It is one page, it is mostly ticking boxes, and getting it wrong is one of the more expensive ways to start a move. Worth ten minutes before you sign it.
We connect your enquiry with a vetted international moving company from our network. They prepare the customs documents for your shipment, and this page explains what you are looking at when they hand you the form.
Almost every household move by sea needs one, because the container does not travel with you. If your goods arrive on the same flight as you, different rules apply and the form is usually unnecessary.
Form 3299 is the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles. It is what supports your claim to bring household effects into the United States without paying duty when the goods travel separately from you.
Read the declaration before signing rather than after. You are the person declaring, and a signature on an inventory you have not checked is a signature on someone else's mistakes.
In substance it asks three things: who you are and what your status is on arrival, that the goods are your personal effects rather than merchandise, and that they were used by you or in your household for the required period.
It is signed by the owner of the goods. Your moving company prepares it and their broker submits it, but the declaration is yours and the responsibility for its accuracy sits with you.
It travels with an inventory. That inventory is what a customs officer reads if the shipment is selected for examination, which is why descriptions matter more than most people expect.
The form refers to your inventory. If the inventory is vague, the declaration is vague, and the shipment is more likely to be examined.
Goods owned under twelve months are declared apart, because they are usually dutiable rather than free of duty.
A power of attorney is often included so the customs broker can act for you. Ask what it covers before signing it.
It is the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, used to claim duty free entry for household effects arriving in the United States separately from their owner.
If your goods travel without you, which is the case on virtually every sea shipment, then yes. Goods arriving with you on the same flight are handled differently.
Your moving company normally prepares it and their customs broker submits it, but you are the declarant and you sign it.
A full inventory of the shipment, and frequently a power of attorney allowing the broker to act for you at the port.
It covers items that do not meet the duty free test, most commonly anything you have owned for less than twelve months.
At best the shipment is delayed while it is corrected. At worst it is examined, and examination costs fall to the owner of the goods.
You can, but on a household shipment it is normally prepared by the mover as part of the service. Reading it carefully matters more than filling it in yourself.
No. The rules decide that. The form is how you claim the relief you are entitled to, accurately.
You should. Ask for it in advance rather than on collection day, because it refers to an inventory you also need to read.
Send your collection address, your US destination, the move date and a rough inventory. A moving company from our network handles the paperwork and explains what you are signing.
A Working Member of AGM Group. Enquiries are connected with vetted FIDI FAIM certified and BAR Overseas accredited international moving companies from the network.
We do not move goods or clear customs. Documents are prepared by the moving company and its broker, and your own position should be confirmed with US Customs and Border Protection.
Written by Darren Benjamin, Founder.