If you are a car importer or car dealer in Vanuatu, you are required to register your vehicle with Rates and Taxes office. You have a one-month deadline to declare imported automobiles and the car dealers will register their cars on the date of sale.
The documentation
You will fill out specific forms for importer or car dealership. The car dealer will forward their form along with a sales invoice and a customs declaration form to the Customs Trade, Tariff and Compliance (TTC). It should be noted that the registration tax of the vehicle corresponds to the registration tax plus the road tax. Therefore:
The road tax applies on the date of purchase of the vehicle. Therefore, for a vehicle purchase in June, the road tax applies for the remaining 7 months.
Vehicles not covered by this registration
We have several categories of vehicles that are not covered by these registration taxes for a period of 5 years and they are:
New registration number and special charges
After 5 years of exemption, imported vehicles will have a new registration number and a new registration fee (VT 2,500). Registration fees and visitor’s tax are payable for expatriates. Special charges apply to car owners who prefer to choose their own registration number. Tariff: VT11, 220.
There are other charges for people that retain old vehicle registration numbers on new or replacement vehicles.
