Argentina country guide

• Most ecommerce shipments go through a simple entry process.
• Argentina is a World Tade Organization (WTO) member with many trade agreements in place, which is favorable for doing business.
• Argentina’s requirements for qualifying shipments using a formal entry process can be time consuming and costly.
• Argentina requires an import license for formal entry shipments, which can be tedious if the recipient does use a carrier that offers brokerage services (only available for shipments up to $3,000 USD) or does not hire a customs broker.

• The duty rate range is reasonable, which makes for a fair landed cost.
• The import tax is high, which can make for a higher landed cost.
• There is no de minimis for courier shipments, which means these imports are subject to duty and tax.

• Certificates of origin from the U.S. must be stamped by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or authenticated by an Argentine embassy or consulate, which is a difficult process.

• Argentina accepts international payment methods, which is convenient for cross-border transactions.

• Over 80% of the population use the internet and more than half shop online, making the market opportunity high.

Duty and tax will be charged only on imports into Argentina where the total FOB value of the import exceeds Argentina’s minimum value threshold (de minimis). Argentina does not have a de minimis for courier shipments, which means duty and tax fees are charged on all courier imports. The only time goods are exempt from duty and tax on a courier shipment is when they receive preferential treatment through trade agreements.

Duty and tax de minimis 

• Courier shipments
  • Tax de minimis: 0 USD
  • Duty de minimis: 0 USD

Based on the FOB value of the order

• Standard rate: 21%
• Special rate: 10.5% and 2.5%
  • Certain products, like living bovine animals and certain capital goods (depending on the HS code), are subject to a reduced rate of 10.5%. Certain newspapers and magazines are subject to a reduced rate of 2.5%.

Applied to the CIF value of the order

Duty range 

• 0-35%

Applied to the CIF value of the order

Some products have specific duty rates, meaning their duty is based on the quantity of the goods in the shipment, e.g., 0.7 cents per kilogram.

Argentina is part of at least 20 trade agreements that offer a zero or highly discounted duty rate for goods manufactured in participating countries.

• Regional trade agreements
• Preferential trade agreements

Argentina is a member of the World Trade Organization

As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Argentina must abide by the most-favored-nation (MFN) clause, which requires a country to provide any concessions, privileges, or immunities granted to one nation in a trade agreement to all other WTO member countries. For example, if one country reduces duties by 10% for a particular WTO country, the MFN clause states that all WTO members will receive the same 10% reduction.

Below is a sample landed cost breakdown for a courier shipment (most common) to Argentina calculated using Zonos Quoter. Since there is no duty or tax de minimis, duty and tax will always apply:

• DHL Express
• FedEx
• UPS
• USPS

Depending on the courier, additional shipping fees may include:

• Tracking
• Insurance
• Fuel surcharge
• Remote delivery charge
• Signature fee
• Overweight or oversized fee
• Special handling fee
• Dangerous goods fee
• etc.

Buy abroad with door-to-door delivery

Always needed:

• Bill of lading or air waybill

• Commercial invoice (three copies and must be in Spanish)

• The recipient’s Código Único de Identificación Tributaria [Unique Code for Taxpaying Identification] (CUIT) number

  • This number should be provided by the recipient and present on all shipping documents. This will be collected upon import. If the carrier is clearing the shipment, they will contact the recipient.

Sometimes needed:

• Packaging list

• Insurance certificate

  • This is needed only for maritime shipments if the exporter purchased insurance coverage.

• Certificate of origin

  • Certain items, like clothing, footwear, chemicals, bicycle parts, air conditioning equipment, toys, wood fiberboard, and flat-rolled iron or steel require a certificate of origin for import. This can be to claim preferential tariff treatment or due to other factors such as:

    • Anti-dumping duties
    • Countervailing and safeguard measures
    • Import quotas and trade statistics

Certificates of origin from the U.S. must be stamped by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or authenticated by an Argentine embassy or consulate.

Government agencies regulate imports.

Prohibited items:

• Some types of used motor vehicles
• Certain used machinery
• Used tires
• Certain chemicals
• Dangerous substances and residues
• Medical products containing nimesulide
• Telephone terminals
• Raw cotton
• Used clothing (unless donated to a government agency)
• Certain food additives and dyes
• Shipments containing any dangerous chemicals or substances
• Pet food containing ruminant-origin material
• Certain incandescent light bulbs
• Toys and childcare products containing phthalates

Restricted items:

• Alcoholic beverages (except wine)
• Food products
• Health supplements

Shipments entering Argentina go through one of two clearance types depending on the criteria they meet:

When exporting to Argentina, your package labels and markings must adhere to the following rules:

• Labels must be in Spanish except for foreign phrases that wouldn’t translate well into Spanish.
• Measurements must be in metric units.

The label must be on the package printed with the following information:

• Name and description of the product(s)
• Country of origin
• Quality, purity, or blending description
• Net weight

If your goods meet the criteria for formal entry outlined in this guide, you will need an import license. If you do not have a brokerage license, you should use a customs broker’s services.