Mail Forwarding companies and Aduanas

Yes this happened to me a few times with MBE.  They had to fight each time and explain to Aduanas the situation.  I didn't received my packages for about a month.

We started the process of fighting them on this!   Hopefully it doesn't take a month!

***** BEAST MODE ACTIVATED *****

Keep your fans posted!

Hahahahaha. Will do!

I have been presented with the same issue in the past. Now I try and confirm a package is on its way here before I make an additional purchase to avoid this issue. I tried to fight it the 1st time it happened and I got know where. Since then it has only happened one other time because I couldn't wait to have them arrive separately. I needed the merchandise as soon as possible and because I was just happy to have it, I paid the tax and took my stuff with me -saying nothing. I believe the majority of the time they will take all the packages arriving at one time as count it as 1 package/shipment and charge the tax.

There is no way I can anticipate what will arrive and when!  I took advantage of Black Friday and had some things purchased way before. Everything arrived at once!  Yikes.

And to complicate things,  had a replacement item sent.  The original was faulty, so the replacement was 0 cost!  Yup big issues.  Sheeeeeesh. I am  fighting this to see what  happens!

When you pay the tax is it in cash or on a credit card?

Depends on  how it gets handled. I pay via my mail forwarder but  sometimes I pay directly online to the tax department after they send you a PIN  to use.

Ok. I was wondering if it’s more about getting you to pay more , but it sounds like they don’t have an understanding of the process or the process is not clear.
If was about paying more I would complain to the new anti-corruption agency as they seem very engaged.

I am not sure yet.  Let's see how the process rolls out and if it's resolved.

The woman who manages the local franchise of Mail box Etc helped resolve this.  With the original invoices I provided, she convinced Aduanas that I should not pay the tax.

Yayyyyy!!!!

So when choosing a mail forwarder both the company and the local management of the office matter!  Choose carefully.

I am looking to ship a couple of items from Miami to Sosua. I understand a shipper ships to Cabarete. It would be items bought off Amazon and shipped to Miami. Has anyone had a experience shipping with this method.

Thank you Planner : I will be mailing my PC down there and is good to know the procedures, thank to the heavens I have always kept my receipts of the purchases I have made .

If you know where should ship my personal computer or the safest pick up place in Sosua outside of my future temporary address or the safest procedure let me know as I will be in transit God willing down there to settle permanently during the holiday season . Thank you .

Planner: I will be shipping my computer first to my brothers house in Puerto Rico , once I get my temporary place of stay and provide my brother the address what kind of services they have ie fed-ex ? etc . please advice

You need to open an account with a mail forwarding company with offices in Sosua.  They will give you an account and an address to use in Miami.  You send your package to the Miami address. 

From miami to the DR is about US $5 a pound.  If your package is valued at over US $200 you will be paying sales tax (ITBIS) of 18% and maybe duty.  So be aware of what you send.  This all adds up if not careful.

Correction maybe US 4.50  to 5.00 a pound now.

Wow I hear you this applies also on all items like used clothes, my wife jewelry ? I have all the receipts from the U.S.A.

It is complicated.  Each time you do such things it could be different.

If you are moving a large amount into the DR PERMANENTLY and I mean forever and ever, then you might want to do it by getting residency and a one time large shipment in.. Otherwise, the piecemeal approach will probably cost you even more...

For example, shipping a computer to PR and then the DR? Makes no sense at all in the scheme of things since you will then ship it to Miami, FL and they will ship it to the DR...

For things that can be shipped in 55 gallon drums, you could do OK with the freight forwarders in Florida to the DR.

StanR, I have used CPS for the passed 2 years, and had very good service with them.  They communicate well and quickly.  Not saying things have been perfect, but the few hiccups are just that.  Nothing serious, and when I've had to import large and expensive things (over the $200 threshold, and needing to go by boat), they've been very good with time and price estimates.  Plus, they're the closest one to me, so that always helps.  Pick N Send by you has a good reputation from the few people that speak of them, as does EPS which is equally close to you.  Sheesh, even BM Cargo is close to you!  But CPS gets my business.

