Working from DR - Customs/Duty/Shipping

jgeewax · #1 09-03-2009, 11:51 PM

Hi,

I'm not sure if this should go under the Legal section of the site, but since I'm visiting on a tourist visa, I'm hoping that someone on this forum will be able to help me out.

Some background:

I am a software developer living in the US (US citizen). I spent 4 months last year in DR working remotely and loved it, and I'm planning to spend another 3-4 months this coming year working remotely. Last time I survived with just my personal laptop, and this time I'd like to set up a bit more of a home office, which I'd bring back with me when I return to the states.

Things I'd like to bring:
2 LCD monitors (leased from Dell through my company)
1 tiny desktop (again, leased from Dell, very tiny: http://i.dell.com/resize.aspx/deskto...-panel-500/295, just that tiny thing to the left)
Small wireless router
Keyboard, mouse, etc
(Personal) Laptop

All of the hardware is used, nothing is brand new. Everything is used, and everything except my personal laptop is leased from Dell through my company.

If I'd like to bring these things into the country with me, and then leave with them at the end of my stay, what kind of customs/duty issues will I run into?

After duty costs are figured out, what is the best way to get it to DR? Could I ship it Fedex/UPS? Or maybe pay the extra airline fees for having extra checked luggage? I'd be flying into Puerto Plata, not Santo Domingo, customs seemed pretty lax...

Next, if there are going to be fees, is there a company that I can pay extra to handle all the customs clearance and fees for me? If not, how do I go about paying the fee? Do I just ship it, then drive somewhere to pick it up and pay the customs officer to release it to me?

Finally, when returning from DR, will the US give me trouble bringing the hardware back?

Thanks in advance, and if you need any clarification feel free to reply to this post.

PrincesseEm · #2 09-08-2009, 12:37 AM

I brought in two laptops last week - one that stayed in the country and one that came back with me. Both were brand new at the time, still in the box. I flew into Punta Cana and had them both in my carry on bag - no additional questions from customs at all...they just treated me like a normal gringa.