(a) The owner of a vehicle titled in the Virgin Islands who seeks to export the vehicle shall first surrender the certificates of title to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. For purposes of this section, “export” means the shipping or transporting of a vehicle out of the Virgin Islands.
(b) Upon surrender of the title of a vehicle to be exported, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles shall inspect the certificate of title to ascertain whether there are any liens of record outstanding and whether the person exporting the vehicle is the lawful owner. If the certificate of title is found to be in proper order and no unsatisfied lien appears thereon, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles shall return the title and issue an export declaration (vehicle clearance form) to the owner which shall constitute prima facie evidence of ownership of the vehicle. An export declaration (vehicle clearance form) shall include all of the following:
1. The same information that is required on a certificate of title to identify the vehicle and the owner;
2. The export destination of the vehicle; and
3. Such other information as required by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, if the owner certifies by filing a declaration with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles that the vehicle will not be permanently located outside the Virgin Islands and that the owner intends to return the vehicle to the Virgin Islands, the certificate of title for the vehicle need not be surrendered; provided, however, any outstanding lienholder shall be notified of the pending export of the vehicle and shall approve of the same in writing. The declaration shall be recorded by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and made a part of the title record until the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is notified by the owner that the vehicle has been returned to the Territory. The declaration shall be made on a form supplied by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and shall contain a statement of the period of time for which it is anticipated that the vehicle will be outside the Virgin Islands, in addition to the information specified in subsection (b) of this section for a receipt of title cancellation.