MOVING TO VANUATU
 

Once you have made a decision to reside, for whatever purpose, in Vanuatu, there are several areas that need to be covered in preparation for your relocation.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

What you take depends on the limitations placed on you by either contractual arrangements with your employer in Vanuatu or personal funds. Most accommodation, if rented, comes with furniture. However, if investing by way of purchasing your own accommodation, you may need to consider bringing enough of your personal effects to fit it out.

Electrical Appliances and Furniture

The Vanuatu Customs Act allows for personal goods to be brought into the Country free of any duty and VAT, if you own them for longer than 1 year. In some cases you may be required to produce a receipt proving the date of purchase. The duty payable on electrical items and furniture that are less than 1 year old is between 25 and 35 percent, as well as 12.5 percent VAT.

Mode of Transport

The Vanuatu Customs Act also allows a resident to import a mode of transport. This can include a motor vehicle, water borne craft or an airplane. Options can include a car, motorbike, yacht, motorboat, fixed wing airplane or even a helicopter. However, if considering this for a motor vehicle, remember that in Vanuatu we drive on the right side of the road and therefore any vehicle must be a left-hand drive. The act is very clear in that it states that the mode of transport must have been owned and used by you for a period of not less than 12 months in the preceding 2 years prior to importation.

Of course, if you are considering a motor vehicle for this option, keep in mind the quality of roads in Vanuatu. Your particular vehicle may be better stored or sold prior to moving and purchasing a vehicle on your arrival. New vehicles while being very expensive do hold their value and if looked after can be sold at a good return.

Don’t be afraid to ask any questions by way of our enquiry page. Better to know the pitfalls prior to any problems arising on arrival.

Clothes, Linen and Other Personal Items

All these items, as with furniture and electricals are duty free when bringing them in as personal effects. They need to be well packed and well inventoried (see article later on documentation). Whilst the Customs department don’t always require a physical examination of your goods it may not be a bad idea to have your personal lingerie, shoes and more expensive clothing items packed into a plastic bag for protection and never pack expensive jewellery or family heirlooms into your personal effects.

Pets

Bringing your pets with you, while being a reasonably expensive exercise, is not a major logistical or quarantine problem.

The following are the requirements as set down by the Vanuatu Quarantine and Inspection Service:

• An internal and external parasite treatment must be carried out at least 5 days prior to import into Vanuatu. Must be verified by a veterinarian.
• All the standard vaccinations must be up to date.
• Puppies must be at least 16 weeks of age.
• A Provisional Import Permit must be obtained from the Vanuatu Quarantine Service.
• 24 hours notice of arrival must be advised to the Vanuatu Quarantine Service.
• Inspection of the animal upon arrival into the country. As long as all the above requirements are met, there will be no quarantining of the animal.
• The above requirements cover dogs and cats only. For all other animals you will need to contact the Vanuatu Quarantine Service for specific negotiations.
• Please note that only animals from Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia can be imported into Vanuatu. For all other countries contact will need to be made directly with the Service.

Depending on your intended length of stay in Vanuatu, you may want to consider the viability of bringing your pet/pets with you. Although, the cost and logistics of bringing them to Vanuatu make it possible, you should check the Quarantine service of your own country about the requirements there for when you return. Some countries have very long quarantine periods for pets returning from other overseas.

THE REMOVAL COMPANY

Once the decision has been made about what to bring, you need to contact a reputable removal company for an assessment and quotation. Quite often it is a good practice to get more than one quote. While, generally, the freight component won’t be very different, sometimes the actual cost of packing and internal transport will vary substantially. Always ask about insurance and ensure that all your goods are well covered comprehensively.

There are many removal companies that are available. If you cannot track one down, we would be happy to put you in touch with one in your country via our enquiry page. But a quick look in the yellow pages of your local phone book should help you to decide. Most of the larger companies also have web sites with many helpful hints.

Make sure the company understands the full scope of the job including the exact destination in Vanuatu, the timing of the shipment’s arrival and all larger items that will need special packing. Also, make sure each company is given the exact same basis for assessment as this will assist in making the final decision. The best way for selection of the most cost effective quote is to divide the cubic meters that they have assessed by the amount of money quoted. This will give you an average price per cubic meter to compare.

To find out about the costs of importation of your shipment into Vanuatu contact us for a free quotation.

IMPORTANT FACTS

Pornographic materials of any kind are prohibited and if found can result in deportation, heavy fines or even jail.

If you are considering setting up a business in Vanuatu, any items or goods brought in with your personal effects, to be used in the business, must be declared, as they will be subject to full duties and VAT.
The Vanuatu Government, however, does make allowances for exemptions for new businesses that are setting up in Vanuatu, especially in the Tourism sector. These are quite generous, however they should be applied for prior to importation, otherwise you may experience delays in accessing your goods. This can lead to increased costs through storage.

Alcohol must be declared to Customs if the amount you are importing with your personal effects is above the normal allowance. This can work out to be quite expensive and there are no exceptions to this.

Videotapes and any other recorded media must also be declared. Quite often these will need to be checked by Customs.

At the time of importation and up to 6 months after, you may import any new goods free of duty and VAT up to the value of 50,000 vatu per family member. This is a special allowance put in place for new residents.

In most cases the Vanuatu Customs will inspect any imports of personal effects. It is far better to be up front about your shipment rather than having to face an embarrassing explanation to the Customs.

DOCUMENTS THAT YOU NEED

The following documents are essential for the speedy clearance of your shipment:

• Original Bill of Lading.
• Completed inventory of all cartons and items in the shipment, listing clearly the contents of all cartons. Include a total value.
• Complete separate inventory of any items being imported for use in a business. Include values against each item.
• Copy of any exemptions covering goods imported for your business.
• Copies of Residency Permit or Dep't of Labour approved Work Permit.
• Copies of all family members' Passports.
• X.20 Vanuatu Customs Declaration Form.

It is extremely important to liase closely with your Removal Company regarding the timing of your shipment, the vessel details, the estimated time of arrival in Vanuatu and especially getting hold of the Original Bill of Lading mentioned above. Quite often this document is the one that can cause the most delay.

It is vital for us, as the clearing agent, to be in possession of all the documents at least two to three days prior to the arrival of the vessel.

The X.20 form, mentioned above, is available HERE.

We hope that the above information is helpful to you and makes your eventual move to Vanuatu all the more comfortable. If you have any queries at all please do not hesitate to contact us.
 

Telephone: (678) 23943/25247  Fax: (678) 26389

Email: info@expresscustomsservices.com

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