'motor vehicles' Immigration

Lencho (4.227.160.141) - 04/26/08 14:02

As a potential retiree to Uruguay, I am researching the laws that govern what a retiree may bring into the country. I happen to be a long-time motorcyclist and I am looking forward to continuing that mode of travel in the southern cone. Will there be high taxes on used, motorcycles brought into Uruguay by a retiree?

Comment #1 urufan from Uruguay - 10/03/08 06:55

The car-market in Uy is protected since about 6 years by law, this stupid rule says, you are NOT allowed to bring a used car into the country

But on the other hand this is South America, and there is always a way.

First:

You stay in the tourist status; this means no residency, leaving the country each 6 month for you and each 3 month for your car

2.

You find an Uy-citizen living in your country, 2 years he has your car on his name and then he comes back to Uy, no costumes, no problems, but no selling for the car possible later

3. These solutions look complicated?

Here is the last one not less complicated, the legal one:

You apply for residency, about 1 year later you will get it

You are retired with a min amount of 1500.- USD

You buy a real estate with a value of min 100 000.- USD

When you have the perm residency you can apply, the you buy the real estate,

Then you can bring the car.

The real estate has to be with you min 10 years the car cannot be sold within 4 years

Comment #2 urufan from Uruguay - 10/03/08 06:56

Sorry, these rules are the same for motocycles

Comment #3 Henri (12.155.35.130) - 11/19/08 03:38

OK Now can I just fly in with my Motorcycle to Uruguay and Make Uruguay my base for traveling around South America. Is there any taxes I need to pay to enter the bike on a temporary basis?

Comment #4 Harry (63.176.159.154) - 02/19/09 01:56

Henri, "urufan" already listed above the requirements to bring in a motorcycle to Uruguay. I am sure the rules are the same for bringing it in for a long period of time or a short period of time. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure its the same.

Comment #5 Peter Stross (201.221.20.94) - 02/19/09 06:00

To be clear.

Foreigners are not allowed to bring used cars, if they are going to apply for residency under no circumstances.

Tourists can enter with a vehicle for 3 months (for Mercosur citizens it's 6 months) with no charge.

Uruguayan citizens are allowed once in their lifetime to import their used vehicle under certain specific circumstances.

Any person interested to have a vehicle which does not exist in the Uruguayan market is allowed to import (paying all duties) as many as they want under the condition that they are new vehicles. The import of used vehicles is not allowed.

Comment #6 Patrick from Rural east Colonia departmento - 03/23/09 17:28

Yes indeed. My beloved BMW series 5 750cc motorcycle is greased up sitting in a shed in England in the vain hope that the law will be changed some day.

Patrick.

Comment #7 leslie phinney (204.10.126.174) - 04/03/09 17:17

we are thinking of selling our home in the us and moving to uy, we currently own 2 2008 vehicles we own free and clear, no lienholder and two 4 wheelers (ATV's) if we apply for residency and buy property over 100K can we bring these vehicles in .

Comment #8 Peter Stross (190.135.36.50) - 04/05/09 08:52

Hi Leslie,

please read my former posting above. As you will szee this was written last February 19th. This regulation still haven't changed, so this posting is still valid.

If there are some changes I promise I will write them down in every Forum I am member of.

Regards,

Comment #9 Ernie from Tennessee, US - 04/18/09 21:37

OK, I will throw out my first question. Are little airplanes treated like cars and motorcycles. I would hate to think I couldn't bring my two seater wherever I choose to retire.

Comment #10 Patrick from Rural east Colonia departmento - 04/21/09 19:54

> Are little airplanes treated like cars and

> motorcycles. I would hate to think I couldn't

> bring my two seater wherever I choose to retire.

My local flying club has a 1968 Cessna 172 and a very ancient Piper both with a huge stickers saying "Importado en Uruguay" so importing a used aircraft must be possible... though I reckon there will be duty to pay and a Charlie Xray re-registration to do. The Cessna reg is CX-ASY which comes over as Alpha Sierra Shankie because of the local -sh pronunciation for a consonant Y :-)

At the moment there is a drive afoot to make Uruguayo pilots learn English so you'll get a warm welcome if you join a local club.

Patrick.

Comment #11 Ernie from Tennessee, US - 04/23/09 07:57

Thanks, I expect a duty :>(

How about your license did you have to start over or did they give you reciprocity?

I would plan to join an aero club, and since I am bilingual but my Spanish is very weak from disuse, I would love to do a little instructing as a volunteer.

Comment #12 William in Panama (201.225.93.218) - 07/28/09 17:25

I am told that a tourist applying for residency can import an auto, providing it is more than 20 years old. Can anyone confirm and if so how can we find out the duties.

Comment #13 Patrick from Rural east Colonia departmento - 08/13/09 18:01

I looked into this 2 years ago in the hopes of importing my ancient BMW boxer. It seems that you can bring an ancient vehicle as a collectors item but you can't use it as a road vehicle except for special events like rallies and festivals.

I hope that the law will change some day.

Comment #14 Kristin (200.87.157.7) - 08/31/09 16:19

We've been driving from California to Argentina (currently in Bolivia) for a year, and will be finishing our trip in Buenos Aires in December. We're considering selling our car, but have heard that it is difficult to sell cars in Argentina - is it any easier in Uruguay? Especially if the buyer is then going to be driving it themselves out of Uruguay?

Comment #15 Elaine (1) from Ireland - 09/01/09 08:29

A friend of mine bought a car of someone travelling through Uruguay...had all the proper papers etc and the police confiscated the car and it hasn't been seen since.

Your car will sell for a VERY good price in Uruguay, but I think the buyer has to be very careful to know if it is allowed...

