Duty Free in New York

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New York City sees many travelers arriving and departing from its two major airports—LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy. Both these airports offer duty-free shopping opportunities for travelers.

People who travel frequently are familiar with the "in's and out's" of duty-free shopping. If this is your first time to do this, though, you may have some questions. This article will answer some of them as well as provide other information on duty-free shopping, such as where you can do it.

What is duty-free shopping?

Duty-free shopping means you don't pay local or national taxes on your purchases. However, you may have to pay duty fees when you arrive back in your home country. If you are traveling to or from New York City you may want to try to determine if there are duty fees in your country of origin or destination. This way you can plan for those expenses in your trip budget.

Are there any restrictions on duty-free shopping?

Yes. You must be leaving the United States, and it usually must be for more than two days (48 hours). You must take the items you purchase with you into your country of destination.

You may also be restricted in how much duty-free merchandise you can bring into a country with you. You might wish to find out if this is true of the country you will be entering before doing your duty-free shopping.

Where are the duty-free shops located?

Most duty-free shops are located inside international airports, although there are a few border places that have duty-free shops for travelers who are arriving or departing by train or car.

Are there different duty-free shops or only one to choose from?

Many airports may have quite a few duty-free shops. Each is run by a private entity, so the merchandise may vary between them. For example, in New York City, at the John F. Kennedy airport, you can shop at the stores operated by Diplomatic Duty Free Shops of New York (DDFSNY), which is an affiliate of International Shoppes. There are three separate duty-free shops, all run by DDFSNY, located at different terminal sites in the airport.

You can also shop at Duty Free Americas at both John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports. The shops operated by Duty Free Americas include such names as Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Swarovski, and others.

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