Vehicle Import Rules by Country, Part 2: The Caribbean and the Americas

A buyer in the Caribbean asks, "Can I bring in a 2017 car?" and the answer changes from island to island. This is Part 2 of a country-by-country guide. It covers the Caribbean and the Americas: Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname, the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Canada and the United States. We checked each point against official pages or BE FORWARD's own pages, and where we could not, we say so and say why. Africa is in Part 1.

Three things that apply to every country

• The importing country makes the rules. The seller does not. Age limits, inspections and taxes all come from the buyer's government.
• Age can be counted in different ways. Some countries count from the year of first registration. Others count from the year of manufacture. Always ask which one.
• Duty and tax are not in the car price. BE FORWARD says clearly that duty and VAT for the buyer's country must be paid by the buyer or their clearing agent. Our FOB vs CNF vs CIF guide explains what a CNF price does and does not include.

BE FORWARD keeps a list of year limits by country on its Regulations on Vehicle Importation page (last updated 5 March 2026), and a short list of official bodies on its country regulations FAQ. We use both below. BE FORWARD itself says its list can change without notice.

Jamaica

• Age: In May 2024 the Jamaica Trade Board said that "ordinarily, the age limit for importation of a used car or SUV is six years", under the Motor Vehicle Import Policy, 2014. BE FORWARD's list shows Jamaica with a minimum year of 2020, which matches six years in 2026. Some sites still say five years. That was the limit before it was raised in 2019.
• Not verified: We could not confirm how the six years are counted, the rules for other vehicle types, or current duty rates. Ask the Trade Board or a licensed customs broker.
• BE FORWARD: The BE FORWARD Caribbean page lists port pickup at Kingston.

Guyana

• Age: The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) says that from 1 October 2020, vehicles over 8 years old are allowed into Guyana (page updated 2 February 2026). So there is no maximum age. Dealer guides that still quote an 8-year limit are out of date.
• Age still changes the tax. The GRA's duty and tax guide treats cars under four years old and cars four years old and older differently. "Four years" means 48 months, or four calendar years, counted back from 1 January of the year of import. The guide's tables are hard to read and it notes rate changes from 16 February 2026, so use the GRA's own Motor Vehicle Calculator for a quote.
• Documents: For the customs declaration the GRA lists the bill of lading, the invoice and the buyer's Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). It advises using a licensed customs broker.
• BE FORWARD: The Caribbean page lists port pickup at Georgetown.

Suriname

• Age (official): A notice from Suriname's Ministry of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation, dated 17 November 2025, says that under Staatsbesluit 2006 no. 100 it is forbidden to import used passenger cars older than 8 years and used buses older than 15 years. There are two exceptions: a vehicle older than 8 years that has been part of a returning resident's household goods for more than 2 years, and vehicles older than 25 years ("collector items").
• In practice: The notice talks in model years. BE FORWARD's list shows a minimum year of 2018 for cars and 2011 for buses, which matches 8 and 15 years in 2026. The oldest allowed year moves forward each year, so check before you quote a car near the limit.
• The 2017 exception has ended. The same notice allowed a one-time exception for 2017 cars and 2010 buses that were delayed, but only if they shipped by 31 December 2025 and arrived by 30 April 2026. Both dates have passed.
• Not found: We found no official duty schedule or inspection rule for Suriname.

Bahamas

• Age: We found no official age ban. BE FORWARD's list shows the Bahamas with a minimum year of 2016, which is 10 years in 2026. The Bahamas tariff also treats cars "not exceeding 10 years" and "exceeding 10 years" as separate lines.
• Duty: In the 2023 Official Gazette tariff schedule, used petrol and diesel cars pay 65% duty for every engine size, whether the car is up to 10 years old or older. A 2019 Customs brochure also lists a separate levy: $250 for a used car up to 10 years old, and 20% of landed cost for an older one. We could not confirm that levy is unchanged.
• Inspection: The government's pre-shipment FAQ (12 March 2019) says used vehicles from Japan, Singapore, the UK and the UAE that arrive on or after 1 April 2019 must be inspected before shipping by EAA, for USD 150 paid by the exporter. A car that arrives without the EAA certificate is refused entry and must be re-exported. That page is from 2019, so check that it still applies.
• Not verified: VAT and any steering rule. Guides disagree, and the official pages we read do not say.

Saint Lucia

• Age: We found no official age ban. Guides disagree (some say 4 years, some say none), so do not rely on them. What the law does is charge more for older cars: Schedule 1 of the Excise Tax Act (Revised Laws 2023) adds a flat amount of $1,000 for a new car, $4,000 for a used car up to 5 years old and $6,000 for a used car over 5 years old, plus excise of 0% to 10% depending on the engine. The schedule does not name the currency.
• Returning nationals: A government information sheet says a returning national can bring one car, new or used, free of duty if its CIF value is no more than US$30,000. The car must arrive within three months before or after the owner, and it cannot be sold for three years.
• Not found: We found no Saint Lucia Customs page with the import duty rate for used cars, and no official notice on a pre-shipment inspection. A 2019 repost mentions a plan involving EAA, but we could not confirm that it started. Use Saint Lucia Customs' own duty calculator.

