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Many travelers take advantage of their vacation time in the Caribbean by shopping for both designer and locally made goods. Travelers to Curaçao who plan to visit the shops in Willemstad should be aware of their home country's customs regulations before taking their trip.
Travelers to Curaçao and the Caribbean can generally bring in items for personal use duty-free, as long as the items are not brought in large quantities. There are no restrictions for bringing cash into Curaçao, but there are general rules for importing goods such as tobacco, perfume, and liquor into the Netherlands. Travelers may bring in:
200 cigarettes, 250 grams of tobacco, or 50 cigars
1 liter of liquor (2 liters if the products are liqueurs)
2 liters of wine (non sparkling)
50 grams of perfume
Travelers should always check with the local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date customs regulations and travel guidelines. Travelers who plan to vacation with pets will generally need to go through several steps, such as providing recent health certificates, in order to bring their pet into the country.
Residents of the United States who are returning from vacation in Curaçao have an $800(USD) allowance for goods brought back into the country. Duty must be paid on any amount in excess of this sum. Fortunately for art connoisseurs, fine art is exempt from duty. Travelers should also make themselves aware of items that they should not attempt to bring back into the country for health, legal, or safety reasons. Cuban cigars cannot be brought into the United States, nor can absinthe. Also, many types of corals, shells, meats, and fruits should not be brought back to the United States for health reasons. There are also restrictions on animals and plants that can be brought into the country. Travelers with questions regarding customs regulations and import rules regarding specific items should contact the United States Customs and Border Protection (http://www.customs.gov). As part of their $800(USD) allowance, travelers returning to the United States from Curaçao may bring back:
200 cigarettes and 100 non-Cuban cigars
Two liters of alcohol as long as one liter is produced locally and the traveler is at least 21 years old
50 cigarettes, 10 cigars, 150 milliliters of liquor, or 150 milliliters of perfume if the traveler has been abroad less than 48 hours.
Traveler's returning to the United States from abroad must declare all items purchased or acquired in a foreign country. Travelers should keep all of their receipts for items purchased in Curaçao.
Customs Contacts
| Country | Information |
| Curaçao | The Inspectorate of Customs & Excise
Sha Caprileskade/Handelskade Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles 599-9-434-5300 599-9-461-6557 (Fax) |
| United States | U.S. Customs Service
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20229 877-287-8867 http://www.customs.gov |
| United Kingdom | HM Customs & Excise
0845-010-9000 http://www.hmce.gov.uk |
| Canada | Canada Border Services Agency 800-461-9999 http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-e.html |
| France | Embassy of France in the United States 4101 Reservoir Road, NW Washington, DC 20007 202-944-6375 http://ambafrance-us.org/intheus/customs/index.asp |
| Netherlands | Royal Netherlands Embassy 4200 Linnean Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20008 202-244-5300 http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/homepage.asp |
| Australia |
Australian Customs Service
1-300-363-263 http://www.customs.gov.au |
| New Zealand |
New Zealand Customs Service
04-473-6099 http://www.customs.govt.nz |
Most travelers enjoy bringing back mementos from their trip to the Caribbean, and travelers in Curaçao have plenty of opportunity to shop in Willemstad. As long as vacationers do not exceed their personal spending allowances or attempt to bring in prohibited items, they should have no trouble bringing home their souvenirs.