Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Importing and Exporting

The Customs and Excise Division of the Ministry of Finance is responsible for approving all imports to and exports from Trinidad and Tobago.

How do I export goods?

If you are exporting commercial goods, you must hire a Customs Broker to fill out the required documentation. You can find a list of Customs Brokers in the yellow pages of the Trinidad and Tobago telephone directory.

Commercial and non-commercial exporters must also:

  • Fill out a Customs Declaration Form (C82 Form) in four copies. This form is provided by your broker.
  • Submit the C82 Form along with the documents listed in the section below to a Customs Officer at a Customs and Excise office for signature.
  • Take the signed C82 Form and the goods to be exported to the Import/Export station from which the goods are to be exported.

What documents do I need to export goods?

  1. Invoice showing the price paid locally.
  2. Export Licence, for those items that are on the Consolidated List of Licensable Exports (please see below). For information on how to get an export licence, please follow the “Applying for an Export Licence” link under the “Related Services” heading in the pane at the left.
  3. Certificate of origin (in the case of those items not manufactured locally).

The Consolidated List of Licensable Exports

The following items can only be exported with an Export Licence:

  1. Coral and other aquatic life found in the country’s marine environment including coral, turtle, turtle eggs, aquarium fish, fish, molluscs, lobster, shrimp, crabs and other aquatic invertebrates.
  2. Works of art, artefacts, and archaeological findings.
  3. Clays, crushed limestone, boulders, sand, gravel, plastering sand, porcellanite, argillite, oil sand.
  4. All plant species including tissue culture and other propagation material of these that are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
  5. Embryos and artificial insemination material.
  6. All animal species listed in the CITES, as well as all endangered species of Trinidad and Tobago, whether live specimens, their parts, or derivatives, that is mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish or invertebrate.
  7. Non-Ferrous Metal Scrap and Ores.
  8. Human Organs.
  9. Explosives, firearms, ammunition and ordnance.
  10. Items which are subsidised either directly or indirectly – rice, gasoline, kerosene, liquid petroleum gas.
  11. Electro-medical or medical or medical electronic equipment.
  12. Duty-free capital goods e.g. mining, construction and other industrial machinery.
  13. Agricultural machinery including imported fishing boats and their engines.

How do I import goods?

If you are importing commercial goods, you must hire a Customs Broker to fill out the required documentation. You can find a list of Customs Brokers in the yellow pages of the Trinidad and Tobago telephone directory.

Commercial and non-commercial importers must also:

  • Fill out a Customs Declaration Form (C82 Form) in four copies.
  • Submit the C82 Form with the documents listed in the section below to a Customs Officer at a Customs and Excise office. The Customs Officer will sign the C82 Form and give you an Assessment that shows duties and taxes owing and return all documents to you.
  • Take the C82 Form and the Assessment to the Customs’ cashier and pay all outstanding taxes and duties.
  • Take the cashier’s receipt and all documents to the Import/Export Station where the goods are being imported and clear the goods through Customs.

What documents do I need to import goods?

  1. A CARICOM Area Invoice (this is provided by the supplier and is necessary for any goods entering the CARICOM region).
  2. The supplier’s invoice.
  3. A copy of the Airway Bill (for items transported by air) or Bill of Lading (for items transported by sea).
  4. Import licence, for those items that are on the negative list (please see below). For information on obtaining an import licence, please follow the “Applying for an Import Licence” link under the “Related Services” heading in the pane at the left.
  5. A declaration on the C75 or C76 form (used only when there is an ongoing demand-supply relationship between the importer and the supplier) signed by the importer.
  6. A certificate of origin (provided by the supplier).

