Work Abroad but earn in USD

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Bringing Your Gun, Pets, Furniture, Car, etc. to Argentina

This is a follow-up to yesterday's question about gun ownership in Argentina.

Reader's Question

As regards gun ownership in Argentina, do you know of laws/regulations applicable to foreigners bringing guns in to Argentina ? I own a handgun and would like to bring it with me when I relocate to BA in the next few months. I assume, after reading your comments, that I would have to acquire a DNI, and then meet the other qualifications prior to owning a handgun in BA. Any light you can shed would be appreciated. Thanks!

Work With A Professional

My best advice to anyone considering bringing in items like your gun, pets, furniture, a car, etc. to Argentina is to get the advice of a professional. Bringing things to Argentina is very different than bringing things to the United States. This is not a free-trade country.

As a foreigner with a residency visa, you are entitled to bring certain things into the country without paying the staggering 50% customs tax. The one thing I do know is that you will need to get professionals working on your side if you want any hope of taking advantage of these laws.

I also know for a fact that if you try to bring things into the country without a visa, they'll be quarantined and held in customs indefinitely until your residency visa is processed. In the meantime, you'll be racking up storage charges and with every day that goes by, the possibility that something gets stolen or broken increases. This is one of the reasons I got my visa and DNI a full year before I actually moved to Argentina -- so there wouldn't be any possibility of problems or delays.

If you haven't already, contact ARCA and let them know your situation. They can handle your visa and DNI and they'll refer you to reputable companies here in Buenos Aires that can import your belongings (including pets, guns, cars, etc.) without problems. Don't just put your stuff on a ship or in a suitcase and hope for the best. There is customs paperwork that needs to be done here if you ever want to see your stuff again. You can't just bring a gun into the country, since it'll have to go through whatever import procedure has been established so that the serial number can be registered in the national database. Good luck!

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7 Comments:

Blogger familiaoconnell said...

Having done it myself..you actually dont need a residency visa or DNI to ship things from the states to here. You need a passport with a valid visa - a tourist one will do, one that is valid when your container leaves the U.S. and when it arrives in the Argentina. I would recommend using a relocation/moving company that can deal with moving your container through customs etc...

It is possible to get your paper work done here and I would say it can be cheaper as lawyer fees here are reasonable. You do not need to have the actual visa for your passport processed in the states, you can do it in Colonia, Uruguay.(couple hours by ferry) If you have the time and foresight, do it in the States but if your situation doesnt allow it it can be done after you arrive.....

10/07/2005 02:00:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Elizabeth, Could you give a few more details on doing the residency visa in Argentina? The US Consulate told me that it MUST be done in the country of origin.

1/30/2006 10:32:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

THe US Consulate knows nothing about Argentine immigration policy. I was in formed by the Argentine Consul (in November 2007-in my country of residence, not of origin) that I needed original documents apostilled (I am from a Hague Convention member State) and that I should submit the documents to Immigration in Buenos Aires while in-country on a tourist visa.

12/20/2007 01:58:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hallo , I need to bring my car from England to Argentina , can you tall me please how much it can cost , how long time do it take , how much the registration can cost and who to contact about , my email : sandijego@yahoo.co.uk . Thank you

1/07/2009 07:50:00 PM  
Blogger btotman said...

you do realize that the drivers side of your english car is different than here in argentina right?

12/29/2009 05:35:00 PM  
Anonymous ivan said...

hello my name is ivan i was born in argentina and i want to buy a car in colombia and bring it to argentina do you think that i can do that?

3/08/2010 03:00:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

What is required to importing a car, bringing a dog and shipping a container of furniture to Buenos Aires?

I live in the San Diego area so a shipping company in California would be best.

As far as importing the car, do you have to provide a title or is the registration sufficient?

Thanks everyone!!!!!

5/23/2010 08:26:00 PM  

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