Customs Declaration: Definition, Form & Usage

Meaning 1：Customs form (customs declaration)

customs declaration 🔊

/ˈkʌstəmz ˌdɛkləˈreɪʃən/

n.phr.

A form you fill out when entering or leaving a country, listing the items you are carrying, especially valuable or taxable goods.

Traveler filling out customs declaration form at airport desk

Customs form 🔊

➕

/ˈkʌstəmz fɔːrm/

n.phr.

A document that travelers must fill out to declare items they are bringing across a border, especially valuable or restricted goods.

📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Customs < Latin 'consuetudo' (custom); declaration < Latin 'declarare' (declare).

💡 Mnemonic

At border, you 'declare' your 'customs' (items). Think: declaration form for goods.

📖 Example

Before landing in Australia, the flight attendant handed out customs declaration forms for all passengers to complete. 🔊 Before landing in Australia, the flight attendant handed out customs declaration forms for all passengers to complete.

🔗 Collocations

fill out a customs declaration – complete the form

submit a customs declaration – hand in the form to authorities

customs declaration form – the official document

🔄 Synonyms

customs form (n.phr.) – a shorter term for customs declaration

import declaration (n.phr.) – a declaration specifically for goods brought into a country

goods declaration (n.phr.) – a declaration listing items being transported

🌱 Derivatives

declare (v.) – to make a formal statement about goods

declarant (n.) – a person who makes a declaration

📖 Cultural Story

'Customs' comes from customary dues paid by traders. The modern customs declaration was standardized after the 1944 Chicago Convention to facilitate travel.