When is customs collected?

[denmarks]

I just returned from a round trip to Hawaii with a stop in Ensenada. They no longer issue a customs declaration form to fill out. If you make a large jewelry purchase onboard (over the personal exemption) is it reported directly to customs requiring payment on the last day of the cruise?

Edited December 20, 2019 by denmarks

[1025cruise]

Yes. You will get flagged to see Customs.

[sunnytag]

As 1025 stated. The money will be paid before you leave the terminal...cash or credit card, they might accept a credit card.

[Shelly97060]

3 hours ago, denmarks said:

I just returned from a round trip to Hawaii with a stop in Ensenada. They no longer issue a customs declaration form to fill out. If you make a large jewelry purchase onboard (over the personal exemption) is it reported directly to customs requiring payment on the last day of the cruise?

If you make a large jewelry purchase onboard you may want to ask if the purchase qualifies as “US goods returning”  for purposes of customs.  The few jewelry purchases I have made they marked  as “US goods returning” and they were not required to be claimed for customs ( since they were produced in the USA).  Its been a couple of years since I have made a big purchase so I can’t recall if it was something they marked on the receipt or if it was a separate form they prepared.  Things may have changed in the last couple of years but it’s worth asking. 

Edited December 21, 2019 by Shelly97060

[crystalspin]

How large? One luxury watch, for example?

[1025cruise]

All duty free purchases onboard are sent to Customs. If you go over your allowance, that will trigger it.

[LDVinNC]

We recently bought a piece of jewelry onboard.  The receipt was marked "US goods returning" so we thought we did not have to do anything special. 

 

However, upon disembarking the ship we were pulled aside and they made us fill out the form (the same one that we used to always have to fill out).  There was a delay of a few minutes while some other folks filled out their form, then we were escorted off the ship by someone from Princess.  She waited while all of us collected our bags, then took us to the front of the customs line and we were on our way.  This was at Fort Lauderdale.

[kywildcatfanone]

Haven't seen customs forms for a couple of years now.  Large onboard purchases will be made known.

[donaldsc]

What would happen if you bought a very expensive item and paid for the purchase in cash and told them that you would not give them your name.  A store would not be likely to turn down a purchase for many thousand dollars just to make US customs happy.  Or would they?

 

DON

[LDVinNC]

I doubt the jewelry store onboard would take cash...they would not want to risk the good deal they have - a captive audience!