Customs Regulations Scuba Photo & Video Gear

With a tourist visa, camera housings, DSLRs, and video cameras are permitted for temporary import (re-export required…

For personal dive photo gear up to approximately $2,200 USD, you're within the theoretical duty-free allowance. Still,…

Bring used (not new) photo/video gear: it will be admitted duty-free as personal effects without special formalities.…

Cameras and video cameras are explicitly exempt from customs duties for tourists in Malaysia, and used equipment enters…

Personal dive photo/video gear (underwater housing, camera, GoPro, strobes, LED lights) enters Japan duty-free as…

Used photographic equipment belonging to the traveler is exempt from GST in Singapore with no value limit. For new…

Declare all expensive camera gear upon arrival in Vietnam. Goods valued over 400 USD (10 million VND) require mandatory…

The customs allowance for all personal goods is 800 USD (raised in 2022). For equipment exceeding this threshold,…

Declare your camera gear upon entry and keep the customs receipt to ensure duty-free exit. An ATA Carnet is accepted…

Cambodia is not a member of the ATA Carnet system. For professional camera equipment exceeding $300 USD, a temporary…

The duty-free allowance for personal effects is NTD 35,000 (approx. USD 1,080) as of June 2024. Professional camera…

Brunei exempts personal effects for personal use, but specific rules for expensive camera gear are not clearly…

You MUST declare all your photo/video equipment to customs upon arrival (a legal requirement for all electronic gear);…

The duty-free allowance for personal items in Timor-Leste is $300 USD. For underwater photography equipment exceeding…

Spain is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

France is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Malta is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Italy is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Greece is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Cyprus is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Croatia is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Your used dive photography equipment enters freely as personal effects and is not subject to the 430 EUR duty-free…

Official thresholds in LBP have become symbolic in USD due to the Lebanese economic crisis. Declare all expensive…

Personal cameras enter Tunisia freely without special formalities. For professional dive photography equipment…

Bulgaria is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs controls apply to…

Romania is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Personal photographic equipment for tourist use is exempt from customs duties. For high-value professional equipment…

Slovenia is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Montenegro explicitly allows 2 still cameras and 1 video camera as personal effects. The ATA Carnet is accepted for…

Personal photographic equipment for tourist use is generally allowed duty-free as personal effects. The duty-free…

Monaco is part of the European customs territory through its customs union with France — there are no customs posts…

A European dive photographer arriving in the Canary Islands with personal underwater equipment (housing, DSLR, strobes)…

Personal photographic equipment owned before travel is fully exempt as personal effects – there's no value limit. New…

EU travelers (French, German, Spanish, Italian): No customs formalities — the Azores are EU territory. UK or other…

Portugal is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Your gear (housing + strobes + mirrorless/DSLR camera) significantly exceeds the official threshold of 15,000 CVE (~150…

Sweden is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Ireland is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Poland is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Germany is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs controls apply to your…

All underwater photo/video equipment (housing, camera, GoPro, strobes, LED lights) is admitted duty-free for visitors…

Denmark is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Finland is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs controls apply to your…

Belgium is an EU member state: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your underwater…

Estonia is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

The Netherlands is a member state of the European Union. If you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply…

Declare your equipment to the customs officer upon arrival (Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, or Cairo), stating it's…

Personal underwater photo/video equipment is admitted duty-free into Jordan as tourist's personal effects. For…

Declare your underwater photo/video gear upon entry if its total value is significant, and keep purchase invoices with…

Personal cameras and dive housings enter freely as personal effects with no value limit. For equipment exceeding $200…

Sudan has been in a state of civil war since April 2023 — the French, British, German, and EU governments formally…

Before you travel, contact the Djibouti Revenue Office (ODR) or the Djibouti embassy directly to confirm the exact…

Personal underwater photo/video gear (Ikelite/Nauticam housing, mirrorless camera, GoPro, strobes, LED lights) is…

If your underwater photo/video gear is used (owned and used for over a year), it enters duty-free as personal effects —…

Palau offers a USD 1,000 duty-free allowance for non-commercial personal effects, which covers most dive photography…

