Two Women Likely To Lose Global Entry For Failing to Declare $36K in Overseas Purchases

Image courtesy: cbp.com

In case you need (another) reminder, here it is: if you don’t declare overseas purchases when returning to the United States, you risk losing your Global Entry.

Two women returning to Washington DC’s Dulles Airport from Frankfurt, Germany were caught by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) intentionally misrepresenting the value of their purchases from abroad. They claimed to have made purchases in very small amounts during travel. However, according to the CBP, officers sent the pair for a “secondary examination” of purchases at which time officers discovered 18 items with receipts totaling $36,185.80.

U.S. citizens are entitled to bring back goods valued up to $800 without being assessed duty, but any amounts beyond that are subject to additional levy. In this instance, CBP assessed duty and penalties of $7,069, which undoubtedly is more than they would have been charged had they declared the items.

But, that is not the end of the matter. CBP officials began the procedure to revoke the Global Entry memberships of both women for “deceptively violating the terms of their trusted traveler agreement.” Based on reports and experiences of PurseBop community members and others, revocation is likely.

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