Container manifest
Posted by urufish on May 27, 2007
When we moved to Uruguay, we brought our worldly possessions. This is what a container manifest looks like. Not very complicated nor does it need to be highly detailed. It can NOT contain any banned or illegal items as it pertains to the maritime shipping act, the carrier’s own requirements or the government of Uruguay. For instance, you dont want to list liquor or motorycycles. Of course, you can bring things you cant bring in duty free, like a motorcycle or a car, but then you pay the duties and taxes, or spend the rest of your life here, hiding them from the police.
It works in Spanish and/or English. We did ours in Spanglish.
June 30, 2007 at 12:05 am
Very good information. I am buying a chacra in Urugauy and have a few questions about the process of moving your household goods. Are you taxed on regular household goods? Things like garden tools, lawn mower, power tools from my workshop? I am an American, but my partner is an Urugayan who is also an American. How long did the container take to get to MVD?
We would be shipping from Houston. Thank you for your help.
June 30, 2007 at 10:33 am
If you apply for residency here, you can bring your ‘household’ items with you duty free. Although you often see me (and others) use the word ‘container’ you can bring more than one if that’s what you need (I brought 1.5). The only limit is you must clear them all at the same time.
You can put anything ‘legal’ in the container, including the items you describe above. For a list of ‘illegal’ things (other than the obvious), your shipper will be able to provide that to you. I mentioned the obvious here or in another post. Motorized vehicles are prohibited. You cant bring in trucks, automobiles, motorcycles of any size or parts for the two of these.
Containers average 30 days from NYC. If it ships out of Houston, should be around the same, 30-40 days.
Have you arranged for the packing, shipping and customs brokers for the container yet? In the past couple of weeks, several readers started the process or are in the process of shipping containers from Houston, Dallas via Houston and LA.
July 22, 2007 at 12:41 am
Urufish -
Thanks for the info on what can and can’t be brought in country. Myself and some co-workers will be relocating to Uruguay in the next couple of months. When you say that you can’t bring in cars in by container, does that mean you can’t import (or bring) any vehicles into the country as part of expatriation/relocation?
If not, what are the taxes and duties that have to be paid on any vehicle that you bring in country? Can you point me somwhere or provide a few bullet points?
Thanks so much!
Mark
July 22, 2007 at 1:52 am
Hi Mark… The new law prohibits the importation of any used car, truck, bus or motorcycle… It doesn’t say specifically that if you bring one in, you can elect to pay duties on it. Put your local consul to work and ask him to get a ruling for you.
Of course, you can bring vehicles with you on a temporary basis. You’ll get a visa which as I recall is good for 90 days. I believe you can either get an extension, or take it to BA on the buquebus and when you bring it back, get another visa. You can not continue this indefinitely but practically speaking, you should be able to get at least 6 months out of it, maybe even get a year.
When you say expatriation/relocation are you talking about a Uruguayan returning to Uruguay after living abroad for more than 3 years? You used to be able to bring a car in under that classification but it disappeared long ago.
Taxes and duties are based on Uruguay’s valuation of the vehicle which is usually substantially more than the street value in NA. Taxes and duties run around 50% of the value assessed on the vehicle..
Not sure where I’d point you for bullet points. There’s a dialog over at the southron site….
http://www.sociedadsouthron.net/forums/index.php
Check the headers for immigration or importing goods or vehicles into the country. There are some posts showing it’s legal. Those are wrong. Read further down and you’ll see the corrections.
When I was visiting here 2-3 weeks a year, I bought an older, used car for a good price that I could resell for little depreciation. You may want to do the same thing, depending on how long you plan on staying here. If you can live with a motorcycle, even better. Much cheaper. It doesn’t rain a whole lot here. I see everyone still riding their motos, even in the dead of winter. You just have to dress a little warmer.
September 12, 2007 at 1:03 am
If anyone could point me to a shipper that moves from Los Angeles,CA I would be most grateful. I am planing to move to Montevideo in March of 08. I have a lot of electronic gear for music production and editing. Oh, and a “real” piano (upright). I am a composer and am also interested in coresponding with other musicians and composers. Thanks so much from Katherine
September 12, 2007 at 10:52 am
How’s your spanish? If not so good, do you have a friend who could xlate for you. I can give you a couple of numbers to call here in Uruguay to start the process with.
Finding a shipper in LA who will pack a container carefully and ship it to Uruguay is relatively simple.
The more difficult part is connecting with a company here to clear the container and to deliver it to you.
By talking to them here, they may have someone they know or could recommend to you in LA.
Let me know.
December 17, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Hi there…
I just stumbled accross this site and I’m glad I did. I understand the shipping rules that have been outlined but does anyone know of the wealth tax that is imposed? Is it imposed upon people who own rental properties in Uruguay and what are those taxes. Also, what other taxes are imposed on Americans living part time is SAmerica?
