148.2—Residence status of arriving persons.
(a) General.
Persons arriving from foreign countries shall be divided into two classes for Customs purposes:
(b) Status as returning resident.
Citizens of the United States, or persons who have formerly resided in the United States, (including American citizens who are residents of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands of the United States) shall be deemed residents of the United States returning from abroad within the meaning of “residents” as used in Chapter 98, Subchapter IV, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (19 U.S.C. 1202 ), in the absence of satisfactory evidence that they have established a home elsewhere. For this purpose, the residence of a wife shall be deemed to be that of her husband unless satisfactory evidence is presented that the wife has established a separate residence elsewhere. The residence of a minor child shall be presumed to be that of his parents.
(c) Status as nonresident.
Any person arriving in the United States who is not a resident of the United States or who, though a resident of the United States, is not returning from abroad, shall be treated for the purpose of these regulations as a nonresident.
(d) Optional claim of nonresident status.
Any person arriving in the United States who would otherwise be considered a returning resident, may claim at his option the status of a nonresident if he intends to remain in the United States for only a short period of time before returning abroad. If the status as a nonresident claimed by an arriving person is allowed, the procedures in § 148.8 shall be followed.