Country Guide

United States customs limits 2026: cigarettes, alcohol & cash

How many cigarettes and how much alcohol, cash, food, and medicine you can bring into United States duty-free. See what you can bring before you fly.

Tobacco allowance

These are the customs tobacco rules travelers most often check before entering United States.

Category Tobacco
Adult travelers All arrivals
Cigarettes 200 cigarettes
Duty-free limit
Cigars 100 cigars
Duty-free limit
Smoking / pipe tobacco 2 kg
Duty-free limit
Heated Tobacco (IQOS, glo, Ploom) 200 heated tobacco (iqos, glo, ploom)
Duty-free limit
Traveler age rules and personal-use conditions can apply depending on the route and tobacco type.

Alcohol allowance

Duty-free alcohol limits for adult travelers entering United States.

Category Alcohol
All arrivals Adult travelers (21+)
Alcoholic beverages 1 liter
Duty-free limit
Age 21+.

Cash declaration threshold

This is one of the most important declaration rules travelers check before entering United States.

Category Cash
All travelers Declaration rules
Cash and monetary instruments Declaration from USD 10,000
Declaration required
Cash, monetary instruments, and equivalent value checks can apply above the threshold shown for USD.

More United States customs limits

Exact thresholds for all categories are available in the app. Download CustomsLimit to check your full trip before you fly.

Medicines (uncontrolled / OTC) Personal use only — conditions apply
Restricted
Controlled substances / narcotics Authorization required
Restricted
Meat, dairy & animal products See app for conditions
Restricted / Prohibited
General food items ••• kg limit
Duty-free limit
Live plants & plant products Phytosanitary cert. may apply
Restricted
Cultural artifacts & antiques Authorization may be required
Restricted

Exact limits, declaration thresholds, age restrictions, and combined rules for all categories are available free in the CustomsLimit app for United States and 70+ other countries.

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Know before you go

Surprising restriction for United States

All illegal drugs are prohibited when entering the US, even if legal in the country of origin or in the destination state. This includes marijuana. Severe federal criminal penalties apply, including imprisonment.

The CustomsLimit app shows the full traveler context for United States before you travel.

About United States customs

United States' customs rules are administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection / USDA / FDA / ATF / FAA / CDC. Traveler allowances and restrictions can vary based on where you are arriving from, your age, and the type of goods you carry.

Traveler rules can change based on route, age, item type, and whether goods are for personal use. CustomsLimit helps you check the full country guide for United States before travel.

United States customs — frequently asked questions

How many cigarettes can I bring to the United States?
The duty-free tobacco allowance for the United States is up to 200 cigarettes, 100 cigars, 2 kg (smoking / pipe tobacco), 200 heated tobacco (iqos, glo, ploom) for adult travelers. How these limits combine depends on the product mix — the CustomsLimit app shows the exact rule for your trip.
How much alcohol can I bring into the United States duty-free?
The United States allows up to 1 liter of alcoholic beverages duty-free for adult travelers. Age 21+. The CustomsLimit app shows how the limits combine for your route.
How much cash can I bring into the United States without declaring it?
USD 10,000 or more (or foreign equivalent) in currency or monetary instruments must be declared using FinCEN Form 105. Includes coins, currency, traveller's cheques, bearer instruments (blank-endorsed cheques, money orders, stocks/bonds in bearer form). No limit on amount, but declaration is mandatory. Failure to declare: seizure and civil or criminal penalties.

Check all United States limits free in the app

CustomsLimit covers United States and 70+ other countries with exact thresholds, combined limits, age restrictions, and declaration rules. Free to download.

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