Underwater photo/video equipment brought for personal use during your stay is considered personal effects, admitted…

New Zealand is particularly welcoming to photographers: your personal equipment enters freely without duties. The ATA…

Keep your original purchase receipts for all underwater photo/video gear: housings, cameras, strobes, and LED lights…

Arrive with a printed list of all your underwater photo/video gear (model, serial number, estimated value) and have it…

Always declare your underwater photo/video gear upon arrival at Honiara (Henderson) Airport and request an official…

Upon arrival at Luganville (Santo) or Port Vila airport, voluntarily declare your underwater photo/video equipment if…

Dive photography gear typically enters duty-free as personal effects. For expensive equipment (Nauticam housing,…

Arrive with a detailed list (in English) of all your underwater photo/video equipment, including serial numbers and…

Personal effects are exempt in the Cook Islands, but goods valued over NZD 750 (~460 USD) must be declared and may be…

The Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) levy their own local excise tax (distinct from the continental US federal rate).…

Tonga is a small Pacific island nation with limited customs infrastructure and little official online documentation.…

When traveling to Cozumel, Cancun, or Playa del Carmen, you can bring in 2 cameras/photo devices (including one GoPro)…

A dive photographer can enter duty-free with 1 camera (new or used) and 1 video camera/GoPro (new or used); housings…

Your underwater photo/video gear enters the US duty-free as personal effects (no value cap): declare it on the customs…

Brazil offers no specific exemptions for professional photo equipment and exited the ATA Carnet system in 2021. Only a…

Costa Rican regulations strictly permit 1 camera + 1 video camera + their accessories as duty-free personal baggage. A…

Your camera and video camera (e.g., GoPro) with their accessories (housings, underwater strobes, LED lights) are…

Your underwater photo gear (housing, strobes, GoPro) can be declared as personal tourist effects if clearly intended…

Your underwater photo/video gear is admitted duty-free as personal effects for strict tourist use. Declare it on the…

A foreign visitor can enter Canada with all their camera equipment duty-free, provided they take it with them when they…

Panama applies CAUCA/RECAUCA regulations, which allow 1 camera + 1 video camera + accessories as duty-free personal…

The duty-free allowance for purchases made abroad when arriving by air is $500 USD. Expensive accessories like dive…

Peru has accepted ATA Carnets since 2022. This is the optimal solution for a professional photographer bringing a…

Uruguay explicitly recognizes used portable professional equipment as a distinct category from the tourist allowance.…

The official duty-free allowance for personal effects, including cameras in reasonable quantities, is $1,000 USD. In…

The duty-free allowance for personal use items, including electronics, is $500 USD. Expensive dive photography gear…

The duty-free allowance is $500 USD, with a maximum of 1 still camera and 1 video camera. A complete dive photography…

Always declare all your photo/video equipment upon arrival and prepare a list with serial numbers and USD values. For a…

Your underwater photo and video gear (housing, camera, GoPro, strobes) is allowed duty-free as temporary personal…

It is absolutely essential to declare all your underwater photo/video equipment upon arrival and obtain a temporary…

Your used photo/video gear enters duty-free as personal effects (F88 declaration required for items valued over USD…

Personal photographic equipment for tourist use is exempt in Senegal. For high-value professional gear, the ATA Carnet…

Your used underwater photography gear enters Morocco duty-free under temporary admission for personal use. For any…

São Tomé and Príncipe has very little customs information available online. Tourist personal effects are normally…

Underwater photo and video gear brought in as personal effects (housings, cameras, GoPros, strobes) is exempt from ABB…

Arrive with your underwater photo/video gear declared verbally as temporary personal effects (for personal use,…

Carry all equipment in your carry-on or checked luggage as personal effects. Cameras and underwater gear for personal…

Camera gear imported as personal effects and intended to leave with the traveler is exempt from duties. Declare…

Guadeloupe is a French outermost region of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks…

Arrive with a detailed equipment list (including serial numbers and estimated values) and declare your gear to customs…

Bring a detailed list of your gear with serial numbers and insurance values (in English or Spanish), and declare it…

