Organize your move to Barbados

I recently moved to Barbados from Canada and brought alot of my household items with me.  Things here are definitely alot more expensive.  When you ship your used personal items you don't pay duty.  However, if you're bringing a vehicle you pay 45% duty on the value of the car so it would be better to buy one here.

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to send me a message

Thanks for your contribution beachchick!

Harmonie.

Hello,

We are moving to barbados in June ( a family of 4) from toronto as my husband got a job there.
I will be dealing with our move there. You mentionned in your post having moved your personal goods there, could you please let me know which company you used and any info you might see relevant. I will be very appeciative of any tips.

Cheers and season greetings!

The Falcons

We are in the process of selling out house, and once that is done we will be shipping personal items, such as clothes, bicycles, pots, pans, plates, towels, electronic devices, small kitchen appliances and such, but no furniture and no car. We plan on renting for the first year, then re-access. We have several options worldwide, but we have always loved Barbados. It is a good idea to bring electronics and small appliances, as these can be expensive in Barbados. As far as a car, it is more difficult to decide. Our friend who is from Barbados and lives on our street feels that it is better to have a car sent from the states, as she feels that even a reconditioned car is more expensive on the island. We are not going to have a car for the year, as we believe that we will be fine using public transportation and bicycles. Gasoline currently runs the equivalent of $5.75 (USD) a gallon, 3.78 liters. If you pay the duty according to the price of the car, it can be expensive to have a car shipped. As far as foodstuff, you probably will have to check the Barbados government website. We have always brought our own teas, as well as some cereals and such and we have never had a problem. As far as the cost of shipping, the price is based on volume vice weight. So pack everything as tightly as possible. There are numerous firms who will ship from door current address to door new address in Barbados.

fletchh wrote:

We are in the process of selling out house, and once that is done we will be shipping personal items, such as clothes, bicycles, pots, pans, plates, towels, electronic devices, small kitchen appliances and such, but no furniture and no car. We plan on renting for the first year, then re-access. We have several options worldwide, but we have always loved Barbados. It is a good idea to bring electronics and small appliances, as these can be expensive in Barbados. As far as a car, it is more difficult to decide. Our friend who is from Barbados and lives on our street feels that it is better to have a car sent from the states, as she feels that even a reconditioned car is more expensive on the island. We are not going to have a car for the year, as we believe that we will be fine using public transportation and bicycles. Gasoline currently runs the equivalent of $5.75 (USD) a gallon, 3.78 liters. If you pay the duty according to the price of the car, it can be expensive to have a car shipped. As far as foodstuff, you probably will have to check the Barbados government website. We have always brought our own teas, as well as some cereals and such and we have never had a problem. As far as the cost of shipping, the price is based on volume vice weight. So pack everything as tightly as possible. There are numerous firms who will ship from door current address to door new address in Barbados.

Hello Fletch, 
I am an island lover.  I visited Barbados several times from St. Lucia in 1992 -1995. May I please know what attracted you to it?
Barbados is a flat, limestone island, no scenery at all, when you open the windows in the morning you see nothing more than the windows of your neighbor across the street, no lush vegetation, very poor producer of fruits and vegetables (which it imports from nearby volcanic islands), it's extra hot and, because it's a low-lying island (like Caymans, Turks & Caicos, Anguilla, Bermuda, Bahamas), a 15-meter tsunami will make the place uninhabited in less than 1 minute.
I am curious if I can learn something new from you. 

Hi John, I typed a nice reply but I did something and it all disappeared. In a nutshell, there are many very pretty areas of Barbados that are not built up like the south and west coasts. St. John, St. Joe, St. Andrew and St. Lucy all have breathtaking views of the oceans. In St Thomas, there is dense foliage and the beauty of the forests of warm climates. Barbados has an established infrastructure, such as hospitals, public and private, highways, schools including the UofWI, and all the other amenities that you would expect to have in any country. They could use a trauma unit, but that may come in time. I say that because I ride my bicycle everywhere. In March there is the opera season at Holders Hill, and of course Crop Over later. There always seems to be a reason for a festival every other week or so. Obtaining Organic produce is a challenge, but every sunday there is an organic market at Holders Hill and the vendors have a decent array of produce. There is an overreliance on imports, and there is an acknowledgement that something needs to change, as that also affects the economy. Yes, one tsunami and that would be the end. There is also concern about erratic weather patterns related to climate change. The USAID has given money for the mitigation of the effects of climate change, and Barbados has done a wonderful job restoring and protecting beaches. Of course there is nothing that can be done about the projected rainfall patterns changing in the next 20 years or so. My wife is a speech pathologist and would like to work there, and since all her training is in English, this makes it a good choice for her. I am retired and can't get enough of it, and I am very much looking forward to warm/hot weather. When my wife decides that she no longer wants to work, we will decide what to do. I have dual citizenship, which includes an EU passport, so travelling and staying warm will be a priority.

fletchh wrote:

Hi John, I typed a nice reply but I did something and it all disappeared. In a nutshell, there are many very pretty areas of Barbados that are not built up like the south and west coasts. St. John, St. Joe, St. Andrew and St. Lucy all have breathtaking views of the oceans. In St Thomas, there is dense foliage and the beauty of the forests of warm climates. Barbados has an established infrastructure, such as hospitals, public and private, highways, schools including the UofWI, and all the other amenities that you would expect to have in any country. They could use a trauma unit, but that may come in time. I say that because I ride my bicycle everywhere. In March there is the opera season at Holders Hill, and of course Crop Over later. There always seems to be a reason for a festival every other week or so. Obtaining Organic produce is a challenge, but every sunday there is an organic market at Holders Hill and the vendors have a decent array of produce. There is an overreliance on imports, and there is an acknowledgement that something needs to change, as that also affects the economy. Yes, one tsunami and that would be the end. There is also concern about erratic weather patterns related to climate change. The USAID has given money for the mitigation of the effects of climate change, and Barbados has done a wonderful job restoring and protecting beaches. Of course there is nothing that can be done about the projected rainfall patterns changing in the next 20 years or so. My wife is a speech pathologist and would like to work there, and since all her training is in English, this makes it a good choice for her. I am retired and can't get enough of it, and I am very much looking forward to warm/hot weather. When my wife decides that she no longer wants to work, we will decide what to do. I have dual citizenship, which includes an EU passport, so travelling and staying warm will be a priority.

Hi Fletch, 
There you have it: you are happy.