Rules loosened over importing older vehicles
(CNS): Cabinet has approved amendments to the Customs and Border Control (Prohibited Goods) order to allow Caymanians who have lived overseas for at least one year to import one used vehicle older than seven years for personal use. A press release said students and other local people who have been abroad and want to bring their vehicle with them when they return home to live can do so, provided they have owned it for at least one year.
In April 2023, the government introduced a ban on importing vehicles that are more than seven years old in an effort to clean up emissions and reduce the amount of dilapidated vehicles on the roads.
The Customs and Border Control (Prohibited Goods) (Amendment) Order, 2024 also allows the importation of other previously prohibited vehicles that are eight years or older, including lorry or truck trailers and vehicles used for the transportation of heavy goods or equipment; delivery vans motorcycles and scooters; special purpose vehicles such as ambulances, fire engines and vehicles modified for physically challenged people.
North American and European exhibition vehicles that are at least 20 years old (vintage cars) will also be allowed.
CBC Senior Deputy Director Kevin Walton explained the reasons for the amendments: “In line with the government’s objective to improve the quality of life for Caymanians, these amendments will enable returning Caymanian students to bring their vehicles home as they settle back on the island. It will provide Caymanian business owners, as well as those with specific needs, the opportunity to import previously restricted vehicles, offering greater flexibility and support for our local economy.”
See the amendment in the CNS Library (under ‘Customs’).
Questions or queries to CBC.OnlineSupport@gov.ky or call Customer Support at 649-4579.
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Category: Laws, Local News, Politics
Students returning after one year abroad might not have the budget to purchase or finance certain brand vehicles in a market. They might be able to afford to purchase an older brand vehicle, which would be used for general transportation to commute to school, work, and to get around.
Studying abroad full-time and residing on or off campus might not require a motorcar. If the student has a student visa but not a work permit, then they will likely only be studying aboard on a full scholarship.
A student could afford to purchase a vehicle that is termed below, high market value. The student must have maintained a record of this vehicle for at least one year before exporting their vehicle. I have known some dealerships to enable payment plans for their older brand vehicles.
Shipping from North America or Europe will have their own distinct cost for vehicle export. Since there is a cost to export and clear vehicles as we all know it.
If the export bill costed more than the vehicle price at sale, or perhaps equal in value, one may not be concerned with this charge to export the vehicle if:
1. They got a great deal on the vehicle.
2. They have saved up more money during over one year in college
abroad.
3. Other economical factors.
I’d suggest we check out some classic vehicles from both the USA and the EU, respectively. Check out Japan’s classic vehicle catalog.
I know about some classic (vintage) vehicles right here in Cayman!
Car enthusiasts could restore and tune rare vehicle brands and models to showcase in things like cinemas and more.
Pure corruption. plain and simple
This whole thing stinks.
They shouldn’t have even done the ban at all, they just should have allowed high-standard cars from US, Canadian, and Europe markets to come in and stop these crappy cars from coming in every day.
There are plenty of crappy old cars in those markets too. The ban makes sense, given the environmental cost of scraping cars that come here for their last few years.
Safety standards are better than JDM markets tho even if it’s the same vehicle.
This is the most pressing issue to have altered?
Exactly how many people know students who bring a vehicle back from their overseas study???
The reasons given are extremely dubious.
The real question is which MP kid needs to bring home their old vehicle?
Because the poor student bringing home their car is a beard – the real issue is “lorry or truck trailers and vehicles used for the transportation of heavy goods or equipment; delivery vans..” So some merchants and businesses didnt like the cost of acquiring new trucks and had a word. Of course, given that the rationale for the law was to improve emission and road safety, having 8 year or older dump trucks excluded from it is just illogical abd clearly the product of “lobbying”
There’s no Ro-Ro carrier, so they all need to go to a logistics operator to load into a shipping container, and that adds thousands. Good luck finding a mechanic that will fix the car once it gets here.
This is such a weird, pointless amendment I wonder who’s kid it is designed for. Which MP’s have kids away at college?
This means you can privately import an 8 year old Range Rover and class it as a delivery van?
A 15 year old truck can be imported – are we not trying to rid Cayman of old polluting trucks?
What exactly are “exhibition vehicles”.
Vehicles that like shaking their trunk in public.
Some ninkompoop’s attempt at finding a different name for ‘classic cars’.
Hondas with body panels that are all the same color.
they exist? I assume they came from the factory like that
We have no principles.
We have no standards.
Unless we say what we mean and mean what we say, we have no future.
only in cayman would the government bring in a rule to prevent people from buying small, economical, practical, efficent vehicles….
all for the sake of pandering to local car dealers with their rip-off prices….
what about a ban on huge gas guzzling suv’s????
You can still buy as many 0-6 year old small, economical, practical, efficent vehicles as you like. Just not old intergalactic mileage junk Hondas near the end of their life. Except now of course some people can.
so all cars over 6 years old should be banned from the roads????…………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
logic fail
The problem is, many people can’t afford a fairly new small car, so you are left with people keeping Honda fits on the road until they fall in half. It was an idiotic law then and it’s an idiotic law now. Limit the # of vehicles people can import instead. If you can have them inspected by someone who is not corrupt then you should only have safe cars on the roads. “If”.
No. Limit who can drive. Not every work permit holder needs to have the right to drive. Provide decent public transport and then ban certain categories of work permit holder from owning and driving their own cars – as a condition placed on their permit before they even come. Problem solved.
garbage comment…
vehicles from japan are generally low mileage and in excellent condition.
garbage cars
Tell us you drive a garbage Honda without telling us.