Importing DVX into (or renting) in St. Martin / French Virgin Islands

A

Alon99

Member
Hello everyone,

The company I work for has just been contracted to shoot a video for a resort in the Virgin Islands, on the French side of St. Martin. If possible, we'd like to rent a DVX, Tripod, Lights and a jib on the island, to avoid shipping all our gear down there. The weight of the lights and the jib would make shipping a very high-cost option. In addition, I haven't been able to find a definite answer about importing video equipment for commercial use.

My company is located out of Toronto, Canada. When I travel to the USA for shoots I have Carnet documents to bring the equipment with me, but they aren't recognized by the Virgin Islands. The last thing I'd want is to be stopped at the border!

If anyone has experience with handling equipment for this type of shoot, your help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Alon
 
I don't have any experience with the Virgin Islands, but I have brought film equipment into other parts of the world. I would recommend that you contact a customs broker in advance to see what forms (usually a declaration) would be needed to bring equipment into and out of their country. I am certain that it has been done before, so you won't be blazing any new trails. As for rentals there, consider contacting the manufacturer of the equipment that you would want to rent (Panasonic, etc) to see if their local distributor knows of a rental house.
 
Alon99,
First I would check my map. St. Maarten is in the Northern Antilles not the Virgin Islands, there is a Dutch Side and a French side. I would do a search for St. Maarten and look for the info that you need, then contact them about your needs. I've been going there for a long time (in fact I'm going next week) the island has been photgraphed by every conceivable method, so I'm sure you won't have much trouble. I did a still shoot last year on Anguilla and had no trouble at all.
 
Thanks for correcting my geography Gary :) That's a bit embarassing!

Any suggestion who I should speak with on the Island? Do you speak with the customs office there, or a government person? Have you brought your own camera equipment into the country before? Did you need to go through a customs broker (as KHmuse suggested) or did they just allow your gear through?

Thanks!

Alon
 
I have never had any problems bring gear (from US) and shooting in St. Maarten or St. Thomas with my DVX... I was last there in Jan... I can't even remember going through customs now that I think about it...
 
To be honest I never thought about asking anyone before draggin my stuff into the country. I have a friend who is a musician that brings an entire setup with him and has never had an issue. These places are pretty "laid back" so I guess I never gave it a thought. I have a collegue that I work with in the Sheriff's Office in St. Maarten, so when I get there I'll ask him what the procedure is (if there is any).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top