CUSTOMS CLEARING

Customs Clearing and Delivery

Procedures for Olim.

As soon as possible after entering the country, go to the Ministry of the Interior to get your teudat zahoot or at least to register as an Israeli. Though the word is that they may not have your information for a couple of days after you’ve arrived, we know people who’ve gone the day after arriving and received the receipt. After getting the Teudat Zahoot or the receipt, go to Customs, (Mimi Shiriki, 66 Canfei Nesharim, Givat Shaul, 654-55-55 ext 2 then (ext 4) then ext 1). For Tel Aviv, 42 Yefet, Yaffo. 03-512-0777. Haifa, Rechov Haatzmaoot 1, 04-835-4863. Be’er Sheva, 08-629-3386. Open Sun – Thurs 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Bring Teudat Zahoot, passports, teudat oleh, and housing contract. Get them inscribed in the customs computer. Then bring or fax Kef photocopies of the picture pages of passports and teudat oleh, the visa page of the passports, and your housing contract. Also fax back signed power of attorney and lists for customs.

Documents.

If you don't have these documents ready and presented to KEF in time—preferably well before your shipment arrives—you may incur storage and container rental charges. See the attached chart of "not includeds".

* Teudat Oleh. Photocopy of Immigrant Visa.
Extensions are almost always written on a separate piece of paper. Make sure you have a customs extension, not only a Misrad Klita extension. Teudat Tipul is needed, if you lost your Teudat Oleh.

* Passports.
Original passports of both spouses – US and Israeli. Be sure “ashrat oleh” is stamped inside US passports.

* List of contents.
A detailed list of contents including USA values and whether new or used. For new electrical items, supply invoices.

* Housing Contract.
Rental or purchase agreement or a statement from your Merkaz Klita. The meterage determines the amount of carpeting and household goods you can import. If you have a room mate, bring a separate contract or proof that the apartment does not come with any of the major appliances you are importing.

* Status of Spouse.
If your spouse is Israeli or once had tax exempt status, you need a photocopy of page one of their Teudat Zehut and a letter from them stating when or if they used tax free privileges. If your spouse is out of the country, you may need a notarized statement of their status from the consulate or a lawyer of their status. If divorced or widowed after you acquired tax-free status, a copy of the appropriate documentation.

Returning resident.

You must have your passport stamped by your local Meches office before attempting to clear your shipment. We need a photocopy of the first page including the picture and any page where the stamp of customs appears. If you are married, then a copy of the page signed by customs saying, “See the passport of the spouse.”

Customs Inspection

For a spot-check or when documents are not in order, Customs inspects all or part of a shipment. At the airport, such inspections are frequent. At the seaports, the odds are 1 in 15. Usually new immigrants’ shipments are inspected superficially—a few items are unpacked, checked against your lists, and repacked. Trust our Customs clearer to represent you. He will charge $.35 per cubic foot for an all-out inspection, and $125- $150 for a superficial one, depending on the size of the shipment. A Customs clearer experienced in new immigrant rights is worth every penny. He can anticipate problems before presenting your file to Customs, and her knowledge and finesse can work wonders.

Air shipments are nearly always inspected.

Business shipments.

Because of the relatively lower taxes on business equipment, the fact that VAT comes back to self-employed people and businesses of all sorts, and the hassle involved with the following procedures, it is generally advised to avoid this.

Self-employed professionals or business-people owning more than ½ of their corporation are entitled to import up to $36,000 of professional equipment from any country tax-free, not counted as a shipment—with a bank guarantee for the taxes. Goods must arrive in the country within 3 years. Before you go to the port to clear your business shipment present a letter to your local Customs office explaining your need for the goods. Also present 1) teudat oleh, 2) VAT report, or letter from VAT stating you have opened an official file with them, or—as has been sufficient in some cases—another letter from you stating your intent within a given period to open a file with VAT, and 3) an exact description of the goods you intend to import including model numbers. You will then be given a letter to present to the Customs officials at the port authorizing you to import the goods on condition that you supply a bank guarantee for the amount of the taxes.

Bank Guarantees

A bank guarantee is a time-limited letter from your bank to Customs promising payment if the goods are not installed in your business. This standard form is available at every bank. The bank will require you to have collateral with them to back up their guarantee, but you can continue earning interest on this money. Costs for the guarantee are 2.5-4.5% per year. It is highly recommended to hire a Customs clearer to represent you to clear your business shipment.

A few months after you have the goods, you can call your local Customs office and ask them to inspect the goods and cancel the guarantee. For guarantees on appliances it is sufficient to send the Customs office a copy of the receipt of payment to the installer

Delivery

ACCEPTING DELIVERY
First and foremost: if you have any problems, call KEF. We are fully empowered to handle all delivery problems. Have more than one person at home one to watch the truckers unload and mark off the packages from the insurance/packing list as they come off the truck, the other to direct the porters where to put things. (Note that it is nearly impossible to do this.) As soon as the truck arrives, send the watcher down. The truckers will remove gross debris; he will not move the crate wood for you.

Have the truckers remove major appliances from their boxes and put them where you will want them installed; otherwise you could be charged for this by the serviceman. Do not let a refrigerator be laid on its back for more than a few seconds. If it cannot get through a door, the truckers can (for $) take the fridge door or the door frame off.

Signing the release
If the container seal is broken or any box or crate are open when you first see them, or if there is any sign of damage, write it on the delivery receipt. If the trucker does not have a receipt, make one up and keep a copy for yourself. Be as detailed as possible. In any case, write, "Contents uninspected."

It is technically impossible to claim loss if the shipment arrives perfectly intact and you make no mention of shortage on the delivery receipt. You must check the pieces arriving against the packing list and record the results of your check on the receipt.

Insurance Claims
If goods are damaged or missing, save the evidence the packing and the broken items. Officially you have 3 days to register a claim for loss and 45 days for damage. If you need longer, notify the claims department.

To begin the claims process, call and follow up with a letter to them, the shippers, and the truckers. Your original certificate of insurance includes a claim form which you must fill out in detail and return with the original first page of the policy, customs form, subrogation form, packing list, and copies of the letters to the carriers.

Delivery Time:
Except for full containers, two weeks is usual for clearing and delivery. Let your clearing agent know if you have a preferred time and date for delivery. Within one or two days of the trucking date, they will call again to fix the date and time of day. 3 hours is a common margin of error.

Appropriate tips: 50-90 NS per person the driver too for small shipments (up to 200 cubic feet) , 90-120 NS for medium (up to 200-700 cft.), $100-150 overall for 20’ container, $150-200 for 40 foot container.

Additional delivery charges for: more than 28 stairs inside or outside or up or down, hoisting, Old City (or anywhere out of Jerusalem proper, greater Tel Aviv, or Haifa and its suburbs), where the truck cannot park closer than 25 meters to the door of the building, or where goods or doorframes have to be dis assembled.