KarlaBA said:
As for bribing AFIP, that is alot easier said than done, so don't suggest it flippantly like it is actually an option.
Well, I don't think I was quite flippant about it. I was reporting the results of a conversation that my friend had with more than one lawyer, both of whom felt confident it could be done and had reportedly done it before. If I made it seem like the process was a breeze, that surely wasn't my intention.
And the bribing had more to do with the legalization aspect with Aduana, getting the job done itself, not the bribing AFIP related to the paying of taxes. Perhaps those issues are more tightly entwined than I was led to believe given the conversation I was privy to.
Also - it's one thing to talk about importing vehicles from the States versus importing from other Mercosur countries. The problem with importing from a Mercosur or Mercosur Associate country (as Chile is a member) is they have signed a treaty which does not allow the retitling of cars across borders because of the high amount of stolen cars that were trafficked in that manner.
One problem with having a foreign titled car here is that like a person, you have to cross the border every 90 days to keep it legal. If you don't and try to cross later, I'm not sure what the results might be.
I know someone who has imported a car from the States directly, as a permanent resident, and did it legally. A few years ago, maybe things have changed recently, I wouldn't doubt it.