SHIPPING A CAR TO JAMAICA

The current vehicle import restrictions for Jamaica ONLY allow:

1. Vehicles less than 6 years old.
2. Vehicles more than 30 years old.
3. Vehicles imported for temporary tourism.
4. Vehicles imported for military persons.
5. Vehicles imported for diplomatic persons.
6. Vehicles imported for returning resident.

We have weekly ocean transportation services either via economical RORO transportation from Newark, NJ, Baltimore, MD, Wilmington, DE, Jacksonville, FL, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Miami, FL, and Houston, TX. For more expensive vehicles, we also have safe, enclosed ocean container transport services from our warehouse in Miami. We also have trucking services anywhere in the United States to pick up your car and bring it to any US shipping port or our warehouses.

If you would like to receive a quotation for the cost to ship your vehicle from one of these locations, please enter your information on our quotation form on this page and one of our representatives will contact you. If you have other questions and would like to speak to one of our representatives, please call our offices during business hours 9am to 6pm, Monday through Saturday, New York time zone, (781) 763-7447.

Shipping A Car to Jamaica from the United States is fairly simple and affordable compared to most other international destinations. It may, however, be complicated and challenging if you don't have an understanding of the process and a reputable auto shipping company to guide you.

Restrictions on shipping a vehicle to Jamaica :

• • Before shipping an auto to Jamaica , note that Jamaica vehicle importing agencies requires that your vehicle passes the vehicle emissions test, and this must be completed 2 months before your vehicle arrives Jamaica  There are 2 options for shipping a car to Jamaica Temporary or Permanent import.  Shipping a vehicle to Jamaica by non-residents are subject to customs taxes after a period of 3 months (Note that the time begins counting after you enter the country, not after your vehicle enters the country).  If you have just bought a new car, you must ensure that your name is listed on the front of the Title as the registered owner. If the car has been sold, then the Seller and Buyer would have to sign the back of the Title in the spaces as provided on the back of the Title. Also note that for safety reasons, the vehicle being imported cannot have more than a ¼ tank of gas.

• • The following are the steps for shipping an auto to Jamaica for temporary import:
    1. 1. Fill out the form for temporary import which will be given you by the Jamaica customs
    1. 1. Present copies and originals of all your documents as listed above
    1. 1. If you're a Citizen of Jamaica , you will have to provide proof of residency
    1. 1. Be prepared to pay some little fees for the temporary import permission, $25 at a special customs window and $15 to the Jamaica National Insurance Institute (note that both fees are subject to change).

• • For transporting a car to Jamaica for permanent import, you will need to first and foremost, contact a Jamaica Customs agent - he should guide you through the procedure. You may however, choose to follow the procedure outlined below:
    1. 1. You will need to produce the following documents along with the ones listed earlier;
    • • Commercial Invoice
    • • Bill of Lading
    2. 2. Understand that the import taxes on Jamaica vehicle imports tend to be higher than those charged by other countries.
    • • For vehicles 3 years or newer, the taxed percentage is 52.29%
    • • For vehicles 4-5 years old, the taxed percentage is 63.91%
    • • For vehicles older than 5 years, the taxed percentage is 79.03%
    1. 3. Next, you will need to determine the value of your vehicle. This can be calculated by taking the total of the bill of sale, showing what you have paid for the vehicle plus all shipping and insurance charges, often referred to as C.I.F (Cost, Insurance, and Freight)

Age Restrictions on Jamaica Vehicle Imports:

Depending on the type of vehicle you would like to import, such as cars, motorcycles, light trucks, or commercial trucks, the country of Jamaica has established age restrictions for each type of vehicle.  For the most up to date information on age restrictions on Vehicle, you can visit the Jamaica Trade Board Website, here.

Required Documents for transporting a vehicle to Jamaica:

• • Passport

• • Driver's License

• • Vehicle registration certificate

• • Title of ownership with no liens on the Title

• • If you're not the owner of the vehicle, an authorization from the owner allowing the vehicle to be imported into another country must be provided. It must be notarized and certified by a Jamaica consulate

• • Temporary use certificate

• • Certified emissions test

• • Bill of lading

Import Duty:

Import duties are usually charged depending on the reason why you are transporting an auto to Jamaica . For a Jamaica resident who bought a car in the USA and needs to ship it and for an American who retired and now resides in Jamaica , wanting to ship his car, they both have to pay import duty. However, for a tourist wanting to ship his car from the USA to Jamaica and drive back, he won't have to pay import duty.

For more information on the rules and restrictions regarding imported motor vehicles, you may contact the  Jamaica Trade Board Website.

For more information regarding taxes imposed on imported vehicles, you may visit the Jamaica Tax Administration.