Bringing in a Vehicle to Stay (revised, May 2004)

If you are going to stay in Belize, you might as well pay the duty, and skip the hassle you will get every time you cross the border.  Here is the current (May 2004) schedule of duty for personal vehicles. These taxes cascade. I.e. the sales tax is computed on the total of price, base and "Large surcharge," each computed on the previous total.  Then, a 1 per cent "Plastic Tax" is added to every deal. Add 1 per cent of the original base value. This is to (theoretically) cover the cost of cleaning up plastic packaging on imported products.  

Note (2006)  These rates agree with the rates shown here.  They may be out of date!

This duty is calculated on THEIR assessment of the value of your vehicle.  The fact that you might have paid $7500 for a vehicle doesn't make any difference, if the "blue book" value appears to be $10,000.[Note 1]  Here are the calculated duties for a $10,000 vehicle. 

SUV's are considered Autos, not trucks. 

Vans which hold less than 10 passengers are regarded as Autos.  If they hold 10 passengers or more, they are treated as trux. Busses are another matter; see the Customs website. 

If you think this is exorbitant, you should read the facts here.

I am indebted to Steve Kuylen (pronounced Kway-lon) and his crew for these figures.  Steve is, IMHO, the best customs broker at the Santa Elena (Northern) border.  You can call Steve at 501-422-3869 if you have questions about any customs issues. 

If you'd like to see the government presentation on these duties, click here.

Note 1:  The "Blue Book" is actually the NADA guide (http://www3.nadaguides.com)  which is yellow!  You can get an appraisal on your car here.. 

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