An often asked question is just how much cash you can fly with, and the answer is really threefold.
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How Much Cash Can You Fly With in the US (domestically)?
It may shock and amaze you but there’s no limit to the amount you can fly within the United States on domestic flights. While carrying a large amount of money in your carry-on bag may draw unnecessary attention from TSA agents, it’s not illegal to carry even billions in cash, though that would be one very large carry-on bag.
The Transportation Security Administration staff and local law enforcement may have questions that are relevant especially if they suspect the money is from nefarious sources or for malintent purposes such as drug trafficking or money laundering. But as the law is written there is no legal limit for the amount of cash a flyer can carry.
How Much Cash Can You Fly With Internationally?
Most countries will limit the amount of unchecked foreign currency traveling through their ports. Customs declarations are required upon landing in every country and usually limit the amount of cash or cash equivalents (money orders, traveler’s checks, precious metals, cash) to $10,000 (USD) without declaring it on a form. For convenience, almost every country specifies this limitation in USD or about the same amount in local currency.
A major misconception is that any amount over $10,000 will result in seizure by foreign governments. While some could have their money seized for not declaring it, there’s virtually no penalty (other than a very long interview and inspection process) for declaring any amount in excess of $10,000 USD or equivalent when traveling internationally.
The Gray Areas
When traveling with a large amount of cash internationally, the simple act of filling out a declaration form and opening yourself to inspection is enough to ward off many who may be using the cash for illegal activities. However, if you are suspected of traveling with a large amount of currency to carry out an illegal act, can’t give the provenance or purpose for the money, it may be unnecessarily detained while authorities like the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) investigate further.
If a person chooses not to answer questions regarding the money, carries it in a suspicious manner, they may not be in violation of any regulations but may be detained or separated from their assets temporarily anyway.
For example, there’s no law saying that you have to carry cash in your wallet or briefcase – if you want to tape it to your body in the fashion of a drug mule, that’s not illegal, but an agency may have reason to believe something wrong is taking place and pursue additional methods of investigation.
One such seizure in Tampa was done incorrectly, and many argued, illegally – but that didn’t mean the traveler had his money returned. There was no law broken by the traveler, Boris Nulman, nor in technically confiscating the money without cause according to Civil Asset Forfeiture practices.
Just how gray can this area be? Nulman filed a suit against the CBP (who shouldn’t have been involved in a domestic matter anyway) and the TSA for not returning the funds and changing the amount. However, after taking the government to court, his co-plaintiffs ultimately dropped the lawsuit without a trial. Perhaps this is because they were refunded the money, maybe they settled out of court, or perhaps there was more to the story.
Conclusion
Legally speaking, there is no limit as to how much cash you can fly with domestically. There’s no legal requirement to carry the funds in a particular fashion. If you choose to line the pockets of your jacket and conceal the money, that’s legally just fine. For international flights, many countries, including the United States, do not have a limit on the amount of money you can physically bring in – as long as it is declared for any amount in excess of $10,000 (or approximately the same in most countries.)
What remains ambiguous is the unchecked searches and seizures for which travelers may be subjected. Regardless of legality, the mountains of red tape to return legal funds transported in a legal manner is a substantial unwarranted hurdle.
What do you think? Are large amounts of money in cash, by nature, suspicious? If there’s no law allowing seizure of the cash, why do governmental bodies do it, and how do they get away with breaking the law?
A former contractor of mine flew to the Bahamas for a few days of gambling, he actually ended up winning and in excess of $15K. On return to MIA, he declared nothing. I don’t know if Customs was tipped off or what but he was detained and the amount of cash exceeding $10K was seized as his penalty for not reporting it. Perhaps worse than that penalty, he is now detained each time he enters the US and his wife will either not fly with him returning to the US or arranges separate transportation upon arrival because it takes him so long to get through Immigration/Customs, sort of the opposite of Global Entry.
Why would people expect a limit on the amount of cash you can fly with domestically? I would be surprised if there was a limit.
Doesn’t shock or amaze me.
Did you ask anyone if it shocks or amazes them before this piece was published?
@Nate nate – We don’t survey readers, however, but two of our most popular posts are regarding this issue and one of the most searched on the site.
Can you share links to those articles?
One is in the text already: https://bit.ly/2JKkYnC, the other is here: http://bitly.com/392Fzw6
I realize not everyone uses big, national banks…but if I’m flying domestically I will just access my cash once I land at my destination. Why subject it to search by a bunch of power hungry wanna be policeman ready to bust somebody for not committing any crime?
“usually limit the amount of cash or cash equivalents (money orders, traveler’s checks, precious metals, cash) to $10,000 (USD) without declaring it on a form. For convenience, almost every country specifies this limitation in USD or about the same amount in local currency.”
