1. Check the vehicle is young enough
The Trade Board sets a maximum age for every category of vehicle, counted from the year of manufacture. Most private cars must be six years old or less.
Importing through a dealer does not raise that limit. The schedule binds whoever is named as the importer on the licence, and the policy closes the obvious loophole itself: using a sub-dealer or a broker, or having a certified dealer bring a vehicle in for you, does not exempt anyone from it. What certification actually buys a dealer is the right to import any category, in any quantity, for resale, where an individual is held to two vehicles every three years. That is a difference of volume, not of age.
There are real routes to a vehicle older than the standard limit, but they are narrow, and none of them is a service a dealer can arrange simply by being a dealer. Confirm your case with the Trade Board before you pay a deposit.
| Category | Max age |
|---|---|
| Motorcycles and ATVs | 5 years |
| Cars: sedans, station wagons, SUVs | 6 years |
| Buses, up to 8 persons | 6 years |
| Pickups, up to 1,500 kg | 6 years |
| Pickups and small trucks, 1,501–3,000 kg | 10 years |
| Panel vans and window vans | 10 years |
| Buses, 9–14 persons | 10 years |
| Buses, 15–20 persons | 12 years |
| Buses, 21–30 persons | 15 years |
| Buses, 31–45 persons | 20 years |
| Buses, 46 persons and over | 25 years |
| Trucks, 3,001–6,000 kg | 20 years |
| Trucks, 6,001–8,000 kg | 25 years |
| Trucks over 8,000 kg | 30 years |
| Heavy-duty equipment | 30 years |
Ministry Paper 36/14 amendment, in force since 6 November 2019. Returning residents: up to 10 years.
Older than the limit
- A higher category, not an older car
- The limit follows the body type rather than the badge. Panel vans, window vans and small trucks to 3,000 kg run to 10 years, buses to 25 and trucks to 30. A dealer sourcing a ten-year-old panel van is working inside the schedule, not around it — which is where most of the talk about dealers importing older vehicles comes from.
- Returning residents
- May import a vehicle that exceeds the normal limit, capped at 10 years old, if they owned it for at least six months before applying and import within six months of relocating. The permit carries a one-year bar on selling the vehicle.
- Classic, antique and limited edition
- Licensed only on a special recommendation from the Jamaica Classic Car Club and the Island Traffic Authority, which has to be in hand before the Trade Board will grant the licence.
- Specialised vehicles
- Ambulances, hearses, limousines, town cars and vehicles modified for a person with a physical disability may be up to 10 years old.
- Oversized and special purpose units
- Approved in writing by the responsible Minister through the Island Traffic Authority, under section 192 of the Road Traffic Regulations, before the Trade Board issues a licence.
A licence refused after the vehicle has shipped is your loss, so settle the category and the age with the Trade Board on 876-967-0507 before any money moves.
2. Get your TRN and settle who imports
Every vehicle entering Jamaica needs an import licence from the Trade Board Limited before it ships. Most buyers now arrange a special import through a licensed dealer: the dealer sources the vehicle, applies for the licence in their name, and clears it, while you supply your Taxpayer Registration Number, your ID and a deposit. The rates on this site are the ones customs charges on those dealer imports.
Jamaica Customs is blunt about the order of operations: the vehicle must not ship until the licence is issued. The Trade Board answers licensing and age-limit questions on 876-967-0507 and 876-967-0674.
3. Budget to buy, ship and clear
Run the listing price through the calculator to see the customs charges, then add the costs in step 6. Aggregate duty on a petrol car is 45% to 73% of the CIF value on the dealer sheet, so the customs bill is often more than half the price of the car.
4. Buy and ship
Most Japanese exporters quote CIF to Kingston, which bundles the vehicle, insurance and freight. That is the figure customs will value, converted at the Bank of Jamaica rate on the day of clearance. If you buy FOB, you arrange shipping and insurance yourself and customs adds them to the value.
Used vehicles must pass a pre-shipment inspection in the export country and arrive with the certificate. Damaged or salvaged vehicles are prohibited outright, so avoid auction grades that describe accident repair or flood damage.
5. Clear the vehicle with a broker
Motor vehicles must be cleared by a licensed customs broker, who prepares the Special Declaration and submits the entry. On a dealer import the dealer’s broker does this and bills you the assessed duties plus port charges. Once customs releases the vehicle you can collect it or have it trucked. The documents the broker needs:
- Import licence
- Issued by the Trade Board Limited before the vehicle ships.
- Title or export certificate
- Issued to the owner by the government of the country where the vehicle was bought. In Japan this is the export certificate produced when the car is de-registered.
- Bill of lading
- From the shipping line or agent once the vehicle is loaded.
- Invoice
- The supplier's invoice, showing what you paid.
- Tax Compliance Certificate
- From Tax Administration Jamaica.
- Special Declaration
- Prepared by your licensed customs broker and signed by you.
- Pre-inspection certificate
- Required for used vehicles, issued by an approved inspection company in the export country before shipping.
6. Costs beyond customs
The estimate covers government charges only. Plan for these too, and ask your broker for a written quote because they vary by port, size of vehicle and season:
- Customs broker fee
- Wharfage and port handling
- Trucking from the wharf
- Registration, licensing and fitness certificate
- Motor insurance before you drive
Sources
- Trade Board Limited motor vehicle age limits
- JCA motor vehicle age limits
- Motor Vehicle Import Policy, Ministry Paper (2014), as amended November 2019
- Trade Board import permit procedures for returning residents
- JCA documents required to import a motor vehicle
- JCA import clearance procedure
- JCA Motor Vehicle Rates, dealers / ex-warehouse (revised 1 April 2020)
- Bank of Jamaica exchange rates
Policies change. This guide reflects the sources above as read on 2 September 2026. Confirm anything that affects your money with the Trade Board or your broker.
Go deeper
Each step above has a guide of its own, and the popular imports are priced line by line. Browse all the guides.
- Rules and eligibility
Jamaica vehicle import age limits, by category
The Trade Board's maximum age for every category of vehicle, why a dealer cannot get around it, and the narrow routes to importing something older
- Duties and money
The costs beyond customs when you import a vehicle
Broker, wharfage, trucking, registration, fitness, insurance and the dealer's fee: everything the customs estimate leaves out, and how to budget for it.
- Worked examples
What it costs to import a Toyota Aqua to Jamaica
Duty, SCT, GCT, levy and fees on a 2021 Toyota Aqua 1.5 L hybrid, itemised in Jamaican dollars, with the alternative bands priced beside it.