Note: For full information visit:
U.S. Customs Service "Know Before You Go" Page
( www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/leavingarrivinginUS/vacation/ )Duty-free limitations on items purchased in Mexico and being brought into the U.S. for personal use:
- up to $800 of articles (limited further by frequent entrances);
- one liter of alcoholic beverage;
- three cans or bottles of beer;
- medications (must be declared to Customs, FDA approved, covered by a prescription, and no more than a three-month supply).
Note: For full information visit:
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - Travelers' Tips
(www.aphis.usda.gov/travel)Prohibited Items
Certain agricultural items are prohibited. The general rule is that items are prohibited if they can carry plant pests or animal diseases. Here is a specific list:
- Fruits and Vegetables. All fruit not on the permitted list below is prohibited. Sugarcane is prohibited. Potatoes are prohibited, including Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. (Exceptions: Cooked potatoes are permitted. Avocados without seeds are permitted, except in California.)
- Plants, Seeds, and Soil. Plants and seeds require special permits. Soil and some plants are prohibited. Check in advance with agricultural inspectors. (Exception: Some dried plant parts, such as for medicinal purposes, are permitted.)
- Meat and Game. Pork - raw and cooked, including sausages, cold cuts, skins, and pork tacos, is prohibited. (Exceptions: Shelf-stable, canned pork and hardcooked pork skins [cracklings] are permitted.) Poultry - raw meat from both domesticated and game fowl is prohibited. (Exception: Thoroughly cooked poultry is permitted.) Game - check with agricultural inspectors in advance. Other restrictions may apply; check in advance with agricultural inspectors.
- Eggs. Prohibited. (Exceptions: Boiled and cooked eggs are permitted.)
- Live Birds. Wild and domesticated birds, including poultry, are prohibited. To import personally owned pet birds, contact agricultural inspectors in advance.
- Straw. Generally prohibited. This includes wheat straw, seeds, animal feed, and all articles made from this material.
Permitted Items
In addition to the excepted items listed above, many agricultural items are permitted if they pass inspection to be sure they are free of pests, soil, and sand.
- Fruits and Vegetables. Permitted fruits are bananas, blackberries, cactus fruits, dates, dewberries, grapes, lemons, limes (sour), lychees, melons, papayas, pineapples, and strawberries. Vegetables are permitted, except for those on the prohibited list above. Okra, however, is subject to certain restrictions.
- Nuts. Permitted items are acorns, almonds, cocoa beans, chestnuts, coconuts (without husks or milk), peanuts, pecans, pinons (pinenuts), tamarind beans, walnuts, and waternuts.