Hello all - we bought a holiday home in RP and would like to bring in a few pieces of furniture for it, small table, some paintings that my father in law painted, a rug and some dishware. The info I received from the gov't says if I want to avoid paying duty I have to apply for and pay for a permit plus hire a broker at the border and bring it in all at once. Has anyone had experience bringing furniture in? It sounds like a complex process vs I had hoped to just bring a few items in my car over a couple of trips.
Hello all - we bought a holiday home in RP and would like to bring in a few pieces of furniture for it, small table, some paintings that my father in law painted, a rug and some dishware. The info I received from the gov't says if I want to avoid paying duty I have to apply for and pay for a permit plus hire a broker at the border and bring it in all at once. Has anyone had experience bringing furniture in? It sounds like a complex process vs I had hoped to just bring a few items in my car over a couple of trips.
Thanks Jim. I have that info about the formal permit process to allow it to be duty free. I was curious about people's experience about bringing in an item or two and just declaring it at the border vs going through this whole process above.
small items that can be placed in your car inconspicuously unless they search your car, can be brought in. I have brought various other items by disassembly It took me several years of monthly visits to get everything small I wanted in my house.
If you are bringing them in by trailer then you will have to stop at the border and declare
Thanks Jim. I have that info about the formal permit process to allow it to be duty free. I was curious about people's experience about bringing in an item or two and just declaring it at the border vs going through this whole process above.
We take household items down on a regular basis. If it's small stuff or just a few items we scatter them out of sight throughout the vehicle and just drive through. If you get a red light they don't seem to care about a couple of items and probably won't notice them anyway. I assume that's because you are permitted to import $50/person worth of personal use stuff duty free. If you are bringing a truck load of stuff, pull over and declare it. I posted this on an earlier thread.
At Lukeville crossing, cross the border and turn left and park along the fence before going through Mexican inspection. Go to the small building in the middle of the road just before the inspection area and tell them you have items to declare. They will come out and inspect your stuff and ask for receipts to determine value. If you don't have receipts, make some up before you leave home with realistic values. You will be charged a 16% importation tax payable to the inspector. Best to have pesos to pay the tax because their exchange rate isn't the best. They also accept credit cards at the current exchange rate but you will be charged a foreign transaction fee by your bank. Do not exceed $3k in total merchandise or they will require a customs broker. Very easy, professional, business transaction.
Does anyone know how they would treat a couple of dressers I'm trailering down Thursday night.
They are 15 years old and were originally purchased in Mexico.
What time does the customs building close? I'm going through around 8PM.
Thx
Years back some folks I knew bought an old commercial size, like a bread delivery van, loaded it like it was an RV,, stove, fridge, cabinets, etc and furnished their house in San Carlos !! They sold the van there there too
I have brought stuff down over the last 12 yr for 4 condo. Furniture I let a commercial person deal with but for dishes and pots a pan and bedding I keep the receipts and pay duty. Brought 2 chairs down last time and just forget about them.
Since the 2 dressers are used and show some wear, I'm going to trailer them down and wing it at customs.
I will say "segunda mano", "usado" and "antiguo" a lot. (second hand, used and old) I will see where that gets me.
I am hoping I get the green light and that the customs office closes before 7pm. But I do have pesos just in case.
Green light or not you prolly will get pulled over anyway
If they are on a trailer...
Agree, and then you never know if you can "unofficially" buy your way out of it or get penalized for not declaring your merchandise and pay the inflated amount. I prefer to pull over and declare my stuff, show them realistic receipts, get my $50 per person credit, and pay the 16% importation tax on the balance. But that's just me...
I brought new indoor furniture, patio furniture, two A/C units, a huge steel fire pit, basically a load every time I've crossed in the last year and a half. I had original facturas for everything just in case. Got a red light every time since I was pulling my boat. They never had any interest inside the truck or in the bed, only the boat, trailer and related paperwork. This was at the San Luis Sonora crossing. I almost always see people being turned back to AZ usually pulling a small trailer with an appliance or some furniture. I think they are overwhelmed by the boat and kinda forget the other stuff. Also, most of the time I can't even pull into the aduana area because I can't make the turn and they have to do the inspection in one of the entry lanes that I kinda block from all incoming traffic.
If the furniture is old I would make up a receipt for them for about $100 or so and pay the duty on the difference between what you are allowed and the $100. Cheap date to avoid problems
That's what I did, but it was never needed. The agent wasn't interested in the armoire I had on my trailer. Now I wish I took a little more with. Not too greedy though. Lol
The important thing is to treat everyone with respect and don't be an ugly know it all US citizen. It does not matter what you read or what someone told you, the people at the border have a lot of latitude. Try out your Spanish, they appreciate your efforts.
The important thing is to treat everyone with respect and don't be an ugly know it all US citizen. It does not matter what you read or what someone told you, the people at the border have a lot of latitude. Try out your Spanish, they appreciate your efforts.
And don't forget to mention Donal Trump for the V.I.P. treatment.
Boy do I miss the old days where a $20-40 tip usually took care of getting stuff across the border.
JJ, the Aduana check at San Luis is a really tight turn.
LOL, I think the "tip method" still applies depending on the circumstances. I cross the border daily in Nogales and they are usually much more interested in Mexican nationals crossing big ticket items or bulk purchases (aka suitcases full of Aeropostale T-Shirts for re-sale). I always have receipts ready just in case and plead ignorance in fake broken Spanish (I'm fluent) if pressed at a red light. But, as with many things in life, it depends a lot on your risk tolerance.