The uncertainty of international travel may cause you to over pack. You want to be prepared for anything, so you might bring a few suitcases with you for your travels. While most countries, including the U.S., do not enforce a limit on the number of suitcases you can bring over the border, you may be limited by other considerations, such as duty taxes, third-party baggage allowances and physical limitations.
Foreign Immigration Laws
- The number of suitcases you can bring to another country depends on that country's immigration laws. Certain countries allow you to bring unlimited suitcases for personal use free of charge, so long as you leave with the same luggage after you're done traveling. Some countries charge a duty on the entire value of the items inside your suitcases beyond a certain allowance, even if you plan on coming back to the U.S. with all of your luggage. Other countries enforce a tariff on goods brought into the country permanently, either for personal use at your new home abroad or goods intended for sale. Check with the country's embassy inside the U.S. for rules, regulations and tariffs.
Airline Baggage Allowance
- While most countries do not limit the number of suitcases that you can bring over the border, most airlines limit the number of suitcases you can load onto the plane. While airlines relax baggage allowances for international travel, you will still be bound by these limits. Often, you may carry one small suitcase onto the plane, check one or two suitcases for free, and pay an extra fee for each suitcase checked beyond the allowance. Your airline may limit the overall number of suitcases that you can bring, but you may check even more suitcases under the name of a travel companion.
- Cruise Ships, Cars and Declaration
- Cruises often enforce an ambiguous baggage allowance of a "reasonable" amount. Call your cruise line if you feel like your reasonable amount of luggage is more than most people's reasonable amount. Ask just how many suitcases you can bring. Taking a car over the border only limits you physically. You may bring as many suitcases as you can fit into your vehicle. You must truthfully declare all goods inside your suitcases at the border, no matter how you get them across. The country may inspect your suitcases to validate your claims, impose tariff taxes and seize any restricted goods. Lying about your luggage may bar you from entering the country. Contact the country's embassy inside the United States to discover restricted goods, which may be unexpected items such as fruits, plants or pets.
Coming Back Into the U.S.
- As a U.S. citizen, you can bring as many suitcases back to the U.S. as you'd like. But foreign goods inside your suitcases will be subject to tariffs. Any goods bought in another country must be declared to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP grants you an exemption on tariffs depending on where you bought the goods. Usually, CBP does not enforce a tariff on the first $800 to $1,600 worth of goods declared. The next $1,000 worth of goods is taxed at a flat rate between 1.5 and 3 percent. Any outstanding value of goods above the exemption and flat tax bracket receive a punitive tax on a per item basis out of an international database called the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
