Bringing household items, car in duty free?

[mini]

This site explains it well:

http://www.exportainer.com/import_requeriments_en.htm


Once the Permanent Residence Visa has been obtained this must be presented at Customs. The guaranty is thus annulled and the goods brought in under it are nationalized, tax free – These aliens are also allowed to bring in a shipment of used household goods within six months of date in which the Permanent Residence Visa was issued.

Here you go Dave. I think Steve found the reference for you.

 

[steveinbsas]

Here you go Dave. I think Steve found the reference for you.

But can a car be legalized duty free after obtaining permanent residency?

Or are only the household goods eligible for the tax exemption?

AUTOMOBILES AND MOTORCYCLES:
a) Argentine citizens returning to reside, and foreigners coming to reside with a Permanent Resident Visa, may import one (1) automobile and/or one (1) motorcycle. These must pay duties of approx. 80% (for petrol engines) and 100% (for diesel engines) of C.I.F. value (cost, insurance and freight). These may not be sold for one year.
b) Passengers with a Temporary Residence Visa may bring in one (1) automobile and/or one (1) motorcycle under a temporary permit for 8 months, renewable."

 

[mini]

But can a car be legalized duty free after obtaining permanent residency?

Or are only the household goods eligible for the tax exemption?

I don't know. There is so much conflicting information on this topic & it seemed like was such a pain in the behind that we decided not to bring the cars. We didn't want to have to deal with the whole issue so we sold them at home. And I advise people not to bring cars.

It seems, however, that Dave wants to do it to make money. So the reward could outweigh the risk/hassle, or not. He'll have to make that decision on his own.

 

[gouchobob]

This site explains it well:

http://www.exportainer.com/import_requeriments_en.htm

(It doesn't look like it's possible to import a vehicle without paying a very high duty.)

ALIENS ENTERING ARGENTINA WITH A TEMPORARY RESIDENCE VISA: These may bring into the country one or more shipments (while they have a temporary visa) of personal belongings and used household goods under temporary admission according to the present guaranty system : The belongings must be guaranteed to the local customs authorities for the duration of the visa by means of a signed guaranty with a registered company signing as guarantor, or by a security policy, local bonds, moneys, etc.. The guaranty may be renewed for the same extension as the visa. - If at the expiry date of the guaranty the temporary visa has not been renewed or the permanent visa obtained, the goods must be nationalized (import taxes paid on them) or be re-exported.

Once the Permanent Residence Visa has been obtained this must be presented at Customs. The guaranty is thus annulled and the goods brought in under it are nationalized, tax free – These aliens are also allowed to bring in a shipment of used household goods within six months of date in which the Permanent Residence Visa was issued.

When shipper leaves Argentina, if no permanent residence visa was obtained during his/her permanence in Argentina, he/she must either ship out all items originally brought in (they entered under a temporary permit) or nationalize them (import taxes paid on them). Once this has been complied with, the required documentation is presented to Customs and the Guaranty is annulled.

ALIENS WITH A PERMANENT RESIDENCE VISA AND/OR RETURNING ARGENTINE CITIZENS who have been residing abroad for over one year and not visited Argentina for an aggregate stay of over 60 days during the 365 days prior to his/her entry to Argentina (to reside) may bring a shipment of personal belongings and used household goods into Argentina free of duties. – They should obtain a Certificate of Residence from the nearest Argentine Consulate in the country they are moving from. This is especially important for shippers moving from neighbouring countries (Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay).


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AUTOMOBILES AND MOTORCYCLES:
a) Argentine citizens returning to reside, and foreigners coming to reside with a Permanent Resident Visa, may import one (1) automobile and/or one (1) motorcycle. These must pay duties of approx. 80% (for petrol engines) and 100% (for diesel engines) of C.I.F. value (cost, insurance and freight). These may not be sold for one year.
b) Passengers with a Temporary Residence Visa may bring in one (1) automobile and/or one (1) motorcycle under a temporary permit for 8 months, renewable."

This looks correct for the household goods, you put up a surety (cash) equal to what the duty would be if memory serves me correctly. After you get your permanent residency you get I believe 90% of your money back, there are some other costs like renewing the surety annually, kind of an insurance premium idea, kind of a rip off since their risk is zero, you have already put up all the money. I actually did this and the process wasn't too bad.

As far as bringing in a vehicle duty free I've done that too but I wouldn't recommend it. You bring it in on a temporary basis which you can renew until you get your permanent residency and then make it final then. You are prohibited from selling the vehicle for two years after you have it imported. We brought the vehicle in from another country in S.A. This process was the biggest hassle I have ever been through. It took months to get the car registered in Argentina, many visits to many government offices, and people trying to rip you off during the process. So if you import a car, take two years to get permanent residency, plus two years before you sell it, it would take someone at least 4 years before they would see any profit from selling. Also the customs people do come to your residence to make sure the vehicle is there during the two year waiting period to make sure you haven't sold it on to someone else.