Importing a car in the Philippines

OK, They use to import two year old Japanese engines to the PI. You could get one cheap and install it in whatever you wanted. I seen a 67 Mustang with a diesel engine in it.  AARRGG! well whatever.

Before, could ship an engine through balikbanyan or part out the car in separate containers.

Now a days, BOC (customs) is under pressure for all the illegal car imports so unlikely you will sneak it in.

I mean ship in an old truck that you might have thats paid for.
Then buy an imported engine in Manila then swap. In Japan they use to remove the engines from 2 year cars and sell them abroad in bulk.
My supervisor at Clark took his v8 out of his Dodge truck and replaced it with a Toyota deisel. Now that was 1985 so that was a while ago and things may have changed.

Understood, but also cannot import any vehicle over 5 years old.

OK, thats new! Good info to know.
I think in the long run its probably better to buy locally, specially when it comes to parts and repair. I like to find cheap short cuts, but some times you have to be careful.

Sir I am nothing but confused. Thank you for the help
I want to import a 1996 Suzuki Motorcycle\ blue book 3100 us
paid 3900 us. I have no Idea what the freight is or taxes. I have lived here 6 years In Zamboanga
The bike is 805 cc weighs 232 kilos
My direct email is [email protected]

The bike is too old to import. Also, minimum amount of duties you would have to pay, on top of shipping, is P16k. Not including all kinds of extras.  Would just sell it in the states and buy one locally.

If that 1996 bike is too old then I suppose it pretty-much answers the question about my old van, then. I'm hoping to move to the Philippines to join my partner and stepchildren, we have recently begun renting a house in Metro Manila (my girlfriend had to move when she changed jobs, so we took the plunge there and then), and we need lods of stuff for it.

I had the crazy idea I could ship over my 1992 VW Transporter loaded down with washing machine, tumble dryer, couple of wardrobes, bed and personal effects and then maybe use it as a means of earning some money - these old vans are as reliable as clockwork and run for hundreds of thousands of kilometres. It's a 2.4D van with a value here in Finland of about 1300EUR. Oh well, maybe I just need to get rid of the furniture and ship over my personal effects in a crate...

Yes, do not ship.  Remember the customs value is based on original market value.  Not what its worth now.

i just found this forum and can say on importing a car it can be done under some conditions We are using a NDI import my wife is returning and she is allowed to bring one car ... you still have to pay some taxes but first you need to get a permit from BIS  then you ship the car and when here you need to get a release from customs that shows you paid your tax and then its off to LTO to get a plate issued.. The rules for a NDI is the car must of been owned for at least 6 months prior to shipment by the importer .. in my case my wife has had to be out of the country one year out of the last 3 years.. and i think must have a job ...The biggest problem we encountered was when WE bought the car she was working so i went to DMV and of course they put MY name on the title .. i had to change that to add her name in an and or  ,, second problem was you need a broker and the best way to get one is to ask the customs who they recommend sure that helps , Third our car was shipped by a company in california called HTX very reasonable cost..Also do note the NDI can also be used by ACR holders or permanent residents and people who have a retirement visa, i am not a broker so i cant help you there but if you want i can give you the broker we used ...

you just need to import it in piece meal and find a good friend in lto.      trust me it works

your method has been done for many years but with computers things have changed if your stopped at a check point and they even think your paperwork is subject your car will be HELD which means say goodby , i have been here many years also and have had my share of not from here cars.. once i had a 1996 ford explorer 4.o L ... but the paperwork said 2002 ford ranger pick up motor 2.2L but i was very lucky to get it registered the second year but one never knows how much luck you have in the basket

A fairly new imported vehicle attracts too much attention and regardless of who your connections are that can process your paperwork or shield you from the law, it does not prevent you from being stopped and subsequently hassled.  Sure you can eventually get off the hook but you still get hassled.  So why roll the dice?  Unless you do it legitimately, it's just not worth it.  After all, you just need a vehicle that can ferry you around in relative comfort and any locally sold new or used vehicle can fit that bill.

robert51 wrote:

your method has been done for many years but with computers things have changed if your stopped at a check point and they even think your paperwork is subject your car will be HELD which means say goodby , i have been here many years also and have had my share of not from here cars.. once i had a 1996 ford explorer 4.o L ... but the paperwork said 2002 ford ranger pick up motor 2.2L but i was very lucky to get it registered the second year but one never knows how much luck you have in the basket

u need to learn more or maybe you have approached the wrong person

Walterc wrote:

A fairly new imported vehicle attracts too much attention and regardless of who your connections are that can process your paperwork or shield you from the law, it does not prevent you from being stopped and subsequently hassled.  Sure you can eventually get off the hook but you still get hassled.  So why roll the dice?  Unless you do it legitimately, it's just not worth it.  After all, you just need a vehicle that can ferry you around in relative comfort and any locally sold new or used vehicle can fit that bill.

in the end you still have to pay duties and taxes

all i can say is every piece of string is a different size... retired to me dont mean hiding in the shadows hoping no one will notice me...Some people dont drink, or go to bars ,, or even smoke and often they have a hobby and if its a special car well so be it..Legal is the only way to go 100% legal , As long as you follow the NDI law and do everything they ask you have no problems ..

hi there can you please PM me about the import package, if I like to buy a car in eBay

Hi Good day,

I would like to know where in the philippines you are planning to send your car? Is it for donation? There are so many requirements in order to import a car which is classified in a special purpose vehicle. I am from cebu city philippines a licensed customs broker. If you have some question don't hesitate to ask me.

