I live in Sweden and bought a summer house on Bonaire. Can I take a car to Bonaire without getting problems with the customs? I will not move permanent to Bonaire, I will still be a resident in Sweden.

How can I get the car registered on Bonaire? Anyone who knows?

Welcome to BT, Ron! I do not have the answer you are seeking, but I'm certain someone will be able to help you out with your questions and concerns. Nice to have you aboard with us! Carole

Are you entitled to ship one container with household goods without paying import tax? If so, you can bring one car as well. Otherwise you will probably have to pay import tax and OB.

Check-out the following page:
http://www.sunbelt.an/bon_tariffs.htm

It might be easier all-around, if you contact the car rental agencies, especially the smaller, privately owned ones (not Avis, Hertz, etc), to see if they rent cars long term. I think some do, but don't know which ones. That would save you the expense of shipping, import duties (if any), maintenance/repairs, road tax, parts if it's not a vehicle available locally, etc. And you also wouldn't have to worry about it while you were away. There used to be one SAAB, and a few Volvo's around....we mostly have Asian cars from Toyota, Kia, Mitsubishi and US export version Ford's. Parts & repairs can be the hardest thing if it's not a common car. I'm not sure about the 'free import of household goods' rule if you're not going to be a permanent resident, but perhaps your real estate agent knows. If nothing else, there are many used cars for sale here, that you could probably buy for what you'd pay to ship one from Sweden.

You are entitled to bring your car here, I believe, free of import duties if it has been registered in your name for more than 6 months.

Ruth, that Saab is still here, but I imagine getting parts for it would be difficult indeed.

The only way to get the one-time duty free import of household goods and car is to have a Bonaire Resident Permit. And you have to use the exemption within so many months of receiving the permit. I don't how many months that is.