Are you moving to El Salvador from New York? If you are relocating from the Tri-state area to San Salvador, we provide door to door service and take care of your move.

****DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR CUSTOMS CLEARANCE**

  • The actual original documentation for the importation is the following:

 

HOUSEHOLD GOODS:

  1. AWB, B/L or Cargo Manifest with value of ocean freight
  2. Packing list
  3. Passport
  4. TIN of Importer (Tax Identification Number), to be obtained by consignee in El Salvador.
  5. Certification of Migratory Movement (only for returning Salvadorian citizens). This document will be obtained by consignee in El Salvador.
  6. Sworn statement letter in Spanish (format provided by DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR))
  7. A letter authorizing DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR) to do Customs clearance (format provided by DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR))
  8. Diplomatic Franchise (only for diplomats)
  9. List of items with reasonable values in U.S. Dollars, following the correlative order item by item” shown in the packing list. This has to be provided by client (consignee) and should be in Spanish. If this valued list is in English, we could translate it for a US$50.00 fee.

 

AUTOMOBILES AND MOTORCYCLES:

  1. AWB, B/L or Cargo Manifest
  2. Commercial invoice.
  3. Title of ownership, showing consignee as legal owner.
  4. Passport
  5. TIN of Importer (Tax Identification Number)
  6. Sworn statement letter in Spanish (format provided by DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR)). This letter must be authenticated by a Lawyer in El Salvador).
  7. Physical Characteristics Form (provided by DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR))
  8. Diplomatic Franchise (only for diplomats)

 

 

 

PETS:

  1. AWB
  2. Passport’s copy of the pet’s owner
  3. Copy of TIN card (Tax Identification Number) of the pet’s owner
  4. Health certificate obtain at origin
  5. Vaccination certificate obtained at origin

 

 

***The permission of importation is valid only for 8 days after issued***

OFFICE FURNITURE:

  1. B/L (with value of ocean freight, real net weight and exact number of items that are in the packing list
  2. Packing list
  3. Commercial invoices
  4. Passport (this document is required if the shipment is consigned to a natural person)
  5. TIN of Importer (Tax Identification Number), to be obtained by consignee in El Salvador.
  6. List of items with reasonable values in U.S. Dollars, following the correlative order “item by item” shown in the packing list. This has to be provided by client consignee) and should be in Spanish. If this valued list is in English, we could translate it for a US$50.00 fee. (this list is only apply if the office furniture is used)
  7. TAX card (this document is required if the shipment is consigned to the name of the company)
  8. Sworn statement letter in Spanish (format provided by DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR))
  9. A letter authorizing DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR) to do Customs clearance (format provided by DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR)).

 

 

 

****PLEASE LOAD THE AUTOMOBILE IN FRONT OF THE CTNR’S DOOR****

Please note that DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR) must have all documents mentioned above before shipment arrives to port. Those must be send before by fax and the original by courier A.S.A.P.

**CUSTOMS REGULATIONS FOR IMPORTATION OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS, PERSONAL EFFECTS AND

AUTOMOBILES AND MOTORCYCLES TO EL SALVADOR**

SEA SHIPMENTS

  1. For shipments arriving at the Inland Terminal San Salvador, the B/L must show the following information: Port of discharge: Port Quetzal, Port Barrios or Port Santo Tomas de Castilla (whichever in Guatemala) Port Cortes (Honduras); final destination: San Salvador.
  2. If you send household goods and automobile loose loaded into the same container, you will have to provide us 4 original B/L, two just for the household goods and another two just for the automobile, since the Customs clearance are made separately; on the other hand the value of the ocean freight has to be proportionately divided between the household goods and automobile, both B/L must show the value of the ocean freight.
  3. 3.    We do not recommend that you send shipments LCL (consolidated) as Customs clearance is taking up to 1 month to be processed, because Customs is demanding the documentation of all the shipments consolidated in the container in order to start Customs clearance (this is not under DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR) control). Please explain this to your clients.
  4. It’s really important that you declare shipments only as “HOUSEHOLD GOODS”, if you declare them as “HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS” Customs will apply a fine, which we will bill to you. If you have a (LCL) consolidated shipment and do not contain any electrical appliances neither furniture you can declare it as “PERSONAL EFFECTS”.
  5. The B/L must show the following information:
    1. Value of the ocean freight in U.S. Dollars
    2. Real net weight
    3. Real volume (cbm)
    4. Exact number of items, which must been shown in the packing list
  6. For shipments, which are transported by the steamship line MAERSK SEALAND, you will have to provide us 4 original B/L. If shipment is transported by another steamship line you will have to provide us 2 original B/L.
  7. Please note that original B/L (“Express Release” will NOT be accepted) and packing list are necessary in order to make Customs clearance.

