Thanks for your responses, but I will be declaring everything, so how do I find out the percentage I'll be charged?
Official worldwide thread - Tips/Advice for customs, VAT, etc...
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You need to call the customs department from the airport you arriving to. I inquired once for a Cartier watch and it was basically like buying it here in the U.S. I must said it took a while to find out what is that tax. There is a very complicated tax table in the customs website and I had to verified the exact percentage.
After the first $800 duty free, the next $1000 is taxed at 3% and anything beyond that at the prevailing rate for the type of goods. Remember that you can deduct the total VAT amount (not just the refunded amount) when you report the cost of your purchase.
Customs inspectors have some degree of discretion when determining whether or not to collect duty. You may not have to pay at all but, you will be prepared.
Customs inspectors have some degree of discretion when determining whether or not to collect duty. You may not have to pay at all but, you will be prepared.
Thank you! I have forwarded this info on to my husband since he is coming back with my holy grail bag from Europe this weekend.
The 3% over $800 isn't so bad considering I live in an area where sales tax is 9.5%.
I applaud your strong dedication to the U.S. tax code... but I never declare anything this insignificant whether I bring goods into the U.S. or goods into France. I guess my back and forth trips make it a wash! 😜
Great thread though!
I would be ok with that.
My husband would be terrified of breaking the rules though and would feel the need to declare it.
You need to do what you are personally comfortable with IMO.
The husband comes back with my bag this weekend, so I will have to come back and post what his experience is like with US customs. I am crossing fingers that he will get waved through and not have to pay taxes.
Thank you! I have forwarded this info on to my husband since he is coming back with my holy grail bag from Europe this weekend.
The 3% over $800 isn't so bad considering I live in an area where sales tax is 9.5%.
It's zero on the first $800, 3% on the next $1,000 and I believe 6% on the amount over that for handbags and leather goods.
Since it is just your husband, those are the amounts he should expect. If you travel with him or other family members in future, you can combine your exempt amounts so the exemptions can be double, triple, etc. depending on how many family members you are with. When I went with my husband and Kid2, the first $2,400 was tax free, the next $3,000 would have resulted in a $90 charge, and then it would have been 6% on the amount over $5,400.
To me, these are relatively small amounts and not worth getting caught and penalized and having every item searched and inspected. I've witnessed that happen to others and it looks to be an unpleasant process. I think they also would flag you for future inspections and you might be denied if you ever applied for Global Entry due to customs violations.
I would be ok with that.
You need to do what you are personally comfortable with IMO.
The husband comes back with my bag this weekend, so I will have to come back and post what his experience is like with US customs. I am crossing fingers that he will get waved through and not have to pay taxes.
Maybe it's just the airport where I live, but we have to scan our passport upon entry in the U.S. at a little kiosk and then answer several questions. One of those questions is whether you are bringing in goods that cost more then $800/person so it's a "yes" or "no" type question and it records your answer which makes things very difficult if they should catch you not telling the truth. It scares the heck out of me so I always tell the truth lol.
any advice on VAT processes? Will the window be open that early?? My husband declared the full value of the purse and went through customs. US customs made him take the purse out of the box, but luckily they didn't make him pay any of the tax above the $800. The purse cost about $2,000 USD, but would have been significantly more (roughly 40%) if purchased here.
We are waiting for the VAT refund to be credited to our credit card in the next 3-5 days.