What to declare at customs?

I don’t know what anyone else thinks, but I wouldn’t even have thought of declaring the presents you’re taking to the family in Vienna. You’ll walk through the green exit at customs where there probably won’t even be staff. Even if you do get stopped, your presents are so obviously personal and of no commercial value that they won’t be interested in them. Others will advise you as to the US end. The point of customs is to prevent people bringing in contraband or trying to avoid import duties on things that will be resold, your presents or open packs of batteries don’t matter to them.

Declare all articles on this declaration form and show the value in U.S. dollars. For gifts, please indicate the retail value.”

I haven’t filled out the paper form for the U.S. in years; however, I used to write something like ”Misc. Souvenirs” and list the value as ”less than $x”.

They don’t need an itemized list.

I've done the same as Laura for 40+ years. But I always list the food items separately.

I'm so glad you asked this. When arriving in Vienna, if you don't declare everything you have, men with submachine guns will greet you, force you into a van where you will be taken to a dark, damp prison and for years be forced to eat weiner schnitzel and strudel.

That's all a joke. Everything you are taking is fine. When you go through customs, you will be given a choice of walking through a green archway or a red archway. Walk through the green archway. There is a 99% chance you won't even be stopped.

You'll have gone through immigration/passport control before this and that has nothing to do with customs. (Your stuff.)

Customs forms haven't been used in the US for years. If you see an officer and he asks if you have anything to declare, you just say you bought some souvenirs. He might ask the if you have any food items, animal products, alcohol and the total value of your purchases. Just be honest. Don't tell them every time such as batteries. They're looking for illegal items or purchases above $800. Not telling them you have batteries will not send you to Leavenworth.

Its really not scary.

EU customs are relatively chill. Their concern is illegal stuff, not slapping dubious import duties on supposedly "high-value" items.
If you have some prescription meds that have potential for misuse, like Adderall, special procedures do apply and you need to do your research, but no problem for run-of-the-mill meds (bring a prescription in case).

Frank II, very funny. But I don’t find it scary, just confusing. As all have said, of course customs doesn’t exist to monitor my small gifts or hypothetical pack of batteries. Reassured by your responses, I will for sure be comfortable going through the green arch in Vienna with what I have. But I do want to understand the rules. I’m not entirely convinced that technically the purchased gifts don’t have to be declared. If their value were greater, would your answers be different? Or are items that are gifts—not for sale—considered “for personal consumption”? I'd just like to know the answer, even though it doesn't apply to me on this trip.

Balso thanks for your reassurance about the prescriptions; mine are definitely run-of-the-mill. Laura and stan, I appreciate the simplicity of “Miscellaneous souvenirs, about $x” at US entry. After a 10-hr flight, dazed, coming to the CBP desk as part of a line that is being moved briskly along by somewhat angry agents (my experience at Newark airport last year), that’s a nice ready reply to the “anything to declare” question. And—though some will think it overkill—I’ll be prepared to produce an itemized list if requested. Because I'm just the kind of person who always has lists lol.

With respect (and in the nicest possible way) you are way overthinking this. Just walk through the green channel and you'll be fine. Customs doesn't care about the gifts you have for your relatives, and you have a duty free limit of €430 per person, which you are significantly under. Assuming you're not over the alcohol or tobacco allowance, all good.

For 'personal use' in this context means not for sale.

Unlike the US, Austrian Customs are nor angry, and in fact they probably won't even talk to you at all if you use the green channel.

We just went thru US Customs a couple of weeks ago. I was freaking because I had brought back tulips which I saw online after I had bought them, had to have a USDA seal and a limit of twelve per person but I had a bag of 30 with the USDA seal. Never asked to see the seal or questioned how many I had. They are looking for illegal items or duty tax on a $5,000 watch not a pack of AA batteries.

Austira
https://www.bmf.gv.at/dam/jcr:d92ac79c-534e-454b-926c-6c226850ad00/Zoll-Info_EN_Juli_2023_v3.pdf

The US
To be honest I havent seen one of these forms in years. But its still on the books apparently
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/know-before-you-go/what-expect-when-you-return
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/know-before-you-go

Thanks everyone. To be clear, I am not worried about this. I was trying to define exactly what needs to be declared, as opposed to what customs enforcement does or does not "care about." I know other people wonder about this too. Simon, you called out my overthinking in the nicest way. You're not wrong LOL. It's a personality trait. But it's because I want to find answers. And in my internet wanderings, I found here in the FAQs on an official EU website a statement that affirms what you said about "personal use" and answers my last question:

Imports are regarded as being for personal use if they take place
occasionally, are goods to be used by you or your family or which are
intended as presents, and do not exceed the allowances set.

In summary, my conclusions are that for a US citizen entering the EU, assuming particular restrictions (e.g., for medicines, alcohol, & tobacco) are met, if what you are carrying fits the definition above and is under the euro limit, you have nothing to declare. For returning to the US, you must declare everything (& that would include those hypothetical batteries), but you can summarize and estimate value when asked. As a US citizen knowing about some actions of CBP, though, I would say keep a list and receipts just in case. You never know.

Additionally to the good link of Mr. E here is the official regulation website from Austrian customs for "Entry from Non-EU Countries".

Official regulation is the only trustful information you can count on - everything else in this forum is opinion.

