You ship to Argentina by ocean FCL or LCL into the Port of Buenos Aires (16 to 30 days from Miami) or by air into Ezeiza (EZE), then clear customs with ARCA in the Malvina system and pay Mercosur tariff duty, a 3% statistics fee and 21% VAT. For most of the last decade, paperwork decided whether cargo moved at all: import licences, statistical pre-registrations and foreign exchange controls. As of April 2025 the import licensing system is gone, ARCA (the customs and tax agency that replaced AFIP) scrapped the SEDI statistical declaration in February 2025, and importers regained access to foreign currency to pay suppliers. What remains is a Mercosur tariff, a layered set of import taxes collected at the border and a long ocean leg, so classification, documents and port choice have to be settled before the container leaves origin.
| Route & mode | Transit | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Miami to Buenos Aires, Ocean FCL | 16 to 30 days (direct or via Santos/Montevideo) | full loads, machinery, steel, project materials |
| Miami to Buenos Aires, Ocean LCL | 20 to 35 days (consolidation and bonded devanning included) | shipments under 15 CBM, mixed supplier orders |
| Miami to Buenos Aires (EZE), Air freight | 1 to 3 days | spare parts, urgent and high-value cargo |
| China to Buenos Aires, Ocean FCL | 35 to 50 days | full containers of manufactured goods |
| China to Buenos Aires, Ocean LCL | 40 to 55 days | smaller Asian orders |
| Northern Europe or Spain to Buenos Aires, Ocean FCL | 20 to 30 days on direct services | European machinery and components |
Transit depends on the carrier rotation, transshipment and terminal congestion. Confirm schedules at booking.
Shipping to Argentina follows eight steps, from NCM classification at origin to release from the Buenos Aires terminal.
Each step depends on the routing chosen at origin, starting with the US lane.
US cargo reaches Argentina on regular South America East Coast services from Miami, Port Everglades and other US East and Gulf Coast ports, discharging mainly at Buenos Aires and, on some services, at Zárate or Dock Sud across the Riachuelo. Some rotations call Santos or Paranaguá first, the same strings that serve shipping to Brazil, or Montevideo, so a "direct" sailing still takes three weeks or more. Miami is the natural consolidation point: suppliers from across the US deliver to a Miami warehouse, cargo is checked against the commercial invoice, and it ships as one controlled consignment.
Full loads move as container shipping to Argentina in 20ft and 40ft dry boxes, high cubes, open tops and flat racks for out-of-gauge equipment. Smaller volumes move as LCL consolidation, paying by the cubic meter. On this lane LCL takes longer than FCL because cargo waits for a consolidation cut-off and is devanned at a bonded warehouse in Buenos Aires before clearance, so build that into delivery promises.
Air freight lands at Ministro Pistarini International (EZE) in Ezeiza, Greater Buenos Aires, in one to three days from Miami. It suits spare parts for stopped equipment, electronics and samples. For a wider view of Miami as the gateway for southbound cargo, see the guide to shipping from Miami to Latin America. Cargo from Asia follows a longer route into the same River Plate ports.
Asia-origin cargo reaches Buenos Aires in 35 to 50 days port to port for FCL on Asia to East Coast South America services, routed via the Cape of Good Hope or Singapore with calls at Brazilian ports before the River Plate. LCL takes longer because it needs consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination. Full containers move on direct calls; consolidated cargo transships in Brazil or Montevideo.
Two practical points matter. First, Argentina classifies goods under the Mercosur Common Nomenclature (NCM), aligned with the HS system, and duties are assessed on CIF value, so the declared freight and insurance figures on Asian shipments directly raise the tax base. Second, listed product groups that Asia supplies in volume, such as textiles, apparel, footwear, tires, toys, air conditioning equipment and flat-rolled steel, require a certificate of origin. Plan that document with the supplier before the cargo sails, not after it arrives.
European cargo reaches Buenos Aires in 20 to 30 days on direct services from Northern European and Spanish ports, and Europe remains a major source of capital goods, chemicals and industrial components for Argentina. European machinery is heavy or oversized in many cases, so equipment type (flat rack, open top) and terminal handling at destination should be confirmed at booking. Wooden crates and skids from any origin must comply with ISPM 15 heat treatment and marking, a point covered in the guide to ISPM 15 wood packaging requirements. Whatever the origin, the discharge port decides the rest of the route.
Argentina's import containers concentrate in the Buenos Aires port complex, while the Paraná River ports (Zárate, Rosario) and Bahía Blanca handle vehicles, agro-exports and energy cargo, and Ezeiza (EZE) carries most air freight.
Buenos Aires is also the transfer point for cargo continuing upriver: containers for landlocked Paraguay move from here to barges, as explained in our guide to shipping to Paraguay. Once cargo lands, clearance runs through a single customs system.
Imports clear through the Dirección General de Aduanas (DGA), part of ARCA (Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero), the agency created by Decree 953/2024 to replace AFIP, and every formal entry is filed electronically in the Malvina system, according to ARCA's customs portal.
