Can I Bring in More Than $10,000 to the United States When Travelling? / ¿Puedo Viajar Con Más De 10,000 Dólares A Los Estados Unidos? (2024)

I’m coming back into the United States and I need to bring in more than $10,000. I heard that it is illegal to bring that much money into the U.S. when you travel. Am I allowed to bring in more than $10,000 to the U.S. when I travel?

The simple answer to this question is: YES.

Many people are under the impression that you are not allowed to carry more than $10,000 into the United States; this is nothing more than an urban legend. The fact is that you may legally carry any amount of money you want into or out of the United States, but there is a catch. When transporting more than $10,000, you must file a report declaring the exact amount of funds you are transporting to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). To be clear, there are no customs duties, taxes or other fees paid to U.S. Customs for the international transportation of the money; it is merely a reporting requirement to U.S. Customs. On a Typical Day in Fiscal Year 2015, CBP seized$356,396 in undeclared or illicit currency.

If persons traveling together have $10,000 or more, they cannot divide the currency between each other to avoid declaring the currency. For example, if one person is carrying $5,000 and the other has $6,000, they have a total of $11, 000 in their possession and must report it.

What happens if you don’t declare your money? The penalties and repercussions can be severe. If you are stopped by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and more than $10,000 is found on your person or in your belongings and this money was not declared, you run the very real risk of CBP taking all of the money you were carrying… and keeping it. Failure to report the international transportation of money is serious business. Not only could you lose your money forever, you may be subject to civil and criminal penalties.

On a side note, reporting requirements are not limited to cash dollars. The same requirements apply for various monetary instruments, including foreign currency, traveler’s checks, domestic or foreign bank notes, securities or stocks in bearer form.To learn more about the requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transaction Reporting Act, clickhere.

And if you are reading this blog post because you failed to report your funds and CBP has seized your money, your best bet is to contact an attorney who is knowledgeable and experienced with these matters (info@diaztradelaw.com). There is an administrative process by which you can attempt to recuperate your funds and having the assistance of a skilled attorney is key to maximizing your chance of getting your money back and minimizing your chances of exposing yourself to civil and criminal fines.

My firm and I are greatly experienced with these matters, having handled hundreds of these types of cases nationwide. This is a Federal process most often done through email, telephone and snail mail correspondence with the Federal Government and so we can help no matter where in the country you are located or your monies were seized. Although we are located in South Florida, we handle cases all over the country.

We have a webpage dedicated to Currency Seizures HEREwith REALSEIZURE NOTICE examplesfrom CBP, a video describing the process and a sampling of some of our REAL successful results.

*Successful Past Results

Some REAL examples include:

• $54,000 Seized by CBP – $49,000 Returned to our client
• $50,800 Seized by CBP – $45,800 Returned to our client
• $39,000 Seized by CBP – $36,500 Returned to our client
• $37,360 Seized by CBP – $33,500 Returned to our client
• $31,062 Seized by CBP – $28,562 Returned to our client
• $16,334 Seized by CBP – $15,334 Returned to our client

Additional blog posts on currency seizures may be found HERE.

Contact us at info@diaztradelaw.com today to discuss your specific case.

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Estoy regresando a los Estados Unidos y necesito traer más de 10,000 dólares. Escuché que cuando viajas, es ilegal traer tanto dinero a los Estados Unidos. ¿Puedo viajar a los Estados Unidos con más de 10,000 dólares?

La respuesta a dicha pregunta es: SI.

Muchas personas especulan que no se permite traer más de 10,000 dólares a los Estados Unidos; Sin embargo, esto no es más que una leyenda urbana. El hecho es que, sí se puede transportar legalmente cualquier cantidad de dinero que desee dentro o fuera de los Estados Unidos, mediante un procedimiento. Cuando se transporta más de 10,000 dólares, usted debe presentar un informe ante La Aduana y Protección Fronteriza de los Estados Unidos (CBP) donde declare la cantidad exacta de fondos que está transportando. Para aclarar, no hay impuestos u otras tarifas que se deba pagar a la Aduana de los Estados Unidos por el transporte internacional del dinero; Simplemente es un requisito de notificación. En un día típico del año fiscal 2015, la CBP incautó un total de $356,396 en moneda no declarada o ilícita.

