bringing in car as a foreigner

[askgod]

My husband and I will be moving to the DR as missionaries in June and we want to bring our 2001 Mitsubishi Montero with us because we know it's value there as compared to in the U.S. I was told it can come in even being over 5 years old but I had to have a residency. I can't get a residency visa unless I can prove I have basically $15,000 and we don't have that much cash. Does anyone know of any other way we can bring our car in?

Also, as a foreigner what paperwork do I need to receive a cedula and can I get one in the US before moving?

Thanks!

[Conchman]

The residency and cedula will take some time, importing the car without customs duty using the residency exemption is a legal/beauracratic nightmare, with many government officials waiting for 'hand-outs' to do get things done. Unless you have some good connections, I would recommend to sell the car in the US and buy another car here in the DR.

By the time you add shipping, insurance, customs handling, cargo fees, loading and unloading fees and legal/government workers fees, you will have paid more. And thats not counting the headaches of dealing with these pirates, trips to Santo Domingo, etc.

[askgod]

Thanks! Well we had been told by a lady in Customs that if we had residency we could get the car in for free.

Can I get a cedula without going thru the residency process?

[Conchman]

Originally Posted by askgod

Thanks! Well we had been told by a lady in Customs that if we had residency we could get the car in for free.

Can I get a cedula without going thru the residency process?

The customs duy is free, but you still need to pay for shipping, documents handling, freight insurance, loading and unloading, etc etc etc etc. There will be hidden fees coming out of the woodwork like maggots from a carcass.

Then, once you get the ball rolling, you will need to give 'tips' to get any sort of movement by anyone in this process. Whenever someone tells you 'no problem' that usually means at the end, there will be problems.

Now there might be people who know people in customs that you could make this happen for you, for relatively cheap. Its all about 'who you know' here. Without connections, I wouldnt touch this process with a ten foot pole.

No, you cannot get a cedula without residency, as a foreigner.

[santa110xyz]

tax free only with residency there are no exemptions. and as i am recall, but not 100 % sure, there are restrictions on importing a vehicle older than 5 years without residency.
nevertheless, if you know someone, who could check with rentas internas how much tax it will cost. Model and year this person needs that's all.
they are pretty organized with it nowadays.
to this estimation you add what conchman wrote; add shipping, insurance, customs handling, cargo fees, loading and unloading fees and legal/government workers fees; and after adding all these numbers the result will make you faint.
It is really not worth the hassle!
i need to say conchman is totally right!

[rhino r]

If you decide to buy here I have a fine used all wheel drive that I'll be selling in June. You can send me a private message if you want details.

[TheHun]

Originally Posted by askgod

Thanks! Well we had been told by a lady in Customs that if we had residency we could get the car in for free.

Can I get a cedula without going thru the residency process?

This is NOT TRUE!!

I just imported my car back in September- with residency in process and still ended up to pay a $hitload of BS tax.
The tax free vehicle import is not for residents, but only for returning dominicans!!! So even with my residency discounts (60%) I had to pay (3 yo Toyota 4Runner) almost US$ 7000 for taxes and about US$ 3000 for the first registration fee ( I was told, that reg.fee is 17% for ANY vehicle that comes into the DR either by dealers or private persons) total a little over 10G.
So this the most expensive lic. plate that I ever had.
BTW, I called many custom agents and they told me about a $ 2000 +/- cost...It was only 8K more -with a 60% discount.
So please, DON'T DO THAT!! They will charge you a bunch of taxes that you won't be able to pay- than they will take your car away.
If you believe them instead of me, please ask a written statement from the Custom dept. and ask them to sign it by the head of the dept. or some high rank person and seal it with all the stamps they have. Than you will be in LESS trouble.
In the DR government officials are not responsible at all to tell you the truth,
actually their advantage is to confuse you or lie so they can collect "fees" to help you out from the deep crap that they put you in the first place.
Are you planning to move here permanently, or just a temporary mission?
If it's only for a year or two, you might have some other option to bring your car here.
Good luck with your move!

The Hun

[Conchman]

Originally Posted by TheHun

This is NOT TRUE!!

I just imported my car back in September- with residency in process and still ended up to pay a $hitload of BS tax.
The tax free vehicle import is not for residents, but only for returning dominicans!!! So even with my residency discounts (60%) I had to pay (3 yo Toyota 4Runner) almost US$ 7000 for taxes and about US$ 3000 for the first registration fee ( I was told, that reg.fee is 17% for ANY vehicle that comes into the DR either by dealers or private persons) total a little over 10G.
So this the most expensive lic. plate that I ever had.
BTW, I called many custom agents and they told me about a $ 2000 +/- cost...It was only 8K more -with a 60% discount.
So please, DON'T DO THAT!! They will charge you a bunch of taxes that you won't be able to pay- than they will take your car away.
If you believe them instead of me, please ask a written statement from the Custom dept. and ask them to sign it by the head of the dept. or some high rank person and seal it with all the stamps they have. Than you will be in LESS trouble.
In the DR government officials are not responsible at all to tell you the truth,
actually their advantage is to confuse you or lie so they can collect "fees" to help you out from the deep crap that they put you in the first place.
Are you planning to move here permanently, or just a temporary mission?
If it's only for a year or two, you might have some other option to bring your car here.
Good luck with your move!

The Hun

this is the kind of sheninagans i was talking about. They will trick, lie, and cheat their way into squeezing you dry like a lemon.