Customs in Nicaragua

       So this is going to be a continuation of a series of posts here on Blogger about doing business with customs here in Nicaragua. If you have an import broker or another means of importing things into the country this post really isn't for you. This is a description of my personal experiences with customs here and how they run the show of importing items into this country.  I'm constantly getting emails and messages about people who "know" somebody who can get goods into the country with connections. This is for the average working guy or gal trying to import things into the country. If you have done this in the past with great success god bless you. My experience has been different.

In December of 2015 I bought a 50 year old Consew leather sewing machine off of Craigslist for $400.  The company I bought the machine from had many for sale. The owner of the company where  I bought the machine from was a really nice and specialized in motorcycle leathers. The company was located in New York City.

I purchased the machine with 4 $100 bills and put it in the back of my truck and headed home.  The owner of the company printed a receipt for me and a bill of sale with logo and company address which you will see below.  I had to pay a guy to crate it up and protect the contents. The box was about the size of a small coffin and was packed well.  We included the table that the machine came on and the small electric motor.  The motor is small and not the typical big heavy motor that comes on such machines. This motor allows the machine to work slowly so that a precise stitch can be achieved.  The crate cost me another $200 because it had to be made special for the size of the machine.  I had to pay the guy that built it out of that money and he did a great job.

My office called DHL where we have an account and ordered a pick up. DHL came out the next day and loaded the machine into one of their trucks and it was shipped off to Managua which is the capital city in Nicaragua.  Surprisingly the machine arrived in Managua within a few days. I then flew to Nicaragua to receive the machine and sign for it then pay my import taxes etc.  I knew it would take some time and money to get it. I wasn't thinking that it would be an easy task. I also never thought it would take months and thousands of dollars, attorneys, tax attorneys, letters, bank statements and Nicaragua IRS statements as well.