Bringing Money to the U.S. (2024)

When traveling to the U.S. everyone is required to complete a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Declaration Form 6059B. You may bring large sums of money with you in the form of cash, money order, or traveler's checks. There is no maximum limit, however, any amount exceeding $10,000 USD must be declared upon arrival on both the Form 6059B and FinCEN 105.

All forms must be filled in completely and truthfully. The penalties for inaccurate declaration and non-compliance can be severe including heavy fines and/or confiscation of funds.

For more information, refer to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency web site.

Bringing Money to the U.S. (2024)

FAQs

Bringing Money to the U.S.? ›

There is no restriction on how much money you can bring on an aircraft if you travel to the United States. If you travel abroad to the United States, you must disclose any sum above $10,000 to customs.

How much money can you legally bring into the US? ›

You may bring large sums of money with you in the form of cash, money order, or traveler's checks. There is no maximum limit, however, any amount exceeding $10,000 USD must be declared upon arrival on both the Form 6059B and FinCEN 105. All forms must be filled in completely and truthfully.

Is it $10 000 per person or family? ›

Members of a family residing in one household must declare if the members are collectively carrying over $10,000. If you and your wife are each carrying $6,000, you'd need to report that. Pocket change matters if you're close to the limit.

What happens when you declare over $10 000? ›

You may bring into or take out of the country, including by mail, as much money as you wish. However, if it is more than $10,000, you will need to report it to CBP. Use the online Fincen 105 currency reporting site or ask a CBP officer for the paper copy of the Currency Reporting Form (FinCen 105).

How much cash can you fly with without declaring? ›

When flying domestically within the USA, there is no limit to the amount of cash that you can carry or have to declare. However, if you are found flying with large amounts of cash or money, TSA officers may question you as to why you have it and details of your trip.

Can you fly with 20k cash? ›

You can fly with any amount of cash. No law prohibits you from bringing any amount of money on a flight. Likewise, the TSA has no rules that limit how much money you can bring through security. In other words, the TSA has no cash limit per person.

What happens if you don't declare money at Customs? ›

If the cash reporting form is inaccurate, or not made at all, Customs can seize the cash and forfeit all the money.

What happens if you bring more than $10 000 into us? ›

Failure to declare monetary instruments in amounts valued more than $10,000 can result in its seizure. If you are caught crossing the border with any amount of undeclared cash in excess of $10,000 USD you will almost certainly have it seized from you.

Do I have to pay taxes on money I bring from another country? ›

If you bring more than $10,000 in cash back into the United States after time spent abroad, you must declare it using U.S. Customers and Border Patrol Form 6059B and FinCEN Form 105.

Is it illegal to fly with more than 10k? ›

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CARRY AS MUCH CASH AS YOU WANT OUT OF AND INTO THE UNITED STATES. To summarize up front: no, you are not restricted to traveling with sums of $10,000 or less. In fact, you could travel with a checked bag stuffed to the brim with cash — as long as you declare the amount beforehand.

Do you pay taxes when you declare money at customs? ›

Traveling with cash is never a bad idea and you can bring an unlimited amount into or out of the country without paying any taxes or duty on the dough. You do, however, need to file a Currency Reporting Form if you have more than $10,000.

Does 10k get reported to IRS? ›

Who must file. Federal law requires a person to report cash transactions of more than $10,000 by filing Form 8300, Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 Received in a Trade or Business.

Can airport scanner detect money? ›

A good X-ray scanner will always detect money. Airport scanners can detect even the smallest amount of metal and can detect paper. The scanners will always look after things that look different to the norm. In this case, if the currency is arranged in bundles, it will be more easily detected.

Can TSA confiscate money? ›

No, it is perfectly legal to fly with cash. In fact, the law allows you to fly with as much or as little as you like. Think about it: Have you ever heard of someone getting arrested at the airport for possession of too much cash? No, because that is not a crime!

How much do you have to declare at U.S. Customs? ›

Up to $1,600 in goods will be duty-free under your personal exemption if the merchandise is from an IP. Up to $800 in goods will be duty-free if it is from a CBI or Andean country. Any additional amount, up to $1,000, in goods will be dutiable at a flat rate (3%).

How much can I import to USA without paying duty? ›

Do I have to pay duty on items shipped to the US? Yes. Any goods valued over $800 USD (de minimis value) are subject to import duty tax. However, items valued below $800 are exempt from duty, unless they fall under the De Minimis exception list.

What does U.S. Customs check for? ›

In fact, the CBP assesses all people who arrive by airplane, overland vehicle, ship or on foot and want to enter the U.S. The job of U.S. customs agents is to search for banned agricultural products and counterfeit goods, but they also are trained to seize street and pharmaceutical drugs, illegal immigrants and ...

How much cash can you deposit in a year? ›

Depositing a big amount of cash that is $10,000 or more means your bank or credit union will report it to the federal government. The $10,000 threshold was created as part of the Bank Secrecy Act, passed by Congress in 1970, and adjusted with the Patriot Act in 2002.

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