Useful information about Cuba : Houses in Cuba : Renting private houses

DOCUMENTATION

The basic custom document is DUA, which has to enclose the following documents:

- Original purchase invoice.

- Origin certificate (to apply especial conditions such as custom payments for handmade products).

- Transport or Aerial Document, emitted by the transport company (the most important is the number of it).

- For Merchandise Dispatch in Spain you may have Customs Agent Licence.

TAXES & CUSTOMS DUTIES

Taxes & Customs Duties for pictures and musical instruments:

- Pictures and musical instruments handmade: 0% VAT

- Pictures 7%

- Musical instruments 16%

CUSTOM AGENCIES

Custom and Special Taxes Office (in Asturias – Spain)

Tel 985 35 79 48

Nespral Custom Agency (in Asturias – Spain)

Tel 985 34 31 09

At: Hector

Jose Luis Villar Guañabens

Tel 985 56 13 40

The basic document of custom office is the merchandising declaration. This document has to be presented in all foreign trade operations and both exportation and importation.

This document has to enclose:

Loading document

Commercial invoice

Packing list

Origin certification, if you expect to take merchandising in to the national favoured tariff (applied to countries who belong to OMC/WTC or that have reached a Negotiation Treaty) or other origin prosecuting benefits.

In case of importation and exportation of merchandising with special requirements you also have to present the authorisation established for anyone of them.

Nowadays the average favoured tariff is 10,7%, and general tariff does not exceed 17%. Raw material tariffs are 5, 10 y 15%.

Only an 8% of tariffs are higher than 20% and more than 90% of them are lower than 15%.

CUSTOM REGULATIONS

Tourists may introduce in Cuba two spirit bottles, one carton of cigarettes and personal belongings such as their own jewellery, video and photographic cameras, sports implements, fishing gears, 10 kg of medicines... They are all tax-exempted.

You can also import articles with a value down to 250.00 USD: from this, 50.00 USD are free of charge and you have to pay a duty of 100%.for the rest (200.00 USD).

The introduction of firearms is not allowed,. The introduction of narcotics or pornographic materials, alive animals and firearms is forbidden by law, excepting hunting weapons duly authorized by Cuban authorities.

The exportation of arts or antiques and other cultural protected goods is allowed, presenting the purchase invoice and the proper documentation from Authorities.

Maximum exportation value of other articles is 1 000.00 USD.

Handicrafts don’t need documentation.

To export more than 50 cigars, tourist has to present the invoice from Habanos S.A..

More information in:

Custom of the Republic of Cuba http://www.aduana.islagrande.cu

FOREIGN TRADE SISTEM.

The import and export operations are carried out by Cuban companies and other entities duly registered at the National Registry of Exporters and Importers attached to the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Cuba.

These companies are specialized in the import or export of certain groups of products and in case of importation or exportation of other goods, they have to request authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Trade to perform the operations.

Until the decade of the 1980s, foreign trade operations were performed only by some 30 state companies. At present more than 400 Cuban entities participate in foreign trade activities, among them, state enterprises and companies with 100% Cuban or mixed capital. These entities may be specialized in certain groups of products, market their own productions or form an association of small and medium industries with related productions.

Foreign businessmen must make sure that Cuban companies they sign contracts with, are authorized to export or import this product, and in case it is not, contact an enterprise which nomenclature includes the product in question. The import system does not establish limitations such as contingencies, quotas or licenses for individual cases.

All products that enter into the country must be declared at customs and are subject to inspection.

Regulations in force related to the preservation of the national patrimony and the prohibitions of drugs, sanitary regulations and preservation of the environment must be taken into consideration as well as those on the protection of endangered species and the border movements of waste and other dangerous materials.

TARIFF STRUCTURE

The Tariff has two columns:

- General Tariff, applied to non-members of the World Trade

Organization (WTO) and to countries with no bilateral trade agreements with

Cuba.

- the Most-favoured Nation Tariff, which is applied to members of the WTO

and to those countries with bilateral trade agreements with Cuba.

The average most-favoured nation tariff is 10.7%,

TARIFF CALCULATIONS

Tariff calculations are based on the value of the goods (ad valorem).