Bringing cutlery to US?

M

manalainen

Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
7
Hi,

I am moving to US (from Finland) for three months starting at the end of the week and I would like to bring my kitchen knives with me. So yeah, I was wondering how US customs would view this if they would be included in my non carry-on baggage?

I know that bringing them to the plane is a definite no-no.

Should I play it safe and and mail them to myself?
 
have you already been granted PERMANENT residency? or are you on some type of temporary visa? if you're a resident alien, i don't see how there could be any problem, at all, with putting them in your checked backage.

i re-enter the U.S., with edged weapons (not kitchen knives) in my checked, all the time. however, as a US citizen, i'm allowed to purchase firearms just like a resident alien is. so, unless you fall into one of those two catagories, i'd be concerned with the possiblity of them being considered "weapons" which you might not be allowed to posess, depending on the type of visa you have.
 
I did some checking with US Customs and it would appear to be fine from a federal standpoint. Customs apparently has no restrictions against blades other than switchblades/ballistic knives.

Customs indicates in their materials that the airline may choose what they will and will not allow on the plane. It also indicates that the state or city you are landing in may have restrictions that you must follow. But as far as customs is concerned, it's fine.

Source: https://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/custom...F9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1rbml2ZXM!&p_li=&p_topview=1
 
Thanks for the replies! I am Finnish citizen travelling to US using the Visa Waiver Program.

Hmm... I think I do not want to risk not seeing my fiancée for a set of knives I can buy online for a couple of hundred bucks.

I know that in all likelihood I would not have any problems bringing cutlery along but yeah, better safe than sorry... :)
 
glistam said:
You could always mail them instead. That I know for a fact is perfectly legal.
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i'd go with this idea.

i'm assuming your fiance is a U.S. Citizen, right? address them to her.

on a side note, i've been through the whole I-130, I-129F, etc, process. if there's ever anything i can help with feel free to hit me up. i know it can get frustrating.
 
zignal_zero said:
i'd go with this idea.

i'm assuming your fiance is a U.S. Citizen, right? address them to her.

on a side note, i've been through the whole I-130, I-129F, etc, process. if there's ever anything i can help with feel free to hit me up. i know it can get frustrating.
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On the Customs declaration form that you have to fill out before mailing the package, write "gift". You are giving them to your fiancee via mail so they are indeed a gift.
 
TOM1960 said:
On the Customs declaration form that you have to fill out before mailing the package, write "gift". You are giving them to your fiancee via mail so they are indeed a gift.
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i've never been in his position, so it's hard for me to anticipate ALL possible problems. however, IF (big "if") they ARE interpretted as a weapon AND IF his is NOT allowed to posess weapons, it would not matter who the intended recipient is, all that would matter was who was in posession of them.... which would be him :(

is it a stretch? yep. would i risk it? nope, not in the US, i've carried weapons into other countries with no idea what their laws were. however, this place is tight, i wouldn't fudge even a little here.
 
zignal_zero said:
i've never been in his position, so it's hard for me to anticipate ALL possible problems. however, IF (big "if") they ARE interpretted as a weapon AND IF his is NOT allowed to posess weapons, it would not matter who the intended recipient is, all that would matter was who was in posession of them.... which would be him :(

is it a stretch? yep. would i risk it? nope, not in the US, i've carried weapons into other countries with no idea what their laws were. however, this place is tight, i wouldn't fudge even a little here.
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He specified that they were kitchen knives, so they are the tools of cooks and chefs, not weapons. Foreigners are allowed to possess kitchen knives in the United States. If this was not the case, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay would be sitting in a U.S. prison, instead of putting the wannabees through their paces on his "Hell's Kitchen" TV series. Ramsay is a UK citizen, not a U.S. citizen.
 
TOM1960 said:
He specified that they were kitchen knives, so they are the tools of cooks and chefs, not weapons. Foreigners are allowed to possess kitchen knives in the United States. If this was not the case, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay would be sitting in a U.S. prison, instead of putting the wannabees through their paces on his "Hell's Kitchen" TV series. Ramsay is a UK citizen, not a U.S. citizen.
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good point - Go for it, OP :D
 
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