Dairy Products 🇺🇸 United States
Most dairy restricted — some exceptions for hard cheeses
Can I bring Dairy Products into United States?
Most dairy restricted — some exceptions for hard cheeses
Personal use quantities
- Phytosanitary Certificate (commercial quantities)
- Export Health Certificate (animal-origin, commercial)
Required at the destination customs authority
Full details
USDA APHIS restricts dairy imports. Most liquid milk, soft cheese, and butter are prohibited from most countries due to foot-and-mouth disease concerns. Hard, aged cheeses (e.g., Parmesan, Cheddar) from approved countries may be permitted in personal quantities. Enforcement in United States carries fines from USD 300 to USD 10,000 under 19 USC § 1497 (failure to declare); 19 USC § 1592 (fraudulent entry) (ordinary personal cases are handled as civil infringements). Leaving United States with dairy products is a separate question — restricted: Dairy exported from United States moves freely at personal snack quantities but faces strict destination bans; commercial export needs veterinary health certification.
PENALTIES
- Fine: 300–10000 USD
- Civil penalty only
Leaving United States with dairy products
Origin-side, United States imposes no export formality on retail dairy at personal quantities; commercial consignments require veterinary export health certification. The binding constraints are destination-side: the US, Australia, and New Zealand prohibit or tightly restrict most traveller dairy imports, and the EU bans personal meat and dairy imports from outside the bloc entirely. Shelf-stable retail-packaged items (UHT milk, hard cheese in some destinations, infant formula with the infant) fare best — check the arrival rule for the same route.
Hard, commercially packaged cheeses from EU/UK/Australia/NZ are generally accepted. Declare everything on your customs form.
Personal use quantities
- Phytosanitary Certificate (commercial quantities)
- Export Health Certificate (animal-origin, commercial)
9 CFR 94.1
This page covers destination customs rules in United States. Whether you can carry dairy products through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.
Related rules
Dairy Products rules in other countries
Dairy Products
🇦🇺 Australia
Most dairy prohibited under biosecurity laws
Dairy Products
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Prohibited under MPI biosecurity rules
Dairy Products
🇯🇵 Japan
Animal quarantine inspection required
Dairy Products
🇸🇬 Singapore
No specific restrictions for commercially packaged dairy
Dairy Products
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
No specific restrictions for personal dairy products
Dairy Products
🇨🇦 Canada
No specific restrictions for personal dairy products