10 Tips for Bringing Alcohol Into the US

It depends, since numerous agencies hold jurisdiction. Technically there is no federal limit on how much alcohol can be brought in for personal use, but US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will likely flag you if you're carrying more than a case (e.g. 12 bottles of wine) in your luggage. Anything beyond that might fall under suspected commercial use and require an Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) import license form.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limits the amount of unopened alcohol that can be brought onto a plane to five liters per person if the alcohol content falls between 24 and 70 percent (up to 140 proof.) If it's less than 24 percent you can bring more than five liters, but it would be taxed by customs. Anything greater than 70 percent isn't allowed since it's considered a hazardous material.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) limits carry-on liquids to 3.4 ounces (100 ml), unless you purchased alcohol at a duty-free shop at the airport after clearing security. However, if you have a connecting flight within the US and go through security again, then that bottle of alcohol you were initially allowed to carry on would have to be checked. To avoid this conundrum, wait until the last leg of a flight to buy duty-free alcohol.

To make matters more complicated, each state has its own guidelines on how much alcohol can be brought in, and some states allow less than a case. However, the CBP says that these rules only apply to residents of that state. To be on the safe side, check with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) regarding limitations.

Oh, and think twice before buying that bottle of absinthe. It’s regulated by both the FDA and the TTB, and possesses a host of requirements: It must be thujone-free (thujone is the ingredient commonly associated with absinthe’s mind-altering effects), and can’t have the word absinthe in the brand name or as a stand-alone name on the label. Any artwork or graphics with hallucinogenic depictions will also get your bottle confiscated at Customs.

(Despite all the restrictions, it’s worth noting that homemade wine is allowed. Besides following general rules for alcohol, it just has to be labeled.)

Essentially, duty-free means there's no local sales tax (commonly called Value Added Tax, or VAT, outside the US) on goods. Stores can offer this wherever governments don't impose a tax on items leaving the country; the reason behind it is that customers can't use or consume a purchase until they return home. Therefore, travelers 21 and older can bring one liter (the equivalent of one bottle) per person into the US without paying additional taxes on it.

For a full guideline, Duty Free Americas (DFA) answers the most commonly asked questions. There's some debate over whether or not duty free is a deal, but DFA notes that duty-free alcohol can potentially save travelers anywhere from 25-50 percent in taxes.

Just be advised that the US requires travelers to leave the country for at least 48 hours to prevent people from taking advantage of duty-free shopping. Individuals are also limited to $800 worth of duty-free goods per month (including alcohol) and $1,600 for a family.

This varies. A CBP spokesperson says it depends on the cost of the additional liter or case of alcohol and the alcohol content percentage.

Parts of the Caribbean are a notable exception to the one-liter rule (although the Caymen Islands, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos are among the islands that aren't).

The CBP says you can bring back two liters of alcohol duty free from islands that compose the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which include St. Lucia, the Bahamas and Aruba, as long as one bottle was locally produced. Even better, travelers are allowed to bring back five liters duty free from the US Virgin Islands (USVI). The catch is that at least one of the bottles must be locally produced, and the rest purchased within the USVI. More than that would be taxed at a 1.5 percent flat duty rate, plus IRS taxes.

Another exception for the USVI is the monthly limit allowance: Whereas CBP typically limits individuals to $800 worth of duty-free goods per month, individuals can haul home $1,600 worth of items from the USVI.