Well after nearly missing the flight from Sydney, arrived in Vila around midnight last Wednesday and despite all my earlier email preparations to ensure my "stuff" could be brought in duty free...customs at the airport detained my bag and told me it must be cleared by a customs agent.
So taxi into town, slept at the City Lodge...dump !!!
Next morning back on our lovely ship, I phone DHL to enquire about getting my stuff out of hock..yes we can do that 3750 vatu to clear it.
OK, I take a taxi back to the airport (2000 vatu) to get my bag
of stuff cleared (DHL are one of the few customs agents)….where are your
clearance papers Mr DHL asks..here …ah this is not good…no stamp..they will not accept it without the stamp…well this is what I got when I came in from Noumea.
Sorry but you have to go to customs at the wharf and get it
stamped…so off in the taxi to the wharf (2000 vatu). Customs man says you don’t need a stamp…I say well, at the airport they say they need a stamp…Ok, he says, if that’s what you want…here’s a stamp..I’ll sign it as well…ok thanks.
Back to the airport(2000 vatu) ah…all good here is your
inward clearance (3750 vatu) plus we have to now export it (3000 vatu) because you are leaving in the yacht….OK……
Now we go to customs at the airport to get the bag..more paper
work and a bill for 1500 vatu from the customs !
Got the bag !, Taxi back to town (2000 vatu)……go to Nambawan for
a beer …add up what all this has cost 16, 250 vatu…if I had just paid the duty it would have been 17,360 vatu…but I would have had to pay 3750 for clearance plus 750 for customs import as well, so it was a bit
cheaper.
But in hindsight it may have been better to say I was on holiday
at a resort and not declared anything !!!
So taxi into town, slept at the City Lodge...dump !!!
Next morning back on our lovely ship, I phone DHL to enquire about getting my stuff out of hock..yes we can do that 3750 vatu to clear it.
OK, I take a taxi back to the airport (2000 vatu) to get my bag
of stuff cleared (DHL are one of the few customs agents)….where are your
clearance papers Mr DHL asks..here …ah this is not good…no stamp..they will not accept it without the stamp…well this is what I got when I came in from Noumea.
Sorry but you have to go to customs at the wharf and get it
stamped…so off in the taxi to the wharf (2000 vatu). Customs man says you don’t need a stamp…I say well, at the airport they say they need a stamp…Ok, he says, if that’s what you want…here’s a stamp..I’ll sign it as well…ok thanks.
Back to the airport(2000 vatu) ah…all good here is your
inward clearance (3750 vatu) plus we have to now export it (3000 vatu) because you are leaving in the yacht….OK……
Now we go to customs at the airport to get the bag..more paper
work and a bill for 1500 vatu from the customs !
Got the bag !, Taxi back to town (2000 vatu)……go to Nambawan for
a beer …add up what all this has cost 16, 250 vatu…if I had just paid the duty it would have been 17,360 vatu…but I would have had to pay 3750 for clearance plus 750 for customs import as well, so it was a bit
cheaper.
But in hindsight it may have been better to say I was on holiday
at a resort and not declared anything !!!