Different countries have different requirements. According to section 592 of Customs Law, a fine of $300 will be given as a “spot penalty” for the non-declaration of a forbidden non-agricultural product, and the product will be confiscated. If you don’t declare your contraband products or give false information, you will most certainly face consequences. What happens if you don’t declare at customs? If you are planning a trip abroad and believe you will be returning with items which you will need to declare at customs, but still have questions about the process or whether there are better ways to go about avoiding the hassle (like shipping the item) you may wish to consult with an attorney familiar with American import/export laws. If you don’t declare your contraband products or give false information, you will most certainly face consequences. There’s no guarantees they won’t confiscate your cash at customs even if you do declare, but at least you stand a chance of keeping it. I often tell them I will do it when I go home, as I don't normally send more than a couple/few packages at a time - which is good if there is a big gueue behind me.
If you’re travelling from the Channel Islands, you need to clear UK customs but you don’t go through passport control. €10,000 or more If you’re carrying cash or goods with the equivalent value of €10,000 or more, stop by the red customs exit to declare. And if you’re flying within the US, don’t carry cash, ever. All you really need is the surname, house number and post-code - if you ask early enough to get the printed slip, it has the country the package is going to printed on it. According to section 592 of Customs Law, a fine of $300 will be given as a “spot penalty” for the non-declaration of a forbidden non-agricultural product, and the product will be confiscated. In the US you are required to declare cash or cash equivalent products of over $10,000 whether you are entering or leaving. What happens if you don’t declare at customs? If you are immigrating (changing your country of residence) there are often special rules that let you bring in more than the normal allowances without paying duty/tax but taking advantage of these rules may require specific paperwork. I had a passenger one time on a flight coming back from Treasure Cay Bahamas back to the United States.

Losing everything because you didn’t fill out a form correctly is pretty severe, but good to know.


And if you are taking a valuable item to a foreign country and don't intend to bring it back out then again you likely need to declare it.