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Customs for Goods Entering HondurasNews: If you thought that the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) would elimintate duty on goods coming into Honduras from the United States, you were mistaken. Bringing in household goods still requires high duties. Here is how the figuring goes: Take the price you paid for the item. Then add your shipping cost and the insurance. Then take 15% of that total as duty. So you are not just paying duty on the item, you are paying duty on the shipping of the item as well, which can be substantial. Add another 12% of the item cost for "sales tax". Although the imported item was not sold in Honduras, they call this additional import duty "sales tax". If and when Honduras does adopt CAFTA, it sounds as if the "duty" figure will be reduced gradually, but the other cost that is labelled a sales tax will not be diminished. What about Roatan being a Free Port? That will only apply to certain goods. You must apply for duty free status, and may or may not be approved. Visitors travelling to Roatan should know about customs requirements of those entering Honduras before packing for the trip. Household Goods - You may bring up to $1000 worth of personally owned items duty free. Computers are duty free assuming they are not intended for resale. Food Products - Some food products are prohibited from entry and others are limited in the quantity you can bring while travelling. Customs officials do confiscate some food. MEAT WEIGHT LIMIT: 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) DAIRY PRODUCT LIMIT: 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) CUSTOMS OFFICIALS WILL CONFISCATE AMOUNTS MORE THAN THIS. Meat and cheese must have proof of origin, showing that it is from the United States. Spearguns - Scuba divers should not bring spearguns. They are prohibited on the Bay Islands and will be held at the airport until you leave the country. Autos - You may choose to ship your vehicle to Roatan for a prolonged stay. Ninety day permits are granted by the customs office. Extensions can be granted. These permits allow you to drive here without paying import duty on the vehicle and without having a Honduran tag.
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Road stops by police are very frequent, and you will be required to
show your permit and your driver's license. You may drive with
a foreign driver's license for 90 days before getting a Honduran driver's
license. Getting a Honduran license is a matter of getting a physical
exam, getting an eye test, a blood test, applying at the police station
just west of Coxen Hole, providing 2 passport photos, and paying for
the license. Count on spending almost a day getting all these errands
done.
See the safety page for identifying road stops in Honduras that are not official police stops and that may be set up by highway robbers. Shipping Household Goods to Honduras - To get the approximate import duty on household goods shipped to Roatan, add the cost of the goods and of the cost of shipping, then multiply by 27%. You must have original receipts to give to Honduran customs officials proving the cost of the goods being shipped. There is a fine if you provide copies of receipts. A duty free shipment is granted with certain types of residency. If you are getting residency here, apply for your duty free shipment at the same time you apply for your residency. Illegal Drugs - People caught with illegal drugs are dealt with harshly in Honduras. Police search people without requiring any due cause for a search. Expect to spend time in a Honduran jail if you have illegal drugs here. Honduran jails are not as comfortable and luxurious as those in the States.
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Travel-Roatan.com
assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information in
this website. Honduran laws related to immigration and other matters
change. For the latest information, contact
the appropriate Honduran authorities. |
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