I go in and out of the US a few times each year. This is how most of my interactions go with CPB upon my return to the US:

Agent: Do you have anything to declare?

Me: I have some coffee and tea bags (food items need to be declared)

Agent: Thank you.

And I'm waved on.

Once I bought some travel accessories. So when I declared I said "I also bought some travel accessories worth about $35." I was waved on. He didn't need a detailed list.

Oh, they may also ask you about how much cash you have on you. You have to declare any amount over $10,000.

I usually buy batteries. I never declare them. I haven't been imprisoned yet.

MarkK, "What I did" or "What I got away with" isn't good advice because there is no context.

Knowing the regulations and laws is the right place to start.

I just reread the sample declaration form. From what I read and from what I have experienced, you answer the questions and sign it. No where do I see that you will be required to prove your answers with lists and receipts of individualized items if you are under the allowed monetary amount. It’s not a question of “getting away” with anything as long as you are truthful in answering the questions. If you aren’t truthful, well, that could be another matter.

Followup. First, I can report that in the Vienna airport, the green (nothing to declare) and red (something to declare) exit arches are clearly marked. They are big and lit with bright colored light. If anyone was wondering, they would be hard to miss even in a jetlagged state.

Second, arrival in the USA was very smooth. We came into Phoenix. There were no cards to fill out, and there were no kiosks for regular non-Global Entry. We just got in line and waited for an agent. The CBP people were efficient and not unpleasant. He asked if I had anything to declare and I said “I have some souvenirs,” being prepared next to provide the estimated total value. But he moved me quickly along without asking.

So, yes it was no big deal and I didn’t need any itemization, as we all anticipated. But I maintain that based on the law CBP agents could ask for those things if they wanted to, so it’s still good to be prepared.

Thanks for the thread and update about how things worked out, Michele. I was just thinking about looking up if I can bring hard cheese back to the US when I leave tomorrow so the threads attached were useful.

FYI for others, I see if you DECLARE food stuffs & for whatever reason it's confiscated, no penalty, versus if you don't declare it. https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1470?language=en_US#:~:text=You%20must%20declare%20all%20food,%2410%2C000%20in%20fines%20and%20penalties.

I always bring back chocolate, sometimes the immigration officer says 'YUM, enjoy!' HA.

Glad it all went well.

Just wanted to share a fun anecdote about how chill customs on both ends can be. When moving to Germany, we had a dog and a cat with us. It was a nightmare getting all the paperwork together on the departure end, but we managed it. Upon landing, the dog was brought out well after the rest of the luggage, so we were last out of this particular baggage claim area (a smaller one), so there was NOBODY around. So there we are with our checked bags (four of them), big ol' crate with the sleeping dog, hand luggage, and the travel bag with the sleeping cat. By the time they came out, there was nobody at the big green exit, but since we had animals, we headed to the small red side office to declare our pets.

The office was empty. I rang the bell. Nothing. We could have walked out of the airport a dozen times with our 40lb dog in a giant crate. Instead we stood there ringing the bell until, after several minutes, a guy came out. He was surprised we were there. I explained that we were a) carrying a lot of cash to get us started until our bank account was set, and b) had animals to declare. He took a cursory look at the paperwork I handed him and said "one dog." He was looking at the papers for the cat, which I pointed out. "Oh, you have a cat as well?" Quick glance, a stamp, and we were done.

When coming back to the US on a previous move, we also were carrying a large amount of cash as we had closed our foreign bank account. Walked up to the US official to declare it. He asked why we were carrying it, we said we were moving back to the US and had closed out our bank accounts. He had us fill out a quick form, stamped it, and we were done.

I have never declared anything else, though I did have an apple on the flight that I didn't eat and forgot to toss and still had in my bag. Got busted by a dog and had to fill out a bunch of forms declaring the apple because I wasn't allowed to toss it after the dog alerted. They denied it entry after all those forms, then tossed it in the regular trash bin with all their other trash. Made zero sense to me.

I used to fill out "souvenirs under x amount" on the forms back when they had those.

Oh, and a bag of M&Ms from the airport shop is not something they care about. I asked.

I never declare anything coming back to the US. To use the AA battery example , I have done exactly that , bought a pack of 4 AA Varta batteries, did not use them, brand new pack, did not declare them. The Customs personnel can waste their time by having me open my luggage, they won't find anything contrary to the law.

Our last return to the US in June 2024 we had cheese from Amsterdam- a lotta cheese. No one asked me any questions. So I didn’t offer any information. Walked right out.

I too have brought back a lot of cheese from Amsterdam. No questions asked, but I would have declared it.

Same as mikliz97.

Nowadays, with Global Entry, I haven't seen a form or kiosk question me about goods. Just a verbal question by a screener or the CBP officer doing the official approval. I always say I have food - coffee, cheese, cookies, chocolate, oil, wine, etc., but never asked for more info. I have seen people shunted over to the Dept of Agriculture station from there. I've never seen anybody that looks like they're paying duty on excess goods.

Went thru customs at Portland Maine last week ( cruise from Canada ). No form, no questions. Only time I had any big deal coming back was bringing a bicycle I purchased in England in 1973. Agentbwanted to charge me too uch so I showed him the correct category ( I had looked it up previously ) !