Visa Question Best Posts in Thread: Duty and Tax Exemption

My neighbor tried to bring in a 40 foot container of his household goods using his SRRV and found the shipping company/port charged ridiculous storage fees.
The process for the PRA paper work was going to take a couple of weeks. He surrendered and just paid the taxes.
If you can find a shipper that offers door to door you might be able to avoid that problem.

 

I brought a container in via Manila, transhipped to Dumaguete, 5 years ago. The local shipping agent, Goetz in Manila, handled all the documentation for duty exemption. So I would contact the local agent representing your original shipping agent and see what they say. They will (should) have the latest info on what's required and would hopefully do it for you.

 

Nope, but according to link below, the answer is yes. This is from the LA consulate.

Duty Free Shipment of Personal and Household Effects into the Philippines – Philippine Consulate General Los Angeles California

Highlighted information from link above.

2. If you qualify on any of the above categories, please be guided by the following:

a. Shipment of your personal and household effects will be exempted from payment of customs duties and taxes as provided for in Section 800 (f) CMTA as provided below

b. However, the person who wishes to avail of such privilege should secure either before departure from country of residence or within 60 days upon his arrival in the Philippines, written approval from the Department of Finance for tax and duty-free importation of household goods.

3. A letter of Request for tax and duty exemption should be addressed to the Philippine Department of Finance Mabuhay Lane Office:

Mabuhay Lane Office
Address : Podium, DOF Bldg., BSP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila, 1004, Philippines
Telephone No. : (632) 526-8458
Fax No. : 523-4955
Email : helpdesk@dof.gov.ph Website: Department of Finance

4. The following documents should accompany the Request Letter for tax and duty free importation:

4a. Import shipping documents (AWB/BL)

4b. Import commercial documents (Invoice & Packing List)

Photocopies of:

4c. Passport (if Filipino citizen), or for dual citizenship, foreign passport, Oath of Allegiance as Filipino Citizen and Order Granting Filipino Citizenship 13A visa (if foreigner is married to a Filipino citizen) or 13G visa (if former Filipino)

4d. For Filipino citizens, copy of marriage certificate as proof of residency in the foreign country

4e. For 13A and 13G visa holders: copies of Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) and Immigration Certificate of Residence (ICR)

4f. Affidavit of Ownership that has undergone consular notarization [click here for procedure] or authentication [click here for procedure].

4g. Authority of Representative (in lieu of consignee)

4h. Contract of Employment 6. Employment Contract (Certified True Copy)

4i. Tour of Duty (Certified True Copy)

4j. Birth Certificate (copy)

4k. Marriage Contract (if married to Filipino)

5. Applicants for tax and duty-free importation should be ready with the original copies of documents mentioned in paragraph 4 above for presentation to the Department of Finance or Bureau of Customs when claiming your goods or as otherwise required.

 

Update: We did manage to get our TEC. We planned to fly to Manila Monday morning and fly back to DGT Monday night with TEC in hand (LOL). It actually took us three days to complete the processing in Manila, so two nights unexpected hotel stay and twice rebooking our return flight -- and after all that we had to go back again a week later to pick up the certificate, none of this can be done online or with sending stuff, it has to be done in person. Just as small example of the fun; a person at the DOF office sent me a template for an "Affidavit of Ownership" - it was a completely un-formatted continuous line of text with blanks spaces to enter information. I use Word and typed this is as a nice looking formatted document, exactly word-for-word, but properly formatted to look like an actual legal document. When we got to her window I proudly presented to her my nice looking Affidavit, she scowled at me and said, "Sir, I sent you the required format". I politely said to her, look at what you sent and look at my form and read them they have exactly the same wording except that mine is nicely formatted. She said, NO, you must use the format that I sent to you. I tried to argue that they were identical, that I am standing here now with this in my hand and I don't have a computer and printer with me to redo it -- she said, "Sir, would you like me to process your application or not?". So, I said, Okay, what do I do. She sent me to a legal office that was over a half hour taxi ride away where they re-did the affidavit for me using her single continuous line of text with spaces in it and printed it out for me. So, two hours later I am in front of her window again and I present her my new affidavit, she says, "Okay Sir, this is fine, now you must have it notarized". I said, okay, where is the notary in this building, she said there is none, and the closest one would be the lawyers office who reprinted this for you .... I say excuse me for a minute while I step into the hallway and pull out some hair! Now take that scene from Monty Python and extend it over three days and that is what you will be dealing with both in Manila and ten times worse at the Cebu Port Authority.

Our cargo container arrived in Cebu at 11:59PM Saturday night, and even though just 1 minute before Sunday, they called that a Saturday arrival. You get just 5 days before they start charging you storage fees, so be ready to move fast when you get the notice. We got to Cebu by Wed, and again in our innocent ignorance just planned for one day to retrieve our container from the port. It took us until the end of the day Friday but we were able to manage to get our container released and brought to Sibulan Saturday morning so that it was back in port by Saturday night to avoid additional charges. The methods we used to "expedite" the release of our container should probably not be documented here, use your imagination.

I will say this, if I had known in advance the hassle and work and frustration and time and expense that would be involved in shipping a cargo container from the US to the Philippines I absolutely would not have chose that plan. It is better off BY FAR to just sell everything you own except for small irreplaceable personal items, and just ship those in a few Star Kargo boxes, and then come here and buy everything you need once you are here.

 

Tried asking at several Pharmacies for 'Name Brand' Tramadol and each time have been shown the same 3x types available elsewhere, when I ask which one is the 'Name Brand' I am told; "They all are name brand Sir"...
Sort of reminds me of Wifey where anything from Ukay-Ukay that has a tag is 'Name Branded'...

 

Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. Cars are more expensive and drugs are cheaper compared to the the USA.

 

It will be a long time before anything changes.
From Huffington Post
The problem, however, is that the Philippines is largely an oligarchy-disguised-as-a-democracy. What it needs is to become a genuine “deepened” democracy. The countries’ elected offices are dominated by 178 political dynasties, which control 73 out of 81 provinces in the country. As many as 70 percent of Filipino legislators hail from political dynasties. The economic landscape is equally oligarchic: the 40 richest families gobbled up to 76 percent of newly-created growth in recent years. Recent growth has barely ameliorated double-digit poverty and unemployment rates.

 

From four different sources I have been told four different procedures. The most recent is that I have now been told by the Dept. of Finance office in Manila that the Duty and Tax Exemption can not be applied for while still living in the US; it can only be applied for in person, in Manila, after arrival in the Philippines. Here is some additional information copied from the email that they sent to me:

In this connection, as you arrived in the Philippines, please submit the following documents to Mabuhay Lane, Revenue Office, Podium Level, Department of Finance, Executive Tower Building, BSP Complex, for evaluation:

1. Letter request addressed to Sec. Carlos G. Dominguez
Attention: Director Sheila N. Castaloni, Revenue Office
2. Original Passport
3. Bill of Lading (signed by shipping company)
4. Packing List
5.Affidavit of Ownership/Undertaking (duly notarized)
6. 13 a visa
7 Marriage contract (photo copy)
8. TIN No.
9. Payment of Filing Fee of Php200.00 per Department of Finance Order
No. 54-2000 dated December 13, 2000