Si las personas que viajan juntas tienen 10,000 dólares o más, no pueden dividirse el dinero entre ellos para evitar declarar el dinero. Por ejemplo, si una persona lleva $5,000 y la otra tiene $6,000, tienen un total de $11,000 en su poder, por tal motivo deben declararlo.

¿Qué pasa si no declaras tú dinero? Las penalizaciones y repercusiones pueden ser severas. Si un oficial de la Aduana y Protección Fronteriza de los Estados Unidos lo detiene y encuentra que posee más de 10,000 dólares, bien sea en efectivo o en sus pertenencias monetarias, no declarados, usted corre el riesgo de que CBP decomise todo su dinero… y se lo quede. El no reportar el transporte internacional de dinero es un asunto serio. No solo podría perder su dinero para siempre, sino que también puede estar sujeto a sanciones civiles y penales.

Por otro lado, los requisitos para reportar no se limitan a dólares en efectivo. Los mismos requisitos se aplican a diversos instrumentos monetarios, incluyendo moneda extranjera, cheques de viajero, billetes de banco nacionales o extranjeros, valores o acciones en forma de portador. Para obtener más información sobre los requisitos de la Ley de Divulgación y Transacciones Extranjeras, haga clic aquí.

Si está leyendo este blog porque no reportó sus fondos y CBP ha decomisado su dinero, lo mejor que puede hacer es comunicarse con un abogado que tenga conocimiento y experiencia en estos asuntos. Contáctenos a través de info@diaztradelaw.com. Existe un proceso administrativo mediante el cual puede intentar recuperar sus fondos. Sin embargo, es esencial contar con la asistencia de un abogado calificado para maximizar sus posibilidades de recuperar su dinero y minimizar sus posibilidades de exponerse a multas civiles y penales.

Diaz Trade Law (DTL) posee mucha experiencia en estos asuntos, ya que ha manejado cientos de estos tipos de casos a nivel nacional. Este es un proceso federal que se realiza con mayor frecuencia a través de correo electrónico, el teléfono y correspondencia por correo postal con el Gobierno Federal, por lo que podemos ayudarlo sin importar en qué lugar del país se encuentre o en que parte de los Estados Unidos se decomisó su dinero. Aunque estamos ubicados en el sur de la Florida, manejamos casos en todo el país.

DTL cuenta con una página web dedicada a incautaciones de moneda con ejemplos reales de AVISOS DE INCAUTACION, un video que describe el proceso y una muestra de algunos de nuestros resultados REALES y exitosos.

* Resultados Exitosos

Algunos ejemplos REALES incluyen:

• $ 54,000 incautados por CBP – $ 49,000 devueltos a nuestro cliente
• $ 50,800 incautados por CBP – $ 45,800 devueltos a nuestro cliente
• $ 39,000 incautados por CBP – $ 36,500 devueltos a nuestro cliente
• $ 37,360 incautados por CBP – $ 33,500 devueltos a nuestro cliente
• $ 31,062 incautados por CBP – $ 28,562 devueltos a nuestro cliente
• $ 16,334 incautados por CBP – $ 15,334 devueltos a nuestro cliente

AQUÍ pueden encontrar publicaciones adicionales sobre incautaciones de dinero.

Contáctenos hoy al correo electrónico: info@diaztradelaw.com para discutir el mérito de su caso.

1. 

   SteveMay 23, 2012 at 10:24 am

   What type of documentation do you need to support that the cash is yours? I been working in Afghanistan for 2 years and will be returning home this summer with approximately $50,000 in cash.

