Guidelines streamline customs processes in the Caribbean

Shopping in the Caribbean is a delightful pursuit--there's a special souvenir for any and every taste. Knowing the customs regulations for the Caribbean and your home country will guarantee a hassle-free travel experience.

As a Caribbean visitor, be aware of the following customs tips and rules before entering the region:

• You may bring up to two liters of alcohol and two cartons of cigarettes to the Caribbean islands.

• You may bring a "reasonable" amount of duty-free goods for personal use; anything deemed in excess of "reasonable" may incur an import tax.

• All prescription drugs must be accompanied by an official prescription.

• Firearms and recreational drugs are not permitted.

United States citizens: To avoid paying customs duty on the foreign-made high-ticket items you already own and will take on your Caribbean trip, register them with customs before you leave the country. Consider filing a Certificate of Registration for items such as laptops, cameras, watches, and other digital devices identified with serial numbers or other permanent markings; you can keep the certificate for other trips. Otherwise, bring with you a sales receipt or insurance form to show that you owned the item before you left the United States.

As an island shopper, and before returning home, remember these things:

• You should keep receipts for all items you buy in the Caribbean.

• Upon departing your island getaway, make sure your purchases are easily accessible in case your home country's customs officials request an inspection.

• If you have any questions or complaints about your customs experience, write to the port director at your point of reentry.

The following additional customs and reentry rules apply for United States citizens returning from the Caribbean:

• If you are a U.S. resident who has visited the Caribbean countries of Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barth's, St. Martin (French side), or the Turks and Caicos Islands for at least 48 hours, you may bring home, for personal use, up to $800(USD) worth of goods duty-free, as long as you haven't used any portion of the $800(USD) allowance during the 30 days preceding your trip. You may combine your $800(USD) exemption with family members. If you visit one of the aforementioned islands for fewer than 48 hours, the duty-free allowance is $200(USD), which cannot be pooled with other family member's exemptions.

• If you're returning from the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), the duty free allowance is $1,600(USD). If your Caribbean travel included the USVI and another country, the $1,600(USD) allowance still applies, but at least $800(USD) worth of goods must be from the USVI.

• You may bring back to the U.S. up to one liter of alcohol (if you are 21 or older) or perfume containing alcohol, up to 200 cigarettes, and up to 100 non-Cuban cigars. If you stay less than 48 hours, you may bring home up to 150 ml of alcohol, 50 cigarettes, and 10 non-Cuban cigars.

• If you visit the USVI, you are allowed to bring home up to 1,000 cigarettes (all must be from the USVI) and 5 liters of alcohol, but at least 1 liter must be from the USVI.

• You may bring home original works of Caribbean art--such as paintings, drawings, and sculptures--and antiques (officially defined as objects more than 100 years old) duty-free.

• You may send packages home duty-free, with a limit of one parcel per addressee per day, with the exception of alcohol or tobacco products, or perfume worth more than $5(USD).

• You can mail up to $200(USD) worth of goods home to the U.S. for personal use; be sure to write "PERSONAL USE" on the parcel and attach a list of its contents and their retail value.

• If you send home a parcel containing personal belongings that have been used, write "AMERICAN GOODS RETURNED" on the package to avoid a duty fee.

• You may send up to $100(USD) worth of goods as a gift ($200 from the USVI) to someone in the U.S. provided you write "UNSOLICITED GIFT" on the package.

The following reentry rules apply to U.S. citizens who visit any of the 24 countries in the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI)*:

• If you visit a CBI country for more than 48 hours, you may bring $800(USD) worth of Caribbean goods duty-free through customs, as long as you have not used the $800(USD) allowance or any part of it in the 30 days preceding your trip. If you visit both a CBI country and U.S. possession (for example, the U.S. Virgin Islands), you may bring home to the U.S. up to $1,600(USD) worth of goods duty-free, but no more than $800(USD) of the total worth can be from the CBI country.

• If you are 21 or older, you may bring home up to two liters of alcohol, duty-free, from a CBI country, as long as one of the liters was produced in a CBI country.

• You are allowed to bring home up to 200 cigarettes and 100 non-Cuban cigars from a CBI country.

• You may bring home, duty-free, antiques and original works of art from CBI countries.

• You may send gift packages--excepting alcohol, tobacco, or perfume--worth more than $500(USD) from a CBI country to the United States duty-free, with a limit of one parcel per addressee per day.
  

• You are permitted to mail up to $200(USD) worth of Caribbean goods for personal use; label the package "PERSONAL USE" and attach a list of its contents and their retail value. If the package contains used personal belongings, mark it "AMERICAN GOODS RETURNED" to avoid paying duties.

• You may send up to $100(USD) worth of goods as a gift; mark the package "UNSOLICITED GIFT."

*Caribbean Basin Initiative countries include: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, The British Virgin Islands, Cura�ao, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten (Dutch side), St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Since customs regulations are subject to change from time to time, it is best to check with your country's specific entry requirements before you visit the Caribbean, and keep your knowledge current using the following contact information:

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