Title 19, Customs DutiesRelease 119-102
§1496 Examination of Baggage
Title 19 › CHAPTER 4 — TARIFF ACT OF 1930 › SUBTITLE III — ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part III — Ascertainment, Collection, and Recovery of Duties › § 1496
Summary
A customs officer can inspect the luggage of anyone arriving in the United States to see what is inside and whether the items must pay customs duty, are duty-free, or are banned, even if the traveler already declared them.
Full Legal Text
Title 19, §1496
Customs Duties, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The appropriate customs officer may cause an examination to be made of the baggage of any person arriving in the United States in order to ascertain what articles are contained therein and whether subject to duty, free of duty, or prohibited notwithstanding a declaration and entry therefor has been made.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 496, 42 Stat. 964. That section was superseded by section 496 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.
Amendments
1970—Pub. L. 91–271 substituted reference to appropriate customs officer for reference to collector.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1970 AmendmentFor
Effective Date
of amendment by Pub. L. 91–271, see section 203 of Pub. L. 91–271, set out as a note under section 1500 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
19 U.S.C. § 1496
Title 19, Customs Duties
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102