This must be the most bizarre law on the Argentinian books, and I would love to hear someone explain its rationale.
By all accounts it's illegal for a non-permanent resident to take a vehicle out of Argentina at any time, even if you own it. I'm trying to buy a 0km Ford EcoSport. My goal is to drive Ruta 40, bottom to top, this Spring, crossing into Chile and other nations in the north as opportunity and interest permit. With the help of various BAExpat.org good citizens I have figured out how to purchase and register the vehicle on a tourist visa, as well as get US$20,000 into the country in order to pay for it. So far so good.
And then I hit a wall: How to get across an international border with the car? My lawyer friend regrets to inform me that he knows no *legal* work-around. Everything I have read on the internet suggests that you can only get across if you happen upon a customs official who does not know or care to apply the law properly. Not one person has written about exceptions or alternatives. No one, apparently, has beaten the system.
For the life of me I cannot understand why Argentina would want to create a disincentive to purchase a car here. The EcoSport is actually fabricated in Brazil. But apparently the rule applies even to domestically manufactured vehicles. You would think Argentina would want to encourage as much purchasing as possible: the state gets the tax revenue, Argentinian car dealers make a profit, importers make a profit, and of course down the road repairmen make a huge profit. When a foreigner buys a car in Argentina, everyone benefits from the transaction. Except of course the foreigner, who can't leave with his property, even if it's only to go sightseeing!
In any case, this post is half-vent and half plea for help. Does anyone out there have any idea of how to get *your* car out of the country???
By all accounts it's illegal for a non-permanent resident to take a vehicle out of Argentina at any time, even if you own it. I'm trying to buy a 0km Ford EcoSport. My goal is to drive Ruta 40, bottom to top, this Spring, crossing into Chile and other nations in the north as opportunity and interest permit. With the help of various BAExpat.org good citizens I have figured out how to purchase and register the vehicle on a tourist visa, as well as get US$20,000 into the country in order to pay for it. So far so good.
And then I hit a wall: How to get across an international border with the car? My lawyer friend regrets to inform me that he knows no *legal* work-around. Everything I have read on the internet suggests that you can only get across if you happen upon a customs official who does not know or care to apply the law properly. Not one person has written about exceptions or alternatives. No one, apparently, has beaten the system.
For the life of me I cannot understand why Argentina would want to create a disincentive to purchase a car here. The EcoSport is actually fabricated in Brazil. But apparently the rule applies even to domestically manufactured vehicles. You would think Argentina would want to encourage as much purchasing as possible: the state gets the tax revenue, Argentinian car dealers make a profit, importers make a profit, and of course down the road repairmen make a huge profit. When a foreigner buys a car in Argentina, everyone benefits from the transaction. Except of course the foreigner, who can't leave with his property, even if it's only to go sightseeing!
In any case, this post is half-vent and half plea for help. Does anyone out there have any idea of how to get *your* car out of the country???
