border.bot
Esc
  • Loading…
↑ ↓ to move↵ to openEsc to close
Docs menu
DevelopersGuides

HS codes

Origin and trade agreements

Importing into Argentina

Argentina's courier and postal limits: US$3,000 per shipment, no duty on the first US$400 for five personal shipments a year, and what still pays VAT.

Updated · 6 official sources

Argentina lets couriers and the postal service bring in orders of up to US$3,000 FOB per shipment. For personal shipments of up to three units of the same item, the first US$400 FOB is free of import duty and the statistics fee, five times per person per calendar year; VAT and any internal taxes are still due. Commercial shipments pay all import taxes.

Rules as of 30 October 2026.

How are courier shipments taxed?#

Courier shipments to Argentina go through a simplified regime that the customs and tax agency ARCA (formerly AFIP) set in General Resolution 5608 of 2024. Each package can weigh up to 50 kg, and the goods in one courier shipment can be worth up to US$3,000 FOB. They pay the taxes of a regular import unless an exemption applies.

The courier declares the CIF value, using the real freight cost, and must be able to show the commercial invoice or an equivalent document from the e-commerce platform. ARCA expects that document to show the buyer's full name and address, the price, quantity and description of the goods, the currency and date, the payment method, the shipping cost, and the seller's name and address. Customs can revalue goods from its own price references; if the new value still fits the regime, the buyer pays the difference and takes the goods.

Shipment type Limits Taxes
Small shipment (pequeño envío), personal Up to 3 units of the same kind, 50 kg a package, US$3,000 FOB, 5 a year per person No duty or statistics fee on the first US$400 FOB; VAT and internal taxes on all of it
Courier shipment, commercial 50 kg a package, US$3,000 FOB All import taxes of the general regime
Above US$3,000 FOB, or excluded goods Not eligible General import regime

How does the US$400 exemption work?#

The US$400 exemption, set by Decree 1065 of 2024 for courier shipments and extended to postal shipments by Decree 604 of 2026, frees a personal shipment from import duty and the statistics fee on the first US$400 of its FOB value. It covers five shipments per person per calendar year, with no commercial purpose.

Above US$400, only the excess pays the duty and statistics fee that were waived. VAT, and internal taxes where they apply, are due on the whole shipment either way. A buyer can check their shipments, the courier used and how much of the yearly quota is left in ARCA's international shipments module, signing in with their fiscal key (Clave Fiscal level 2 or higher).

Here's a worked example. A buyer in Córdoba orders a jacket worth US$550 FOB, sent as a small shipment, their second of the year. Import duty and the statistics fee apply to US$150, the part above US$400; VAT applies to the whole value. If the same buyer had already used five small shipments that year, duty and the statistics fee would apply to the full US$550. The landed cost calculator prices the duty for the product's tariff line.

VAT on imports in the Southern Cone

Country Tax Standard rate Since Official source
Uruguay VAT 22%
Argentina VAT 21%
Chile VAT 19% sii.cl
Brazil VAT 18%

border.bot live data from each country's official publications, updated 2026-10-11

The Argentina country page holds the live rates.

How do postal shipments work?#

Postal shipments come through Argentina's designated postal operator, Correo Argentino, including its door-to-door service. Since General Resolution 5884, published on 30 July 2026, they follow the same limits as courier small shipments: up to US$3,000 FOB, for personal use, up to three units of the same kind, and no commercial purpose.

The postal operator is automatically authorized to act for the recipient at customs unless the recipient says in advance that they want to deal with it themselves or name someone else. Customs controls every postal item and can open one in front of the recipient, their representative or the postal staff. Books, printed matter and documents are released door to door without a customs declaration once screened.

What can't use the courier regime?#

The courier regime excludes several kinds of goods, which then have to go through the general import regime. ARCA's rules exclude goods that are prohibited or need another agency's authorization the importer must obtain first, goods under the merchandise identification regime, and goods claiming a preferential origin, including ALADI and MERCOSUR rates.

Small shipments get some relief from agency checks. They don't need prior approval from the food institute INAL or the identification regime, and the medicines regulator ANMAT doesn't intervene in advance for personal-use cosmetics, over-the-counter medical products and some hygiene products. Economic restrictions don't apply to them either.

A shipment that customs values above US$3,000 FOB, or that contains excluded goods, is cleared under the general regime instead, and the customs clearance guide covers what that involves.

What changed and when#

Argentina loosened its rules for online orders in two steps: a December 2024 package that raised the courier limit to US$3,000 and created the US$400 exemption, and a July 2026 package that gave postal shipments the same treatment. The timeline lists each instrument with a link to the official text.

  1. New postal import procedure

    General Resolution 5884 sets the Correo Argentino procedure: up to US$3,000 FOB, personal use, three units of the same kind, door-to-door delivery. RG 5884/2026 (opens in a new tab)

  2. Postal shipments get the US$400 exemption

    Decree 604 exempts the first US$400 FOB of up to five postal shipments a year from duty and the statistics fee, and repeals the 50% flat postal rate. Decreto 604/2026 (opens in a new tab)

  3. US$400 exemption for courier shipments

    Decree 1065 frees the first US$400 FOB of up to five personal courier shipments a year from duty and the statistics fee. Decreto 1065/2024 (opens in a new tab)

  4. Courier limit raised to US$3,000

    General Resolution 5608 replaces the old courier rules and sets a US$3,000 FOB limit per shipment. RG 5608/2024 (opens in a new tab)

Common questions#

What is the import limit for courier shipments to Argentina?#

US$3,000 FOB per courier shipment, with each package up to 50 kg. Above that, the goods go through the general import regime.

Is there a duty-free allowance on online purchases?#

Personal shipments are free of import duty and the statistics fee on the first US$400 FOB, five times per person per calendar year. VAT and internal taxes still apply.

Does the US$400 exemption apply to Correo Argentino?#

Yes. Decree 604, published on 17 July 2026, gave postal shipments the same US$400, five-a-year exemption as courier shipments.

Can businesses import through the courier regime?#

Yes. The courier regime takes shipments for companies too, but commercial shipments pay all the taxes of the general import regime; only personal shipments get the US$400 exemption.

Sources#