at the Amsterdam airport (assuming its available there) where I have a layover, will I be able to bring it on the plane?  I will be past the security checkpoint since my flight originated in Venice, so I'm thinking no problem with bringing liquids on board, with some limits, I'm sure. We go from Venice to Amsterdam to Atlanta.  

Can experienced international travelers from the U. S. tell me a.) if I can, & b.) what is the limit?

 

I do this all the time coming from the middle east. If you have a direct flight into your home city and not boarding another plane you can carry it all the way thru in the plastic bag they give you at duty free. If you have a another leg to catch say in Atlanta then board another flight to get home, once you go thru customs you will have to put the bottle in your checked bag once you pick it up and transfer it to the next area after customs.  

[stogieluver]

3 hours ago, semifan1 said:

I do this all the time coming from the middle east. If you have a direct flight into your home city and not boarding another plane you can carry it all the way thru in the plastic bag they give you at duty free. If you have a another leg to catch say in Atlanta then board another flight to get home, once you go thru customs you will have to put the bottle in your checked bag once you pick it up and transfer it to the next area after customs.  

We do have another flight out of Atlanta, so I will have to move the bottles to my checked baggage. Will there be a problem with that (other than the bottles getting broken)?

[semifan1]

Just now, stogieluver said:

We do have another flight out of Atlanta, so I will have to move the bottles to my checked baggage. Will there be a problem with that (other than the bottles getting broken)?

yup you will have to move them to the checked bags and should be  no problem on transferring them just leave enough room to throw them into your checked bags and hopefully nothing breaks  and you will be good to go. 

[stogieluver]

@TheGipper, @luv2fly, @semifan1, @QuaiDorkay, @YOM'$

Update for future questions regarding bringing liquor into the U. S. from international flights:   we came through Customs yesterday afternoon in Atlanta with two 1 liter bottles of Havana Club in a TSA approved sealed plastic bag.  I purchased the rum in the Duty Free shop at the Venice, Italy airport.  The checkout lady at the duty free shop sealed the bottles and told me I could come all the way through my port of entry and on to my final flight without having to check the bottles, as long as the bag was not tampered with.

After going through Atlanta customs with no problems, we reached the reentry security check to go on to our final destination.  The bag was set aside and had to be hand checked by a TSA lady before we could continue on into the terminal with our gate.  The TSA lady was in an argument with a passenger attempting to bring in a bottle of red wine.  I assumed it was red because it was in a dark bottle.  I don't know if the bottle had previously been in a sealed bag.  The TSA lady had put the bottle in a box which must have been some sort of spectrometer or other type machine that could check the contents of the bottle without opening it.  The TSA lady told the lady she either had to go back to the previous point, where we had left our checked baggage, and put the bottle in her carry on bag and check it, or forfeit the bottle.  She went back and checked the bag.

The TSA lady then cut open the bag my two bottles were in, and put the bottles in the machine and told me I could continue on.  She then placed the bottles in another sealed bag and taped it with a yellow tape indicating the bottles had been checked.  These bottles were as dark as the wine bottle previously rejected, so I assume the wine had not been placed in a TSA secure bag.

 

 

[semifan1]

2 minutes ago, stogieluver said:

@TheGipper, @luv2fly, @semifan1, @QuaiDorkay, @YOM'$

Update for future questions regarding bringing liquor into the U. S. from international flights:   we came through Customs yesterday afternoon in Atlanta with two 1 liter bottles of Havana Club in a TSA approved sealed plastic bag.  I purchased the rum in the Duty Free shop at the Venice, Italy airport.  The checkout lady at the duty free shop sealed the bottles and told me I could come all the way through my port of entry and on to my final flight without having to check the bottles, as long as the bag was not tampered with.

After going through Atlanta customs with no problems, we reached the reentry security check to go on to our final destination.  The bag was set aside and had to be hand checked by a TSA lady before we could continue on into the terminal with our gate.  The TSA lady was in an argument with a passenger attempting to bring in a bottle of red wine.  I assumed it was red because it was in a dark bottle.  I don't know if the bottle had previously been in a sealed bag.  The TSA lady had put the bottle in a box which must have been some sort of spectrometer or other type machine that could check the contents of the bottle without opening it.  The TSA lady told the lady she either had to go back to the previous point, where we had left our checked baggage, and put the bottle in her carry on bag and check it, or forfeit the bottle.  She went back and checked the bag.

The TSA lady then cut open the bag my two bottles were in, and put the bottles in the machine and told me I could continue on.  She then placed the bottles in another sealed bag and taped it with a yellow tape indicating the bottles had been checked.  These bottles were as dark as the wine bottle previously rejected, so I assume the wine had not been placed in a TSA secure bag.

 

 

Good to know they finally got with the program with the tamper proof bags and letting them thru.

[MooseAMuffin]

Glad you got through without an issue. Hope the vacation was amazing as well!

[BrightonCorgi]

You can buy as much as you want at a Duty Free.  There could be some additional taxes in US if you go crazy.