What is a customs declaration form?
A customs declaration form is the document you complete on arrival to tell customs officers what you are bringing into the country - especially money, food, and goods.
Updated
What a customs declaration covers
After immigration but before you leave the airport, almost every country puts you through customs. The customs declaration form (paper or digital) is where you tell the country what you are bringing in.
What you typically need to declare
- Cash, traveler's checks, or other monetary instruments over the declaration threshold (EUR 10,000 or more in the EU, more than USD 10,000 in the US).
- Food, especially fresh meat, dairy, fruit, and plant material.
- Plants, seeds, soil, and wood products.
- Animals, animal products, and live animals.
- Medicines (some require prescriptions).
- Alcohol and tobacco above duty-free limits.
- Commercial goods or merchandise.
- Cultural artifacts and works of art.
Country-specific customs forms
Different countries call this form different things: CBP Form 6059B or Mobile Passport Control (US), Incoming Passenger Card (Australia and NZ), TDAC (Thailand), or simply 'customs form'. The questions are similar everywhere.
Many countries have moved to digital forms. The US and EU use 'Nothing to Declare' (green) versus 'Something to Declare' (red) channels. Australia uses a paper card you fill on the plane. Singapore and the UAE use digital arrival cards on apps.
What happens if you do not declare
Customs officers use scanners, dogs, and random checks to catch undeclared items. If they find something you should have declared, you can be fined (each country sets its own penalties), have items confiscated, or in severe cases face criminal charges.
Declaring crypto and digital money
Carrying crypto on a hardware wallet or phone is generally not declarable - it is not physical currency. Prepaid debit cards loaded with crypto are not counted as cash under EU rules, though rules elsewhere vary. When in doubt, ask a customs officer.
What is a customs declaration form - FAQ
Yes, everyone entering the United States must make a customs declaration, using CBP Form 6059B. One form covers members of the same family travelling together. If you use CBP's Mobile Passport Control app at a participating port of entry, you make the declaration in the app and do not need the paper form.
Partly. CBP's Mobile Passport Control app lets US citizens, green card holders, Canadian visitors and returning ESTA travellers submit their declaration on a phone, with up to 12 people in one household submission. It only works at participating airports, seaports and crossings. Otherwise you fill in the paper Form 6059B, which you can also type and print from CBP's website.
Anything you bring back that you did not have when you left, including gifts, duty-free shop purchases and repairs done abroad. Most returning US residents have a USD 800 duty-free exemption after at least 48 hours away, once every 31 days, otherwise USD 200. Only 1 liter of alcohol is duty free, for travellers aged 21 or over.
Entering or leaving the United States, you must report more than USD 10,000 in total, combined across a family travelling together, on FinCEN Form 105. Entering or leaving the EU, you declare EUR 10,000 or more. Both cover cash and similar instruments, and other countries set their own limits, so check the destination's customs site.
Officers use scanners, dogs and random checks, and undeclared goods can be seized and you can be fined. In serious cases, such as large undeclared sums of cash or prohibited items, you can face criminal charges. Penalties differ by country and are far higher than any duty you would have paid by declaring.
Declare it. Declaring an item that turns out to be allowed costs you a few minutes, while failing to declare something you should have can mean fines, confiscation or worse. Food, plants, animal products, medicines and large amounts of cash are the items people most often get wrong, so ask the officer if unsure.