Thanks,
Reuben
December 18, 2007 at 1:21 am
I cant recall the specifics… but in general, if your property (real estate and vehicles) exceeds a minimum (about USD250K), you’re taxed (sliding scale) up to 2% of the book value of your properties.. That’s usually around half of the real value. A friend of mine with about 1 mil in real property pays around $2K per year for the wealth tax.
When Uruguay brought in the new income tax this year, one of the promises was to reduce the ‘wealth’ tax over the next several years. If the income tax works out, I believe that the wealth tax will be removed.
This tax applies to everyone, resident and non-resident.
Non residents are not taxed differently than residents. If you make an income from your labours in Uruguay, you must pay income tax. If you fall into this category, what you pay Uruguay is deductable with IRS. If you own a property and rent it, you are supposed to pay 12% of the net rental income. This is a fixed rate regardless of how much $ you generate in rental income.
December 31, 2007 at 12:10 am
I’m thinking of shipping house hold and a SUV (I’m getting married in Uruguay) but I heard that once it get to port they might not release your personal items to you. I am American and live in Orlando, FL. Can you give me some pointers.
Thanks
December 31, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Hell Jaz. First of all, congratuilations… Are you of Uruguayan or South American descent or just plain multi-generation American?
There is a logical and formal process for bringing one’s personal effects into Uruguay. Uruguay extends this proviledge to people becoming permanent residents of Uruguay. If you’re marrying a Uruguayan and you are not a Uruguayan resident now, you can start this process. The process takes about a year to complete and at that time, they’ll give you a document that authorizes the customs people to let in your personal effects tax free..
If you want to bring in your personal and household items BEFORE you are given ‘permanent residence’, you can still bring them in duty free by posting a cash bond with customs. It’s not a great deal of money. An immigration consultant can tell you exactly what it will be.
The SUV is the big deal…. For the last 2 years, Uruguay has not allowed anyone to bring in a vehicle, new or used, without paying the duty… The duty is substantial… more like obscene. My immigration consultant told me last week that the government is now going to reverse that decision. We dont know when they will, but it could fit in nicely with your wedding plans.
If you’re interested in more detail, give me your personal email address and we can continue this thread off line.
Again, congratulations. And welcome to the family
March 14, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Hi, I;m Polish residen married to an Uruguayan in Nevada over a year ago, we legalized our marriage in Embassy in California. Im in US and my husband is already there, Does anyone know how to start the legalization process so I can ship the container in my name and not to pay the taxes ?
Im in Boston, any recomendations for shiping companies in this area?
Thanks
March 14, 2008 at 3:36 pm
You’re married to a Uruguayan so he can sponsor you. The immigration act was recently changed and from what is being written in the papers, the immigration officers are interpeting rules differently now. In your case, they say they’re now ‘expediting’ spouses. That should mean you only need to show your legalized marriage certificate (legalized by a Uruguayan consulate in the US). Remember that your documents/legalization stamp is only good for a limited time. I believe it’s 6 months. If yours was stamped/legalized more than 6 months ago, you need to have it done again.
The container is a little different. If your husband lived outside Uruguay for a while (not sure of the exact time–could be one or 2 years), he is entitled to bring his personal possessions back to Uruguay. Doesn’t matter if they’re yours or his because you’re married. It belongs to the both of you.
You’re lucky if you do that because the law just changed and he can bring a car with him. Could be any kind of car at all, new or used. He qualifes as a returning Uruguayan. You are not a returning Uruguayan so you could not qualify for the car. If you have to (or want to) bring the container in your name, you must have your permant residency. They say they will make this faster now, but it will probably still take several months. Until you have your permanet residency, you can not enter a container duty free. You will have to post a bond or cash which you will get back when you do get your permanent residency.
March 14, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Yhank you for your detailed message , if was very helpfull to come across somebody with recent information. My husband was residing in US for 16 yrs, but now he is in Uruguay, can I ship the container in his name? What are he steps to follow? How much is the bond ?
I’m also bringing a cat are ther any special restrictions besides health certivicate and shots?
I’m moving in June and I was wondering if you have any suggestions how to find a container company in Boston, MA or New York directly ?
Thanks
March 14, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Yes, I would recommend you have your husband do the paperwork. If he is in Uruguay now, he can speak to the Foreign Affairs department and ask them for the paperwork and rules. If he does it in his name, there will be no bond because he is entitled to bring his personal possesions AND car as a returning resident ONE TIME EXEMPTION.