What a truly American viewpoint. This is certainly *not* the case and often it’s the other way around. (Europe 10’000 EUR and not 8230 EUR (which are equal to 10’000 USD) or the UK with 10’000£, Japan 1’000’000 yen (which only ~9000 USD!), china 20’000 RMB or ~5’000 USD foreign currency, Canada 10’000 CAN (~8’000 USD), Norway 25’000 Norwegian Krone (3’000 USD) etc.). Keep in mind that you need to check both the departure and destination countries!
It furthermore highly depends on the country and I’d suggest checking this beforehand, no matter the country. For example in Morocco they actually check your wallets for any local currency.
I’m not sure your characterization is fair. I said usually and almost – not every instance. I just ran a search for a few off the top of my head: Colombia, Peru, India, Argentina – all say $10,000 USD or equivalent. The Euro is close (ish) to parity with the dollar – €8230 and $10,000 are in the realm of the same as Canada has traditionally been, whereas Russia and Brazil are vastly lower amounts. China is $5,000 in RMB or $10,000 USD in a combination of notes, coins, and other instruments of foreign currency.
To your remark regarding Morocco, that’s eligible in every country too though most don’t check. At Customs, those aren’t all drug dogs either, many are trained to smell cash. Australia’s Border Force showcased just how often people bring extra cash into the country on the show: Nothing to Declare. A great watch. That said, even knowing this and having been to Morocco, I’d still be taken aback when they ask me to open my wallet and count it in front of them.
I think the different viewpoint on this might be because of our different geogrpahic locations.
I get where you’re coming from, but I think unsuspecting readers might actually be misinformed by that sentence, I would have wished for more clarification.
Regarding Morocco, I visit nearly yearly and so far I’ve always had to show my wallet to them, this inconvenience is especially persistent in RAK at their Fast Track.
As for china, I’m pretty sure you’re only allowed to have 20’000 RMB in local currency or 5000$ in foreign currency, but my information might be outdated.
Sorry, it’s $5k in and $10k out.
Civil asset and forfeiture laws were to target drug profits back in 80’s and 90’s. The CIA didn’t like competition in their cartel of narcotics and money laundering. These were unconstitutional in every manner but they are still on the books and local police departments still use them more than ever to rob innocent people of their assets. Your nephew is at your house for a visit and sells some pot to a friend in the driveway, gets caught, now your house is taken from you. A businessman is buying some farm equipment and is stopped by highway patrol because he was profiled. They rob his $87k in cash he was going to purchase some trucks with. These things happen every day. It is extortion and robbery by pigs using the color of law to run a shakedown racket. The agency gets to keep a portion and this is a national disgrace. It costs tens of thousands to get a lawyer skilled enough to prevail and get some of your cash back. Gold is not considered money and that is a different conversation. There are professional couriers that carry cash for a fee. They know the laws and how to do it. For the average traveler is is not advisable your risk of being robbed by the government. Use a wire transfer, or go to wallmart and send yourself a money order. the fee is small considering the risk of robbery from some government actor.
George Clooney is said to have given 14 friends each a suitcase of $1M when he staged a dinner party for those 14. Suspicious for suicide, if you ask me, even if he were laughing. Good to know, he’s still alive.
If you are ever stopped, I don’t think “George Clooney gave it to me” will be believed. If Clooney did it correctly, he had to declare his gifts over $15,000 (present figure) and pay taxes if more than $11M given away (to be $5M in 2025 unless Biden lowers or raises it)
I’m waiting for Gary Leff to weigh in on this…
This is a golden opportunity at outreach and reconciliation.
Instead of just confiscating the money i suggest the TSA also chokes to death a few people if they happen to be white Republican males whenever opportune. Needs to be in front of everyone at the airport. Only and specifically WRM.
Then WRM will have a great way to show the country and BLM how to protest peacefully while no one cares about them and continues to choke them to death. Imagine that, being a role model to the BLM instead of just a hypocritical, tone deaf idiot.
This article strikes me as poor advise as there are multiple instances of innocent travelers having large amounts of cash confiscated after the TSA / local police brought the DEA into the airport.
@Logos – The post is not advising travelers to travel with large amounts of cash, in fact, in the “Gray Areas” section I post about how that will draw unnecessary attention. But with all of the confiscations, there is a question as to whether these people are breaking the law in traveling with high amounts of cash – and it’s important to note that there is no limit to how much a traveler can fly with domestically. I’m advising people of their rights, not encouraging them to put themselves in a compromised position.
Although I don’t think this post was really necessary (the topic has been extensively covered already and readers of LALF could almost certainly find the correct resources), I applaud you for taking a more critical look at civil asset forfeiture compared to your previous posts.
A lot of what you say in your piece is technically true, but it leaves out the dirty details and nuances that show forfeiture for the travesty that it is. Easy examples: the declaration forms are highly intrusive and merely filling one out (i.e. trying to obey the law) often marks you for further inspection; inconsistent interpretation of regulations (i.e. is it $10k per person or per family? CBP doesn’t have clear answer).
Separate but related issue is the fact that DHS agents look like militarized SWAT teams rather than a professional border force. Strange times when former Soviet countries feel more welcoming on arrival than ORD, MIA, IAD…