What to Declare at the US Border (Food, Alcohol, Cash, Firearms, Cannabis)

The number-one rule at any border is when in doubt, declare it. Forgetting to declare a granola bar can cost you a $300 fine; lying about it can cost you trusted-traveler eligibility for life. This guide covers the practical limits and the things people most often get wrong: food, alcohol, cannabis, firearms, cash, and gifts. Both directions — into the US and into Canada.

Verify before you travel. Customs rules change with policy updates and disease outbreaks (especially agricultural restrictions). The authoritative sources are CBP "Know Before You Go" for the US and CBSA "I Declare" for Canada. Information below is accurate as of early 2026.

The 30-second answer

Cash and monetary instruments

Carrying more than $10,000 USD (or the equivalent in other currency) into or out of the United States requires filing FinCEN Form 105. This includes cash, traveler's cheques, cashier's cheques, money orders, and bearer instruments. It is not illegal to carry that much money — only to fail to report it. Penalties range from cash forfeiture to criminal charges for structuring.

Canada has an equivalent rule: amounts of $10,000 CAD or more must be reported to CBSA when crossing in either direction. Same principle: carrying the money is legal, hiding it isn't.

The threshold applies to the total in your party, not per person. Splitting $15,000 between two people doesn't avoid the requirement if you're traveling together. Officers are trained to spot this.

Alcohol

Entering the US

Returning US residents 21+ get 1 liter duty-free per trip per person. Amounts above 1 liter are dutiable but typically permitted for personal use; the duty is modest (a few dollars per liter for most spirits). State law also applies — some states cap how much alcohol you can import for personal use, regardless of federal rules. Texas and Pennsylvania are notoriously strict.

Entering Canada

Returning Canadian residents who stayed in the US 48 hours or more get a duty-free allowance of one of:

• 1.5 L of wine (two 750 mL bottles), OR
• 1.14 L of spirits (one large bottle), OR
• 8.5 L of beer or ale (twenty-four 355 mL cans).

For trips under 48 hours, there's no duty-free alcohol allowance — anything you bring is fully dutiable plus provincial markup. Most provinces also limit how much alcohol you can import in total, regardless of duty paid.

Tobacco

Both countries allow modest personal quantities duty-free:

• Into the US: 200 cigarettes (one carton) and 100 cigars per person 21+, duty-free.
• Into Canada (48+ hour stay): 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 g of manufactured tobacco, or 200 tobacco sticks.

Cuban cigars are legal to bring into the US as of 2016 policy change, but only in personal-use quantities. They remain banned for commercial import.

Cannabis (don't try it, even where it's legal)

This catches a lot of people out: cannabis is federally illegal to transport across the US border in any direction, regardless of state law on either side. Recreational cannabis is legal in Washington, Oregon, California, and most of Canada, but the border itself is federal jurisdiction. CBP officers can and do search vehicles for cannabis at Washington and Michigan crossings.

Consequences range from confiscation and a $500 fine for a small amount to permanent lifetime ban from entering the US for Canadian citizens caught with cannabis. The same applies in reverse: do not bring CBD oil or any product containing THC across the border into Canada. CBSA treats them the same as raw cannabis.

Food and agricultural items

The single most common cause of "I didn't think I had to declare that" fines. Always check "Yes" on the agricultural-declaration question — even if you're not sure whether your item qualifies. Officers would much rather inspect a granola bar and wave you through than find an undeclared apple during a vehicle search.

What's generally prohibited entering the US

• Fresh fruits and vegetables from outside North America (and many from Mexico).
• Meat, eggs, and dairy products from countries with active livestock disease outbreaks (the list changes — check CBP's agricultural items page).
• Live plants, seeds, soil, bulbs (most of these are prohibited).
• Most fresh meat — beef, pork, chicken, lamb, raw — unless from Canada and accompanied by you (and even then, sometimes restricted).

What's generally allowed

• Commercially baked goods, candies, chocolates.
• Cooked / canned / pasteurized items in original packaging.
• Cheese from Canada, France, and most EU countries (hard cheeses almost always; some soft cheeses restricted).
• Wine and beer (within alcohol limits).

The penalty for failure to declare is $300 first offense, $500 second offense, even if the item turns out to be allowed. Always declare.

