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Heidelberg, Germany — Many
Americans start a wine collection while stationed in Europe. With some
advance planning, wine connoisseurs can still enjoy their favorite
European vintages when they move to their new stateside homes.
“First contact your transportation office for shipping procedures and how, if possible, to get reimbursed for the transportation costs,” said Bill Johnson, director of the U.S. European Command’s Customs and Border Clearance Agency. He added that you will have to pay any customs duty or tax.
Military transportation officials will usually not pack a wine collection in personal property shipments for fear of damage if bottles break, but they will have a list of wine merchants and moving companies that ship wine.
“The company will tell you about state restrictions on alcohol and how to pay any tax that needs paying,” he said.
Mr. Johnson said you must ship the collection to an airport with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office.
After the company packs the collection, they will provide a shipping document and a copy of the bill of sale for the tax and shipping costs. Find out the shipment’s airline, flight number, date of arrival and, most important of all, its shipping document number before flying.
“When you arrive stateside, go to the airport’s cargo section with the shipping documents,” Mr. Johnson said. “They will give you additional paperwork to take to the CBP office.”
He recommends people personally clear their wine collection at the port of entry because using a customs house broker is expensive.
