Picture this: You’ve just left a red-eye flight. You’re bored and just want to get through customs, take an Uber, drop your bags and dive into bed. But then border security pulls you aside to search your luggage.
This happened once when I went to security after a trip to Paris with my boyfriend. My carry-on bag was full of secondhand luxury handbags that I have been collecting for 10 years. I spent the next two hours with border security searching for long-lost eBay receipts and photos in my iCloud storage to prove my handbag wasn’t purchased overseas.
Traveling with luxury or expensive luggage can quickly raise suspicions when clearing customs. However, there are easy ways to make sure you are prepared in advance.
From navigating value-added tax returns to buying the right travel insurance, here’s how to streamline border crossings with big-ticket items bought abroad or at home.
RELATED: 9 Great Suitcases Worth the Check-Bag Fee
How to take care of valuables while travelling
Document everything
If you are planning to bring your favorite handbag or high-end Keep your carry-on out of the country, be prepared to prove to border security that you bought your bag in the US If you’re returning from Europe, security agents will be on high alert and if you’re spending hundreds of dollars on carry-on items, you May be pulled aside for additional screening.
The easiest way to keep documents in order is to take photos of your receipts if you have them. It’s a good idea to create an album on your phone that includes photos of your items (with dates), receipts, and other relevant information. If you cannot prove that you purchased your items before your trip, border security has the right to confiscate them and charge a duty fee.
If you want to guarantee a stress-free return to the US, you can register your items with US Customs and Border Protection before you depart so you have indisputable proof that you owned them before you left.
Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad (CBP Form 4457) is available at any CBP office or international airport. It requires a description of your item and a serial number or date code.
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Get the right travel insurance
Whether you have home insurance, group health insurance at the office, or something in between, read your policy’s fine print before leaving for your trip. Often, these built-in insurance packages include luxury accessories worth only a few thousand dollars. Typical coverage for high-value items is usually around $1,000 to $2,500, and often has a single-item limit. Many items (such as wallets and suitcases) may be excluded.
Related: TPG’s comprehensive guide to independent travel insurance — including coronavirus coverage
If your home or travel insurance policy coverage isn’t enough to cover all the belongings you’re traveling with, consider insuring each piece separately. If the item is lost (including lost checked baggage), stolen or damaged, you will be reimbursed for its full value with no deduction for depreciation or soft use.
Maximize your carry-on space
Large luxury handbags can be heavy and tempting to pack in checked baggage. However, even if you’ve opted for a higher insurance limit, I still recommend keeping your big-ticket items in your carry-on bag instead of your checked baggage. Loss and damage may occur. Even if you have excellent insurance, it’s always a good idea to try to avoid going through the claims process when you can.
RELATED: Keep Calm and Carry On: The Best Carry-On Luggage for Every Kind of Trip
To maximize your carry-on space, pack a large bag as your designated nesting bag. Your evening and day bag should fit inside. If that’s not enough, consider bringing a rolling carry-on.
Invest in a magic eraser and reusable grocery bags
If you can help it, try not to bring the dust bags that come with your luxury goods. While they make a great protective layer, they’re sure to raise a red flag if you’re pulled over while clearing customs.
A pristine dust bag indicates that you recently purchased your item. It’s definitely worth it if you can avoid being questioned by border security altogether, even if you have documented receipts and photos to prove you bought your items in the US or on previous trips.
Instead, pack some reusable grocery bags for emergency use. These bags serve many purposes. They’re great for covering your items while going through airport security lines and storing them under your seat during takeoff and landing. Worried about your belongings getting damaged? Pack a magic eraser to take care of any unexpected nicks or blemishes on the spot.
Use Apple AirTags or an equivalent luggage tracker
In some situations, you may be unable to pack your valuables in your carry-on baggage and have no choice but to keep them in your checked baggage. In these cases, I recommend traveling with at least an Apple AirTag or similar luggage tracker.
Related: How to track your luggage with Apple AirTags
Luggage is often lost or damaged. Tracking devices like the Apple AirTag can help you locate your luggage—at a busy baggage carousel or when you must provide information to airport staff to help locate your luggage. We’ve written at length about the value of Apple AirTags when traveling. Many TPG employees won’t travel without them.