Cats and dogs are both welcomed in Uruguay. For the exact requrements, call the consulate nearest to you and ask them. I brought a ferret here. The veterinarian gave the animal the required shots. I gave his certificate to the government office which issued a dept of agriculture certificate for the animal. That was all Uruguay requires. There is no quarantine required.
The best suggestion I can give you is to try to find a Club Uruguay in the New York area. We had one in Toronto. The people who manage it know everything. They will know who does containers to Uruguay from New York. If you cant find someone who specializes in this, then you have work to do. You can call any container company and get a price to ship a container to Uruguay. It’s about USD2000 for a 40 foot container. Probablhy around $1250 for a 20 foot container. I know people who just asked the container to be delivered to their driveway and filled it themselves.. Then you have to arrange customs in Uruguay.. None of this is difficult, but it takes time and it’s frustrating. That’s why I recommended you find someone in NYC who specializes in shipping containers. The consul at the Uruguay consulate in NYC should know people who do this. That’s what he’s there for. To know these things and pass them on to people like you.
March 14, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Thanks so much for your information
I have one quick question, does my husband need to own the car for two years in orer to be able to bring it to Uruguay?
Thank you
March 15, 2008 at 10:25 am
Sorry I didn’t back to you yesterday… I started drinking early yesterday… too much too fast
:) :)…
Your husband was away for 30 years. His brain is stuck in the old days when those rules applied. That rule changed many times. But now, there’s no such thing. The new government, lacking the experience of having ever governed before is making the same mistakes as the old governments, who fixed them and learned from their lessons.
The way the law is written, it doesn’t place any restrictions on either the age of the car, how long you owned or the price. All 3 of these conditions applied with older governments. We were joking about this new law. The way it is written, no self respecting Uruguayan will bring a car for themsleves. They’ll bring something they can sell quickly at a high profit. For instance, you can bring a brand new Mercedes or BMW and sell it here and make USD25K-35K. If you’re really a chicken at heart, you make a deal with a car dealer to buy it from you as soon as you get here. This is an old tradition in Uruguay, going back many years.
March 15, 2008 at 10:28 am
Oops.. forgot a couple of things. There is one restriction. You cant sell it for one or two years, cant remember. It really doesn’t matter, you can still sell it the moment you get here. You just have to sell it Uruguayan style… a la usufructo.
Other point is more important. This law came out a month or so ago. Uruguay changes laws on a whim. If you want to take advantage of it, you have to move quickly. It may not be the same law in 3 months. We were joking about that too. As soon as 20-30 MB’s/BMW’s show up under this new law, the government will wake up and change it.
March 15, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Thanks
same law applies with motorcycles?
Take care and have good weekend !!!
March 15, 2008 at 1:39 pm
IMHO, NO. When I read the law, I specifically remember it saying car (in Spanish).
March 16, 2008 at 8:05 pm
AMERICANS OUT OF URUGUAY!
GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OUT OF URUGUAY….WE DONT WANT YOU HERE.
March 16, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Looks like our old Xenophobe’s back… and off his meds again…
Have a nice day anyway….
March 30, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Hola Urufish quiero mandar una caja con ropa para mis viejos en Uruguay desde Orlando Fl como hago? Tenes contactos? I want to ship a box of clothes to my parents in Uruguay from Orlando Fl can you help any info? Thanks
March 31, 2008 at 12:06 am
This may sound simple, but the best way is the post office.
It’s cheap. You want to pay a bit more to require signature service. This way all the clothes should arrive. The box should not disappear.
We did this for many years when we lived in Toronto.
The reason I suggest US post is because Uruguay has no tariffs on used clothing. Customs doesn’t get involved.
April 1, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Hi Urufish,
I’m married to Uruguayan, but I haven’t obtained Uruguayan residency. My husbend relocated there 4 months ago, I’m coming this July and I was planning the shippment of our households goods but I’m coming across a lot of resistance from Uruguayan consulate .According to them I have to come there as a tourist not as an wife of Uruguayan and than I need to fix my residency. The problem is they are not allowing me to take our stuff, since I’m not returning Uru. Do you have any suggestions where to access more information? I’m aware that ther is a bond if i come a s atourist , do you have any idea how much is the bond and how long the residency process takes. I’m planning to take no electronics to make it easier, just used clothing and house stuff)
I was told that once my husband enters Uruguay he cant ship his belongings in his name , is there any grace period after entering the country?or after 4 months of being in Uru. he cant claim it . (he was residing in US for 16 yr. )
In consulate I was told Im the first case like that and they have no idea what to do
well……, my ticket is for July 2.
Any ideas how to deal with this issue ????
Thanks a lot ,
Take care
April 2, 2008 at 12:22 am
You’re getting a whole lot of bad advice.
