Holiday Weekend Customs Cash Seizures

Many customs cash seizures by U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) are bound to happen all over the country this weekend at airports and border crossings. The increased amount of travel for labor day weekend will be a big Customs Cash Seizurefactor, but most cash will be seized because as it is the start of the academic year. Foreign exchange students, graduate students, PhD candidates, visiting professors,  researchers, and other professionals employed or sponsored by universities will be arriving in the United States with their tuition money or money for living expenses, and if they fail to report it to customs, it will be seized before they ever get a chance to use it. Get the details: Tuition Money Seized by Customs.

It does not matter that the money is legitimate. It only matters that there is a failure to make an accurate report to customs about how much money is transported. This reporting process usually starts by properly filling out your customs declaration form on arrival. Failure to properly report more than $10,000 transported into or out the country will result in a customs cash seizure. As we explained in previous articles, customs knows how to target arriving passengers to find people who might have money (Read: Targeting Customs Seizure Enforcement). If you are reading this after you already had a customs cash seizure then this article will tell you what to expect: Responding to a Customs currency seizure.

You can get your money back, but it will take time and effort. If you file a petition for remission, customs will require proof of the source of the money and its intended use. Customs has stringent requirements for getting your money back. They have specific documentation requirements depending on the country the money came from. Although the process is difficult and time consuming, it is almost always worth trying to get your money back. There is no customs cash seizure case that is hopeless, even if the documentation is missing or unavailable! For the best chances of success, you should hire a customs lawyer with a track record of successfully getting seized currency back from customs.

We are that experienced customs lawyer. If you have had your tuition money seized by customs, call us at (734) 855-4999 or contact us HERE because Great Lakes Customs Law can help.

Read these other articles about customs cash seizures:

  1. Seizure of currency and monetary instruments by U.S. Customs
  2. Customs cash seizure for bulk cash smuggling into or out of the U.S.
  3. Customs cash seizure; Structuring currency imports and exports
  4. Is it $10,000 per person?  Under what circumstances is filing a report with Customs for transporting more than $10,000 required?
  5. Criminal & civil penalties for failing to report monetary instrument transportation
  6. Is only cash currency subject to seizure by Customs?
  7. Getting money seized by U.S. Customs back while staying overseas
  8. How long does it take Customs to decide a petition for a currency/monetary instrument seizure?
  9. Customs cash seizure; Tuition Money Seized by Customs