Consider the safety devices you can travel with
Although, to some extent, you will need to take a leap of faith with the security offered by the property you live in, there are certain products that can increase your security.
First, make sure when you book your hotel or rental that the room includes a safe. While you’re there, make sure it’s working properly, and if you’re unsure how to use it, be sure to ask the staff at check-in. While you most likely won’t be able to store large items in the safe, it should be fine for smaller items, passports, and cash.
Next, consider increasing security while you are in your room.
Once you’ve vacated your room and are no longer used, a door stopper alarm can provide peace of mind while you sleep. This AceMining Door Stopper Alarm It’s only $9.99 and is designed to react if someone tries to enter any door it’s in use and sets off a 120dB siren when activated. The same brand also sells these Portable door lock (Currently on sale at Amazon for $14.99, usually $20.99). The lock is designed to fit most doors and provides an extra layer of security when you are concerned about the reliability of the locks on your hotel room door.
You can also invest in an antitheft bag when you are on the go and carrying expensive items. This one by Pacsafe There are reinforced zippers and cut-proof material to protect you against pickpockets. It also has RFID-blocking protection for credit cards and can be securely locked to fixtures. It is currently $149.95 on Amazon.
How to bring home a new purchase
Bring your passport while shopping
Most European and Asian countries offer VAT refunds for big-ticket purchases. For example, in France you need to spend at least 175 euros (about $188) at a store to qualify. If you plan to buy high-end souvenirs, bring your passport when shopping to prove you are a non-resident and eligible for a refund.
Related: How to get the most of your VAT refund when traveling abroad
If you have forgotten your passport, we recommend putting your belongings on hold and returning to your hotel to retrieve your passport.
Save and document each receipt
In Europe, you will receive a separate VAT envelope at each store where you make a qualifying purchase and you must hold on to it until you leave the country. At that point, your paperwork will be stamped by customs at the tax refund counter at the airport. Plan enough time before your flight to visit the refund counter — they are sometimes hard to find and can be extremely busy.
Remember that you technically can’t use your new purchases until you leave the country or they will no longer be eligible for a refund. Keep your new item in its dust bag and box and make sure all tags and receipts are in order.
When you touch down in the US, be sure to answer the questions on the arrival card honestly.
“In the event that customs officials want more information or some idea of values, it’s always a good idea to have supporting documentation in the form of valuations or receipts,” suggests Matt Woodley, international moving expert. MoverFocus.com. “There is no reason to provide more information than necessary.”
Consider sending your items back
If you’re buying big-ticket items that you’d rather not take through the airport and onto the plane, you’re legally allowed to send back any luxury items — but you still need to declare them.
“You can ship up to $200 worth of goods to yourself duty-free,” said Darin Giglio, chief investigator for North American Investigations. “However, if something costs $500, you’d pay $500 instead of $300.”
When in doubt, declare it
Here’s where things can get a little dicey. Do you have to reveal that secondhand Louis Vuitton wallet? The answer is almost always yes. In most cases, you can bring up to $800 worth of goods into the US without paying any duty fees.
However, even if your luxury purchases are well under that price threshold, you still need to consider smaller purchases like clothing, souvenirs, and alcohol. If you feel you are pushing the limit, make a detailed list of your purchases to share with your customs agent.
Related: What Your Luggage Brand Says About You
Note that ‘duty free’ items are not always duty free
“If you purchased an item ‘duty-free’ while you were away and exceeded the limits imposed by the country you are entering, be prepared to pay duty and/or taxes,” Woodley explained. “Customs officials have discretionary powers, but on luxury/high-ticket items officials are unlikely to give you concessions… If you can afford to buy the items, you can afford to pay the resulting duties/taxes.”
Bottom line
Traveling with expensive items doesn’t have to be stressful, and there are multiple ways to protect yourself from theft or being questioned about your purchases when you go through customs. Additionally, if you’re planning to buy luxury items while traveling, it’s important to hold onto receipts and proof of purchase for when you return home — and remember, depending on the value of your purchase, you may need to. To pay additional taxes when you arrive at the airport.