Caribbean Contesting Consortium Customs and Immigration

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Immigration: You absolutely must have a passport. They're cheap and easy to obtain.

Customs: The Customs check will vary randomly from a wave-through to a complete search of every bag and possible impoundment of your equipment if they are not satisfied with your documentation. If your bags look "normal" and are of modest size and quantity, you are most likely to get a wave-through. An antenna box or special radio carrying case will grab their attention. If you are challenged, show a copy of your Bureau Telecommunicatie special callsign authorization letter if you have one, and your U.S. or other amateur license. You will STILL be required to pay duty on the declared value of the radio, normally about 15%. The Customs duty must be paid in cash. (CCC is not liable for any portion of your duty costs.) It is very important that you prepare a letter of value for the radio (including its nomenclature and serial number) before the trip. They will accept about anything if it looks semi-official and is preprinted. You can understate the value.

On two occasions in 2002 the Customs official insisted on seeing a Letter of Permission from Bureau Telecommunicatie for you to bring transmitting equipment into the country. In one case, they would not accept the BT licensing letter, and W0CG had to leave the airport, drive to the Bureau, get them to rubber stamp (literally) his letter of valuation, and take it back to the airport to be able to claim the gear. At that point they released the gear with no further complaint. To avoid this problem, NW0L requested this Letter of Permission prior to one of his trips, and Bureau Telecommunicatie kindly wrote it and FAXed it to him ahead of time. Click here for his request for permission and here to see the response from Bureau Telecommunicatie. Since 2002 they have not again asked for special documentation, but will still require you to pay duty at 15% of the stated value on your "invoice." 

They accept U.S. and Antillean currency for payment of duty, but no longer accept credit cards (October 2002).

Be courteous and patient at all times. The Customs experience on Curacao is very uneven, not all of the agents are solidly multi-lingual, and they are not all trained to understand about amateur radio, in spite of seven years of our best efforts.