   I have looked into wire transferring the money but the local Western Union will only transfer $2000 per transaction and cannot transfer to a bank, must be direct to a person and there is limited amounts of transaction per week, etc….so it’s really not an option.

   thanks

   • 

     CHAD HERRELLAAugust 25, 2019 at 8:59 am

     you can use bitcoin hard wallets like keep key to bring around any amount of cash

2. 

   georgeJuly 4, 2012 at 6:00 am

   suppose, I carry less than $10000, do I still have to prove that the money is legit?
   I have been frequently asked how much money I have even though my declaration says less than $10000.

   • 

     StarTraverseDecember 19, 2016 at 4:30 am

     You can carry 9999 $ and you don’t have to prove anything, The reason why you have been asked it is because sometimes people state one amount of money and when they are asked again they sais another. You can easily say i have 9999 $ and there will be no problems.

3. 

   John MyersAugust 23, 2012 at 3:43 am

   Is it possible to check if a FINCEN form was filed for a passenger? Does US Customs have historical records?

4. 

   Jen DiazJanuary 3, 2013 at 5:04 pm

   Yes, you can submit a FOIA – Freedom of Information Act Request to Customs to get declaration forms, BUT, you need the consent of the person who declared the funds to get it!

5. 

   Vijay RavulapalliMay 16, 2016 at 10:56 am

   If a family of 4 are travelling, how will this 10k work, can each person carry less then 10k that need not be declared ?

   • 

     Jennifer DiazJune 3, 2016 at 12:49 am

     Check out this blog post – lays it all out for you! If you still have questions – schedule a consultation with us by emailing info@diaztradelaw.com.

     http://customsandinternationaltradelaw.com/2013/12/13/international-travelers-beware-u-s-customs-will-seize-your-money-if/#more-1578

     Today, CBP issued a final rule, “to broaden the definition of “members of a family residing in one household” to more accurately reflect relationships for U.S. citizens, residents and international visitors who are traveling together as a family.”

     CBP confirmed “the expansion of the term will include long-term same-sex couples and other domestic relationships which would allow more returning U.S. citizens, residents and international visitors to file a joint customs declaration for items acquired abroad. The rule will be effective thirty days after publication in the Federal Register.”

     CBP clarified the definition of “domestic relationship” and advised it includes “foster children, stepchildren, half-siblings, legal wards, other dependents, and individuals with an in loco parentis or guardianship relationship. Also included within the definition two adults who are in a committed relationship including, but not limited to, long-term companions and couples in civil unions or domestic partnerships where the partners share financial assets and obligations, and are not married to, or a partner of, anyone else. Members of a family residing in one household” will continue to encompass relationships of blood, adoption, and marriage.”

     See Also

     Customs Duty InformationHow much cash can you travel with?How to Carry Large Amounts of Cash Safely? - Cardinal Bag Supplies

6. 

   Rohit KhannaMay 16, 2016 at 11:51 am

   What do you mean by persons travelling together? I am travelling with my wife and kid and have bought the 3 tickets together. My other son is also travelling with us, but I have bought the trip separately since his return date is different. Would you count all 4 of us travelling together?

   Thanks in advance

   • 

     Jennifer DiazJune 3, 2016 at 12:48 am

     Check out this blog post – lays it all out for you!

     http://customsandinternationaltradelaw.com/2013/12/13/international-travelers-beware-u-s-customs-will-seize-your-money-if/#more-1578

     Today, CBP issued a final rule, “to broaden the definition of “members of a family residing in one household” to more accurately reflect relationships for U.S. citizens, residents and international visitors who are traveling together as a family.”

     CBP confirmed “the expansion of the term will include long-term same-sex couples and other domestic relationships which would allow more returning U.S. citizens, residents and international visitors to file a joint customs declaration for items acquired abroad. The rule will be effective thirty days after publication in the Federal Register.”

     CBP clarified the definition of “domestic relationship” and advised it includes “foster children, stepchildren, half-siblings, legal wards, other dependents, and individuals with an in loco parentis or guardianship relationship. Also included within the definition two adults who are in a committed relationship including, but not limited to, long-term companions and couples in civil unions or domestic partnerships where the partners share financial assets and obligations, and are not married to, or a partner of, anyone else. Members of a family residing in one household” will continue to encompass relationships of blood, adoption, and marriage.”