Comment #16 Ken Stephenson (201.191.32.7) - 03/27/10 08:47

"Electrician"

What is the price of a Toyota Corolla in Uruguay , as compared to the same car in Canada, or any other make of car that is made there?

Comment #17 Ken Stephenson (201.191.32.7) - 03/27/10 09:07

"Retired"

I would like to know how much a car costs if bought in Uruguay compared to the same model bought in Canada? For example a Toyota Corolla or what ever other model is made there. Thank you Ken

Comment #18 GaryChar from Temecula, California not LA - 03/27/10 11:03

"Retired"

Ken:

I searched VW’s website and found a dealer in Montevideo. The prices are in line with the cost of these vehicles in Southern California; however, I do not think the vehicles are exactly the same, i.e., model has same name but motor is different. The same as U.S. model v. European model.

I think that if you search Toyota's website you may find the info that you are looking for.

Regards,

Gary Stephenson

Comment #19 Bik from Montreal - 03/30/10 11:36

"auto importation"

I found this on a Panamanian legal firm's site concerning immigration to Uruguay:

Importation of a Car Duty Free – The car must not be sold for four years. It must be registered in Uruguay. You will need clear title in your name to effect the relocation of the car. The car needs to be insured as per Uruguay law for auto insurance.

I read something similar on a government of Uruguay site:

Art. 4°. Resuelta favorablemente por el Ministerio del Interior la solicitud de residencia permanente, la Dirección Nacional de Migración lo comunicará a la Dirección Nacional de Aduanas, a fin de que autorice la introducción de los muebles y enseres de la casa-habitación.

If you are seriously thinking of emmigrating to Uruguay and living there, in my opinion, there's no time like the present to familiarise yourself with the Uruguayan government sites. Ultimately, they are the "official word" of the government and the snatches of translated and interpreted things one can read on other sites may be missleading.

Art. 5°. Una vez que el interesado acredite haber dado cumplimiento a lo previsto en el literal B) del Art. 1° de este Decreto, la Dirección Nacional de Migración librará comunicaciones a la Dirección Nacional de Aduanas para la introducción del vehículo automotor y a la Dirección Nacional de Identificación Civil para la expedición de pasaportes.

Actually, it's this last part art 5°, the first part, art 4° is about chattels, that once you've been accepted, the dept of Immigration will direct the Customs department that you will be bringing in a vehicle (if you have one) and the Civil Identification Dept to expediate a passport.

Comment #20 Patrick from Rural east Colonia departmento - 03/30/10 12:29

"Don't believe all you read"

I lovely idea but for the last 7 years, the importation of a used car is forbidden unless you are a returning ROU citizen (not just a resident.)

There used to be a special allowance under the law for wealthy retirees but these are no more.

Another pitfall not mentioned above is the horrid unintended consequence caused by the recent returning Uruguayo law. If you obtain your permanent cedula BEFORE you import your household goods, then you will not be treated as a foreign immigrant at all but will be viewed as a 2nd class returning Uruguayo instead.

This means that you have to prove that you haven't been living here for the 2 years before you import your container even if you have... though being a returning Uruguayo without Uruguayan nationality, you cannot take advantage of the free used car import.

The law was introduced while my container was at sea en route to MVD so I had to rush to the UK, give myself a retrospective job in the UK/create a hill of false paperwork to prove it, fire myself and "persuade" the ROU consul in London to swear that I was in the UK for the two years when I was really here building my house and applying for my cedula :-)

Comment #21 Bik from Montreal - 03/30/10 15:01

"watch out"

Patrick, you've made a very big confession there about duping the Uruguayan authorities. I know you'll say they're too disorganised to ever find you out.

So, if I understand you rightly, it's all about timing?

Comment #22 Patrick from Rural east Colonia departmento - 03/31/10 08:58

"Eggy faces"

Not at all. I was guided by presidential advice :-)

On realizing my predicament I wrote to the former president asking for his advice as it was the unintended consequences of his ill thought out decree that caused the problems in the first place. My subsequent actions in proving that I'd been living on two continents simultaneously were done at the suggestion of one of his staff who persuaded the uru-consul in London to provide the appropriate certificate.

I supposed that a bit of subterfuge was viewed as less politically damaging than changing the terms of the decree which turned an unsuspecting Irish pensioner into a returning Uruguayo at the flip of his pen.

Before the decree, it was acceptable for the immigrant to obtain his cedula up to 6 months before importing the household goods but the moment the decree was issued, the previously non-Uruguayo immigrant was magically transformed into a 2nd class returning Uruguayo subject to a completely different set of rules. With the container already at sea, the only other option was to wait until it reached MVD, send it back to the UK, change the paperwork into my SO's name (who didn't have a cedula) and ship it back to MVD once more :-)

The Flying Dutchman meets the Marie Celeste :-)

Comment #23 Bik from Montreal - 03/31/10 09:26

"how does theory play out in practice"

Are those rules still in force? Exactly how does that translate into acutality. From what I read in art. 4°:

«a favourable request for permanent residency with the ministry of the interior, the national department of migration will communicate with the national department of customs and duties in order that they authorise the importation of your household goods and chattels».

There doesn't seem to be a time limit. I take it to mean that the moment they've accepted your request, you can import your "stuff".

Comment #24 Jorge & Florence (2) from FLORIDA USA - 03/31/10 09:27

"Resources"

You need personality, knowledge, resources and Patrick has all of then in bundles.

Anyone who discovers Uruguayan Magic and codes in so little time, soon will have his own Monument erected in the Colonia Suiza main Plaza (the only one).

This is the opinion of a future SECOND CLASS URUGUAYO, and I believe him.

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