Belgium trip- how much beer can I bring back to the US?

Hi All - I am going on a sweet river cruise for my honeymoon in march. We start in Amsterdam and wind down through Belgium. We are stoked for all the beers, pubs, sites, etc…. I have not had much luck finding out how much beer we could bring back. A quick search at the Customers border control site yielded nothing useful for me. I know it is out there so clearly my googling and searching is flawed.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

First off it's "Customs".

And the tax free limit is 1 Liter. But, you can mail yourself up to $200 worth of "stuff" tax free. Just don't label it alcohol cause that ain't legal.

"Adults at least 21 years of age who are not residents of the United States may bring in, free of duty and internal revenue tax, not more than one liter of alcoholic beverages beer, wine, liquor for personal use. Quantities above one liter are subject to duty and internal revenue tax and all must be declared.

DUTY AND TAX RATES SAMPLES (Approximate):

Beer - 16 cents per liter
Still Wine - 36 cents per liter
80 Proof Scotch - $2.89 per liter

In addition to U.S. Federal laws, the traveler must also meet state alcoholic beverage laws which may be more restrictive if the state in which you arrive permits less liquor than you have legally brought into the United States, that State's laws apply to your importation of alcoholic beverages.

The shipment of alcoholic beverages by mail is prohibited by United States postal laws."

I don't understand why Americans get so weird about paying duties, they generally aren't much. When I returned from my tour in Antigua, TWA, I brought two cases of rum along. The duty back then was 40 cents a bottle and I only paid 80 cents each at the distillery.

For beer, the duty is probably far less than the shipping cost would be and you don't run the risk of losing it or having it damaged or mishandled.

david_42's right. Just bring back whatever you want and be up front about it. I've brought cases back and never paid a dime of duty. I usually get asked if I'm going to sell it (hell no!), and they wave me right through. Even if you did get a hard-nose customs inspector, the costs are trivial.

Thanks everyone! Gila, poor spelling isn't my only problem.

I figured it wasn't a big deal. So now I just need to figure out how I'm going to pack it for the return flight.

brodie113 said:

Thanks everyone! Gila, poor spelling isn't my only problem.

I figured it wasn't a big deal. So now I just need to figure out how I'm going to pack it for the return flight.

Click to expand...

I find the safest place for transporting alcohol by plane is in my stomach. YMMV.

I'm leaving this Friday for two weeks in and around Belgium, and am bringing an extra piece of luggage for my liquid souvenirs. Just gonna buy what I want/can fit, declare it and see what happens in customs. I'll let you know.

Never had any problem bringing excessive amounts of rum home from my Caribbean escapades, but I was living in Puerto Rico then, and I think customs was pretty easy going there.

Actually, I was there almost a year ago now.

I was able to bring back all that I cared to - about 12 bottles. I brought a extra bag with bubble wrap to carry the bottles home. I didn't have to pay anything and just said I had some beer.

Nearly the end of January, and I still forget it's 2011... now back to my Imperial IPA.

Thanks brodie!

Just say Beer and they'll wave you thur.

haha, i posted about this a while back about bringing wine. There is not a limit to how much you can bring back for personal consumption (but a lot looks suspicious). but once its over 75% ABV i think there is a limit. Since your bringing beer back theyll charge you tax, but as said earlier its not much. When i came back few months ago, they just waved me through. so there is a good chance you wont even have to pay