What it costs to import a Nissan X-Trail to Jamaica

The X-Trail is a mid-size SUV with a 2.0 litre petrol engine in its common Japanese trim. It is popular with families who want a full size vehicle, and it sits at an interesting point on the rate sheet: exactly on the line between two petrol bands.

The band it lands in

The dealer sheet’s middle petrol band runs to 2,000 cc inclusive. Nissan’s MR20 engine is 1,997 cc, so a 2.0 litre X-Trail stays in the 1,001 to 2,000 cc band and pays 58.9%. The band above it, exceeding 2,000 cc and not exceeding 3,500 cc, carries 20% SCT instead of 10% and comes to 73.3%.

What a Nissan X-Trail costs to clear

The table prices a 2021 Nissan X-Trail 2.0 L petrol at an example CIF of US$15,900 to Kingston, converted at today’s Bank of Jamaica selling rate of J$158.88 per US$1. Each line is calculated the way Jamaica Customs assesses it: import duty on CIF, SCT on CIF plus duty, GCT on the total of all three, then the 0.5% environmental levy on CIF and the flat customs administrative fee for a used vehicle.

On these figures the customs charges alone come to J$1,556,927, which is 61.6% of the CIF value. Add the vehicle price itself and the landed cost is J$4,083,119 before the broker, the wharf and the registration office have been paid.

How the bill moves with the price

Every charge except the customs fee is a percentage of CIF, so the bill moves almost in step with the price you pay. The same vehicle at 15% less and 15% more than the example price:

• At US$13,515 CIF, the customs charges are J$1,333,738 and the landed cost is J$3,481,001.
• At US$15,900 CIF, the customs charges are J$1,556,927 and the landed cost is J$4,083,119.
• At US$18,285 CIF, the customs charges are J$1,780,116 and the landed cost is J$4,685,237.

The exchange rate works the same way. Customs converts CIF at the Bank of Jamaica rate on the day of clearance, not the day you paid the exporter, so a rate that moves one dollar between purchase and clearance moves this bill by about 0.6% of the J$ total. The exchange rate guide explains how to budget for that.

The alternative worth pricing

That gap is why the 2.5 litre X-Trail is rare in Jamaica. On the same price, the larger engine adds more than 14 points of CIF to the bill. The e-POWER X-Trail, a hybrid, goes the other way and clears at 44.5%. Whichever you choose, confirm the displacement on the export certificate: a listing rounded to “2.0” could be either side of the line.

What this estimate leaves out

The figures above are the government charges and nothing else. Before the vehicle is yours to drive you will also pay a licensed customs broker to prepare and lodge the entry, wharfage and handling at the port, trucking from the wharf, then registration, licensing and a fitness certificate at the Tax Administration and Island Traffic Authority offices, and motor insurance. If you import through a dealer, the dealer’s own fee sits on top. None of these has a published tariff, so ask for a written quote and read the costs beyond customs guide for what to expect.

Check before you pay a deposit

• The year of manufacture is inside the Trade Board age limit for the category, counted at the time of import, not the time of purchase.
• The engine displacement, fuel type and unladen weight on the export certificate match the listing. Customs bands on the certificate.
• The price is CIF to Kingston. If it is FOB, add freight and insurance before you run the numbers, or switch the calculator to FOB and let it add them.
• The vehicle has a pre-shipment inspection certificate and is not described as accident-repaired, flood-damaged or salvaged.

The band this page uses is “Petrol · Exceeding 1,000 cc, not exceeding 2,000 cc” on the dealer sheet revised 1 April 2020. Rates change by ministerial order, so if a newer sheet has been published since, your broker will assess on that one.