Unfortunately, for the last seven months I've been working and trying to find an alternative to bring the Tesla into Argentina in a way that would allow me to travel the country and then continue the journey through the rest of the countries. To date, with only 26 days until departure, I don't have a reliable source assuring me I can do it without issues.
Let's start with some context
I'm Argentine, but I also have Spanish nationality since I was a kid, because my grandparents were born there. In 2002 I came to live in Spain, and during all these years I not only returned to Argentina many times, but also, in 2025, decided to go back to live in Buenos Aires.
Beyond that, my idea is to be there, pay taxes there, and take advantage of traveling throughout the country, something I look forward to with great excitement, although it's also giving me some headaches (something I honestly already imagined).
How do you bring a Tesla into Argentina?
That's an excellent question. The truth is, having a Spanish passport and the car being Spanish too, I thought I could simply enter through the port and use it (even with a temporary permit). But nobody assures me of that. Quite the opposite: they suggest the country might require me to nationalize it, and therefore start paying taxes.
Let's move to this second part: nationalizing it. It's a process I researched quite a bit. In principle, Argentina doesn't allow importing vehicles, but it does allow it for Argentines returning to live in the country, as long as they're owners of the car with a minimum of 3 months and have lived abroad for more than 2 years. So far, all correct, but...
When a vehicle exceeds $15,000, it pays taxes. In my case, the Tesla is currently valued at 22,000 EUR, meaning it exceeds it. After consulting with more than 10 customs brokers, all the quotes I received really make you think about what's going on with these procedures. They sent me a pro forma invoice for $52,000, meaning I could buy another identical vehicle here with that. Others talk about 80% of the total value plus shipping costs, but nobody guarantees anything.
Conclusions
Honestly, I can understand having to pay a tax, but one thing is that, and quite another are the quotes I'm receiving, which seem outrageous. I went to the Argentine consulate, and they more or less told me to give up on this, unless I really have someone inside the port who can tell me how to do it, sign a contract and comply with what's agreed.
I haven't been able to get that, despite spending six months sending endless emails, making calls, chatting on WhatsApp, etc. I found nothing that gives me peace of mind. So, for now, my option is to go personally and see alternatives: if it can be done with a temporary permit as a Spaniard, if it's possible to bring it as a returnee, and if not, unfortunately for me, I'll have to send it away when I finish my journey through Argentina and continue, for example, through Chile.
Another point is that it seems the government has opening imports on its agenda. For now there's no news, so we can only wait.
