Moving from the US to Puerto Rico

Household goods and cars sail from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan on three carriers: Crowley, TOTE Maritime and Trailer Bridge. The port itself keeps an overview of all three: JAXPORT — how to ship a car to Puerto Rico.

• Full container or shared load. A full container is yours alone; a consolidated load shares one with other shipments and takes longer. Each carrier publishes its rates and cut-off days on its own site — we do not copy them here because they change.
• Moving companies do the door-to-door part. The carrier moves the container; a mover packs, delivers to the port and unpacks on the island. That is what the moving companies listed here do.
• Insurance is separate. Carriers offer limited liability; ask for full-value coverage if you want it.

This is the step that surprises people. The car sails like cargo, and when it arrives Puerto Rico’s Treasury (Hacienda) appraises it and charges an excise tax (arbitrios) before the carrier can release it. Estimate it before you ship: Hacienda’s own tool gives a figure by VIN — SURI → Vehículos importados — and publishes the rate table at Arbitrios en el caso de vehículos.

What the carriers ask for (from TOTE’s published vehicle packet; Crowley and Trailer Bridge are similar):

• Copy of the title (or an authorization letter from the lender if financed) and the owner’s driver’s license.
• The shipper’s EIN — a federal rule for the export filing; you can get one free from the IRS online.
• The owner’s Social Security number, which Hacienda requires for the release.
• A quarter tank of gas or less, and nothing inside the car — no boxes, no car seats, no tools.
• TOTE stopped accepting electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in August 2025 for fire-safety reasons; check each carrier’s current policy.

On arrival: the carrier tells you when Hacienda’s appraisal is done, you pay the excise tax in SURI with the appraisal form and the bill of lading, Hacienda issues the release, and only then do you pick up the car. Crowley says this can take 3 to 7 days after payment.

For dogs and cats coming from a US state there is no import permit. Puerto Rico’s Department of Agriculture requires (official requirements, updated Nov. 2024):

• An official health certificate (certificate of veterinary inspection) signed by an accredited vet in the state of origin, valid 30 days, stating the animal does not come from an area quarantined for rabies.
• Rabies vaccination within the 6 months before travel for animals over four months old, with the vaccination certificate.
• Treatment for external parasites within 72 hours before entry, noted on the certificate.
• Individual identification: microchip or a collar with a metal tag.

Airlines add their own crate and weather rules; check them separately.

Puerto Rico has full reciprocity with every US state: with a valid license you take no written or road test. You file form DTOP-DIS-257 (reciprocity) at a CESCO office (forms and appointments). The form itself lists what to bring:

• Your current license — they keep it when they hand you the Puerto Rico one.
• A driving record from your state, issued within the last 30 days.
• Medical certificate on form DTOP-DIS-260, from a doctor licensed in Puerto Rico, no older than 6 months.
• Proof of Social Security number (card, W-2…) and of legal presence and date of birth (US passport or birth certificate).
• Proof of address no older than 2 months (utility bill, bank statement…).
• Internal Revenue stamps: $15, plus $17 if you want the Real ID version, plus $1 and $2 for two statutory charges (figures from the form’s Feb. 2025 revision — the form is the source of truth).

If your old license has expired, you take both exams. More on Real ID at DTOP — Real ID.

• Six weeks out: get the car’s excise estimate in SURI; book the carrier (sailings have cut-off days); get the EIN; book the vet visit so the certificate lands inside its 30-day window.
• Two weeks out: request your state driving record (30-day validity); hire the mover for packing and port delivery.
• Departure week: vet visit and parasite treatment (72 h); car to the port with a quarter tank and empty.
• First weeks on the island: a utility bill in your name is what unlocks the license swap. Then CESCO.

The moving companies in the directory handle the door-to-door part. Once you are in, the two trades people ask for first are electricians (LUMA certifications, panel work) and plumbers. Every listing says where its information came from.