All, I have a friend trying to import a DeTomaso from the Bonhams United Arab Emirates Auction to "de-register it from the UAE" so it can be exported from the country to the U.S. Bonhams is unable to supply such papers, and the owner is reportedly unresponsive. Anyone dealt with this recently? If you can help, I will forward your reply to the hopeful buyer, and thanks! J DeRyke (aka Bosswrench)
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Good luck, I can't help with this. I do however have a colleague in Dubai who tells me (among other crazy stories) how assets are not allowed to leave the country before it can be made sure that no one in the country still holds an interest in said assets. Same goes for people, you can't leave without paying your debts. So those abandoned supercars you see pictured on the internet; someone owed money on that car, and then they left the country via unofficial means (usually a freight barge to Oman) because customs was not going to let them or the car out without getting paid.
Yes- I know some countries have strict amounts of cash they allow out, so it used to be a practice that if you earned a bunch of cash in the Emirates, the way you got it out of the country in one chunk was to buy a used supercar & ship it home, then sell it.. Didn't know the UAE Gov't was also a bill collector. Thanks-
Sounds like Bonham's should be held accountable and return the money. But I did read the auction listing and it clearly says the car is under customs by the UAE and money is owed on it. That alone sounds very sketchy.
Why would anyone want to go though Hassle with Customs knowing there was Money Owned and what seems like Sketchy Paper work?
Maybe because the car is one of only 50 produced and the price was right?
Bonhams had the following caveat in the auction listing (if we’re talking about the same car): “Please note that this vehicle is under customs in the UAE. Our customs partner, The Stables, will manage all post-sale customs administration. If this vehicle is to stay in the UAE, it will be subject to Import VAT at the standard rate of 5% and Import Duty at 5%+VAT on the hammer price. An administration fee of 750 USD + VAT + Transport charges for Customs Inspection (If applicable) + Customs charges at cost with official receipt to process all customs movements will apply. If you have any questions regarding customs, please contact Bonhams|Cars or The Stables.”.
“Under Customs” means it was in the Country under a temporary exemption. It sounds like the Buyer was misled into believing there were no issues that prevented the car from leaving the UAE, as it had not been imported. If that’s not the case, Bonham’s should cancel the sale.
So, what was the Sale Price of this Car? Then in the Perfect world "if thing all work out" with all the Added on Import Tax, Vat Tax, Import Duty Tax, Admin Fees $750+, Transport Charges and Custom Charges, What might the Final Cost of this Car be?
@cuvee posted:So, what was the Sale Price of this Car? Then in the Perfect world "if thing all work out" with all the Added on Import Tax, Vat Tax, Import Duty Tax, Admin Fees $750+, Transport Charges and Custom Charges, What might the Final Cost of this Car be?
According to Bonhams, the car had not been imported into the UAE, so those fees, taxes and duties only had to be paid if the car was to stay in the UAE. The car would still have been registered in whatever country it came from but that country let the car leave its jurisdiction, so there should be no issues, sending the car on to the USA. The car has to either leave the UAE or be officially imported. Perhaps Bonhams allowed the car to stay in the UAE too long without being imported and the temporary import permit expired. The bottom line is, this should be Bonham’s problem, not the Buyer’s.
If it is 3 months on from the auction and he's still dealing with this, then requesting his money back should be the next step, If the resources Bonham's has available can't help then it's unlikely he'll succeed on his own.
