Engagement Rings.. and Crossing the Border/Customs!

[aaron2020 11,651]

An engagement ring is a personal effect that is not subject to import taxes or need to be declared.

Google "CBP jewelry."

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I agree with all the responses above regarding not declaring anything. It's your own jewelry, have you ever declared your jewelry before while travelling?

I received my lovely engagement ring while on vacation visiting my now husband. Not once did I think of declaring it during my trip back (ooh shiny!). Logically how would they have known whether it was new to me or not?

[Pennycat 880]

I purchased my rings in China, and we wore them back to the US on our fingers. We didn't declare them, and it never once crossed my mind to declare it, on a side note, I have been through customs a little over 12 times in the past 2 years, and never once have they had any inkling to search my luggage, the first 2 times through customs, I declared items, and answered a few questions, but the other 10 times, I listed nothing to declare, and when passing the final check point just made verbal comments about snacks that were purchased (roasted nuts, candies, ect..) and I was on my way back into the US.

As for those saying that an engagement ring is not a "gift" according to Judge Judy, actually according to the federal law, and several other case precedents, any gift given outside of marriage (including engagement rings), are taxable gifts that need to be reported to the IRS, but they provide exclusions if their total combined value is less than $14,000 for the tax year they don't need to be listed to the IRS. Gifts to the spouse are not counted, but because engagement rings are given prior to marriage, they are not counted as spousal gifts.

Now whether or not you can take the IRS tax rules on gifts and apply that to your customs entry I have no clue, I know there are a couple CBP agents that lurk around here, and maybe one can provide some insight.

Funny addition to engagement rings and laws etc... I work for a part of the US government that is particularly strict about even the appearance of bribes etc. So essentially the rule is no gifts of anything that has $50 or more in value (ie, if you belong to a country club and can bring a guest for free, I still can't go if the normal cost of a round exceeds $50). If the gift is on the basis of a close personal friendship, this can go up to $250 as long as you don't also have anything pending with this organization (whether or not I have anything to do with what you have pending). "Close family members" are exempted from the rule. Fiances are "close family members".

So, during ethics training (yearly, and takes half a day), they make sure to point out that you must be careful to say the word "yes" before taking physical possession of the ring, because before you say "yes" the fiance is a friend and not exempted from the rule (and they assume that an engagement ring's value will exceed $250). Romantic, ain't it?

[LionessDeon 2,060]

Engagement rings are not gifts according to the law. Doesn't anybody watch Judge Judy? Lol

I do! If it doesn't make sense then it isn't true!

[DJ6372 111]

Put it on your finger, be proud!!

[gw68ad78 64]

You should not rely on Judge Judy for the law. It's a TV show. It's entertainment.

Google "conditional gift engagement ring."

So you trust Google over Judge Judy? How about the word you quoted, "conditional". Google that. :-) A true gift is not conditional. That negates the very word gift. Words matter. Don't declare.

[aaron2020 11,651]

So you trust Google over Judge Judy? How about the word you quoted, "conditional". Google that. :-) A true gift is not conditional. That negates the very word gift. Words matter. Don't declare.

I trust case law about engagement rings being conditional gifts. Just because you don't know it doesn't mean it's not true. Case law matters. Maybe you should use Lexis-Nexus if you don't trust Google.

Findlaw and Nolo are so stupid. They should listen to you and correct their mistakes about engagement rings being conditional gifts. Wonder where those idiots got their law degrees.

http://family.findlaw.com/marriage/what-happens-to-the-engagement-ring-in-a-broken-engagement.html

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/returning-engagement-ring-30198.html

Edited November 5, 2015 by aaron2020

[DJ6372 111]

What a load of old rubbish, its a ring its on your finger, why would you declare it?

Do you declare the other rings you wear occasionaly to a party or something? No!

How many people have been stopped because they had an engagement ring?

Come on people lets do a reality check here!!!

My wife wears various rings, never been mentioned, never been stopped at any border in any country

[PandaSong 15]

What a load of old rubbish, its a ring its on your finger, why would you declare it?

Do you declare the other rings you wear occasionaly to a party or something? No!

How many people have been stopped because they had an engagement ring?

Come on people lets do a reality check here!!!

My wife wears various rings, never been mentioned, never been stopped at any border in any country

The problem was that it wouldn't be on my finger. We had a few issues where he wanted to buy me a certain ring that was a Canadian store only and we found out he couldn't buy it from the States (and couldn't make it back). Since he plans on asking me around Christmas, we just ended up having me go and buy the ring and I'll give it to him at Thanksgiving so he can then ask me at a later date. The ring isn't mine yet, as he hasn't asked. I was just transporting it to him and was worried if I had to declare that as it's technically being brought into the country as his and then leaving as mine.

[aaron2020 11,651]

The problem was that it wouldn't be on my finger. We had a few issues where he wanted to buy me a certain ring that was a Canadian store only and we found out he couldn't buy it from the States (and couldn't make it back). Since he plans on asking me around Christmas, we just ended up having me go and buy the ring and I'll give it to him at Thanksgiving so he can then ask me at a later date. The ring isn't mine yet, as he hasn't asked. I was just transporting it to him and was worried if I had to declare that as it's technically being brought into the country as his and then leaving as mine.

You do not have to declare the ring. It's a personal effect that you do not need to declare.

[NikLR 13,232]

Mostly the reason why the ring doesn't need to be declared is because it's going from Canada, to the USA and back again. Just like any other piece of jewelry you may wear or bring with you.

The only time you'd need to declare it at all, would be if it was bought in country A and staying in country B and was over a certain dollar value.

For instance if you were visiting the USA, your fiance gave you a ring worth over the duty free allowance for your time period (lets say the $800 for 48 hours+) then you would have to pay duty on it if you were planning on staying in Canada longer than 12 months. Yes, you would have to declare it then. In your CURRENT situation you do NOT have to declare your ring.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1239/kw/declaring%20jewelry/session/L3RpbWUvMTQ0Njg0MTQ1NC9zaWQvZVFDc2RSQW0%3D/suggested/1

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d2/d2-1-3-eng.html

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5082-eng.html#s2

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ifcrc-rpcrc-eng.html#a4