The 2024 to 2025 reforms removed the import licence and SEDI steps, so the critical path is now registration, documents and correct classification. The amount paid at that last step is where Argentina differs most from its neighbours.
Imports into Argentina from outside Mercosur pay the Mercosur Common External Tariff for their NCM code, a 3% statistics fee and VAT at 21% (10.5% for listed goods), plus tax advances collected at the border.
The former PAIS tax on foreign currency for imports expired in December 2024 and no longer applies. Because the landed cost stacks several percentages on the CIF base, confirm the full tax calculation for your NCM code before quoting a price in Argentina. Chile, outside the Mercosur CET, follows a very different tariff logic, covered in our guide to shipping to Chile.
Every Argentine import needs a Spanish-language commercial invoice, a packing list and the bill of lading or air waybill, plus a certificate of origin for listed products, as set out in the U.S. Commercial Service guide to Argentina's import documentation.
Freight forwarding and agents' fees cannot be shown on air waybills for Argentina; they must be prepaid. Some product categories need more than these core documents.
Most goods enter Argentina without a licence; used goods, food and agricultural products, medical products and safety-regulated items carry their own controls.
With permits settled, the remaining decision is how the cargo travels.
LCL is the economical choice for Argentina below 10 to 12 CBM. Between 12 and 15 CBM, compare an LCL quote with a 20ft FCL, because destination LCL handling in Buenos Aires adds cost per shipment. Above 15 CBM, or for anything heavy, fragile or high-value, a 20ft or 40ft FCL gives better control and fewer touches. Air freight makes sense for cargo under 500 kg, urgent spare parts, or goods where a month at sea costs more than the air premium. For heavy and oversized machinery, see project cargo. Interworld Freight quotes both options side by side from Miami within one business day.
Argentina imports capital goods, industrial inputs, auto parts, chemicals, electronics and medical equipment, and it is one of the world's largest exporters of soybean meal, soybean oil, corn and wheat, much of it loaded at the Rosario river ports. Agricultural machinery and spare parts are steady import categories tied to that farm economy.
Energy now drives a growing share of heavy imports. The Vaca Muerta shale formation in the Neuquén Basin needs drilling rigs, fracturing fleets, pipe, compressors and spare parts, many sourced from the US Gulf Coast, and the liberalization of used capital goods imports directly affects that equipment flow. The industry follow-up on shipping oil and gas equipment to Vaca Muerta covers routing, oversized cargo and the incentive regimes in detail.
The right forwarder for Argentina controls the origin side: correct Spanish invoices, certificates of origin before sailing, NCM classification aligned with the broker, and realistic transit planning on a long ocean leg. Interworld Freight, founded in Miami in 1992, runs ocean FCL and LCL, air freight and customs coordination for Argentina from its Miami hub, where cargo from multiple US suppliers is received, checked and consolidated before export. With coverage on every major trade lane, Interworld Freight also handles Asia and Europe origins into Buenos Aires. Quotes are answered within one business day.
Ocean FCL from Miami to Buenos Aires takes 16 to 30 days depending on the rotation, and LCL takes longer because of consolidation and deconsolidation. From China, plan for 35 to 50 days. Air freight from Miami to Ezeiza (EZE) takes one to three days.
No. As of April 2025 Argentina fully eliminated its import licensing system, and ARCA eliminated the SEDI statistical declaration in February 2025. Specific products still need sanitary, technical or safety certificates.
You pay the Mercosur CET import duty for your NCM code, a statistics fee, VAT at 21% (10.5% for capital goods) and VAT and income tax advance collections. Duties are assessed on CIF value, so freight and insurance increase the tax base.
Yes. Import declarations are lodged in ARCA's Malvina system by a licensed despachante de aduana acting on the importer's electronic authorization, and the importer must be registered in ARCA's importer registry.
Yes, and it is easier than before. Decree 273/2025 eliminated the CIBU certificate for used capital goods in NCM chapters 84 to 90 and shortened the list of prohibited used goods. Importers submit a sworn statement that the goods are not waste.
The cost of shipping to Argentina depends on mode, volume and origin, and the bigger number is the landed cost: duty, the 3% statistics fee, VAT and tax advances all stack on the CIF value. Ask for a door-to-door quote that separates freight from destination taxes, and run the tax calculation for your NCM code before setting a sale price.
Shipping to Argentina is expensive because the ocean leg is long (with calls in Brazil or Montevideo on many rotations), LCL cargo pays bonded warehouse handling in Buenos Aires, and import taxes are calculated on a base that already includes freight and insurance. Consolidating suppliers into one shipment in Miami and choosing FCL above 15 CBM are the two most effective ways to lower the cost per unit.
Some used goods remain prohibited, and food, plant and animal products need SENASA clearance while medicines, medical devices and cosmetics need ANMAT authorization. Hazardous waste cannot be imported, which is why used machinery requires a sworn statement that it is not waste.
Photo: Terminales Río de la Plata, Port of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.