Skip navigation

United States Department of State

Image: United States of America Embassy Seal

Embassy of the United States of America in Canberra

Information Resource Center

You are in: Home » IRC » FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Travel - Miscellaneous

Questions

Answers

How do I contact the U.S. Customs office?

The nearest U.S. Customs office is the regional office in Singapore:

Mail
Customs Enforcement Attaché Office
American Embassy
27 Napier Road
Singapore 258508
Telephone
+65 6476 9425
Fax
+65 6476 9188 or 9479

If you have questions about taking animal or plant material into the United States, please contact the local office of the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service.

Telephone
(02) 6214-5857
How do I get married in the United States?

The municipal clerk in the city where you wish to marry will know the requirements for marriage in that particular place.

How do I obtain a disabled parking permit in the USA?

Requirements for disabled parking permits for visiting overseas motorists vary from state to state. Many of the websites of individual state Departments of Motor Vehicles provide information and/or application forms for a disabled parking permit. You may also check with your car hire company or contact a state travel/tourism office.

Useful websites:

How do I take alcohol into the United States?

According to the CBP publication Visiting the United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Regulations for Nonresidents:

Nonresidents who are at least 21 years old may bring in, free of duty and internal revenue tax, up to one liter of alcoholic beverage - beer, wine, liquor - for personal use. Quantities above the one-litre limitation are subject to duty and internal revenue tax.
In addition to federal laws, you must also meet state alcoholic beverage laws, which may be more restrictive than federal laws. This means that if the state in which you arrive permits less liquor, wine, or beer than you have legally brought into the United States, that state’s laws apply to your importation of alcoholic beverages for personal use.

Duty rates may be found in Chapter 22 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

Information on the Federal Excise Tax is available from the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau.

How do I take my medications with me on my trip to the United States?

According to the CBP publication Visiting the United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Regulations for Nonresidents:

Narcotics and dangerous drugs are prohibited entry. There are severe civil and/or criminal penalties if imported.
A traveler requiring medicines that contain habit-forming drugs or narcotics (e.g., cough medicine, diuretics, heart drugs, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antidepressants, stimulants, etc.) should:
  • Have all drugs, medicines, and similar products properly identified.
  • Carry only such quantity as would normally be used by an individual having a health problem requiring the drugs or medicines.
  • Obtain either a prescription or written statement from your personal physician that the medicine is for use under a doctor’s direction and that it is necessary for your physical well being while traveling.
  • Declare such drugs or medications to the CBP officer.

Each medication should be in its own originally-dispensed container.

Drug products that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may not be acceptable.

Other websites you may find useful:

This advice applies to all medications taken into the United States by travelers.

Australian citizens should be aware of this advice from the Australian Government Health Insurance Commission on Taking & sending PBS medicines overseas.

When are public holidays in the United States?

Technically, the U.S. does not observe any national holidays as each state has jurisdiction over its own holidays that are designated by legislative enactment or executive proclamation. In practice, however, most states observe the federal legal public holidays, even though the President and the U.S. Congress can legally designate holidays only for the District of Columbia and for federal employees.

Federal legal public holidays are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

When a holiday falls on a Sunday or a Saturday, it is usually observed on the following Monday or the preceding Friday. Government and business closing practices vary. In most states, the office of the secretary of state can provide details for holiday closings.

The following are legal or public holidays in most states:

Other websites you may find useful:

When are school holidays in the United States?

The dates of school holidays vary from state to state and from school district to school district, however, generally speaking, the following applies:

Contact Information

If your question is not here, please contact us:

Postal Address
U.S. Information Resource Center
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Embassy
Canberra, ACT
Australia
Phone
(02) 6214-5874 (then press 4)
Email
info@usembassy-australia.state.gov

Note: Please do not send visa questions to the IRC mailbox. Visa questions should be directed to amvisa@state.gov.

Last update Tuesday, 22 April 2008

This site is managed by the U.S. Department of State.

External links to other internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.