When you send your belongings to the United States separately from your own journey, they arrive as unaccompanied articles. To claim them free of duty as personal or household effects, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles.
Since August 2025 the US no longer lets shipments in duty-free just because they are low in value. That makes Form 3299 and an honest, itemised packing list matter more than they used to. This guide explains what counts as personal and household effects, what the form asks, and how to prepare.
Personal effects and household effects: what is the difference?
CBP treats the two groups differently. This is how its customs duty page describes them (CBP, last modified 30 December 2025, checked on 3 October 2026):
| Household effects | Personal effects |
|---|
| Examples | Furniture, carpets, paintings, tableware, stereos, linens and similar furnishings; tools of your trade, professional books, implements and instruments | Clothing, jewellery, photography equipment, portable radios and vehicles |
| The rule | Duty-free if you used them abroad for at least one year, and they are not for anyone else or for sale | Cannot come in duty-free as household effects, but duty is usually waived on personal effects more than one year old |
Two things follow from that. First, age matters. Things you have owned and used for over a year are in a much better position than things you bought last month. Second, the word "usually" is doing some work. Duty on personal effects is usually waived, not always. CBP's page is written mainly for people returning to the US, so read it with that in mind.
Form 3299 is how you claim free entry for effects that do not travel with you. The current edition is dated May 2024 (CBP Form 3299, checked on 3 October 2026). In plain terms, it covers:
- Your status. There are separate parts for returning US residents, non-residents, and people emigrating to the US, plus a part for US government staff and evacuees.
- Statements of eligibility. These include household effects used abroad for at least one year and not for anyone else or for sale; personal effects taken abroad by you or for you; and tools of your trade and professional books.
- A certificate. You confirm the effects were in your own possession, or that of a family member living with you, while abroad, and that they are not being imported for sale or for anyone else.
- Your travel details. It asks for your date of arrival, port of arrival and date of birth.
- A list of articles, with a description and value for each.
The form carries a plain warning: everything on it can be checked, and false statements or failing to declare articles can lead to penalties. So the list you give must match what is in the boxes.
On our side, you list your items on the booking form's packing list, and that list is what customs see. The booking page shows any notes and documents we know the USA needs, and we will tell you if anything else is needed for your shipment.
What happened to the US$800 low-value exemption?
It has gone. CBP says it fully ended the low-value exemption, often called de minimis, worldwide on 29 August 2025 (CBP news release, 17 December 2025, checked on 3 October 2026). Its e-commerce questions and answers say the suspension covers goods worth US$800 or less arriving by any route, unless another legal provision exempts them. They also say the exemptions for genuine gifts, and for personal articles travelling with you, are unchanged (CBP e-commerce FAQs, last modified 2 September 2026, checked on 3 October 2026).
What that means for you:
- A box no longer gets in free because it is cheap.
- Free entry for your own used belongings is a separate route. You claim it as personal or household effects, on Form 3299.
- CBP's questions and answers do not deal with unaccompanied effects directly. A complete form and an itemised list are your best protection.
If your receiver is asked for duty on used belongings you believe should have come in free, contact us with the paperwork and the reason given, so we can look at it with you.
New items and gifts
New items. Form 3299's statements are about effects you have used or taken abroad. Things bought new for the move do not fit them well, so expect them to be assessed for duty. Put them on their own lines, marked new, at the price you paid. Do not mix them in with older things. Our guide to packing lists and customs declarations shows how to set this out.
Gifts for other people. On Form 3299 you certify that the goods are not for anyone else. Gifts therefore do not belong under it. List them separately and honestly. CBP says the exemption for genuine gifts is unchanged, but check its current conditions before you rely on it.
Food, plants and soil
CBP says all agricultural items must be declared and can be inspected. Items that may be banned include meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, and products made from animal or plant materials (CBP agricultural items, checked on 3 October 2026). That page is written for travellers, but the same items cause trouble in shipments.
Food sent to the US also falls under the Food and Drug Administration's prior notice rules. The FDA says that when an individual sends food to another individual for non-commercial reasons, it and CBP typically do not take action if prior notice is missing (FDA, content current as of 11 December 2024, checked on 3 October 2026). "Typically" is not a promise.
Our advice is simple: leave food out. Our guide to sending laptops, toiletries, food and medicines has more, and the prohibited items list shows what we cannot carry. And clean the soil off walking boots, bikes, camping gear and garden tools before they go in the box.
What to prepare before you book
- Sort your things into four piles: household effects, personal effects, new items and gifts.
- Write the packing list as you pack: what each item is, how many, new or used, and its value now.
- Note roughly when you bought the bigger household items. The one-year rule depends on it.
- Keep receipts for anything valuable or new.
- Read Form 3299 and find the part that matches your status.
- Have your arrival date and port of arrival to hand. The form asks for both.
- Clean anything that has been outdoors, and take out any food.
- Tell your receiver a delivery is coming. Duties and taxes set by the US are not part of our price, and the receiver usually pays them.
Questions people ask
Is there duty on used clothes sent to the USA?
Usually not if they are over a year old. CBP counts clothing as personal effects and says duty is usually waived on personal effects more than one year old. Newer clothes may be assessed, so mark them as such on the list.
The one that matches your status: returning US resident, non-resident, or someone emigrating to the US. Pick the part that fits your visa or residence situation, and answer only the statements that are true for you.
Can I put presents for family in the same box?
You can list them, but not as your own effects. Form 3299 asks you to confirm the goods are not for anyone else. Put gifts on separate lines, marked as gifts, with honest values.
Does the end of the US$800 rule mean I will pay duty on my belongings?
Not necessarily. That change removed the low-value route. Free entry for qualifying personal and household effects is claimed on Form 3299, which is a separate route. A clear list and a complete form give your belongings the best chance of clearing without a bill.
What to do next
Sort your things, write the list, and check the CBP pages below for anything that has changed. Then measure and weigh each piece and get a price on the quote page.
Official pages used in this guide
All checked on 3 October 2026. US rules have changed more than once recently, so check the official page before you send.