St Kitts and Nevis

• Age and steering: The government's notice on EAA pre-shipment verification (28 November 2023) says cars and light commercial vehicles have no age limit and can be right-hand or left-hand drive. Dealer guides that say "right-hand drive only" are wrong on this point.
• Inspection: The same notice says used vehicles exported on or after 1 January 2024 from Japan, the UK, Singapore and the UAE need an EAA certificate of conformity. They must pass an emissions test, and Japan and UAE exports must also pass a radiation inspection. Vehicles that shipped before 1 January 2024 are exempt if the shipping papers prove it.
• Environmental levy by age: The St Kitts and Nevis Customs website lists an environmental levy of EC$1,000 for a vehicle under 2 years old, EC$3,500 for 2 to under 4 years, and EC$5,000 for 4 years or older. The government's 2012 import manual lists the same three amounts.
• Not found: We found no current official table of import duty for used cars.

Trinidad and Tobago

• Age (official): The Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism's declaration form for an import licence (amended August 2026) says a used right-hand-drive car must be no more than eight years old, "inclusive of the year of manufacture", at the time of importation. That covers petrol, diesel and CNG cars. Hybrids must be no more than three years old, and electric vehicles no more than eight. The Trinidad Guardian reported on 28 December 2025 that Legal Notice 477 raised the limit from three years to eight from 1 January 2026.
• Check the edge cases: "Inclusive of the year of manufacture" can mean a car imported in 2026 must be built in 2019 or later. BE FORWARD's list shows a minimum year of 2018 for petrol and diesel, 2023 for hybrids and 2024 for electric. Ask the Ministry before you quote a car at the limit.
• One car per person: An individual can import only one vehicle in a four-year period, must apply online through TTBizLink, and must get the Ministry's approval before transferring ownership. The import licence is not transferable and is valid until the end of the calendar year it was issued.
• Documents: A Certificate of Cancellation of Registration, stamped by the transport authority in the country of origin and showing the engine and chassis numbers, and a document that proves the exact year of manufacture. The buyer also uploads photo ID and the signed declaration. Before registration, the Transport Commissioner inspects the car for roadworthiness. The air conditioning must use an ozone-friendly refrigerant.
• Not found: We found no official duty schedule for used cars on a Trinidad and Tobago government page.

Barbados

• Age and mileage: A Barbados Government Information Service notice says that, under the Miscellaneous Controls Act (Cap. 329), a used or reconditioned car needs to be no more than four years old and show no more than 50,000 km on the odometer to qualify for an import licence. BE FORWARD's list shows Barbados with a minimum year of 2022, which matches four years in 2026. Guides say returning nationals and diplomats can be treated differently, but they describe the conditions in different ways, so ask Customs.
• Registration: The Barbados Licensing Authority says every imported vehicle, new or used, must be registered, and that a Customs Declaration (Form C63) is one of the documents needed.
• Not verified: The notice about the four-year rule is old, and we found nothing newer that changes it. We found no official duty schedule. Dealer guides mention a 45% import duty plus excise and VAT, but they do not agree on the rest, so we are not quoting them.

Grenada

• Age (official): The Grenada Customs and Excise Division reminded importers on 19 February 2025 (published by NOW Grenada) that the ban on vehicles aged 10 years and over is still in force. It took effect on 1 July 2020 under SRO 43 of 2020. A vehicle's manufacture date must be less than 10 years old at the time of landing in Grenada, and Customs cannot release vehicles that do not comply. Because age is checked when the car lands, a delayed shipment can push a car over the limit.
• In practice: BE FORWARD's list shows a minimum year of 2016, which is exactly 10 years in 2026. The notice says "less than 10 years", so ask Customs before you quote a car at the limit. Some exporters still advertise "no age limit" for Grenada. That is out of date.
• Not found: We found no official duty schedule or inspection rule on a Grenada government page.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

• Age (official): The Ministry of Finance FAQ says that motor vehicles that are twelve years or older are not permitted to be imported. The Customs FAQ says age is calculated from the year in which the vehicle was manufactured. BE FORWARD's list shows a minimum year of 2014, which is 12 years in 2026. Under the Ministry's wording a 2014 car may already be too old, so ask before you quote it.
• Duty and tax (Customs FAQ): Import duty of 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% or 35%, import VAT of 15%, and excise tax of 35%, 40%, 45% or 60%, depending on the vehicle. Cars more than four years old also pay an environmental tax set by engine size. Customs changed its surcharge rules in 2022 (Customs Duties (Amendment) Act No. 21 of 2022), so use Customs' vehicle duty calculator for a real figure.
• Documents and steps: Customs says the importer must hire a licensed customs broker. The broker needs the original supplier invoice, a bill of sight with the valuation unit's approval, the bill of lading, the insurance certificate if there is one, and the export or cancellation certificate.

