Importing a used car to Saint Lucia
Cars up to 5 years old, left-hand drive restricted, and an excise charge that depends on engine size and the car’s age.
Age and vehicle rules
Saint Lucia restricts used vehicles by weight and age under Part 2 of the Customs (Control and Management) Act. A used vehicle is restricted if it is older than the limit for its weight:
| Vehicle weight | Restricted if older than |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 tonnes | 5 years |
| Over 2 to 3 tonnes | 8 years |
| Over 3 tonnes | 10 years |
Approved persons, such as returning nationals, can be exempt. Left-hand-drive vehicles are also restricted and need a special permit from Cabinet, so a right-hand-drive car from Japan suits this market.
Excise and age fee
Passenger cars pay excise tax by engine size, and a flat fee is added by the car’s age. These figures come from Schedule 1 of the Excise Tax Act (Revised Laws 2023):
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Excise, engine up to 2,000cc | 0% |
| Excise, engine over 2,000cc | 10% |
| Flat fee, new car | $1,000 |
| Flat fee, used car up to 5 years old | $4,000 |
| Flat fee, used car over 5 years old | $6,000 |
The law text does not name the currency, which is probably Eastern Caribbean dollars. Some engine bands were unreadable in the copy we could open.
Import duty, VAT and clearance
We could not find the import duty rate, the VAT rate, the required documents or the clearance steps on an official page. The Saint Lucia Customs pages we opened returned no usable content, so these details need a direct answer from Customs.
Confirm before you ship
- Ask Saint Lucia Customs for the current import duty and VAT rates and the clearance steps.
- Confirm the currency of the excise flat fees.
- Rates change with each budget. Confirm every figure before you pay.
Sources
- Customs (Control and Management) Act, Part 2: restricted importsattorneygeneralchambers.com, official
- Excise Tax Act: Schedule 1attorneygeneralchambers.com, official