STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers continue to seize unreported currency at Washington Dulles International Airport, after officers seized $33,000 from an Egypt-bound traveler on Tuesday.
The traveler, a U.S. citizen male who CBP is not identifying because he was not criminally charged, verbally reported to officers that he possessed $20,000 and completed a U.S. Treasury Department form for his reported amount. During a baggage examination, CBP officers discovered a total of $33,868. Officers seized the currency and released the traveler.
Last month, CBP announced the seizure of $227,539 in unreported currency from four groups of travelers.
There is no limit to how much currency or other monetary instruments travelers may bring to or take out of the United States. However, federal law [31 USC 5316] requires travelers to report all currency of $10,000 or greater to a CBP officer and complete U.S. Treasury Department Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments [FINCEN 105]. Read more about currency reporting requirements.
CBP offers advice to travelers who may consider violating federal currency reporting laws.
“The most important lesson international travelers can take from these seizures is to truthfully report all currency in their possession to Customs and Border Protection officers when they arrive to or leave the United States. It is less painful to complete a simple form than it is to surrender all their currency for violating U.S. currency reporting laws,” said Kim Der-Yeghiayan, Acting CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C.
CBP officers and agents seized an average of about $342,000 in unreported or illicit currency every day during 2021 along our nation’s borders.
The consequences for violating U.S. currency reporting laws are severe – from missing a flight and interrupting vacation plans, to seeing all their currency seized by a Customs and Border Protection officer, to facing potential criminal prosecution for bulk currency smuggling.
Travelers can get an early start on reporting their currency by completing the fillable FINCEN 105 form prior to a CBP arrivals or departure inspection.
CBP encourages all travelers to learn the rules governing what they can and cannot bring to the United States, plus the steps during CBP's international arrivals process by viewing CBP's Know Before You Go webpage. Just a little research can save travelers time during their arrivals inspections and get them to their destination sooner.
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. Learn what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2021.
Visit the CBP Ports of Entry page to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.