How much cash can you take to United States?
There is no cap on what you may carry into United States. At USD 10,000 or more you must tell customs, which is free and takes a few minutes. The same figure applies leaving.
Entering United States
USD 10,000
or more — declare it
Leaving United States
USD 10,000
or more — declare it
Counts your whole family or group together. Four people carrying USD 10,000 between them must file, even though no one person is near the figure. Splitting it up to stay under is itself an offence.
Check your actual route
The figure above is only one end of the trip. Add where you're coming from or going to for both.
Pick both countries to see the rules for each end of your trip.
The rule in United States, in full
Cash or monetary instruments (coins, currency, traveller's cheques, money orders, negotiable instruments) totalling USD 10,000 or more must be reported on FinCEN Form 105 when entering or leaving the United States. IMPORTANT — GROUP RULE: the USD 10,000 threshold applies to persons travelling together (family members or others making a joint trip), not strictly per individual. If a family collectively carries USD 12,000, they must file even if each person's share is under USD 10,000. perGroup=true. Same threshold both directions. There is no limit on how much can be carried; only a reporting requirement. Non-reporting is a federal crime subject to seizure and criminal penalties.
Form: FinCEN 105 (Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments — CMIR). Get it from the authority at the border or their site — we don't mirror it here, because forms are revised without notice and a stale copy is worse than none.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) / Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Last checked 2026-08-10
Heading to United States? The duty-free allowance page for United States covers what you can bring in without paying duty.