 

 

AIR SHIPMENTS

  1. Air shipments must be declared only as “PERSONAL EFFECTS” (THIS APPLIES ONLY IF THERE ARE NOT ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES OR FURNITURE IN THE SHIPMENT), if you declare it as “HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS” Customs will apply a fine, which we will bill directly to you.
  2. The AWB must show the following information:

 

  1. Value of the air freight in U.S. Dollars
  2. Real gross weight
  3. Real volume
  4. Exact number of air-vans showing the real number of pieces that each airvan contains, coinciding with the number of pieces shown in the packing list.

 

INLAND SHIPMENTS

  1. It’s really important that you declare shipments only as “HOUSEHOLD GOODS”, if you declare them as “HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS” Customs will apply a fine, which we will bill to you.
  2. The Cargo manifest must show the following information:
    1. Value of the inland freight in U.S. Dollars
    2. Real net weight
    3. Real volume (cbm)
    4. Exact number of items, which must been shown in the packing list
    5. Truck’s information (license plate)
    6. Driver’s information (name, license number, etc.)
    7. For inland shipments, coming from Central America and Mexico, shipments MUST NOT BE dispatched until DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR) provides the Number of Merchandise Declaration assigned by Customs. This number will have to be shown in the border by the truck’s driver.

 

***IMPORTANT NOTES***

  • Automobiles and motorcycles can be imported only if they have not more than 7 years of manufacturing, it doesn’t matter if client has diplomatic status.
  • The importation of automobiles and motorcycles will be subject to the payment of duties. Customs duties rates vary with the character of each automobile or motorcycle.
  • Foreign citizens (non-Diplomatic), will have to pay Custom duties over their household goods and personal effects new or used.
  • A returning Salvadorian citizen, after being more than three years out of El Salvador, and if he/she didn’t stay during this period of time in visits to El Salvador for more than 30 days (calendar year), can import duty free new or used HHGDS and personal effects, coming from the country where client has been living, up to a maximum of US$15,000.00 of the CIF Value. Customs will evaluate and tax any excess over this value.
  • If client complies with above mentioned requirement, he will have to provide us a Certification of Migratory Movement obtained at the Salvadorian Migration Direction in El Salvador before shipment arrives into El Salvador. Consignee is the only one who can obtain this document and its obtention takes from 1-2 weeks. F) If there are any additional items not shown on the AWB, B/L, Cargo Manifest and packing list, Customs will confiscate such items and the client/consignee will be subject to pay a fine of the 300% over the duties’ value.

 

 

 

**FORBIDDEN ARTICLES**

 

  • The importation of the following items into a container which contain household goods and personal effects are forbidden:
  • Firearms
  • Pornography material of any kind

 

**According to Customs’ regulations, it is permitted to import up to a maximum of 2 liters of liquor. If client brings more than 2 liters, DESTINATION AGENT (EL SALVADOR) will not be responsible if at the moment of Customs inspection, the liquor is found and confiscated. Client would also have to pay a fine which will be determined by Customs.

Please note:

The information on this page is intended as a guide and NOT as a complete or definitive resource.

The information on this page should not be used as an authoritative reference.

Updated January, 2006

Written by Einat Mazafi
Einat Mazafi is the owner of NY International Shipping, an International Shipping and moving company based in New York. She is also a specialist in providing the best relocation solutions to clients worldwide.