by Trinidad Real Estate Moving to Trinidad and Tobago
Moving to Trinidad is one of the best ways to move to true paradise where you can enjoy beautiful beaches, a tropical climate, exotic reefs and some of the friendliest people south of California. Expats love moving to Trinidad and Tobago because of these things as well as the abundance of employment opportunities in the area. The homes in Trinidad are typically beautiful island homes with excellent modern amenities. Since English is the predominant language spoken, expats from the U.S. have flocked to this beautiful location for many years now.
One thing that seems to be a big allure to people is the healthcare system. Free healthcare is available to everyone that lives in Trinidad whether they are from the country or they are expats that have moved to live. None of the small clinics charge a fee for service but the large, private hospitals will charge. If you plan to visit a private doctor at the hospital, you will need to purchase local health insurance coverage, but for all other public facilities, healthcare will be free. For education, expats take their children to Port of Spain where schools are geared towards U.S. students and other expats from around the world.
Another thing that draws many to Trinidad is the employment sector. While the oil business is the leading opportunity for work, many expats have also found work in other industries including finance, electronics and education. Trinidad is also a prime location for small business and expats and locals alike have found it very lucrative to start up new businesses in the local area. You can also check out the latest homes for sale in Trinidad here.
Moving to Trinidad and Tobago: Living Expenses
The cost of living in Trinidad is extremely low when compared to living in the U.S. For example, you can find comfortable housing for around $400 USD monthly and to have cable television and internet in your home, the cost usually runs less than $20 USD monthly. If you plan to buy a home in
Trinidad, you can find plenty of low sales offers on older as well as new homes. Even utility bills will on average be no more than $25 monthly depending on how much electricity you use at home. While the basic cost of living is considerably lower than in the U.S., the cost to purchase a motor vehicle is generally far higher and it will most likely be cost effective to have your own personal car imported to Trinidad to save money and to be able to enjoy driving yourself to the places you want to go. In order to bring your own car, you will need to have it imported.
Importing a Motor Vehicle to Trinidad
To have a personal vehicle imported to Trinidad, you will need to follow a few simple customs rules and supply the customs department with some required paperwork. The paperwork required to import will be:
- Title to Vehicle
- Passport
- Driver’s License
- Customs Declaration Paperwork
- Import License for certain vehicles (See below)
- Sales Invoice or Sales Receipt
- Certificate of Origin
- Bill of Lading or Airway Bill
- Cash Deposit prior to shipping
*If you own a left hand drive vehicle or you own a used right hand drive vehicle, you will be required to have an import license in order to bring the car into Trinidad. All other cars will be allowed without the import license. The vehicle must be owned by the current owner for no less than 6 months
before it is shipped into Trinidad. You will also not be able to legally sell the vehicle for two years after it is imported. You will also need to hire a safe and reliable auto shipper such as A1 Auto Transport to have the vehicle brought to the country safely. The shipper will be able to let you know which paperwork will be necessary for your car, how much shipping fees from your area will be and what customs duties and taxes will be required for entry.
The car will be required to arrive in Trinidad within 60 days of your arrival, so do not plan to have it shipped if you have already been living in the country for several months. The owner of the vehicle must be physically present when the car arrives and customs completes the inspection.
