Need A Customs Broker in Santo Domingo

zak023

Done and dusted!
Feb 8, 2006
589
0
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Can someone recommend the best customs broker to use in Santo Domingo..I am going to attempt to ship a 2005 Harley Davidson with my household goods.I hear good and bad stories..But if You use a reputable shipper and broker you don't get ripped off.. Shipping From Port Newark in New Jersey to Santo Domingo in March 2007....The aduana said the tax would be $5,700 US but somehow I just don't believe them..If I use a broker will that lock in a quoted price if they are well known? Or is it back to the same ole s**t..??
 

jackieboo

On Vaction without a return ticket!
Mar 18, 2006
362
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0
Same old S***

Dude, forget about trying to save money or lock anything down here. We are due to get our container from the States tomorrow and it cost about twice as much and everyone said it would and took a month longer than usual.

The thing is that the country is going through this CAFTA crap where all of the 'good' customers brokers are having a hard time 'giving gifts' to the right people.

Think about it this way. 'I'm trying to bring a very unusual item (I don't see a lot of Harley' here) into a third world country.' Don't ya think that's going to set off alarms with the customs crowd?

I'd love to be there when they inspect your bike and can only imagine how long it'll take them to decide on your tax.

One word of advise. Don't bother with the f**king residency for an exemption. You're better off paying the taxes.

Wish I had a sunnier post for you, but it sounds like your bike is pretty important to you and in that case start saving now.

Later
 

tflea

Bronze
Jun 11, 2006
1,839
164
63
A Better Way

I always use Fernando Rodrigues....never had a bad experience.
He speaks perfect English if you need that as well.
I can give you phone # if you are interested.
And no, this is not an advertisement for my personal
interests.
Send me a PM but also send details of what, when, etc.
you need.
 

tflea

Bronze
Jun 11, 2006
1,839
164
63
Also,
There is a Harley dealer in SDQ and I would suggest you check their prices before trying to ship down a scooter. I looked into it once and it made sense to me to just bite the bullet and buy an overpriced ride here. Good luck.
 

zak023

Done and dusted!
Feb 8, 2006
589
0
0
Also,
There is a Harley dealer in SDQ and I would suggest you check their prices before trying to ship down a scooter. I looked into it once and it made sense to me to just bite the bullet and buy an overpriced ride here. Good luck.

I did call the Harley Dealer in SD 3 weeks ago and the same model..An Electra Glide Classic was going for $33,000 USD..What are they smoking? I paid $18,000 last year brand new from the dealer..So how are these customs guys gonna figure the tax based on that info..??? And again isn't using a broker her in SD going to make the pain more tolerable?I went from a Sportster to an Electra Glide and have become very attached to it..But if I'm going to pay something like $10,000 in tax then I won't even attempt it...I did find a customs broker today from a PM and they are looking into what the tax rate is going to be..Being I only bought it in June 2005 it is not yet titled in my name for 2 years yet..
 

zak023

Done and dusted!
Feb 8, 2006
589
0
0
Dude, forget about trying to save money or lock anything down here. We are due to get our container from the States tomorrow and it cost about twice as much and everyone said it would and took a month longer than usual.

The thing is that the country is going through this CAFTA crap where all of the 'good' customers brokers are having a hard time 'giving gifts' to the right people.

Think about it this way. 'I'm trying to bring a very unusual item (I don't see a lot of Harley' here) into a third world country.' Don't ya think that's going to set off alarms with the customs crowd?

I'd love to be there when they inspect your bike and can only imagine how long it'll take them to decide on your tax.

One word of advise. Don't bother with the f**king residency for an exemption. You're better off paying the taxes.

Wish I had a sunnier post for you, but it sounds like your bike is pretty important to you and in that case start saving now.

Later

What is costing you twice as much? Are you bringing a vehicle down? And the residence gives you a one time exemption for household goods only.This is what I was led to believe..What container line did you use? And did you use a broker here? Or one from the States..

This is starting to look crappy and I'm only in the final planning stage..Did you not benefit from having your Residency?
 

jackieboo

On Vaction without a return ticket!
Mar 18, 2006
362
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0
What is costing you twice as much? Are you bringing a vehicle down? And the residence gives you a one time exemption for household goods only.This is what I was led to believe..What container line did you use? And did you use a broker here? Or one from the States..

This is starting to look crappy and I'm only in the final planning stage..Did you not benefit from having your Residency?

Zak:

I understand your frustration.

You need to understand that NOTHING here is a certainty. One persons good experience can be another persons nightmare. To boot the DR is going through changes now in the way they collect taxes. It used to be that you could bribe your way through just about any customs situation and at the moment that is getting harder to do.

