TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Bringing Home Alcohol

I was told that you can only bring back alcohol if it is in a checked bag. Is this true? I'm referring to Bourbon. I heard Blanton's has a store on the island where you can get their bourbon from other areas of the world that you cannot get in the US. TY

True. They won't fit in your carry-on quart baggie so they won't clear security.

You can only carry it on if you buy at a Duty Free at PJIA, packaged by them and have a direct flight home or you would have to transfer it into your checked bag before rechecking after customs.

You do not have to limit yourself to only 1 liter. Just declare them if asked. We were not asked for any declarations in March. New protocol? If questioned about alcohol offer to pay duty. I have always been waved through. Duty would be minimal even if asked to pay. I brought home 3 liters in March. "Blanton" store is Gulohmars (sp?)

But you must put it in your checked bag, and that was the question.

You heard correctly!

Correct. I was just adding additional information. In the past alcohol was limited to 1 liter.

The one liter limit is a Duty Free limit. Additional bottles may be purchased and may be subject to import Duty.

FYI if you are traveling from the USVI into the main land the limit is six bottles Duty Free.

From the USVI, the actual limit is 5 liters of alcohol.

* The duty exemption for travelers returning from the U.S. Virgin Islands is $1,600. You may include 1,000 cigarettes as part of this exemption, but at least 800 of them must have been acquired in the U.S. Virgin Islands (keep your receipt). You may include five liters of alcoholic beverages in your duty-free exemption, but one of them must be a product of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, or American Samoa.

Per the CBP website. link


* U.S. residents 21 years of age and older can return to the mainland with four litres of liquor, duty free. Add a 5th litre duty free if it is a product made in the U.S. Virgin Islands (Captain Morgan and Cruzan Rum)!

St. Croix tourism website. link



The limitations are also based on volume and not the number of bottles.

That is incorrect. You can have alcohol in your carryon bag if you bought it at Duty Free inside the airport. As someone else said, if you have to change planes you will probably have to put it in your checked bag.

Thank you all. Just doesn't seem worth all the hassle.

No hassle if you're checking bags.

I just wrap bottles in Tee shirts and pack tightly around them. No problem.