The following documents are sent from the Country of Origin to be reviewed by a Customs Officer:
- Invoice
- Certificate Title/Salvage Certificate -- The Salvage Certificate indicates if the vehicle have been wrecked.
The following documents prepared locally are taken to Customs for approval:
- Invoice
- Bill of Lading
- Customs Declaration
- Bill of Sale
- Freight Bill
- Certificate of Ownership
- Telegraphic Transfer - which proves that the money was sent from St. Kitts
Shipping Agent
The approved documents are then taken to the Shipping Agent for confirmation of the shipment time and date. The following documents have to be stamped by the Shipping Agent.
The Agent Lodges the entry at the Customs Longroom
The Agent or Importer is required to carry the prepared documents to the Customs Department.
The Evaluation Process
An evaluation is perform on the vehicle, this evaluation should be done at 10am or 2pm daily except Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
Evaluation of vehicles is necessary to determine:
- General condition
- The age of the vehicle
- Make (manufacture)
- Model
- Year
- Engine & Chassis #
- Cylinder & Cc's
- Transmission
- Manual
- Automatic
- Mileage & Automatic
- Color
- Consignment
- Origin
After checking for these factors if everything is Ok the Customs Officer then signs the invoice to show that an evaluation has been performed on the vehicle. If the Customs Officer is not satisfied with the invoice or other documents produced a Bill of Sight is filled out as a substitute for the invoice.
Levy is then paid on the vehicle:
- 4 years or more after the date of manufacture -- $5000 EC
- 2 years or more but less than four years after the date of manufacture -- $3500 EC
- less than 2 years -- $1000 EC
The entry then goes through the Customs Procedures from the Vetting & Attestation to the Warehousing Officer.
Procedures at Dock
The Port Officer checks the documentation, then he fills out a Port form that gives indication of the correct vehicle that is to be released. The Port Officer also issues out a Gate Pass to the customer as approval for the vehicle to be released.
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