Here's the actual process for moving. Keep in mind that you'll talk to people that will recommend this broker or that broker because they had a great experience. Just remember that the 'great broker' is only as good as his bribing ability. IF the customs department won't accept a bribe then ALL of the customs brokers are bound by the same rules.

Here are the rules:

1. Residency. This is a misleading approach to bringing your goods in to the country. Why?
a. The Residency costs around $1500.00USD
b. The Residency allows for one container exemption. However that exemption has exemptions. 'USED' household goods are exempt however ANY electronics are taxed. That means if you bring your 50" plasma T.V. you're still going to be taxed. What we found is that the tax exemption really only applied to non-electronic items.
c. The Residency is a pain in the arse. Reason, NO matter what they tell you, you WILL have to spend a day in Santo Domingo at the tax department.
d. Example of prices I paid. $6,000.00 door to door / Arizona - Sosua
$1,500.00 Residency application
$ 300.00 Some tax thing
$ 400.00 Storage
$2,300.00 Non-exempt taxes
========
$10,500.00 -
e. Time frame- 3 months


We used a broker here that came highly recommended. I'm not going to give his name because I wouldn't recommend him to anyone.

Dude, the thing is that my experience and your experience could be two totally different things. I could have just been singled out and bent over while you could just breeze through without so much as an additional Peso. The thing is that you need to be prepared for anything. Remember that once you commit to your move you can't just say 'I don't want to pay that' and they'll return your goods to the States. If you don't like the amount they are requiring you'll loose your crap for good.

Last thing is the vehicle crap. IT IS A PAIN IN THE ARSE to bring any type of vehicle in to this country. Even with your tax exemption you still have to pay 40% of the assessed value of the vehicle in taxes. They have a hard enough time calculating the value of a Honda Civic can you imagine what they'll do with a Harley Davidson?

Here's what I would do if I were you. Find out how much your Harley is worth new here in the DR. Call the Harley dealership and see if they can give you a price. Take that price (say $20,000) times .40 and that is the price you'll pay in taxes with the exemption.

Lastly, make sure you have insurance HERE on the bike otherwise they will not allow you to take the vehicle off the dock.

Good luck and let me know if you need any other information.
 

zak023

Done and dusted!
Feb 8, 2006
589
0
0
Jackieboo

Zak:

I understand your frustration.

You need to understand that NOTHING here is a certainty. One persons good experience can be another persons nightmare. To boot the DR is going through changes now in the way they collect taxes. It used to be that you could bribe your way through just about any customs situation and at the moment that is getting harder to do.

Here's the actual process for moving. Keep in mind that you'll talk to people that will recommend this broker or that broker because they had a great experience. Just remember that the 'great broker' is only as good as his bribing ability. IF the customs department won't accept a bribe then ALL of the customs brokers are bound by the same rules.

Here are the rules:

1. Residency. This is a misleading approach to bringing your goods in to the country. Why?
a. The Residency costs around $1500.00USD
b. The Residency allows for one container exemption. However that exemption has exemptions. 'USED' household goods are exempt however ANY electronics are taxed. That means if you bring your 50" plasma T.V. you're still going to be taxed. What we found is that the tax exemption really only applied to non-electronic items.
c. The Residency is a pain in the arse. Reason, NO matter what they tell you, you WILL have to spend a day in Santo Domingo at the tax department.
d. Example of prices I paid. $6,000.00 door to door / Arizona - Sosua
$1,500.00 Residency application
$ 300.00 Some tax thing
$ 400.00 Storage
$2,300.00 Non-exempt taxes
========
$10,500.00 -
e. Time frame- 3 months


We used a broker here that came highly recommended. I'm not going to give his name because I wouldn't recommend him to anyone.

Dude, the thing is that my experience and your experience could be two totally different things. I could have just been singled out and bent over while you could just breeze through without so much as an additional Peso. The thing is that you need to be prepared for anything. Remember that once you commit to your move you can't just say 'I don't want to pay that' and they'll return your goods to the States. If you don't like the amount they are requiring you'll loose your crap for good.

Last thing is the vehicle crap. IT IS A PAIN IN THE ARSE to bring any type of vehicle in to this country. Even with your tax exemption you still have to pay 40% of the assessed value of the vehicle in taxes. They have a hard enough time calculating the value of a Honda Civic can you imagine what they'll do with a Harley Davidson?

Here's what I would do if I were you. Find out how much your Harley is worth new here in the DR. Call the Harley dealership and see if they can give you a price. Take that price (say $20,000) times .40 and that is the price you'll pay in taxes with the exemption.

