Trinidad and Tobago - Apply for Tax and Duty Waivers

Advertisement

Procedure

• You must first hire a Custom Broker to fill out the Customs forms - C82 and/or C84. You can find a Customs Broker in the Trinidad and Tobago telephone directory.
• You must then apply for duty relief by sending a letter to the Comptroller of Customs. The letter should list the items you wish to import and the reason you qualify for tax and duty waivers.
• Refer to the "Required Documents" section in this page for the required documentations needed.

Advertisement

Required Documents

Returning residents who wish to import their vehicles must submit the following to the Comptroller of Customs, along with their letter and customs forms:

• Proof of ownership (bill of sale, registration certificate, Certificate of Title, insurance certificate or official certificate from country of origin) of the vehicle.
• Customs Declaration form (C82) (broker fills this out based on information you provide).
• C84 form (filled out by your Broker based on the information you provide).
• Bill of Lading, provided by the shipping company.
• Declaration before a Commissioner of Affidavits or Justice of the Peace expressing an intention to reside in Trinidad and Tobago, confirming that the vehicle may not be sold or transferred within two years of the importation, and that the vehicle is for personal use. Please note that commissioners of affidavits may be contacted by searching the Commissioner of Affidavits section of the yellow pages of your Trinidad and Tobago telephone directory.

Note that exemptions are allowed on only one vehicle per person. If a family is returning to Trinidad and Tobago with more than one vehicle, each car must be registered to a different family member in order to access the tax and duty waivers on them all. The vehicle must be imported within six months prior to or after you return to Trinidad and Tobago.

For Diplomats, please note that in addition to the processes and documents outlined above, it is also necessary for diplomats to produce to the Customs and Excise Division proof of their diplomatic status as evident in documents provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (usually a letter received on arrival in the country or shortly thereafter).

For Charitable organisations, sporting bodies, corporations and other customers, you must send a letter to the Comptroller of Customs that indicates the type of activity that your organisation is engaged in, that the efforts of the organisation are non-profit, and how the duty relief would benefit the wider public. In addition to this letter, the following documents must be submitted:

• Copy of letter authorizing charitable organisation status (for charitable organisations). Please follow the link below for information on obtaining charitable organisation status.
• Evidence of the value of the items (invoice, etc).
• Letters from sponsors attesting to the charitable nature of the items.
• Copy of approved licence to import.

Office Locations & Contacts

The letter should be sent to:

The Comptroller of Customs

Customs and Excise Division

Custom House

Nicholas Court

Corner Abercromby Street and Independence Square

Port of Spain

Trinidad, West Indies

Tel. (868) 625-3311-9

Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

Eligibility

Returning nationals are eligible to import personal and household items and vehicles at reduced rates of duty. To qualify, you must:

• Be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, a former citizen of Trinidad and Tobago or the spouse of a citizen or former citizen.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have been resident overseas for at least five consecutive years, as evident by valid original passport or employment records.
• Be returning to Trinidad and Tobago to reside permanently.

Diplomats are eligible to have all taxes and duties waived on all imported items, provided that the items leave the country when they do. Should the items remain, all duties and taxes from which they were initially exempt must be paid in full, except in cases where the items remain in the possession of the high commission or embassy.

For Charitable organisations, sporting bodies, corporations and other customers, tax and duty can be waived on goods imported for a charitable purpose, or for use in a not-for-profit enterprise.

Fees

There are no fees associated with this application process.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents which can be used by people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Processing Time

Please explain the processing your application.    

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

Please provide instructions on obtaining the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required Information

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or County of Birth.

Need for the Document

There are various tax and duty concessions available to returning nationals, diplomats, corporations, charitable organisations , sporting bodies and religious organisations involved in importing household effects, goods and vehicles. However, the extent of relief and process for accessing the waivers vary from group to group.

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

http://www.gov.tt/gortt/portal/ttconnect/!ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3jvQCMDU09LYwP_QANLA6MgT0NXA1NvY3c_M6B8JLJ8kLsbUN7V1NDDO8zYwMCAgO7g1Dz9cJCduFU5maPLY9oBkjfAARwN9P088nNT9QtyIyo8s0wUAZM2s30!/dl2/d1/L0lDU0lKSWdrbUEhIS9JRFJBQUlpQ2dBek15cXchL1lCSkoxTkExTkk1MC01RncvN19LUTIwNUk5MzBHOVUxMDJSUUFON0pJMzRQMy8wX3RZUjU0MzcwMzYw/?WCM_PORTLET=PC_7_KQ205I930G9U102RQAN7JI34P3_WCM&WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=http://wcmprodhttp.ttconnect.gov.tt/gortt/wcm/connect/GorTT%20Web%20Content/ttconnect/citizen/role/abusinessperson/taxes/registering+for+charitable+organisation+status

Others

More information which might help people.