The customs department has confirmed that passengers bringing items into Cayman within their duty-free allowance are not required to fill out a customs declaration form.
The clarification comes after some returning residents reported recently being asked for the form by customs officers at Owen Roberts International Airport, despite carrying items valued at under the $500 limit.
In response to queries from the Cayman Compass, following complaints from travellers, Customs and Border Control said, “Passengers with nothing to declare and who are within their duty-free allowances are generally not required to complete a declaration card.”
The department added, “Passengers over their allowances are required by law to declare all articles in their possession.”
It said the clarification was “intended to ensure accurate information is shared with all travellers, as part of efforts to improve efficiency, compliance and the overall travel experience”.
A department spokesperson told the Compass, “We acknowledge that there has been some uncertainty regarding the customs declaration form requirements.”
Customs also advised, “Passengers who are unsure whether an item should be declared are encouraged to speak with a CBC Officer upon arrival.”
Before mid-2018, all passengers arriving into Cayman were required to fill out the forms, but the requirement was scrapped in July that year for travellers carrying items valued within the duty-free value limit.
Under current legislation, residents returning from overseas trips can bring into Cayman personal and household goods worth up to a total value of $500. That amount was raised from $350 in 2018.
A private member’s motion, brought by Opposition George Town West MP Pearlina McGaw-Lumsden before Parliament on 23 June, is calling for the personal duty-free waiver to be increased to $800 in response to the rising cost of living.
All passengers over 18 are allowed to bring with them up to one litre of spirits, four litres of wine, or one case (not exceeding nine litres) of beer; 200 cigarettes; 250 grams of tobacco; 100 cigarillos; or 25 cigars.
The department also noted that travellers can bring into Cayman currency or cash equivalents, such as cheques, traveller’s cheques, promissory notes, money orders, postal orders or bearer negotiable instruments, up to $10,000 without declaring it. Anything over that amount must be declared, and failure to do so could result in the seizure of the money and potential civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution.
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