For more information on cash transactions or to discuss your individual situation, please contact attorneys at Joseph, Hollander & Craft. When you travel, it makes sense that many people would take money with them. You never know when you`ll encounter a provider who doesn`t accept direct debit or credit. At other times, travelers can exchange their money in foreign currency before departure. Whatever the reason, traveling with money is a pretty normal thing. But did you know that there is a U.S. Customs cash limit? If you are travelling with a large amount of cash or other monetary instruments, such as traveller`s cheques, money orders, and bearer bonds, you should take reasonable steps to protect yourself from unwanted attention, but you should also be aware of any legal issues you may need to resolve. What you need to do depends on the country you are in or if you are traveling abroad. If you are travelling abroad with more than $10,000, you will need to declare the amount to customs. Apart from that, as long as customs approves your luggage, you can take as much money as you want. From 2006 to 2008, Tenaha officers seized property such as vehicles, money, phones and jewelry without ever laying charges in nearly 150 different cases. Innocent families and grandparents were among those targeted and forced to give up their property because they could not properly explain how they came into possession of the property. Some ignorant people have initiated such seizures by diligently avoiding the $10,000 threshold because they believe it constitutes compliance with the law.

But intentionally ensuring that none of your transactions ever exceed $10,000 can have the unintended side effect of arousing suspicion by giving the impression that you are making an effort to avoid verification. Therefore, the BSA`s intent is much broader: the government does not focus specifically on $10,000, but on keeping an eye on any transactions that might indicate a pattern of illegality (such as arms trafficking, drug dealing, or other controlled transactions). How does the official confiscate the money? Without an arrest warrant, the officer requires “free and voluntary” consent to stop the traveller and conduct the search. A traveler does not have to stop, answer questions or agree to search for queries. Without “free and voluntary consent,” the officer generally has no legal basis to search the traveller for and seizure of the money. Unfortunately, travelers who are otherwise law-abiding citizens are sometimes caught traveling illegally with too much money. Often these travelers are not aware of the laws, but ignorance is not accepted as an excuse. The best way to avoid an unpleasant surprise at the airport is to be informed and knowledgeable about what you can and cannot cross the border. Keep in mind that the standard of probable causality is relatively low and may be based on circumstantial evidence, such as whether you recently purchased the ticket, were traveling to the West Coast, or brought a large sum of money in checked or carry-on baggage.

If a person goes to the airport with a large amount of cash in their checked or carry-on baggage, this can be detected by a TSA inspector at the airport security checkpoint. Does the TSA or a TSA screening officer have the authority to seize money for a civil asset forfeiture lawsuit? For example, one euro is usually equivalent to more than one US dollar. Attempting to cross the border with 9,000 euros would likely exceed the US customs limit of 10,000 USD. In this case, importing money into the U.S. would require an explanation, as would leaving the U.S. TSA screening agents only have the authority to detain the traveler, carry-on baggage, or personal belongings long enough to determine whether: In addition, the idea that the currency trade is a risky business is on the rise. Credit and debit cards are accepted almost everywhere today, and plastic offers excellent protection against scams or scams. This is not the case with cash in general (which is much less insurable): even if you are careful, carrying a large amount of money can give the impression of carrying a neon sign “Rob Me”; And if such a circumstance were to occur, we would expect to be eagerly asked why it was necessary to carry so much money. On a domestic flight, you do NOT have to disclose that you are carrying money on the flight. A lawyer can suggest two different strategies. First, you can take a minimalist approach by simply asserting your constitutional rights in the following way: However, if you are stopped by a police officer with thousands of dollars in your vehicle, you may be asked to explain how and why you are transporting so much money (supposedly to denounce drug trafficking and other contraband). And in many cases, law enforcement officers may seize large sums of money and insist that you prove that you acquired the currency legally and do not intend to use it for illegal purposes.

The legal justification for forfeiture of money in this scenario is broad and complex, making it risky (but not technically illegal) to transport large sums of money. If people travelling together have $10,000 or more, they cannot share the currency among themselves to avoid declaring the change. For example, if one person is carrying $5,000 and the other person has $6,000 in cash, they have a total of $11,000 in their possession and must declare it. The filing of an application is the only way to challenge the withdrawal in order to determine whether the seizure of cash was lawful from the outset and whether there are sufficient grounds to proceed with the confiscation procedure. Travelling abroad and need to bring back more than $10,000? You may have been told that it is illegal to carry so much money with you when you travel. In reality, it`s legal, although it may not be the safest decision. However, if you plan to travel abroad with more than $10,000 in cash, you should first contact a lawyer like Brett V. Beaubien to get all the necessary legal information about your specific plans, rights and travel options. Imagine you`re driving to make a major purchase — perhaps to buy a new car or make a down payment on a house — and you`re stopped for a minor traffic violation.