Importing Beverage Alcohol Products into the U.S.
Please note: If you are importing beverage alcohol for personal use, please visit the Personal Importation page. The information below is intended for commercial importers of beverage alcohol.
- Importers seeking to import beverage alcohol into the U.S. for commercial reasons must apply for an Importer’s Basic Permit on TTB Form 5100.24 (PDF), “Application for Basic Permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act”. This form, along with instructions on completion of the form, is also available on TTB’s Importer Packet page. First-time importers must submit a contract or letter of intent with foreign suppliers for the products intended for importation along with their application. Please also note that importers must maintain and staff a business office in the United States in order to obtain an Importer’s Basic Permit, and have applied for/obtained an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before completing a Basic Permit application.
- If the application and/or supporting documents is signed by someone other than those individuals listed in Item 9 on the Application for Basic Permit, TTB Form 5000.8 (PDF), “Power of Attorney” must be completed.
- If an individual listed on the application is a citizen of a foreign country, lived in a foreign country for more than two years (after 18 years of age) or has association with a foreign country, TTB Form 5000.9 (PDF), “Personnel Questionnaire”, must also be completed.
For more details on these and other requirements which must be met by importers, please refer to the Questions and Answers (PDF) document on the Importer Packet page.
Note: You must also apply for a Wholesaler’s Basic Permit if you plan to sell alcohol beverages other than what you directly import with your Importer’s Basic Permit. Both permits may be applied for with the above TTB form).
- The importer must also obtain a TTB-issued Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) for each unique product/label. To obtain a COLA, the importer must file an “Application for and Certification/Exemption of Label/Bottle Approval”, on TTB F 5100.31 (PDF) with TTB’s Advertising, Labeling and Formulation Division (ALFD). The process may be done electronically, through COLAs Online, or by submitting a paper copy of the above form. Contact ALFD for more information on COLAs.
Note: As part of the COLA process, the importer may have to obtain pre-COLA product approval, depending on the product to be imported. For information on pre-COLA product approval, see Industry Circular 2007-4. The attachments for wine, malt beverages, and distilled spirits indicate whether a product requires pre-COLA approval, as well as what type of evaluation, if applicable.
- Importers of natural wine produced after December 31, 2004, must comply with certification requirements set forth under the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 to ensure that the practices and procedures used to produce the imported wine constitute proper cellar treatment. For some grape wines imported from countries with which the U.S. has an enological practices agreement, no certification is required. Please refer to our list of excepted countries for a description of the excepted wines.
Certification may consist of:
- a statement from the producing country’s government or government-approved entity having oversight or control of enological practices. This form of certification includes the results of a laboratory analysis of the wine performed by either a government laboratory or a laboratory certified by the government of the producing country.
or…
- a statement from the importer, that is, a “self-certification”. See Q&A #12 of our Certification Requirements Q&As for more information on this certification method and who may self-certify.
- The importer must also meet all State and local requirements. State and local jurisdictions may have their own importation requirements in addition to Federal requirements. Importers must contact their State alcohol control board and/or local authorities for more information.
- The importer must ensure that the producer of the alcohol beverage is registered with the FDA and provide FDA with advance notification of an importation. FDA administers these requirements which are part of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002. You may also visit the FDA’s Bioterrorism Act website for more information.
- Importers are responsible for all applicable Federal excise taxes and duties. For more information on excise taxes, please see our tax and fee rates page. For information on duties, visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Duty Rates website.
For additional information on importing beverage alcohol into the U.S., please read our FAQs.
If you have any further questions on importing, please contact TTB’s International Trade Division at (202) 453-2260, or by email, at ITD@ttb.gov.
