When you decide to live or retire full-time in the Dominican Republic, a crucial part of this transition involves deciding whether to ship your personal items, household goods, vehicles, and furniture to the country.
We’ve had clients do both. Either way you go, you need to devise a plan.
If you decide to sell off, donate, or put items in storage, start dealing with this now. Start listing items on eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace. Or you could do a garage sale.
You can list more oversized items like your car, television, or furniture on these platforms, but you’d be selling to folks in your local area who can pick the items up from home. You don’t want to deal with the cost of shipping a TV or car out of state.
If you decide to ship to the DR, do your research on reputable shipping companies and the requirements and documentation for customs now.
Also, you’ve got to keep in mind the costs involved in shipping goods internationally, including packing, insurance, import taxes, transport to the DR, and then delivery to your home, all of which can add up quickly.
The total shipping costs will start at $1K and could go up to as much as $10,000.
If you are a Dominican resident, depending on your category, you could be exempt from import taxes on your personal items and qualify for a reduction of import taxes on your vehicle.
You must also consider the risk of damage or loss to your items in transit. On top of that, you need to mentally prepare, as the logistics of shipping internationally are complex and can be stressful and time-consuming.
Again, whatever you decide, it is essential to have a plan and to start early, at least six (6) months to a year before your anticipated move date.
Check out the article here to learn more about Dominican import duty taxes: What you should know about Import Duty Taxes when moving to the Dominican Republic
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Maria Abreu is the CEO and Managing Attorney of Abreu & Associates, a law firm practicing exclusively in Dominican Republic Immigration and Nationality law. She is also the founder of Retire and Invest DR. This organization hosts conference events for foreigners interested in living, retiring, and investing in the DR. You can contact Maria at: mabreu@abreuimmigration.com.