Martinique is a French outermost region of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks…

Declare your underwater photo/video gear to customs upon arrival, specifying it's for personal, temporary use. No tax…

Curaçao accepts ATA Carnets for professional equipment. Your underwater photo gear, as personal effects, is exempt if…

Sint Eustatius applies the same rules as Saba: 8% ABB (turnover tax) on goods exceeding $500 USD that you do not take…

Upon arrival, declare your high-value underwater photo/video equipment on the customs declaration form, stating it's…

Arrive with a detailed list of your underwater photography gear (make, model, serial number, value), keep your…

Puerto Rico is a US territory: for foreign tourists, personal effects (including camera gear) are exempt from duties.…

Saba applies an 8% ABB tax on goods exceeding $500 USD that you do not take with you when you leave. Your dive…

The USVI has its own customs territory, but tourists' personal effects are exempt upon entry. Your personal underwater…

Your personal underwater photo/video gear is exempt from customs restrictions in Turks and Caicos: cameras,…

Grenada does not accept ATA Carnets. Your personal dive-photo gear, which you'll be taking with you when you leave, is…

Cameras benefit from a 0% customs duty in Antigua and Barbuda, but a Customs Service Tax (CST 5-10%) and ABST (15%)…

Your dive photography gear (housing, cameras, strobes) is exempt from duties if it's pre-existing personal effects that…

Barbados does not accept ATA Carnets. Your personal, used dive photography equipment is duty-exempt. For new equipment,…

The entire island of Saint Martin is a bilateral free trade zone — no customs duties on your camera gear on either the…

Declare your underwater photo/video gear upon arrival, explicitly stating 'personal use, departing with me' on the…

The duty-free allowance is USD 1,000. For more expensive equipment, a security deposit equal to the customs duties is…

Underwater photo and video equipment for personal use is duty-free as personal effects. For high-value gear (Nauticam…

If your underwater photo/video gear is used, it's exempt without limit as personal effects — no worries. If any gear is…

Reunion Island is a French outermost region of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs…

Upon arrival, declare your underwater photo/video gear (housings, strobes, GoPros) at the Goods to Declare counter if…

Your underwater housing + camera + strobes are typically considered 'tourist personal effects' admitted duty-free for…

Personal underwater photo/video equipment is admitted for temporary import duty-free without special procedures;…

Seychelles applies a duty-free allowance of 15,000 SCR (~1,050 USD) per passenger for goods other than…

Mayotte is a French outermost region of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks…

Comoros is not part of the ATA Carnet network. Arrive with a detailed inventory of your equipment (list, serial…

Arrive with your gear as accompanied baggage and declare it verbally if asked; for personal tourist use, Omani customs…

Your dive photography equipment enters duty-free as personal effects if personal use is evident. Bring all original…

Cameras and accessories in non-commercial quantities are duty-free in Bahrain. The gift allowance is 250 BHD (~663…

Kuwait does not publish detailed regulations for tourist photographic equipment. In practice, your gear enters as…

The personal effects allowance is 3,000 QAR (~825 USD); an expensive underwater housing easily exceeds this threshold.…

In mainland Norway and Svalbard, a dive housing and camera are considered temporary personal effects, fully exempt from…

Antarctica has no customs of its own; the only real customs interaction is with Argentina in Ushuaia. Your personal…

Always declare your photo/video equipment upon entry (using the Russian customs declaration form), even if you are…

Austria is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Air travelers benefit from a very generous allowance of €10,000/50 kg, covering virtually all camera equipment. Beware:…

The Czech Republic is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks…

Hong Kong is a free port: no customs duties apply to photographic equipment, regardless of its value. The only…

Hungary is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Luxembourg is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to…

Personal photographic equipment for tourist use is exempt from duties in Moldova. The allowance for new goods is €430…

San Marino is part of the EU customs union via Italy. Access is exclusively through Italy: non-EU tourists must have…

Slovakia is a member state of the European Union: if you reside in another EU country, no customs checks apply to your…

Photography gear already owned before your trip is exempt without limit as personal travel effects. From January 2025,…