Family considering a move to PR

Welcome on board bethg

I hope that other members will contribute to your divers queries soon. For luggage shipping, I will advise you to contact our recommended partner for a free quotation: https://www.expat.com/en/luggage/centra … erto-rico/

Regards

WHERE TO LIVE:
By far the best place to live in Carolina is the beach community of Isla Verde.  It is close to wherever you may want to go in Carolina.  Unfortunately, it mostly consists of beach-front rented condos.  There are a few row houses and such that may be available.

KIDS:
I think it would be easy to find playgroups.  I can send you more details if you message me off-forum.

CAR PARTS:
You won't have any problems getting Audi/Honda car parts and repairs but the parts themselves will probably cost more than in CA.

SHIPPING CARS AND CAR TAXES:
I would normally recommend that you ship your cars because buying one here will be very expensive. But I am not sure in your case because you will have to ship them from California and I do not have any idea how much that would cost.  Nonetheless, here is some information about shipping cars that I have previously posted:

"I shipped a car from Atlanta a few months ago, or rather, I drove the car to the port at Jacksonville and shipped it from there, then caught a flight from JAX.  I shipped it with Crowley for approximately $1,200 and it arrived in four days.  I have no complaints about Crowley. 

Make sure you have at least a photocopy of clear title with you when you drop off the car for shipping. If the title is not clear, then you'll need an affidavit from the holder of the title granting you permission to ship the vehicle.

Also, make sure you keep all of the paperwork that Crowley gives you and make sure that the Bill of Lading is filled out properly. It is best to put yourself down as being the consignee of the shipment in addition to being the consignor. Otherwise, when you go to pay your import duty (which must be paid before you can drive your car out of the port), they will screw up your paperwork so that when you eventually get a Puerto Rico title for your car, it will include whoever else you listed as a consignee (like a local contact or whomever) as being a co-owner.

Be prepared to pay import duty here in Puerto Rico. Like most bureaucratic exercises in Puerto Rico, it is a much more complicated process then need be. (1) You have to go to the port with your paperwork. There, (2) you must clear some paperwork with your shipper. Then (3) you have to take this paperwork to the tax authority counter there in the port, where they will determine the import duty you will owe. Inconceivably, you cannot pay your import duty with these tax authorities in the port, so (4) you must take the paperwork that you just received from the tax personnel at the port with you to another tax office in San Juan (there are at least two that I know of) and pay it there.  (5) You must return with your receipt to the tax authorities in the port and present it to them. Then they will authorize you to (6) go back to the shipper and actually retrieve your car. (7) You will then have a limited time to register your vehicle in Puerto Rico and receive a Puerto Rico title. These steps must be followed in precise sequential order.

Inexplicably, you must have your car registered in Puerto Rico before you can have it insured, so the moment you drive it out of the port your vehicle will be uninsured until you have it registered and subsequently insured. Registration cost me about $130+. The only exception to this is if your US-based insurance policy will cover the vehicle in PR. I would call to verify because few US-based insurance companies (if any) do so.

Keep in mind that the tax authorities will over-value your car so your tax basis will be much higher than you would otherwise anticipate. I paid $1,400 in import duties on a ten year old car.

All of that said, you should probably still ship your car. Vehicle prices here are expensive and you will need a vehicle."

I know I did not address all of your questions but I hope this helps!

Beth,

Here are a couple of places to check out:

Mover- Contact Chris Cadelli at ABF Movers
       [email protected]
       877-607-0494 ext.6465
       This company can get your stuff to PR pretty fast. They gave me an ETA of one week. Most other places were 4-6 weeks.

Buying a car in PR: Check out clasificadosonline.com to look at used vehicles and prices to give you an idea whether you should ship yours or purchase one there.

places.eyetour.com  This site has some nice short videos of numerous places around the island.

Good Luck and have fun.

