As of July 1, the tax rate on imported goods to Puerto Rico for sale or for use will increase from 7% to 11.5%. In August of 2014, the process of clearing goods imported to Puerto Rico also changed. Since then Puerto Rican customs has gradually increased their enforcement of the new rules, resulting in more shipments with delayed customs clearance. As a reminder, importers of shipments to Puerto Rico should follow this process to clear their shipments:
- Visit http://comerciantes.hacienda.pr.gov/.
- Attach the YRC Freight bill to their tax declaration.
- Upload their commercial invoice and declare value.
- Issue a payment by ACH payment/Credit Card or application of their Bond.
- Obtain a payment receipt.
- Obtain the document of “authorization of clearance/release of the shipment”.
YRC Freight also works on your behalf to help importers clear shipments to Puerto Rico as quickly as possible. We transmit electronic information to the Puerto Rico Treasury Department while the shipment is still in transit to the port. This process ensures that when the importer accesses the Treasury Department website there is an entry available for them to clear. It is important to provide YRC Freight with a Commercial Invoice on all shipments going to Puerto Rico so that we can transmit this information to the Puerto Rico Treasury Department and help you avoid customs clearance delays.
If you have any questions about the Puerto Rico customs clearance process, please contact Angel Colón, Terminal & Area Sales Manager Puerto Rico & USVI at 787-783-5200.