[Dogberta]

Our family will be moving to Shenzhen in June. We are considering shipping our 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser to drive while we are there. We will be staying 3 to 4 years. Does anyone know if we will have to pay duty or customs for that?

Thanks in advance.

Dogberta

[wing]

What does it take to get a visa to stay there in Shenzhen ?

I just found out that I can't even go to Walmart there without a visa. Man, the visa is quite expensive.

[KnowItAll]

Don't bother with the car.

Yes, there are taxes, and China, being the open country that it is, protects itself from imports.

First, the declared value of the car may be arguable, and might include the freight charge and other fees that are necessary to bring the car into China.

Next, the tax rates vary from source to source -- I cannot find an authorative source.

Third, and this is the deal breaker, only pre-approved people who are residents of PRC or foreigners who have investments in China can apply from local "Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau" to import a car from abroad.

Normally right-steering car is not allowed for import in China unless you have PBS (public bureau of security) approval.

Some links for you ....

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/inter...gr116624e.html

3) Can expatriates living in China import a personal car when he/she locates in China?

If an expatriate only plans to stay in China without a job, then in no circumstance can he/she import their car to China.

Only under two conditions is the import of a personal vehicle allowed:

1.
He/she works for a foreign/JV enterprise which has investment in China
2.
He/she has the "Resident Certificate" in China that can be obtained after six months' living in China

In these two cases, the imported used car cannot be used for business purpose in any circumstances.

The import duties for the vehicle will be levied by China Customs according to the car displacement. Tariffs for a personal car is high, China Customs treats them like new cars for tariff purposes. The importing process needs at least one month. As a matter of fact, few expatriates import their personal cars to China.

[Dogberta]

Thanks for your response, Know-it-all. It looks like bringing our Land Cruiser may not be a good option. Can you make a suggestion on how we should handle our transportation while in Shekou/Shenzhen? We have four children, my husband and myself. I'm worried that if I am by myself with the children, a taxi will not fit all of us. Splitting up (leaving some of my children in a taxi by themselves) seems like it won't work well. This is our first time to China and we are just beginning to learn Mandarin. Is it wildly expensive to buy a vehicle that would accomodate six people? Is auto insurance in China very expensive? Are there taxis that accomodate six people?

Thanks so much for your help.

Dogberta

[KnowItAll]

The auto market is booming in China. I'm sure you'll be able to pick something up at a fairly reasonable price (not US standard reasonable ... ).

Many US corporations might provide an allowance -- i.e. negotiate if possible a fair value for the shipment of the Cruiser in cash as a downpayment or have the company lease a vehicle for you.

Not sure how expensive auto-insurance is in China.

Taxis .. I gather you've not been in one of the tin boxes have you?

[Dogberta]

Thanks, Know-it-all. I've been researching for the last few hours, and I can see that auto prices have been going down in China. My husband will have to do the negotiation on his package in the next few days so I'm trying to get some price information. Do you know of any websites where I could find the approximate prices of larger size vehicles?

By the way, you really do know it all. You've really helped me a lot already.

Dogberta

[xgz8683]

Hi Dogberta,

I have looked at a few chinese websites for auto prices. Generally, price for imported vehicle, such as Janpanese or American cars, costs twice as much as in the States. For example, Land Cruiser 4700 there (it should be equivalent of LX470 model in the States) costs around RMB 700,000 (i.e., ~US$85,000) and Lincoln Navigator 4x4 is around RMB 927,000 (~US$112,000). I don't know if there will be any tax added to it. But, I think you got the idea.