Best Regards,
Roy

hi, Roy, its not a donation. I am based in Makati, and looking forward to buy the car in US and import it to Philippines. I need a reliable brocker who can arrange the door to door delivery, with no issues after the purchase. [Moderated: no phone number on the public forum please]

irgasheff11 wrote:

hi, Roy, its not a donation. I am based in Makati, and looking forward to buy the car in US and import it to Philippines. I need a reliable brocker who can arrange the door to door delivery, with no issues after the purchase. [Moderated: no phone number on the public forum please]

if its a recurring transaction, i would suggest that you put up a company and hire one rather than engaging with independent brokers who might disappear anytime. there are lots of custom brokers looking for a job.

I'm considering importing a 10 year old ferrari from Belgium or US to the Philippines. Can anyone help me with the estimates on shipments costs, duties and taxes and the car price? Any customs broker who can offer door to door delivery?

Thank you.

Hi just email me I can help you in importing a car. [email protected], we can discuss all this matter.

Well, the rules say that you cannot import a car older than 5 years to the Phils.   The cost to ship in a container from the US West coast, say Long Beach, may run as high as $5000. Not sure how much insurance would be for an exotic.  Assuming is a Spyder, customs is based on the MSRP when new so say US150k. So customs duty will be 2.1 million.

Now you will have people on this site saying they know someone in BoC who will clear it for you.  Right on. My friend had his Harley seized after using one of these brokers. Wound up having to buy his own bike back at auction.  Buy locally. Plenty of Ferraris and Lambos going around the Fort.

The Peacekeeper wrote:

I'm considering importing a 10 year old ferrari from Belgium or US to the Philippines. Can anyone help me with the estimates on shipments costs, duties and taxes and the car price? Any customs broker who can offer door to door delivery?

Thank you.

which part of the philippines? pls pm me the details. i can help you with that.

can anyone tell me  hopefully some one who has done it already get a susuki 1100cc 1995 gsxr road bike  from australia in to the phillipines  i am moving back there at the end of 2015 for good i have traveled there already by motercycle a susuki raider  i have 2 other road bikes i would like to take with me but i want to find out all the in ,s and out,s  now with one year to go so i have plenty of time see if it can be done and if it will be worth all the hassel,s do i need a customs broker ? thats about it

Yes it can be done and yes you need a customs broker. I brought my Harley in from SG, but my friend brought his in from Az and was seized.  So its hard to find a good customs broker.   The bikes you list are available in the Phils. I would recommend selling all 3 of your bikes in Aus as the prices there are pretty high and just buy a new one in the Phils. We have just about all makes avail in Manila. For example, a new HD sporty goes for about US$16k. How much does a new sporty go for in Aus?  If nearly the same, makes little sense to pay the customs in the Phils as you already paid for it in Aus.

for imports from australia, you really need a custom broker unless you will avail of the services of a logistics company where they have their own inhouse customs broker.

basically, you'll have to pay for the customs duty ;D

can you recommend a customs broker? another way i have is for my filipina wife to bring in this bike she has been out of the country for over one year now  am going to check it out at the embassy i really want to take this gsxr with me as it has a lot of work done

Which city do you plan to live/ride in?  For me in Manila, the roads are pretty crap and would be difficult to really open up a modded sport bike except marcos hwy to infanta. But that being said, there are a lot of sport bikes and cars that go ride on Sundays.  Basically a short coffee run on a straight road. Not much twisities to speak of cause there will be a trike or jeepney broken down in a blind corner.  Ride safe.

do you know any brokers i have been riding all over mindanao west to east north south on a raider 150 fantastic road for a big road bike all concrete   got to get one there  a gsxr would great many big road bikes down there i only paid 3500 for this bike but now they are getting hard to find here so i an\m willing to pay for a broker to answer your question i have not decided where i will base myself yet that is why i want to take this bike with me to look around any suggestion,s or contacts would help thanks

I would find a very good international shipper from Aus and have them use their own broker. Any issues, you can go after the Aussie side.

I cant recommend a good broker from the phils side. My broker transposed the VIN numbers and took forever to fix. My other friend got his bike seized and had to buy it back though auction.

ok thanks for that info will check it out

hmmm.. i have a good broker here in cebu. and he is so easy to deal with and is cheap.

hello after reading most of what every one is saying about importing a  bike it sure sounds easier to buy a bike over there  But like i said i want to take this bike with me if i can do it cheap enough   can you put me in touch with this broker ? i have just read about the import tax 150 per cent on the price of the bike when it was brand new these 1996 gsxr was around 17 thousand dollars then so if that is correct it would be too expensive do you know if this is correct.  have tried to find a shipper here no luck yet , can this broker organize shipping? my wife has an uncle in cebu

that can be done.

well mate are you going to do it ? ie send me that info?

are you  a  local ?

yes i am a local. and sorry, our relationship is confidential. so, i will be the one to endorse him to my contact. thanks.

so our  conversation is over?