SHIPPING CONSIDERATIONS
Duty
The personal and household effects of a person entering to take up employment or residency for a period in excess of 12 months are admitted duty free. (Although they must be imported within six months of arrival otherwise duty will be applied.) These include a reasonable quantity of wearing apparel and instruments and tools of trade. Household effects must have been in use and ownership for at least six months. If not, duty can range from 10–25% depending on the commodity. It is advisable to keep the receipts for anything bought in the last six months. If you bought the item from a ‘thrift shop’ at a “steal”, you need to prove it to avoid the customs agent assigning a value. You must show proof of residency, the work permit stamp in your passport or a valid work permit ID card. We recommend you take your passport with you – without a stamp in your passport for either permanent residence or a one year work permit your household items will not be imported at nil duty value. The exemption does not apply to motor vehicles, for which there is a sliding scale of duty rates depending on value. Also note that there is a new environmental fee on all imported vehicles (CI$250), tyres and motorbikes.
Most merchandise sent to you by mail-order is subject to a 20% duty. All gifts sent to you by family and friends which Customs value at over CI$50 will be charged a 20% duty fee. Books, cameras, musical instruments, leather bags and watches are duty free. For a complete list of dutiable items and tariffs see the following website: www.caymanislandscustoms.com.
Storage
There are at least four storage companies which offer cement block storage units with roll up doors. Call in advance as there can be a waiting list at times. Refer to the ‘Warehousing’ section of the Cayman Islands Yellow Pages for listings.
Shipping
Having your personal items shipped to or from the Cayman Islands can be done in a number of different ways, though due to price and size the usual route is by sea. You can arrange the shipping yourself through a shipping company – Seaboard Marine Cayman or Thompson Shipping/Tropical or in the US/Europe a customs broker/freight forwarder can arrange export documents and delivery of the cargo to the carrier. A reputable company in the UK that handles shipments and consolidations to Grand Cayman is Ocean Express. They also have offices in Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Spain and other European countries. They have contacts in Cayman and throughout the Caribbean.
You can also consolidate your personal items in Miami and have it shipped down later. The following are freight forwarders based in Miami who are in the business of helping people ship their goods to Cayman:
Best Way Island Exports
Tel: (305) 468 9300
Contact: Robert Sterling
Email: bwislandexport@aol.com
Thompson Line
Tel: (305) 913 8226
Contact: Ellis Dixon
Oceanic Freight
Tel: (305) 888 1200
Contact: Neil Rubenstein
Seaboard Marine
Tel: (305) 863 4741
Contact: Maliqua Cartar
Once your goods have been shipped we recommend you appoint a customs broker to clear your goods on your behalf and deliver them to your house upon arrival in the Cayman Islands. For importing cars see the Transportation chapter. Please note that your household items will be shipped to the Island either in a 20 ft. container, a 40 ft. container or if they are less than container load (LCL) they will be consolidated with other shipments. (See Customs Clearance for the cost of clearing full containers through Cayman Customs.)
International Movers & Custom Brokers:
Cayman Islands Customs Agency (CICA)
Tel: (345) 949 2350 Fax: (345) 949 5240
Miracle Brokers
Tel: (345) 949 5989 Fax: (345) 949 0438
Email: miracle@candw.ky
Sta-Mar Enterprises Ltd.
Tel: (345) 949 2399 Fax: (345) 949 7003
Email: stamar@candw.ky
Excess Baggage, Air Cargo & Freight Consolidating
If you are only bringing your personal effects with you, other options worth considering are using your airline’s excess baggage allowance or Cayman Airways Cargo.
Check with your airline to ascertain their excess baggage allowances. Cayman Airways allows each passenger to check up to eight pieces. Two pieces are the regular allowance. Additional pieces within the dimension and weight allowances of 62 linear inches and up to 70lbs are $75 each. Pieces over this weight and dimension are charged at between $75 and $200 each. Please note that any bag in excess of 80 linear inches and over 99lbs in weight must be sent by air cargo. As an example of a US carrier allowance, American Airlines allows two ‘free’ pieces of baggage and then an additional three pieces which are charged at US$80 per piece. Each bag must not be more than 50lbs and a maximum of 62 linear inches. Consult your air carriers’ website or call their customer service department to clarify these details prior to your departure.
Cayman Airways Cargo shipment services can prove to be a very cost-effective shipping option if you are moving from the US. You need to deliver the pieces, packed for shipping, to the cargo area of the airport. Once they are delivered to Cayman, you will either need to arrange collection with a customs broker or do it yourself. This is also a very good option to keep in mind when you go on shopping trips to the US. It can be a very convenient method to get your new purchases back. For general cargo, shipping time is usually two to three days. This offers the best possible air cargo rate for non-urgent items. They also offer expedited service options. See www.caymanairways.com/cargo/index for more information on shipping rates. Operating hours Mon–Sun 8.30am to 7pm, freighter flights run Tues–Thurs at 10am. Drop off 2pm the day before.
Cayman Airways Cargo Export Office
Tel: (305) 526 3190
Customs Clearance
Clearing your household effects through Customs is actually quite painful! Knowing where to go; what paperwork you need; how to fill it out; waiting for inspection officers and 101 other little things that need to be sorted is more of a headache than you will first imagine. We absolutely recommend that you pay a customs broker to do it (costs about CI$40–$75 and some charge a percentage of local disbursements). If you are brave enough to handle this process yourself, it is as follows:
> Once your shipment has arrived, collect your bill of lading from the shipping company.
>Take all paperwork to the Customs Department near the airport; (this must include insurance documents, export documents, customs import entry form, bill of lading, an itemized list of contents and value, and a copy of your passport showing your work permit stamp).
>Arrange for an inspection time for a Customs officer to inspect your items.
>Go to the Port Authority on Portland Road in the Industrial Park to get port clearance of your goods and pay any port fees (for a 20 ft. container the fee is CI$500; for a 40 ft. container CI$970 and for less than container load (LCL) you’ll have to ask.
>Pick up your goods from the warehouse. Hours: 8am to 4.30pm.
