Barbados Customs Regulations

BARBADOS CUSTOMS REGULATIONS

Household goods and personal effects - non nationals
Customs clearance and delivery
New furniture - commercial / personal
Vehicle Import / Export: Restrictions / Requirements / Duty / Excise tax
Boats
Plants
Meat
Pet Handling /Barbados Veterinary Division
Alcohol
Prohibited Items
Temporary Importation
Diplomatic Shipments

Household Goods and Personal Effects – Non nationals

Customs Clearance and Delivery
Clearance and delivery of imports can take approximately three (3) to five (5) working days once all documentation is in order. Client must be available for customs interview prior to the release of goods and declare the contents to the customs officer. All items that are new or purchased within the last year, or unused items will be subject to duty liability.

Following the customs interview, an appointment is made for a further physical examination by a customs officer at the residence of the client.

Note: customs travelling fees apply to goods examined during 8.30am – 4.30pm.
Overtime customs and travelling fees apply to goods examined after hours.

New Furniture – Commercial/ Personal
Importation of new furniture is subject to duties and taxes as follows:-

Description	Duty	Environmental levy	VAT (valued added tax)
Wooden	60%	3%	15%
Metal	20%	3%	15%

Note: Special concessions apply for hotels and guesthouses only, under the tourism development act 2002-2007

Vehicles – Destination/ Origin Services

The following information is required in order to import or export vehicles

Original ship’s bill of lading showing year, make, model, engine, chassis number, engine capacity.
Certificate of title/ log book/ proof of ownership.
Commercial invoice from supplier (new) or recent valuation (used) from an accredited firm / valuer

Note: all vehicles (autos, motor cycles, boats) packed into containers or co-loaded with household goods must be packed last for mandatory removal at the port to enable customs inspection and valuation prior to clearance.

Note: vehicles must be cleaned and all debris removed from tyres.

Restrictions and Requirements - Barbados:

Vehicles must not be older than four (4) years from date of manufacture or have odometers reading under 50, 000km except in the following instances;
Returning national – there are no restrictions on age or mileage once all criteria outlined under returning national guidelines are met. Duty free concessions will apply.
Diplomatic - there are no restrictions once bone fide status has been approved. Duty free concessions will apply.

Rates of duty on vehicles

Import duty – 45% on all vehicles
Environmental levy – approximately USD$750.00
Value added tax (VAT) - 15%

Excise tax on vehicles

Commercial Invoice + Freight (cif) and duty liability = chargeable value

Schedule according to chargeable value – BDS$45,000.00 (USD$23,077.00)

Excise Tax on Vehicles
Engine CCs	EXCISE TAX % Under 45,000	EXCISE TAX % Over 45,000
1500	46.95%	64.35%
1501 - 1599	46.95%	93.73%
1600 - 1799	76.34%	93.73%
1800 - 2000	76.34%	120%
2001 - 3000	76.34%	120%
Over 3000	76.34%	120%

Note: Customs regulations vary according to the vehicle country of origin.

Boats
An import permit must be issued by the price control division of the Ministry of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development prior to the importation of boats.

Plants
An import permit must be issued by Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Plant Quarantine Division prior to importation of live plants.

Meat
A health certificate must be obtained and meat inspected by the Port Health Authority.

Pet Handling
Specific requirements, including a current health certificate and import permit must be issued by the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Veterinary Division prior to importation of your pet.

Address:

Dr. Maitland and Dr. Trotman
Ministry of Agriculture
The Pine
St. Michael, Barbados

Tel: (246) 427 5073/5492

The export health certificate should be issued within three days of arrival and the import permit can be applied for no later than three days prior to arrival in Barbados, by the government vet in Barbados as stated above.

Accompanied Pets:
On arrival you are to proceed through customs and immigration, during this time our customs broker will handle the customs clearance. You will need to make your way to the veterinary services’ receiving centre (arc) for collection of your pet. Private clearing is not allowed.

Unaccompanied Pets:
Your pet will be taken to the Veterinary Services Receiving Centre (ARC). Our customs broker will make arrangements to clear the pet.

Alcohol
Importation of alcohol is limited to one (1) litre. Anything in excess will be subject to duties and taxes, with the exception as follows:-

Diplomatic shipments are exempt from duties and taxes (see more information under diplomatic shipments)

Prohibited Items
Firearms & Ammunication: Strict guidelines must be followed for the importation of firearms and ammunition and are enforced as follows:-

Approval of police and government permits
Issue of import permit

Temporary Importation
Temporary importation has very specific requirements by local customs. Barbados does not subscribe to the international carnet. A customs bond/ guarantee must be established and backed by a local financial institution for the value of the duty liability on the shipment. This will permit the goods to enter Barbados without payment of duties and taxes and re-export. No transfer of currency is required. Any items not re-exported will be subject to duties and taxes.

Note: to calculate duty liability on a shipment you must provide an invoice with full description of the items with values and freight charges.(cif)

Diplomatic Shipments
Diplomatic status will be determined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on presentation of the client’s accreditation; and customs entry documents must be countersigned before customs clearance can be completed.

Approval from the ministry of foreign affairs takes approximately five (5) to seven (7) working days. Once approval has been granted duty free status will apply.