7. 

   Jean PierreJune 13, 2016 at 1:15 pm

   I inherited USD $15,000 in a foreign country. I want to bring it to the US. What problems may I come across even if I declare it? I hear that it may be taxed or even held until CBP determines that it really was inherited.

   • 

     Jennifer DiazNovember 11, 2016 at 4:20 pm

     Good question. I typically help my clients with the documentation you should have on hand when hand carrying currency. If you want to discuss your personal case scenario after reviewing our blog post, please schedule a consultation with us by emailing info@diaztradelaw.com.

8. 

   AliceJune 19, 2016 at 1:23 am

   Say if my parents travel together with my aunt who is the blood sister of my mother, does that count as two families or one? Thank you!

   • 

     Jennifer DiazJune 20, 2016 at 2:59 pm

     Check out this blog post – lays it all out for you! If you still have questions – schedule a consultation with us by emailing info@diaztradelaw.com.
     http://customsandinternationaltradelaw.com/2013/12/13/international-travelers-beware-u-s-customs-will-seize-your-money-if/#more-1578
     Today, CBP issued a final rule, “to broaden the definition of “members of a family residing in one household” to more accurately reflect relationships for U.S. citizens, residents and international visitors who are traveling together as a family.”
     CBP confirmed “the expansion of the term will include long-term same-sex couples and other domestic relationships which would allow more returning U.S. citizens, residents and international visitors to file a joint customs declaration for items acquired abroad. The rule will be effective thirty days after publication in the Federal Register.”
     CBP clarified the definition of “domestic relationship” and advised it includes “foster children, stepchildren, half-siblings, legal wards, other dependents, and individuals with an in loco parentis or guardianship relationship. Also included within the definition two adults who are in a committed relationship including, but not limited to, long-term companions and couples in civil unions or domestic partnerships where the partners share financial assets and obligations, and are not married to, or a partner of, anyone else. Members of a family residing in one household” will continue to encompass relationships of blood, adoption, and marriage.”

9. 

   S.khanOctober 20, 2016 at 7:00 pm

   If I bring e.a. $25k, cash is us custom ask me where I get this money

   • 

     Jennifer DiazNovember 11, 2016 at 4:12 pm

     Hello S. Khan – after you declare the funds, CBP can request information on the source of the funds (after all, they are looking for money laundering/criminal activity). If you still have questions – schedule a consultation with us by emailing info@diaztradelaw.com.

10. 

    Sean VoDecember 8, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    Very good,very helpful Sean Vo

11. 

    BarbaraJanuary 18, 2017 at 6:32 am

    If traveling with a bank check over 10,000 to another country from the U S that is not yet endorsed. How would that be treated? Not very clear on the explanation on the website. Everyone is talking cash.

    • 

      Jennifer DiazSeptember 11, 2018 at 11:30 am

      Contact our office for assistance. Info@diaztradelaw.com or 305-456-3830.

12. 

    TatyanaMarch 22, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    Can children be count to bring 10k as a part of the family? We will travel 3 of us. Thank you.

13. 

    PaulineApril 23, 2017 at 5:00 am

    Can I bring the amount of the property I sold outside united states, If, do I have to pay taxes on it?

14. 

    VilmaJuly 14, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    Im travelling to lasvegas how much is the limit to bring money to lasvegas im just wondering how much

15. 

    Sam DanielsOctober 4, 2017 at 4:45 pm

    Is it possible to travel with $10000

16. 

    JavierDecember 12, 2017 at 11:43 am

    Hello…i want to know how US customs knows if i’m traveling with someone or not? My situation is this: my parents, my girlfriend and i are going to Miami, but my parents paid their tickets in other way than i paid mi girlfriend’s and mine…so, in what moment they decide that we are one group or two? we are going to the same place but as two couples

17. 

