Matter in addition to correspondence. Except as provided in paragraph (e), Customs officers and employees may open and examine sealed letter class mail subject to Customs examination which appears to contain matter in addition to, or other than, correspondence, provided they have reasonable cause to suspect the presence of merchandise or contraband.
Only correspondence. No Customs officer or employee shall open sealed letter class mail which appears to contain only correspondence unless prior to the opening:
A search warrant authorizing that action has been obtained from an appropriate judge of United States magistrate, or
The sender or the addressee has given written authorization for the opening.
Reading of correspondence. No Customs officer or employee shall read, or authorize or allow any other person to read, any correspondence contained in any letter class mail, whether or not sealed, unless prior to the reading:
A search warrant authorizing that action has been obtained from an appropriate judge or United States magistrate, or
The sender or the addressee has given written authorization for the reading.
Other types of correspondence. The provisions of paragraph (c) shall also apply to correspondence between school children and correspondence of the blind which are authorized to be mailed at other than the letter rate of postage in international mail.
Certain Virgin Islands mail. First class mail originating in the Customs territory of the United States and arriving in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is to be delivered within the U.S. Virgin Islands, shall not be opened unless:
A search warrant authorizing that action has been obtained from an appropriate judge or United States magistrate, or
The sender or the addressee has been given written authorization for the opening.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.