• Passports are an important part of the customs process.passport image by yuriyklymenko from Fotolia.com
  
  Customs regulates who can come into the United States and what they can bring in with them, as well as establishes their reasons for visiting the country in the first place. These rules loosen and tighten with regularity, based on the political climate in the world.
  
  

Passports

• All persons traveling by land, air or sea must have a passport book or another valid travel document to legally enter or re-enter the United States. Children under the age of 16 years of age will only need a U.S. birth certificate to cross in and out of the country. Passport cards are also used by people to get in and out of the country but are valid only for travel by land and sea, and in the countries of Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean islands. Many people don't bring their passports with them from America for fear of it getting stolen, as fake American passports are often coveted on the black market.
  
  

Agricultural Items

• All agricultural items brought back into the United States will be removed from bags and disposed of because they may carry animal and plant pests and diseases. Restricted items include meat, vegetables, animals, plants, soil or products made directly from animal or plant materials. Items which are packaged in foreign countries and vacuum-sealed are allowed to be brought into the United States, as they are usually free of bacteria or disease that can harm people in the United States or the agricultural or livestock industry.
  
  

Restricted or Prohibited Items

• Restricted or prohibited items that cannot be brought into the United States include Cuban cigars because of the country's embargo with Cuba. In almost all instances, people are not allowed to import prescription drugs into the United States. Bird smuggling is also becoming more of a problem due to the fears of the spread of bird flu, and tougher fines and penalties are being issued to bird smugglers who are caught. Illegal drugs and guns (unless you have the proper paperwork) are also not allowed to be brought into the United States.