The Import Negative List

The following goods can only be imported with an Import Licence:

  1. Live poultry.
  2. Fish.
  3. Shrimp.
  4. Lobster.
  5. Crabmeat.
  6. Coconut in all forms including coconut seedlings, copra, desiccated coconut, coconut milk, and coconut cream (EXCLUDING Coconut oil).
  7. Oilseed cake, meal, and other vegetable oil residues.
  8. Copra.
  9. Oilseeds, beans, nuts.
  10. Animal oils, fats and greases, unrefined.
  11. Fatty acids and solid residues from the treatment of oils and fats.
  12. Vegetable fats.
  13. Left Hand Drive vehicles.
  14. Used Right Hand Drive vehicles.
  15. Used Right Hand Drive Garbage compactors exceeding 15 tonnes (15000 kg) MGW.
  16. Paper for wrapping tobacco or cigarettes.
  17. Ship and boats (under 250 tonnes).
  18. Parathion, ethyl.
  19. 2, 4, 5_Trichlorophenyl (2, 4, 5_T).
  20. Dichlorodiphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT).
  21. Chlordimeform.
  22. Dibromochloropropane (DBCP).
  23. Ethylene Dibromide (EDB).
  24. Pentachlorophenol (PCP)
  25. Lead Arsenate.
  26. Thallium and its salts.
  27. Aldrin, Dieldrin and Endrin.
  28. Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and mixtures containing Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
  29. Equipment requiring the use of Ozone Depleting Substances – Air or Vacuum Pumps and Compressors and their parts, Dehumidifiers, Air Conditioning Machines/Units and their parts, Refrigerators / freezers and heat pumps and their parts.

Customs and Excise Division Offices

To apply for Import or Export approval, you must visit one of the locations listed below:

  • Customs and Excise Division
    Ministry of Finance
    Custom House (Port of Spain)
    Government Campus Plaza
    Ajax Street, Wrightson Road,
    Port of Spain
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 612-7010
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Customs and Excise Division
    Ministry of Finance
    Customs Street
    Scarborough
    Tobago, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 639-2415
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Container Examination Section
    Point Lisas Industrial Estate
    Point Lisas
    Couva
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 679-4073
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Customs and Excise Division
    Ministry of Finance
    Custom House
    San Fernando Street
    San Fernando
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 652-3421
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

Import/Export Stations

  • Amerijet
    Golden Grove Road
    Piarco
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 669-2329
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Aeromarine
    Market Street
    Sea Lots
    Port of Spain
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 624-4910
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • BWIA Cargo
    Golden Grove Road
    Piarco
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 669-1929
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
    Container Examination Section
    Dock Road
    Port of Spain
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 627-0881 ext 228-230
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Container Examination Section
    Point Lisas Industrial Estate
    Point Lisas
    Couva
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 679-4075
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Courier Bond
    JSL Compound
    Golden Grove Road
    Piarco
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 669-5687
    Opening hours: 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
    General Aviation Services
    Golden Grove Road
    Piarco
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 669-3124
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Piarco Air Services
    El Socorro
    San Juan
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 674-4708
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Point Lisas LCL Warehouse
    Point Lisas Industrial Estate
    Point Lisas
    Couva
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 679-4073
    Opening hours: 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Queen’s Wharf
    Port of Spain
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 625-3749
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Shed 4
    Kings Wharf
    Port of Spain
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 625-2504
    Opening hours: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Shed 9
    Kings Wharf
    Port of Spain
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 625-2506
    Opening hours: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Shed 10
    Kings Wharf
    Port of Spain
    Trinidad, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 625-3316
    Opening hours: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
  • Customs and Excise Division
    Crown Point International Airport
    Crown Point
    Tobago, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 639-0374
    Opening hours: 5:00 am to 11:00 pm, everyday.
  • Customs and Excise
    Port of Scarborough
    Scarborough
    Tobago, West Indies
    Tel. (868) 639-2415
    Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

Where can I find more information?

For further information, please contact:
Customs and Excise Division
Ministry of Finance
Custom House
Government Campus Plaza
Ajax Street, Wrightson Road
Port of Spain
Trinidad, West Indies
Tel. (868) 612-7010
Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.