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  3. Registration for Dutiable Personal Articles Prior to U.S. Departure

Registration for Dutiable Personal Articles Prior to U.S. Departure

Prior to departure, bring the items to be registered to your local U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office. The CBP officer on duty will give you a blank Form 4457 to complete.

Fill in the "Name of Owner," "Address of Owner" and "Description of Articles" blocks, and sign in the "Signature of Owner" block.

The CBP officer will compare the merchandise with the information entered on the form, completing and signing the blocks grayed out above, and return the completed form to you for subsequent presentation to CBP each time the registered articles are returned. The form remains valid for re-importation of the registered articles for as long as the document is legible. The certificate is not transferable.

NOTE: Foreign repairs or alterations to articles, whether or not the articles are registered with CBP, are dutiable. Such repairs or alterations must be declared to CBP when the articles reenter the United States, whether or not they were done free of charge.

Last Modified: May 14, 2019