If you're wanting to keep the truck in the country, you're going to have to pay duties. The only way to avoid duties is to take your truck out of the country and then bring it back in every couple months. The customs officers will eventually wise up to your game though. You already mentioned you were prepared to pay more than 90% duties on the vehicle, so paying 50% is a steal.

Google the Belize forums too. That is a message board with more of a slant to mainland Belize.

Clearly your question is around if the duty you pay will be less by declaring your Suburban as a work vehicle. You have never in any way insinuated or asked how to bring it in without paying any duty (i.e. cheating). You've made that clear from the beginning. As any logical person, you just wanted to know if there are different percentages of duty assessed for different types of vehicle usage. I believe the duty is the same no matter what the declaration of use, but I don't know that 100%.

http://www.customs.gov.bz/duty02.html#1
http://www.belizenorth.com/importing_vehicles.htm

There are companies that do have tax exempt work vehicles but they are NGO's, major investors etc. Trucks and buses that seat ten and over if I recall is ten percent duty. Look into the Ladyville/Boom area on the mainland if you want to be close to Belize City.

What about people that stay past the 30 days (with vehicle) and pay month to month fines for a year?

Can your vehicle remain with you for the whole year? As long as you take it with you when you leave after a year? Or are they going to hit you up for some bucks each monthly extension or when you exit with vehicle?

Anyone experience this?

I think your best bet is to call the Customs office and ask them. Most people on this message board live on the island and drive golf carts or they live in North America....so we're not the best people to ask about importing vehicles. Sorry.

If you ship an auto on a container ship, customs will charge you duty on the shipping also. In my experience it is cheaper to drive it down through Mexico, or to buy a vehicle once you get here.

You can only keep a vehicle in Belize for 90 days. After that you must pay the duty or take it out of Belize.

Yea I would drive down. Thanks for the info ccc. I like info from as many sources as possible. Really starting to lean toward selling property and taking cash. Esp. if going to an island where a vehicle is maybe not worth the effort due to alt transp.

the original poster still never mentioned if he's ever even been to belize's mainland, particularly the "cheapest areas to live" - seen what he's talking about. just curious.