In another Forum, a friend of mine said:
> The [Big Creek] custom's agent ... did give us a 30-day extension with a notation that we either pay the $7000 Bz duty or have the truck out of the country in a month.
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After posting my response there, I thought it was of sufficiently general interest as to deserve a re-posting here, so here you go...
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Don't sweat this. You do not want to have duty assessed at Big Creek. You will need to make a trip up to Corozal to your port of entry.
#1: Remove any extraneous material that would add significant value -- like camper shell or trailer (*unless* it's already noted in your import documentation!). Don't go crazy with this -- they don't care about the stereo or the mag wheels or your tool box.
#2: Contact Andy Kuylen at the Santa Elena border zone: 610-4213, 610-5318, (422-3624 fax/phone). Please *do* mention that Miss Lena sent you ;-). His email is
[email protected], but I think he checks it about monthly... ;-)
(If you already have a broker you're dealing with *and* if they have an office at the northern border, you might choose to stick with them. I recommend Andy only because I've used him, he is responsive, and he gets the job done. I *do not* recommend getting your duty assessed anywhere but the northern border -- you want to be common and boring, not rare and interesting...)
#3: Andy will take care of the paperwork ($30 Bz, I think) and send you with a runner to guide you through the bureaucracy. Andy will make sure you come on the right day at the right time, and the runner will make sure you get to the right agent. This agent will *probably* assess you at 40% below Blue Book (which is the most he can deduct without approval from a supervisor). Allow for several hours of standing around for this process.
This should get you the minimum possible duty assessment. Bring cash sufficient for payment (Steve will give you an estimate of how much). Do it *before* your extension expires, not on the day, not later, *before*.
Please let me know how it goes, especially if your experience differs.
For those readers who have been through this process already, your follow-ups are encouraged!
Cheers,
'Lena
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MissLena is Galena Alyson Canada
Her Belize Forum email is
[email protected]
AmbergrisCaye.com 