If you are shipping your household it's a whole different story and that happens after you have residency.

Thank you Windeguy: I am moving permanently with my wife, she is currently stuck in Latvia her home country and I will go spend a few days there see my mother in law then fly out from there to D.R.  All I am traveling is with my clothes and her clothes rent a place for the short term look at some fully furnished homes already scheduled with a local realtor and buy one . the pc is too big to carry , I will have my laptop with me and just basically travel light all this comes about COVID-19, we all have to dance circles around this to get to the objective. My nephew just flew down into P.R. from college in Virginia for the holidays and he was stuck in some airport for 1-1/2 days , airliner can change plans at the last minute and the person is the last one to know. It happened to me flying back from Latvia on September of this year, the airliner was changed into another airlines 24 hours before and if I did not had my cel open I would have missed the whole schedule change. I do not get stressed over it, I have seen just about every situation that is out there . Thank you for the suggestion will see all of you very soon in D.R.

Please consider renting for a year before buying.  If you rent and don't like the area you can up and move. If you buy you are stuck.  And what if you just don't like living here?  It happens!

Or.....if he loves it but the wife doesnt?  Ive seen tons of such cases, and that supposed 'permanent', became a year or two, selling the house for half what he paid.

Absolutely happens! A lot!

Thank you Planner I will take the observation, life in Dominican Republic is not that much different than Puerto Rico in which my wife and i own an apartment . Yes she is from Latvia and could be potentially a culture shock but I do not think so. She married me and I am a half and half meaning Italian and spaniard , she is 1/2 polish and half Latvian . I love her country specially Riga said city has been thru a lot post World War II and after the soviet exit and now the Corona. We are both best friends which is a plus for both. I am a builder -designer by education, has performed as an engineer for 22 years and decided to help my country in the field of disaster management where the stress of the job in at 150% all the time and I had to make it my best ally the stress. Homes I have looked a roughly about 150 of them over there , and found an excellent realtor which I trust from Romania and has lived there for the past 18 years. I will take into consideration your advice . Thank you again , many blessing !!

Honey I hope you are one of the ones who adapts quickly and easily!  Whatever happens keep us posted!

Thank you for the good wishes , I will adapt if there anything to adapt to? Planner people are people no matter where you go, yes they may have some cultural differences but we are all the same . always go thru life with a song in your heart , no one is ever alone . blessing !! Krumite

Ahhh honey there are always things to adapt to, always. 

The key is whether you are resistant or open to it.  Sounds like you are very open to it!   That makes things easier.

Krumite, Take Planners advice very seriously.  Rent. Do not buy. 

I have lived in the DR for a great portion of my adult life, and I will tell you this.

Rent. Do not buy. Not at least for 1 year or even 2.

Thank you for the advice will consider it and do my due diligence , who knows it could be the effects of all this covid-19, the entire planet has suffered a lot of financial losses at the wrong time, no country is exempt from it . Read little bit about the I.M.F. and their projections is quite interesting , we all as a world will have work as 1 unit to beat this thing. Blessing always . Krumite

And remember: Rent, don't buy.   

Renting for a year is good advice. If you already like PR, then you have a leg up on being in the DR.  I am a US/DR dual citizen and would never consider living in PR.

But you never know until you are here for an extended time if it works for you

Hi Planner! Glad to hear that you  resolved your problem.  I have a question for you regarding shipping.  Is there a  limit per calendar year to the number of shipments we can receive under $200 USD to avoid taxes?  I feel like I read somewhere a while back that we were limited to $2000 USD per year without taxes/fees (as long as each shipment is under $200), but now I can't find this anywhere.

I have not read about an annual dollar limit on Sub $200 US shipments.

I have seen that Customs might investigate if you are getting large quantities of the same item, and they could add duty since they consider them to be for resale.  I ordered "too many gloves" and had that issue despite the single order being under $200...

That said, it depends on who is watching and when and where and how.....

As far as I know there is no annual limit. 

As above though, they can apply duty if you have too many of one item

I bought 4 sets of headphones as gifts and got nailed for duty last year!