Offer your thoughts or opinion on the input financial query or topic using your financial background.

What happens if one brings more than 10,000 USD with them into the US?
The US Customs and Border Protection website states that there is no limit to the amount of currency that can be brought into or taken out of the US.   There is no limit on the amount of money that can be taken out of or brought into the United States. However, if a person or persons traveling together and filing a joint declaration (CBP Form 6059-B) have $10,000 or more in currency or negotiable monetary instruments, they must fill out a "Report of International Transportation of Currency and Monetary Instruments" FinCEN 105 (former CF 4790). The CBP site also notes that failure to declare currency and monetary instruments in excess of $10,000 may result in its seizure. Further, the site states that the requirement to report currency on a FinCEN 105 does not apply to imports of gold bullion.  However, the legal website The Law Dictionary includes details of how money laundering laws may come into play here : As part of the War on Terror and the War on Drugs, U.S. law enforcement agencies have significantly increased their vigilance over money laundering. To this effect, travelers who carry large amounts of cash without supporting documentation of its legitimate source may be subject to secondary inspections and seizure of funds. In some cases, law enforcement may confiscate cash in excess of $10,000 until supporting documents are produced. So far, I have described the "official" position.  However, reading between the lines, I think it is fair to say that in the current climate if you show up at an entry point with a suitcase full of a large amount of cash you would face considerable scrutiny, regardless of any supporting documentation you may present. If you fail to present supporting documentation, then I think your cash would certainly be seized.  If you are a US resident, then you would be given the opportunity to obtain satisfactory documentation.  If you did present documentation, then I think your cash would be held for as long as it would take to verify the validity of the documentation.  Failure to present valid documentation would result in money laundering charges being brought against you and the matter would rest before the courts. If you are not a US resident, then failing to produce supporting documentation would mean your cash being seized and entry into the US would almost certainly be denied.  You would then have to deal with the situation from outside of the US.  If you did produce supporting documentation, then again I suspect the cash would be held for as long as it takes to verify the validity of the documentation.  Whether or not you were allowed to enter the US would depend on what other documentation you possess.