For the Caribbean countries above: BE FORWARD's FAQ says the buyer's postal code may need to be on the bill of lading when the ship passes Caribbean areas controlled by EU countries. If it is missing, the buyer may be charged a penalty at the port of discharge.

Canada

• The rule works the other way round. Canada does not limit how old a car can be. A car has to be old enough. Transport Canada's page on non-regulated vehicles says a vehicle that is 15 years old or older (buses are excluded), counted from its month and year of manufacture, is not regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. You may import it, but that is not a guarantee it can be licensed to drive. BE FORWARD's list shows Canada as "Up to year 2011", which matches 15 years in 2026.
• At the border: The Canada Border Services Agency still applies its own entry rules, and the car must be free of soil. CBSA memo D19-12-1 describes the entry on Form 1 as a vehicle that is not required to enter the Registrar of Imported Vehicles programme.
• Registration is separate: Each province decides whether and how it will register the car. Ask the buyer to check with their province before they buy.
• Not verified: Duty and tax. We also could not open the Transport Canada and CBSA pages directly from our tools. The wording above comes from search results that quote those pages, so please read the pages yourself before you rely on a date.

United States

• The 25-year rule. Like Canada, the US limit is a minimum age. The US federal rule on imported vehicles, 49 CFR 591.5, lets a vehicle that is 25 or more years old be imported without meeting US safety standards (see the eCFR text). NHTSA counts the 25 years from the date of manufacture. BE FORWARD's list shows the United States as "Up to year 2001", which fits 2026.
• Papers: The importer files an HS-7 declaration with Customs. If the car has no manufacture-date label, NHTSA accepts other proof such as the first invoice or an old registration. We took these details from NHTSA guidance quoted in search results, because the NHTSA site would not open for our tools.
• Not verified: Emissions rules (the Environmental Protection Agency has its own age rules, which are not the same as NHTSA's), duty and any tariff, and state registration rules. Check each with the agency, a customs broker, or the buyer's state before you quote.

Quick summary

Country	Age rule	Inspection
Jamaica	6 years for a car or SUV	Not confirmed
Guyana	No maximum age. Tax changes at 4 years	Not confirmed
Suriname	Cars 8 years, buses 15 years (Ministry notice, Nov 2025)	Not confirmed
Bahamas	No official ban found. BE FORWARD's list: 2016 or newer	Yes, EAA (government FAQ, 2019)
Saint Lucia	No ban found. Flat charge is higher over 5 years	Not confirmed
St Kitts and Nevis	No age limit. Right- or left-hand drive	Yes, EAA (from 1 Jan 2024)
Trinidad and Tobago	8 years for petrol, diesel and CNG, 3 for hybrids, 8 for electric	Roadworthiness check before registration
Barbados	4 years and 50,000 km (government notice, old)	Not confirmed
Grenada	Ban at 10 years and over (Customs, Feb 2025)	Not confirmed
Saint Vincent	12 years or older not permitted (Ministry of Finance)	Not confirmed
Canada	Must be at least 15 years old (not buses)	CBSA entry rules apply
United States	Must be at least 25 years old	HS-7 declaration at Customs

What we could not verify

• Jamaica: how the six years are counted, other vehicle types, and duty.
• Guyana: the current rates (the GRA's tables are hard to read), and any steering rule.
• Suriname: duty rates and any inspection rule. We found no official page with either.
• Bahamas: VAT, any steering rule, and whether the 2019 inspection FAQ still applies.
• Saint Lucia: the customs duty rate and any inspection rule. We found no official page with either.
• St Kitts and Nevis: the import duty table. We also could not open the Customs website's vehicle page directly, so the levy amounts rely on a search summary of that page and on the 2012 government manual.
• Trinidad and Tobago: duty, and how "inclusive of the year of manufacture" is counted at the limit.
• Barbados: whether the four-year rule is unchanged (the notice we found is old) and any duty schedule. The Government Information Service page blocked our tools, so we read it through search results.
• Grenada: duty and inspection rules, and how a car exactly 10 years old is treated.
• Saint Vincent: how a car exactly 12 years old is treated, and the date of the Customs FAQ.
• Canada: duty, and the exact current wording on the government pages (they did not open for our tools).
• United States: emissions rules, duty and tariffs, and state registration. The NHTSA site did not open for our tools.

Africa is in Part 1. If there is a country you want covered next, tell us through the contact page.