If you are considering an overseas move, or retiring to a foreign country, chances are you will want to ship all or part of your belongings. Full timers who obtain residency visas in their adopted countries often receive tax breaks on items shipped. Here are some guidelines to help you in the process.
All shipping companies will require a detailed inventory, including value, of anything shipped. Best to do this before, not after, everything is in boxes. Remember that anything used should be marked as such, and valued low for customs receipt in the country. Furniture should be tagged with age and value, and also estimated on the low side. Boxes should be numbered and marked both inside and out, and a separate written list, the inventory, reflects all the information about this box. For example, let's say you have a box of used kitchen pots and pans, and this is Box Number 4. On both the outside of the box and inside the box as well, you will write with a dark magic marker:
BOX #4:
Kitchen:
Used pots and pans, 10-15 years old, 13 pieces
Your inventory list might include more details about which pots and pans, and will also include the value:
BOX # - ITEMS - VALUE
4 - Used, large Revere ware pans 13 pieces - $30
Always underestimate the value because something used really has almost no commercial value. If you are shipping and expecting to get a tax break on your residency visa, there is usually a limit, for example $10,000, for what you are allowed to bring in duty-free. So always include the fact that something is used and old, and for most people that describes most of their belongings and furniture. Used books should be valued at around 25 cents apiece, for example.
If you are serious about leaving the country for any extended period of time, I highly recommend you take an inventory of your personal belongings and do the labeling and inventory list. Even if you end up not shipping your belongings, your re-entry will be so much easier if your belongings are inventoried and tagged.
Don't arrange any shipping until you already have a residency visa. One friend arranged to have all her things shipped before arriving in her new country. She applied for a residency visa, but her things arrived well before she could claim the customs duty exemption and she ended up paying expensive duty fees on everything.
You may have to arrange for a friend or relative to ship your things to you, so have everything pre-arranged and planned, including the shipping company you intend to use. Contact the shipping company for all their forms and ensure these are filled out. That way your friend only has to make the phone call and meet the shippers at the storage facility to give them your things and sign off. Let the shippers know, in writing, that the friend is authorized to sign for you.
Make sure that the shipper has in-country contacts and custom brokers, and that you are getting guaranteed door-to-door service. Also ensure that any insurance represents the replacement value of your belongings, not the value you are using for customs. Use specific country discussion boards on Yahoo Groups or other sites such as Escape Artist to get recommendations for shippers that other residents have successfully used. The more organized your list, and the more professional the company you use, the less likely your chance of getting held up in customs and having to pay daily storage fees.
If you are driving your car down, or shipping it, again you will have to have a residency visa in hand in most countries to claim any customs tax exemption. Make sure you know the age limit for imported cars. You will not be able to import a car that is considered too old. These laws are also subject to change, and vary greatly from country to country, so be careful. In some countries, such as Mexico, importing an older American car is the best way to go, and in others, such as Nicaragua, it's advisable to buy a car in-country.
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