Overseas move

[sylvie]

I hope it won't raise suspicions that my first post is a recommendation, but I really wanted to share my good experience, because I know how hard it was to choose a mover to bring my things from Canada. I finally went with ArgenMove, on the advice of a friend of a friend, and I found them to be wonderful.

I dealt with two companies in the process -- one in Montreal, one in Buenos Aires -- and there was no comparison. Noelia at ArgenMove was not only thorough, careful, and exceptionally knowledgeable, but she also gave me tons of personal attention and support when there were problems. For a number of reasons, I had trouble finding a guarantor for my goods. This doesn't seem to be an issue for most people, but for me it took months. They helped me through the whole thing, giving me alternatives, speaking with people on my behalf, keeping me from screaming in frustration.

My furniture is now here and I couldn't be happier with the job Noelia did. Here's a link to their website:
http://www.argenmove.com.ar/

 

[argsteve]

Do you have a DNI?.... I heard they charge you like 30% on the value of the goods if you ship stuff in..... did you get charged a bunch.. or just had to find this "guarantor".... other than a lot of time... any crazy fees???..I will write you... I was scared to try shipping stuff down here....I have heard some real horror stories!!!

 

[steveinbsas]

I hope it won't raise suspicions that my first post is a recommendation, but I really wanted to share my good experience, because I know how hard it was to choose a mover to bring my things from Canada. I finally went with ArgenMove, on the advice of a friend of a friend, and I found them to be wonderful.

I dealt with two companies in the process -- one in Montreal, one in Buenos Aires -- and there was no comparison. Noelia at ArgenMove was not only thorough, careful, and exceptionally knowledgeable, but she also gave me tons of personal attention and support when there were problems. For a number of reasons, I had trouble finding a guarantor for my goods. This doesn't seem to be an issue for most people, but for me it took months. They helped me through the whole thing, giving me alternatives, speaking with people on my behalf, keeping me from screaming in frustration.

My furniture is now here and I couldn't be happier with the job Noelia did. Here's a link to their website:
http://www.argenmove.com.ar/

The endorsement is great, but how long to you plan to be here?

In spite of the fact that I have permanent residency in Argentina and I am SO glad I did not ship anything here...I arrived with just four suitcases and a "doggie bag" (with my Chihuahua inside..and still had to pay an extra $100 US to get my pup into the counrty).

Just yesterday, another expat told me he has to pay an extra $7000 USD to get his "stuff" through customs...only because of a slight delay in getting them here.

 

[sylvie]

I won't have my DNI until April, so I didn't have one when I shipped or received my stuff. The relevant document is your visa -- you need a temporary residency visa, preferably one that is good for a year. If you have that, you are allowed to bring your household goods without paying any duty.

Customs will assess a value on your goods, based on volume and your packing list, and the duty charge is 50 percent. But you do NOT pay that duty. This is the amount you are responsible for if you leave the country and don't bring everything out with you. They want to make sure you don't bring things in to sell.

Although you don't have to pay the duty, you need to put up a guarantee against it. Usually that is done by getting an insurance policy -- a póliza de caución -- which isn't really insurance at all, because the insurance company takes no risk. You have to either guarantee the amount to your insurer, using one of your assets (house, car, whatever) or the assets of someone you know. I don't know what the fee is for the insurance policy, since I didn't go this route, but I don't think it's bad. You also need to pay an escribano to draw up the guarantee, and an accountant to verify the value of your (or your friend's) asset. This is less complicated than it sounds -- it can all be done in one day and isn't an exorbitant expense. Plus, even though it sounds scary to put up your home as collateral, the total amount you're guaranteeing is just a few thousand dollars.

In my case, I paid no fees at all. If you know someone who is an importer/exporter, he can sign a guarantee without an escribano or accountant, and without an insurance policy. I was fortunate to find a friend of a friend to do this for me.

I had heard horror stories, too -- which is why I loved my moving company so much!
Hope this helps.

 

[sylvie]

Steve in BsAs,
I don't understand your question. I plan to make Buenos Aires my permanent home. Why?

As I said in my reply above, I didn't pay any customs fees whatsoever to bring in all my things. The guy you reference as having to pay $7000 USD because of a "slight delay" -- I assume he exceeded the 6 months in which he's allowed to bring things duty free. That would be true in any country; you don't get an unlimited window of time to import your things. Otherwise, expats could keep buying stuff in the U.S. and have an indefinite exemption. I have lived in four countries and have always had to follow the same strict procedures. It is crucial to pay attention to the details.

 

[sylvie]

p.s. On the subject of the 6 months... I forgot to add this important detail. When you first enter Argentina as a temporary resident, you must ask customs at EZE to stamp your passport "Espera Equipaje no Acompañado." If you don't, you're out of luck.