Let’s start with the simplest part… your husband. My wife is also a Uruguayan who lived outside Uruguay for over 30 years. She came back to Uruguay every year in December and went back to Canada in March. So my wife entered Uruguay more than 30 times and she had no problem applying for and using the once per lifetime exemption to bring in household goods duty free.
To make it even clearer for you, when she came to Uruguay in November 2005, we decided to stay. She didn’t go back to Toronto until July–to pack up our household things and make the application to the consulate for her container. The only thing they asked her for was her income tax forms to prove that she did really live in Canada for the previous 3 years.
The advice they gave you about coming here as a tourist is strange too. I assume you’re coming here from a country that doesn’t require a Uruguayan visa to enter the country? Correct? If so, when you enter the country, you have to fill in an immigration form, (like the rest of us), and mark it as a tourist. There’s nothing on it to mark for being someone’s wife or husband anyway. I came to Uruguay 30-40 times since the early 80’s. I was the husband of a Uruguayan. I checked of tourist.. It was the only checkbox that made any sense.
If you did decide to bring goods under your exemption, you must tell customs you’re applying for residency and will be seeking to have the goods entered duty free. They’ll ask you to post a bond. If you’re bringing used clothes and household stuff, keep in mind that used clothing has no duties whatsoever. So it’s off the table as far as the bond goes. Used household goods aren’t usually worth much for resale. Your bond shouldn’t be much.. Perhaps a few thousand dollars. An immigration expert with customs experience can tell you exactly.
If it was me though, I’d have the goods entered in your husband’s name as a returning Uruguayan. He also qualifies to bring a car now without paying duty. That’s a new law that came into effect last month.
Your residency process, if you’re applying as a wife and your husband makes enough money to satisfy immigration that you wont be a burden on Uruguay’s social system, (there isn’t one but maybe they’re thinking of having one someday), you will get your temporary residency within a few weeks and your permanent residency within a year. HOWEVER, if you dont do everything perfectly, those time frames go out the window. It could take a lot longer.
If you can afford $500, hire an immigration counselor here to guide you through this whole process. If not, just take your chances and be persistent. Uruguay doesn’t want to prevent anyone from coming here (like the 1st word does), but they insist you come here by the book. If you dont know or understand the rules, then hire someone who does or be prepared to lose time.. perhaps a lot of time.
I was lucky. My wife and daughter were citizens (not that it helped me at all), so it was only me that had to go through this process. One of our friends is a lawyer with the ministry of public works and although she knew nothing about the immigration process, she learned quickly and told me what to do each step of the way. I lived around the corner from the Uruguayan consul in Toronto and that helped a bit too. Didn’t have to go the consulate to get things stamped. He brought the stamps home
But regardless of the help I had, the process will be the same for you as it is everyone.
April 2, 2008 at 9:47 am
Hi, thank you for your nice reply , it made me feel a little better
We are trying to bring our belongings in my husbands name but he ws told that he has 90 days to declare it? WEll I guess we go and keep asking ,since I have a feeling it can be done when in contact with right source.
Well , thank you again , is nice to hear some good news
Take care
April 2, 2008 at 9:58 am
I think they’re telling you he has 90 days from AFTER he ‘returns’ to Uruguay to make this declaration from INSIDE Uruguay.
This is different from the way we did it. My wife did this from OUTSIDE Uruguay when she went back to Toronto to pack.
If he goes back to the US (like my wife did) to visit/tidy up things, he can go to the consulate and make out the forms then. Of course, he needs the manifest of what he’s sending and some other documentation they’ll tell them about.
April 3, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Interested in moving to Uruguay and have questions? We have a family of 6 and interested in many questions.
Thank you,
Rainey
May 2, 2008 at 3:45 am
Rainey Threadgill - Wire Transfer to states of of foreign nations take 3 to 5 business days. If you are buying a home in foreign coutries. Be sure to hire an attorney that can be recommended by the local government. Many locals have deceptive ways to get you to buy. Rainey Threadgill has help many customers save on fees by wire funds directly to banks.
August 23, 2008 at 8:09 am
Hi Urufish.
I read all your posts with outmost interest. We live in the US and want to move to Uruguay. Both my wife and I are 41 yrs of age, not retired, no monthly pension or other income. We will have suficient funds to come over with in order to buy a house, start a small business, etc.
My main question is: Can we get the permanent residency processed and approved at an Uruguay Consulate and obtain it pryor to coming to Uruguay?
Also does your mover Canur Courier Service have people in the US? Or can your Oscar come to the US and do / supervise the packing?
Is it better if I buy my own container(s)? Can I keep / use / sell them in Uruguay?
If I want to bring a 2007 model vehicle will it be dutty free or do you have any ideea on how much the dutty tax will be?
Please reply. Thanks.