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GOODS ACROSS BORDERS

ITEM RULE · TRAVELING

RESTRICTED

Meat Products 🇺🇸 United States

VERIFIED · 2026-07-05HIGH CONFIDENCE

Most fresh and cured meats prohibited from most countries

ANSWER

Can I bring Meat Products into United States?

RESTRICTEDVERIFIED · 2026-07-05HIGH CONFIDENCE

Most fresh and cured meats prohibited from most countries

QUANTITY / LIMITS

Personal quantities of approved products

DOCUMENTS

  • CBP declaration

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

aphis.usda.gov
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full details

USDA APHIS restricts meat imports to prevent animal disease. Fresh, chilled, and frozen meat from most countries is prohibited. Commercially canned and shelf-stable meat products are generally permitted. Specific country approvals exist for some products.

PENALTIES

  • Fine: 300–10000 USD
  • Civil penalty only

Leaving United States with meat products

RESTRICTEDMeat products for personal consumption may face export limits from United States for animal-health documentation reasons; commercial quantities require an Export Health Certificate.

Personal-use quantities of processed, cooked, or shelf-stable meat products (jerky, cured meats, canned meats) may generally be exported from United States for personal consumption; destination-country biosecurity restrictions on arrival are typically the binding constraint. Raw meat, poultry, and offal require a veterinary-issued Export Health Certificate for commercial or above-personal-use export. Many destinations (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, US, EU) restrict or prohibit personal-import of raw and cooked meat regardless of origin-side export permissions.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Declare all meat products. Commercially canned/sealed products are usually OK. Fresh and cured meats are almost always confiscated.

OFFICIAL SOURCES · VERIFIED 2026-07-05

RULE DETAILS

QUANTITY LIMITS

Personal quantities of approved products

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

  • CBP declaration

LEGAL REFERENCE

9 CFR 94, Federal Meat Inspection Act

AIR TRAVEL IS SEPARATE

This page covers destination customs rules in United States. Whether you can carry meat products through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.

Related rules

Meat Products rules in other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES46UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-07-26MethodologyChangelog