International Traveler: Souvenirs

Please think carefully when buying/collecting souvenirs abroad: just because an item is for sale or you found it does not mean that you can legally bring it home to the United States. When purchasing souvenirs, consider where that item might have come from. Permits may be required to lawfully bring wildlife or plants, including parts and crafted products, into the United States. Even if a permit isn’t required, you may not be able to demonstrate that the item can lawfully enter the United States if you cannot provide documentation confirming the species of wildlife or plant.  Be sure to declare all such products at entry: by making informed choices, you can avoid having your souvenir items confiscated upon returning home.

Handicraft items such as wreaths and baskets woven from grapevines (Vitis) from any country may enter only if the inspector at the port of entry determines that all of the vines are completely dried, dead and incapable of propagation.  If found to be otherwise, the products will be seized and destroyed.

Handicraft-type items made in China—whether purchased in China or in another country—that contain wood or other plant parts may present a pest risk.  Invasive wood-boring forest pests can emerge from such products long after purchase.  Crafts made with natural materials like corn, wheat, rice, straw, grasses, sticks with bark, or bamboo also may be contaminated with invasive insects and plant diseases, or may contain prohibited plant parts such as seeds.

All such handicrafts made in China must be declared and presented for inspection upon entry.  Learn more (89.97 KB) about guidelines regarding the importation of handicrafts.

For further questions, or to determine if you will need a permit and/or other documents to import a handicraft from China, please contact USDA’s Plant Import Information Line at 877-770-5990 (toll-free) or by email at plantproducts.permits@aphis.usda.gov.

The entry of palm fronds and articles made from palm fronds into the United States is regulated to prevent the entry of the red palm mite. Travelers may enter the United States with single palm fronds that are completely dried or processed—subject to inspection.

Fresh, green, and/or pliable palm fronds are prohibited entry.  Craft items made of palm fronds, such as baskets, bracelets, fans, hats, headband, napkin rings, and placements are prohibited entry unless the item was processed (bleached, dyed, painted, or shellacked) beyond just crafting/weaving.

Passengers may enter the United States with dried (not green) date palm fronds and products made from dried date palm fronds from any country except Algeria or Morocco, subject to inspection.  All date palm fronds (Phoenix spp.) and products made from date palm fronds originating in Algeria or Morocco are prohibited entry.

For further information, please contact USDA’s Plant Import Information Line at 877-770-5990 (toll-free) or by email at plantproducts.permits@aphis.usda.gov

Travelers entering with souvenirs such as rocks and stones, beach sand, or Irish peat must declare and present items for inspection at entry.  The inspector will examine the items to determine if they are entirely free of soil or other organic matter (such as algae) and make a determination as to whether the items are enterable. 

Although many varieties of seashells collected from saltwater beaches are enterable without restriction, certain countries limit the collection, sale, and export of shells and shell products. The importation or exportation of certain species of seashells (e.g., queen conch and nautilus) from some countries are restricted under international agreements.  For more information on the status of seashells, coral, and a wide variety of other items you may find offered for sale in gift shops overseas, please review the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) import information.

USDA does restrict/regulate the entry of land snails/shells and many species of freshwater snails/shells, because many foreign snail species are considered to be invasive pests that could cause harm to U.S. agriculture and the environment.