This post comes over from my first blog, Roots Transplanted, where I chronicled my and Evan’s move to Puerto Rico. It was quite a popular post, and I’ve received many emails with questions about other aspects of life on the island as well. But alas, I have decided to try and consolidate my online presence, so I deleted old blogs and accounts I no longer use. However, this post was one of the few that made the journey over to sea, field & tribe. So if you’re considering moving to the Caribbean from the States, this will certainly apply to you. In fact, the key concepts of this post will really apply to anyone moving to an island! Best of luck!

If you are moving to Puerto Rico and will be in need of transportation (and you will, don’t count on public transportation because its virtually nonexistent), then you have two options: 1. Buy a car or 2. Ship your car. There are benefits and disadvantages to each option. I’ll present both and let you decide.

Buy a Car
First, when deciding to purchase a car in Puerto Rico, consider whether you want to buy a new car or a used car. There are plenty of dealerships here with a variety of car makers. Puerto Rico does not have it’s own car manufacturing, so plan to purchase something that you test drive and see in the States. Keep in mind that new cars come with pretty little import tax figures, which generally means you’ll be paying at least $4,000 to $6,000 more over here for the same car you would buy in the States. Also, research how to finance it. Many times, you may be required to pay your monthly car payment in person… and wait in a long line of people doing the same thing….. the internet payment plans haven’t really caught on here yet. You can find the dealerships online and try calling to ask about it.

If you want to buy a used car here, there are plenty to choose from, but most are unreliable. As I have found, the used cars here are typically “abused” cars. You will not get a vehicle history report. You’ll be taking your chances buying something that may have set at the bottom of a river for some time… In other words, if you are a person who doesn’t have the money to fork over to a repair shop more frequently then you would with your car in the States… then consider buying a new car. If you are moving to the island for only a short duration ( a few months), then buying a used car will definitely be more practical for you.

Shipping a car, you’ll still be paying the import tax to get it here… but of course, you may get a better deal in the States on the price. Consider this, do you speak Spanish well enough to haggle a salesman here (many will speak English just fine, it depends on where you will be living)? If the answer is no, then that is something else to consider too. Are you shipping a car that was made recently? Example, when I shipped my 2008 Jeep Patriot for my move in 2010, it cost me $3,300 in import tax to get it here. But I paid $12, 650 for the car – the same car here was over $17,000. I still came out on top.

The import tax price is determined by the year, make and model of the car. The department that determines that price is called Hacienda. There is no way to negotiate with their overinflated value of your car, so don’t bother. Here is the webpage where you can input your VIN or car information and get an estimated value for the import tax. Mine actually ended up being slightly less than the estimate. You will have to pay this tax in person, in cash or ATH (which is the Puerto Rican debit card, but it CANNOT have a Visa logo. They will not accept this, I learned the hard way.) But, it actually looks like you can do some of this process online now!!

Thus, if you don’t plan to fly over with that much cash on you, then open a Puerto Rican bank account online. The popular choice is Banco Popular. You can open an e-account (it takes several days for it to process and open) and then transfer money from your Stateside account into this one. Have them send your ATH card to the States, so that you will have it when you arrive in San Juan to pay the import tax (do this if you are planning well ahead). You cannot retrieve your vehicle without proof that you have paid this tax. Again, check the Hacienda site because you may be able to now pay online with other options.

If you are reading this far, then you’re still considering shipping as an option.

There are various companies that will ship your car for you, but it’s not cheap and it requires some planning. Check out this website for more in depth information on the actual shipping process. But, essentially you will need five things to ship your car with any company:

1. A vehicle authorization letter from your lien holder that recognizes that you’ll be shipping your car to Puerto Rico (or your title)
2. A copy of your insurance in the States
3. A copy of your insurance in Puerto Rico (this can be tricky to get it, if you aren’t there already)
4. Nothing left in the car when you drop it off (except a roadside emergency kit)
5. A 1/4 tank of gas, at least.

It’s very important that you start the lien-holder letter process several months before you plan to move. You never know how many hoops you might have to jump through with them, so give yourself plenty of time.

Next, talk to your insurance company. Do they cover you in Puerto Rico? If so, that’s great! If not, then start looking up companies in Puerto Rico so that you can list these as options when you go to ship your car (you won’t be able to get the insurance, because you’ll have to first register your vehicle in PR before they will issue you the insurance. Many companies in the States will cover you until your vehicle lands in PR , and that’s usually good enough for the shipper).

Finally, decide on a shipper. This will be the hardest part, because it comes with several options and price differences. If you live in Florida or California, this process might be easier for you, because most of the companies are located here. If you don’t… you may have to drive your car to Florida first. I chose SeaStar line. I think they did a great job from their offices in the States, but once in Puerto Rico, they were hard to get a hold of and not fluent in English.

The car will ship into San Juan only. So make arrangements to stay in San Juan for a few days, because retrieving your car will not be a one-day process (especially if you have the unfortunate luck of arriving before a tropical storm, or on a holiday). You will have to pay the tax at a Hacienda office there in San Juan. This office is not near the port. Have someone, or a taxi, take you there and back. Also, do not plan to do any of this around lunchtime. It’s a common Caribbean custom to take over an hour lunch break. Most people don’t get back to their office until 1 or 1:30 pm. Ask ahead.

You are also probably wondering about how your car will show up after the travel?

Make sure you abide by the regulations of your shipper. Most do not allow you to keep anything else in your car, except a road hazard kit. Your car will be unlocked, sitting on a lot, waiting for you behind a fenced and guarded area. But I’ve heard horror stories of workers breaking into the car and stealing the headunit of someone’s sound system (obviously, take this out before shipping it). I encountered no problems and had no dings or scratches on my car either. I think my situation is the normal one.

Best of luck and as always, just read ahead! I try to keep this information up to date but it has also been 4 years since I shipped my car to the island. Some things appear to be online now, which will definitely save you time and money.