You've surely wondered: do online purchases from abroad actually arrive or not? Can you shop abroad without any problems? The answer is yes, and below we'll explain how to do it.
How can I use MDE with Correo Argentino's door-to-door service?
MDE pairs perfectly with Correo Argentino's door-to-door service. First of all, you don't have to worry about whether the online store you buy from ships to Argentina, because we receive your purchase and take care of dispatching it through the carrier you trust. If the option you choose is Correo Argentino, we can dispatch your parcel right away once you've completed your registration on Correo Argentino's International Shipments Portal. Remember that your shipment will be subject to Argentina's current customs regulations. In addition, with us you have other delivery methods available that may turn out to be faster, safer and cheaper. We invite you to explore all the services for individuals or businesses that are waiting for you.
Argentina's new Door-to-Door system has begun, in effect since April 1, 2019, and it comes with quite a few improvements that we'll tell you about right here..
No level 3 tax key required
A very, very positive point. Shopping abroad will be accessible to anyone. You'll no longer need to obtain or process the level 3 tax key.
No taxes on purchases under USD 50
That's right. On purchases that don't exceed 50 dollars in invoiced value, you won't have to pay import taxes. Until April 1, 2019, only 25 dollars were allowed, and only once a year.
Now you'll be able to shop 12 times a year up to 50 dollars tax-free (non-cumulative; this means it's not that you can make a single purchase of 200 and pay no taxes, but rather 50 dollars MAXIMUM per purchase — you get 12 of USD 50 a year tax-free).
The limits go up
Previously, under the famous Door-to-Door system, you couldn't bring in more than 2 kilos and more than 200 dollars in merchandise. Now they've extended it to 20 kilos and 3,000 dollars.
This means that even if you buy 15 kilos worth an amount of 2,999 USD, it will arrive at your home and you won't have to go pick it up at a post office branch or at customs.
No paperwork required
Yes, just as it sounds. You won't have to confirm receipt of the product (as used to be done on the AFIP website). Now Correo Argentino will "represent" you at Customs so that your purchases reach your home, without having to go to customs and waste 2 hours of your life standing in endless lines.
Parcel tracking
You'll be able to follow the status of your shipment through a new Correo Argentino portal. There they'll notify you whenever there's any movement of your parcel.
How to shop abroad with the New Door-to-Door system, step by step?
Follow these steps to make your international purchases a success. Remember that you won't be able to bring in more than 3 products of the same category, since that's considered commercial use. This system is designed for individuals, not for merchants.
An example: bringing in 4 cell phones is not allowed. 3 is fine, but no more than that.
How to register on Correo Argentino's International Shipments Portal?
To start, the first step is to register on the international shipments portal. To do so, go to https://epago.correoargentino.com.ar/ and click on "I'm new, I want to register," just as we see in the following image.
Once you click the button, you'll be asked to fill in your personal details. Remember that you need to know your CUIT or your CUIL to sign up — your ID document alone isn't enough. To find out your CUIL or CUIT from your DNI, we recommend these guides:
Once you know your CUIT or CUIL number, you'll be able to complete the registration.
When you've filled in all the details, they'll let you know that they've sent an email to your inbox to confirm the creation of the account:
Let's go to our email and click on "Activate account."
Done! We now have our account; now we'll just have to log in and upload our first purchase notice, with the tracking number provided to us at the time of purchase on some foreign site.
Reporting a purchase made abroad in the new system
When you shop abroad on platforms like Amazon, eBay or AliExpress, they'll surely give you a tracking number for your shipment. When you have it, you'll need to upload it to the Correo Argentino portal.
This way we'll be giving notice that a parcel will arrive in our name, and they'll be able to notify you by email of the arrival of your purchase (this used to be done through a dreaded telegram).
NOTE: if you don't report your purchase through this portal, a telegram will arrive at your home (and that's where some problems come up — it's much better to take this step to save yourself several headaches).
Any kind of tracking code is valid for filing a purchase notice. Once your parcel arrives in Argentina, they'll notify you by email that you can start the process on the portal to receive it at your home.
How to declare an international Door-to-Door purchase online?
Once you receive notification that your product has arrived in the country, you'll need to follow these steps.
Log into the system with your email and password.
Enter your tracking code.
Verify the pre-loaded data provided by the portal.
Enter the details of your parcel, such as: category, description, quantity, unit value in USD.
If you have to enter more than one product (because you made more than one purchase), click on "Add."
To finish, enter the shipping cost. If shipping was FREE, you'll need to enter a value of 0.
NOTE: Carefully review all the content you declare, since once you confirm it you won't be able to modify it.
Which products can't I import into Argentina through the new system?
Products intended for commercial purposes cannot be imported through this channel. And which products are NOT for commercial purposes according to the customs regime? "Imports or exports without commercial purpose shall be considered those that are occasional in nature and in which, given the quantity, quality, variety and value of the merchandise, it may be presumed that they are for the personal use or consumption of the recipient or their family."
Example of what's allowed: a cell phone or a book. Example of what's NOT allowed: 4 identical cell phones. That's very obvious — you have to use it wisely.
AFIP allows 3 products of the same kind (although I don't even recommend buying 2 identical products in the same purchase; if you need to do so, I recommend splitting the parcels to avoid possible holdups)
What's the limit for bringing in purchases from abroad, in price and weight?
The maximum cap for bringing in the parcel from abroad through the door-to-door system cannot exceed 20kg or 2,000 dollars.
If the product you're going to buy weighs less than 20 kg and costs under 2,000 USD, you'll be able to receive it at your home without any problem.
If it exceeds these values, you'll have to go pick it up at the branch or at customs.
Requirements for shopping with the new Door-to-Door Argentina
Previously, the requirements for making international online purchases were many more, but now they've made things considerably easier. You only need to have:
CUIT (Unique Tax Identification Key),
CUIL (Unique Labor Identification Key)
CDI (Identification Key)
Having any one of these keys is enough.
What taxes do I have to pay?
There are 12 non-cumulative annual exemptions of 50 dollars. Anything that exceeds that amount will be taxed at 50%. If your purchase is under 50 USD, you pay no taxes.
That is, if the purchase has a price from U$S 50 up to U$S 3000, a single 50% levy will have to be paid on the excess.
Example: if you buy something abroad for 1000 USD, 50 USD is subtracted. That leaves 950 USD. A 50% surcharge is applied to that value, which results in 475 USD. That's the amount you'll have to pay in taxes.
In addition, you can buy books abroad without paying taxes. Notebooks, components and tablets are also tax-free. This means no taxes will be charged on these products, dropping from 35% to 0%.
Is that 50% tax calculated on the product, or does it include shipping?
-It applies only to the value of the product itself.
How to collect my products from customs in 2020?
A telegram will arrive at your home indicating the address where you must present yourself to collect the product from customs, and by presenting the paid VEP, together with the simplified declaration you completed, they'll hand over the product without any trouble. Keep reading to find out what the VEP is and how a simplified declaration is done.
Can products with a commercial purpose be brought in through this system? What restrictions are there?
No, it's not possible to bring in products with a commercial purpose through the EMS regime.
ATTENTION: don't try to skip over this point, or you'll have problems getting the product out of customs.
Do I have to pay taxes if the product I buy abroad is sent to me as a gift?
-Yes, that "clever trick" we developed in Argentina a few years ago is no longer valid. They're taxed just like any purchase.