Lastly, make sure you have insurance HERE on the bike otherwise they will not allow you to take the vehicle off the dock.

Good luck and let me know if you need any other information.

Thanks, You have been very helpful in making a decision on my scooter..Also the other info most likely applies to most of us ...Sorry to hear you had to get F'd in order to share this info....
 

Mad Les

New member
Oct 22, 2006
1
0
0
to ship or not to ship...that is the question

what an eye opener..my wife and I are planning to retire abroad (probably DR) from the UK in 5 years, we plan to buy a house in the next couple of years...I have a couple of questions that relate to this thread...

I own a motorbike, Honda XRV750, which is a big trials bike named the Africa Twin. It is now over 6 years old and will be 10+ when I ship it over. I realise there will be an import tax of 40% ?? of its value but

1. how do I get a valuation that the customs will accept especially as these bikes aren't made anymore...
2. I plan to use a UK shipping company to send all my stuff to the DR in a ships 40 foot container, what extras will I be faced with once it all lands....it will contain all used items, clothes, furniture, petrol lawn mower, tools, books etc etc. doubt we will ship electrical goods as power is different here (240v) there goes the 50inch plasma!!

Yes I know 5 years is a long time but to get it right we will need that long.
Thanks
Les
 

jackieboo

On Vaction without a return ticket!
Mar 18, 2006
362
0
0
what an eye opener..my wife and I are planning to retire abroad (probably DR) from the UK in 5 years, we plan to buy a house in the next couple of years...I have a couple of questions that relate to this thread...

I own a motorbike, Honda XRV750, which is a big trials bike named the Africa Twin. It is now over 6 years old and will be 10+ when I ship it over. I realise there will be an import tax of 40% ?? of its value but

1. how do I get a valuation that the customs will accept especially as these bikes aren't made anymore...
2. I plan to use a UK shipping company to send all my stuff to the DR in a ships 40 foot container, what extras will I be faced with once it all lands....it will contain all used items, clothes, furniture, petrol lawn mower, tools, books etc etc. doubt we will ship electrical goods as power is different here (240v) there goes the 50inch plasma!!

Yes I know 5 years is a long time but to get it right we will need that long.
Thanks
Les

Hi Les:

Things change here on a daily basis so you're correct about 5 years being a long time. As it stands now the DR is staged to enter in to a free trade agreement with the United States and other countries. If and when this agreement is radified the entry laws will change again.

As far as your motorbike is concerned please keep in mind that you can not bring in a vehicle that is over 10 years old. This law applies to motorbikes as well as vehicles. If you're moving in 5 years that will put the bike in the over the hill category.

As far as valuation of the motorbike. The only way to get an acurate valuation is if you have the original receipt for the motorbike. With this receipt the customs department will value the bike accordingly. Without the receipt the customs department will put whatever value they see fit.

Remember that we're choosing to live in a third world country and we just have to roll with the punches.

It'll be interesting to see what's what 5 years from now. Who knows, the country may leap into the first world and we'll all move to the Congo...

Good luck!
 

Chris

Gold
Oct 21, 2002
7,951
28
0
www.caribbetech.com
The customs brokers, even the good ones, also have their problems at the moment. We have a shipment sitting on a ship outside of Puerto Plata. Regular shipments and we've had consistently good experience with the freight forwarder out of New York.

But, the full consolidated freight is sitting on a ship. The ship is not entering the harbor. Reason is, when the freight forwarders went to pre-clear the consolidated shipment, customs coolly informed them that this shipment will take an additional 40 million pesos to clear. There is nothing strange in there, they regularly bring stuff for us and other businesses, they consolidate well, they containerize well and their paperwork is in order.

The last we heard is that the freight forwarders / consolidators / brokers will simply try and outwait aduana. They think that if they simply say no and wait a while, they will wear aduana down and negotiate a more realistic rate.

Our customers are waiting for their goods and hoping that they will not have to pay up to three times the value of the cif invoice for customs duties. It is getting ugly out there. We are trying to run a business without shipping anything in, until DRCafta becomes a reality.

At this stage, don't ship anything larger than a pin if you can afford not to. Some of the big supermercados are also reducing their shipments in. You will be finding special goodies disappearing off the shelves, as we saw at the end of the Hippo administration. It is a wait and see period. Damn! I hate aduana and their methods of fleecing good DR businesses.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
191
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38
yahoomail.com
He is just being helpful "Fish"!!!!
HIS Company only takes 5 years to ship to the DR, not 6 like the "Other Guy's Companies"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not-to-worry,"WUD's Axe", will soon soon, "Behead Him"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Wud" is on California time.
Can You Spell "BANNED????"
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