Money and Other Monetary Instruments (2024)

FAQs

Why does Border Patrol ask how much money you have? ›

CBP officers are aware that there may be circ*mstances when a traveler may have limited funds. In such cases, they will determine the admissibility of the traveler based on the information provided to support the reason the traveler has insufficient funds.

You may bring large sums of money with you in the form of cash, money order, or traveler's checks. There is no maximum limit, however, any amount exceeding $10,000 USD must be declared upon arrival on both the Form 6059B and FinCEN 105. All forms must be filled in completely and truthfully.

Members of a family dwelling in the same home who enter the United States on a joint or family declaration must report on their Customs Declaration Form if they carry money or monetary instruments totalling more than $10,000. Individual members carrying more than $10,000 must then complete a Members FinCEN Form 105.

Travelers— Travelers carrying currency or other monetary instruments with them shall file FinCEN Form 105 at the time of entry into the United States or at the time of departure from the United States with the Customs officer in charge at any Customs port of entry or departure.

Evidence of income

This can include evidence of current employment or self-employment, recent pay statements, a letter from the employer on business letterhead – showing dates of employment, wages paid, and type of work performed – or other financial data.

If you are approached on the street or in a public place, you do not have to answer agents' questions or provide identification. Ask if you are free to go. If you are not free to go, you are under arrest and have the right to remain silent.

The criminal consequences of failing to report cash are severe. Failing to make a report or making an inaccurate report by omitting or misstating a material fact in a report includes not only forfeiture of the money, but a fine ranging from $250,000 to $500,000 and jail time from 5 to 10 years.

If you are stopped by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and more than $10,000 are found on your person or in your belongings, and this money was not declared, you run the very real risk of CBP taking all of the money you were carrying and keeping it.

How much cash can you carry legally? You might be surprised to learn that there is no limit on how much cash you can cross the border with. However, if you travel with more than $10,000 USD then you must declare it. You can find the official statement on this at the US Customs and Border Protection website.

The government has no regulations on the amount of money you can legally keep in your house or even the amount of money you can legally own overall. Just, the problem with keeping so much money in one place (likely in the form of cash) — it's very vulnerable to being lost.

Can I fly with 20k cash? ›

Yes, there is no limit to how much money you can take with you on domestic flights, but you should be prepared to answer the TSA questions if carrying a large sum of cash with you.

TSA Screening Process for Carrying Cash

When going through airport security, you should place your cash in the screening bin just like other belongings. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows passengers to bring any form of currency in any amount.

International travelers entering the United States must declare if they are carrying currency or monetary instruments in a combined amount over $10,000 on their Customs Declaration Form (CBP Form 6059B) and then file a FinCEN Form 105.

Carrying cash? Savvy travelers always carry some cash, and you can bring an unlimited amount into or out of the country without paying duty on the dough. You do, however, need to file a Currency Reporting Form if you have more than $10,000.

The penalties for not filing a currency transaction report (FinCEN 105) when required are arrest, time in jail, and seizure of your money for the failure to report currency, and possibly structuring or bulk cash smuggling, depending on the circ*mstances.

While it's technically legal to travel domestically with this kind of money, it can arouse suspicion from law enforcement. And to reiterate, if law enforcement suspects your money is tied to illegal activity, they can seize it.

The point of the U.S. customs cash limit is to catch criminals and prevent money from being used to fund illegal activity like money laundering or drug trafficking. Unfortunately, travelers who are otherwise law-abiding citizens sometimes get caught illegally traveling with too much cash.

Generally, customs officers may stop people at the border to determine whether they are admissible to the United States, and they may search people's belongings for contraband. This is true even if there is nothing suspicious about you or your luggage.

This amount includes $405 million to hire 1,300 additional Border Patrol Agents to secure the border, $239 million to hire 1,000 additional CBP Officers to stop illicit fentanyl and other contraband from entering the U.S., $755 million to hire an additional 1,600 Asylum Officers and support staff to facilitate timely ...