    HelpFebruary 8, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    I inherited 145,000 Canadian dollars from my Dad passing. Every day the Canadian dollar is going down
    It is sitting in an account not making any money. Because l am a US resident l can not open an account with this bank. Other banks that will allow me to do so have too high charges for it. Can l just bring the Canadian cash over the border to keep here in the US until the rates are better on the exchange.

18. 

    Pankaj ParikhMarch 3, 2018 at 1:58 pm

    I inherited USD $45,000 in a foreign country (India). I want to bring it to the US. what is the procedure to bring money to US. I will have Reserve Bank of India declaration with me when I come back to US. How can I transfer it legally what problems may I come across even if I declare it? I visited CBP and found that each person can bring $10,000 (can this be check or cash) with them. I hear that it may be taxed or even held until CBP determines that it really was inherited.

19. 

    Rohan . KMarch 18, 2018 at 12:17 am

    I want to bring a 800 thousand dollar cheque to US because I am selling my house in my country . what documents do I need and will this amount yes taxed . what should I do to avoid problems that are coming my way .. thank you

    • 

      Jennifer DiazMarch 20, 2018 at 3:59 pm

      Check out this blog post – lays it all out for you! If you still have questions – schedule a consultation with us by emailing info@diaztradelaw.com.

      http://customsandinternationaltradelaw.com/2013/12/13/international-travelers-beware-u-s-customs-will-seize-your-money-if/#more-1578

20. 

    Daniyal KaliaJune 6, 2018 at 8:46 pm

    HEY I BOUGHT MY PARENTS AND MY TICKET TOGETHER WHILE MY SISTERS TICKET SEPARATELY SO WE WILLL BE COUNTED AS TWO FAMILIES ?? AND CAN WE THEN TAKE AOUT 13000 DOLLARS ALL TOGETHER?

    • 

      Jennifer DiazJune 26, 2018 at 3:30 pm

      Daniyal,

      Please refer to our blog International Travelers Beware – U.S. Customs Will Seize Your Money for guidance. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our office for a consultation.

21. 

    DianaJuly 24, 2018 at 9:46 pm

    Question when transfering large funds into the US from a foreign country

    • 

      Jennifer DiazSeptember 11, 2018 at 11:30 am

      Contact our office for assistance. Info@diaztradelaw.com or 305-456-3830.

22. 

    PriyaAugust 7, 2018 at 8:30 am

    Hey I am travelling this month to US. I have a doubt related to the money that I can bring while I’m travelling to US as a student.what is the minimum amount of money that I should bring compulsarily so that the officers wouldn’t object my port of entry????

    • 

      Jennifer DiazOctober 18, 2018 at 3:54 pm

      Contact our office for assistance. Info@diaztradelaw.com or 305-456-3830.

23. 

    Cha KooJanuary 30, 2019 at 1:16 am

    I am carrying $9900 do I steel need to report to US customs

24. 

    Geovanna barajasApril 19, 2019 at 9:10 am

    Hablan español

    • 

      Jennifer DiazMay 31, 2019 at 7:58 pm

      Si!

25. 

    wayne hendersonJuly 26, 2019 at 4:56 am

    I have a friend coming to usa from china- she wants to bring more than a million usd here for investing- but she wants to bring cash- how is this possible without her getting into trouble?

    • 

      Jennifer DiazAugust 14, 2019 at 9:25 am

      I highly recommend she schedule a consult with our office to discuss the “legitimate source” and use of the funds and the reporting requirements. Please have her email info@diaztradelaw.com.

26. 

    Nicole PachecoSeptember 11, 2020 at 12:11 am

    Hello so I have a friend coming from Syria and he has $800,000 in cash what does he need to do to have a smooth entry into the US??

    • 

      Jennifer DiazSeptember 15, 2020 at 11:30 am

      Hello Ms. Pacheco and thank you for your inquiry. Please call us today at 305-456-3830 to speak with a live agent and to discuss all of the possibilities tailored to your specific case.

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