How Clearie calculates your estimate
- Charges compound the way Jamaica Customs assesses them: import duty is charged on the CIF value, special consumption tax on CIF plus import duty, and GCT on the total of all three. We then add the 0.5% environmental levy and the flat Customs Administrative Fee, J$66,000 for a new vehicle or J$69,000 for a used one. Every rate comes from the published JCA dealer rate sheet, revised April 2020. You can browse every band on the rate table.
Why does Clearie use the dealer rate sheet?
- Most vehicles now enter Jamaica through a licensed dealer, either from the dealer's own stock or as a special import the dealer sources for you. Customs assesses those entries on the dealer sheet, so that is what Clearie prices with. If you hold your own Trade Board licence and import in your own name, ask your broker which rates apply before relying on these figures.
What is CIF, and how is it converted to J$?
- CIF is the Cost of the vehicle plus Insurance plus Freight, the value customs actually taxes. Customs converts it to Jamaican dollars using the Bank of Jamaica exchange rate on the day of clearance, so Clearie starts from BOJ's rate for today and lets you type your own over it — useful when your dealer has quoted you one. If you don't have an insurance figure, a common practice is about 1.5% of price plus freight, which is what we assume when the field is left blank.
How old can the vehicle be?
- The Trade Board sets age limits by category. Cars, station wagons and SUVs can be up to six years old, motorcycles up to five, and light pickups up to six. Vans, larger pickups and small trucks get ten years, and returning residents may import a vehicle up to ten years old. The full table is in the import guide, and the source is the Trade Board age-limit policy.
What other costs should I budget for?
- The estimate covers government charges only. You'll also pay a licensed customs broker (required for motor vehicles), port handling and wharfage, trucking from the wharf, plus registration, licensing and fitness once the vehicle is cleared. These vary, so ask your broker for a quote up front. The import guide lists them.
I'm a public sector worker — what is my concession worth now?
- Less than it was. Travelling officers permanently appointed to a post that attracts upkeep or a fixed allowance can be granted the Ministry of Finance's 20% duty concession: a flat 20% import duty on the first US$35,000 of CIF, with SCT remitted. Until 1 May 2026 GCT was remitted too, but the 2026/27 revenue measures removed that exemption, so GCT is payable again and the relief is now the SCT line alone. Tick the box in the calculator and it prices both ways, because on some vehicles the concession is now worth nothing at all — a car under 1,000 cc, any hybrid and a compact pickup pay no SCT to begin with. On an electric vehicle three years or less since manufacture it is worse than useless: the flat 20% duty replaces the 10% that band already carries. The terms are in the Ministry's application form and conditions, and the change was announced in the 2026/27 revenue measures. The Budget did not state which GCT rate applies, so we charge the rate the vehicle's own band carries.
Which vehicles does the 20% duty concession cover?
- Motor cars and pickups under 3,000 kg laden weight, with no limit on engine size. Cars must be under five years old and pickups under six, which is tighter than the Trade Board's general age limits, and the concession can be used once every five years. The vehicle cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of within three years, or the duties remitted become payable in full. Approval comes from the Ministry of Finance and reaches Customs through ASYCUDA, where the dealer or broker clearing the entry can see it — so it works on a vehicle a dealer imports for you. Note that our pickup duty bands use unladen weight while the concession's 3,000 kg limit is laden, so the calculator states that rule rather than checking it for you. Source: MOF Circular #12 and the current application form.
Do I need permission to import a vehicle?
- Yes. You need a Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN) and an import licence from the Trade Board of Jamaica before the vehicle ships. Customs also requires a pre-inspection certificate from the export country for used vehicles, and damaged or salvaged vehicles cannot be imported. The import guide walks through the whole process.
Not answered here? Run the vehicle through the calculator for the number, or read the step-by-step import guide for the process.