Declaring Money At Airports: What You Need To Know

When travelling with large sums of money, it is important to understand the rules and regulations of the country you are entering or exiting. While there may not be a limit on the amount of money you can bring into or out of a country, there are often requirements for reporting the cash. For example, in the United States, travellers must declare any amount exceeding $10,000 USD on a Currency Reporting Form (FinCen 105) and a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Declaration Form 6059B.

How to Declare Money at an Airport

When to declare money at the airport

When travelling to or from the United States, you must declare money upon arrival at or departure from the airport if the total value of the monetary instruments you are carrying exceeds $10,000. This includes US or foreign paper money and coins, travellers' cheques, money orders, negotiable instruments, and investment securities in bearer form. The threshold applies to individuals as well as families or groups travelling together, so if you are carrying $5,000 each, you must declare this.

You can declare money over the $10,000 threshold by filling out the Currency Reporting Form (FinCen 105) online before you travel, filling out and printing Form FinCen 105 and presenting it to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, or asking a CBP officer for a paper copy to fill out at customs. You must also declare the money on CBP Form 6059B. All forms must be filled in truthfully and completely.

If you do not declare money over the threshold, you may face penalties including confiscation of all currency or monetary instruments, a fine of up to $500,000, and up to 10 years of imprisonment.

How to declare money at the airport

When travelling to or from the US, there is no maximum limit on how much money you can bring with you. However, if you are carrying over $10,000, you must declare this to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. This rule applies to both physical cash and other monetary instruments, such as traveller's cheques, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form.

You can declare money over $10,000 using the FinCEN 105 form, which can be filled out online, or by requesting a paper copy from a CBP officer. In addition to this, when entering the US, you must also declare the amount of money you are carrying on the CBP Form 6059B.

It is important to note that the $10,000 limit is not per person. For example, if you are travelling with your family, and each person is carrying $5,000, the total amount is $15,000, which is over the threshold and must be declared.

Failure to declare amounts over $10,000 can result in severe penalties, including confiscation of all currency or monetary instruments, fines of up to $500,000, and up to 10 years of imprisonment.

What counts as 'money' at the airport

When travelling, it's important to know what counts as money, as you may need to declare it at the airport.

According to the US government, "money" means monetary instruments and includes US or foreign coins currently in circulation, paper money, currency, travellers' cheques in any form, money orders, and negotiable instruments or investment securities in bearer form. Essentially, anything that can be easily converted to cash.

There is no limit to the amount of money you can travel with, but if you are entering or exiting the US with over $10,000, you must declare it to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. This can be done online via the FinCen 105 currency reporting site, or by filling out and printing the form and presenting it to a CBP officer, or by asking a CBP officer for a paper copy to fill out at customs. If you are entering the US, you must also declare on CBP Form 6059B.

Failure to declare large sums of money can result in severe penalties, including confiscation of all currency or monetary instruments, fines of up to $500,000, and up to 10 years of imprisonment.

While there are no limits on the amount of money you can physically bring through airport security, it is worth noting that carrying large sums of cash can attract attention from law enforcement, who may suspect it is connected to drug trafficking or money laundering. In such cases, they may detain you and seize the money.

What happens if you don't declare money at the airport

When travelling to or from the US, there is no limit to the amount of money you can travel with. However, if you are entering or exiting the country with over $10,000, you must declare this to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. This can be done online via the FinCen 105 currency reporting site, or by filling out a paper copy of the Currency Reporting Form (FinCen 105) at customs. If you are an international traveller entering the US, you must also declare the amount of money you are carrying on CBP Form 6059B.

If you fail to declare more than $10,000, or if you do so fraudulently, you may face a range of penalties, including confiscation of all currency or monetary instruments, a fine of up to $500,000, and up to 10 years of imprisonment. These penalties also apply to inaccurate declarations and non-compliance.

In other countries, such as Singapore, there are similar requirements to declare amounts over a certain threshold. In Singapore, travellers are required to declare amounts over S$20,000 (or $10,000 USD). Failure to do so may result in suspicion of money laundering, and authorities may seek proof of the source of the funds. If the source of the funds cannot be proven, the money may be seized.

Declaring money in foreign countries

When travelling with large amounts of money, it's important to know the rules of the countries you plan to enter or exit. While there may not be a limit on how much money you can bring into a country, there are often requirements for reporting the cash. For example, in the United States, travellers must declare any amount exceeding $10,000 USD on a Customs and Border Protection Declaration Form 6059B and a FinCEN Form 105. These forms can be completed online, printed out and presented to a CBP officer, or filled out on paper at customs.

Other countries have similar declaration requirements and rules. For instance, when entering or exiting Australia with $10,000 AUD or more, travellers must fill out the Australian Cross-Border Movement – Physical Currency Form. In Canada, travellers must report cash digitally or verbally, and in Mexico, the equivalent of $10,000 USD or more must be declared on the Extraction of Cash Amounts or Documents Receivable form.

It's important to note that the $10,000 limit is not per person if travelling with family or a group. For example, if three people are travelling together and each is carrying $5,000, the total is $15,000, which exceeds the threshold and must be reported to customs.

Penalties for non-compliance or inaccurate declaration can be severe and may include confiscation of funds, heavy fines, or even imprisonment. To avoid any issues, it is recommended to research the cash declaration requirements for the specific country or countries being travelled to or from.

Frequently asked questions