Why do they ask if you have anything to declare?

What's the meaning of “Do you have anything to declare?”? When you land at your destination, you might have to go through customs. If that happens, you will most likely hear this question. It is asking whether you are carrying any special items with you from the place that your flight came from.



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We'll get into specifics in a bit, but as a general rule of thumb, anything you obtained abroad needs to be declared. Some examples include: Purchases made abroad, including gifts for friends and family or something you will use or sell in your business. A gift given to you while abroad.

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If a passenger says they have nothing to declare, they then risk a fine for failing to declare something which customs officer then identify is liable to tax or is illegal. The fine will be in addition to any customs duty payable. Ignorance is no defence in law.

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No citizen of a country can be denied entry to their home country. It is the internationally recognized “right of return.” Upon return they can be detained on customs issues or arrested on new charges or outstanding warrants but they cannot be denied reentry.

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The CBP officers are authorized to ask you questions about your trip and your personal background, including:
  • Your citizenship.
  • The nature of your trip.
  • Anything you are bringing back to the United States that you did not have when you left.


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Double-check for prohibited items In U.S. arrival areas, amnesty bins (or even garbage cans) are less common, however, which could potentially lead to more people being fined. A good rule of thumb is to search your bags one last time before deplaning to make sure you didn't, for example, stash an apple from the flight.

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