Entering Canada

Canada bans fresh and raw meat (beef, pork, chicken, raw fish), most plant material, and live animals without permits. Cooked or canned meat in personal quantities is generally fine. Always declare it anyway — CBSA's penalty for failure to declare is similar to CBP's.

Firearms

Into the US

US citizens may bring firearms back into the US for personal use with proof of US ownership before departure (CBP Form 4457 or similar). Foreign nationals need an ATF Form 6 import permit. Ammunition restrictions apply by state.

Into Canada

Visitors may bring non-restricted firearms (rifles and shotguns, with exceptions) into Canada for hunting or competition with advance declaration — RCMP Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (Form 909), $25 CAD, valid 60 days. The form must be filled out in advance and presented unsigned to the CBSA officer at the border.

Restricted firearms (most handguns) require a specific authorization obtained well before travel; informal personal transport across the border is not allowed. Prohibited firearms (including most semi-automatic rifles) cannot be brought into Canada at all without special permits.

Gifts and the personal exemption

US returning residents

Each returning US resident gets an $800 personal exemption per trip (or $200 if you've been gone less than 48 hours, or $1,600 if returning from certain insular possessions like the US Virgin Islands). Goods up to this value enter duty-free. Above it, you pay duty at a flat rate on the next $1,000 and at item-specific rates beyond that.

Canadian returning residents

Canadian residents have a tiered exemption based on length of stay:

• Less than 24 hours: No exemption (anything you bring is dutiable).
• 24 hours to 48 hours: $200 CAD personal exemption. Cannot include alcohol or tobacco.
• 48 hours or more: $800 CAD personal exemption. Can include the alcohol and tobacco limits described above.
• 7 days or more: $800 CAD personal exemption (same as 48-hour rate; the longer stay doesn't increase the dollar limit).

Prescription medications

Bring no more than a 90-day personal supply of any prescription medication, in the original labeled container, with a copy of the prescription. Both CBP and CBSA accept this for legitimate prescriptions.

Controlled substances (opioids, benzodiazepines, ADHD medications) are more scrutinized. Schedule II and above medications can be denied entry into Canada even with a valid US prescription. Check CBSA's controlled substances guidance before traveling with these.

How declarations actually work at land borders

Unlike air travel where you fill out a written customs form, most land borders use a verbal declaration. The officer asks a series of standard questions:

• "Where are you coming from?"
• "What's the purpose of your trip?"
• "Are you bringing back any food, alcohol, tobacco, or firearms?"
• "How much currency are you carrying?"
• "Anything to declare?"

Your answers are the declaration. Be honest, be specific, be brief. Don't volunteer extra information, but don't omit anything either. If you're not sure whether something needs to be declared, the correct answer is always to mention it and let the officer decide.

What happens if you don't declare

• Minor agricultural items (granola bar, apple, sandwich): $300 first offense; the item is confiscated.
• Alcohol or tobacco over the limit: Pay duty + a penalty proportional to the value, typically 50-100% of the duty owed.
• Cash over $10K undeclared: Cash can be seized entirely and forfeited. Recovery requires a legal action proving the money's source — often unsuccessful.
• Cannabis: Confiscation, possible criminal charges, and for non-citizens, potential lifetime ban from entry.
• Firearms undeclared: Confiscation, criminal charges, permanent ineligibility for trusted-traveler programs.
• Lying to a federal officer (US side): Federal felony under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, up to 5 years prison. The lie itself is worse than whatever you were trying to hide.

A note on trusted-traveler programs

If you're a NEXUS, SENTRI, or Global Entry member, declaration failures carry an additional consequence: program revocation. CBP and CBSA both treat membership as conditional on continued compliance, and even a single undeclared apple has cost people their cards. The membership is more valuable than whatever you were trying to skip declaring — declare it.

Bottom line

Three rules cover 95% of the practical risk:

1. Declare anything you're carrying that might count. Food, alcohol, tobacco, cash, firearms, gifts, plant material. The officer's response is much milder than the discovery penalty.
2. Don't bring cannabis across either border in any form, including CBD or edibles. The federal status overrides state and provincial legality.
3. Keep prescription meds in their original containers with documentation. Personal-use quantities (90 days) are fine; bulk or controlled substances need extra care.

Find your crossing and current wait time on the homepage, or read our documents guide for what you'll need to actually get through.