Gregg

Hi Beth, When we moved here from upstate NY in 2003, we brought our minivan with us because we didn't think we would be able to sell it for the amount that was left on the car loan; it was about 3 yrs old. If I had to do it over again, I think I would buy something here. The excise tax was about $3000, and then there was the cost of shipping the car. Tax laws may have changed by now, so I'm not sure what rate you'd be charged.
   We have a newcomers group (newcomerspr.com) in the metro area (San Juan and surrounding areas, including most of Carolina). Our members include families with young children all the way to "snowbirds" who enjoy their winter retirement months in PR. We have a lot of activities and fun. Even if you don't want to become involved with a Club, it's a good place to start to meet people and get information about the island.
     As for where to live, you probably could live anywhere in the SJ area and be fairly close to Carolina. The problem is: traffic. A 5-minute drive on a Sunday morning can sometimes take 30 minutes or more during morning rush hour! Also, would you want a home with a yard, a condo, within walking distance to stores... all types are available. Clasificadosonline.com, suggested by Gregg, also lists houses & apts for sale and rent.
     Having school-age children is a good way to meet both other ex-pats and locals; parents end up together a lot with school activities.

   Good luck!

Hi Beth,

I have recently returned from a long trip to Puerto Rico and saw much of San Juan and the surrounding suburbs.  I'm not sure of your price range, but I would highly recommend living in Dorado.  Dorado is about a 30 minute drive into San Juan/Carolina area.  Dorado feels more like a mainland suburb than most on the island.  Modern new shopping centers, beautiful gated communities, good restaurants, and private schools.  I would recommend living in Sabanera Dorado neighborhood.  It is a beautiful gated community with its own private school.  TASIS School an affliate of The American School of Switzerland in Lausanne, Switzerland.  The language of instruction is in English. Lots of community sponsored children's activities, etc.  Lots of expats live in this community as well as upper middle class local professionals.  I saw a REMAX office in Dorado and they seemed to have a majority of the listings in that area.  websites that may be helpful are below.

[Moderated]

Hi Beth,
We live in Dorado.  Its west of San Juan and the traffic is bad, but its worth living sea side in a safe, nice area!  My kids go to a private english speaking school (tasis) and everyone in the area speaks english.  We go to the beach everyday!  If you want to live in a nice house with a garden, pool and beach, this is the place.  if you live in isla grande, its probably a flat or apartment. 

i would buy a car here.  there's no shortage.  plus there is always expats selling cars at a great rate.  there is also a group called newcomers.  its a great way to meet people and get acquainted with the area. 

i haven't found any good relocation companies.  thinking about starting my own having moved 11 times myself!  I even found the house we live in now.  realtors tend to show you only the houses they are associated with.  if you need help, I'd be glad to be your guide to schools, areas, and house hunting.

there are 3 good english speaking schools on the island, Tasis, St. Johns and Baldwin. 

if  you have any other q's just ask!
wende

forgot to mention, be careful when choosing a mover.... things tend to "get lost" off the truck/shipment!

Hi Beth,
  I have never actually used them, but within the Puerto Rican community ie my own friends and family, they have always used either La Flor de Mayo (Mayflower) or Mudanzas Monti. Like I said growing up I always remember my family using either one of these. I hope that helps.

Flor de Mayo, la Rosa del Monte and Monti won't be able to help you in CA. They service a narrow area from NY to FL and cater mostly to Puerto Rican families moving to and from the states. I would recommend them to anyone on the east coast within their service area to give them a try. They have all the connections with the officials in PR so they get your stuff here and through customs very quickly. We used Monti and our stuff got here and was ready to be delivered to our door in two weeks. All we had to pay once the stuff got here was a $22 customs fee. If any of you do use this company make sure when you get your estimate in writing that they will verify in writing that there will be no additional cost on delivery. They hit us for another $300 when our stuff arrived at our door. But that's nothing compared to and extra $2000 that some people we met here had to pay when they used a different company. Oh, and do purchase the insurance. We had some water damage due to a leaky container.

Hello,  Don't know if you have already moved but I provide Multi Cultural and Cross cultural training in Puerto Rico for arriving families.

If you need any help, my fees are reasonable and I am happy to meet with you and orient you and your family to La Isla del Encanto.

Maria Procaccino

[email protected]

@bethg go to [link moderated] here you can input your vehicles vin# to get an accurate excise tax cost for your cars. As far as parts for your Honda you'll be fine. Go to your mom and pop auto parts versus Autozone. Autozone is more expensive.  As far as your Audi I'm sure you'll be fine but German car parts are always expensive any where you go. I priced out a brand new Hyundai Venue for 22k and a Nissan kick for 25k out the door at a Aguadilla car dealership . Hope this helps.

@bethg suri.hacienda for excise tax info on cars shipped to PR. Enter your vin#