Vehicle shipping from Europe to South America (Zarate, Argentina | Montevideo, Uruguay  )

We specialize in providing shipping services for a range of vehicles including cars, 4×4’s, Motorhomes,, campervans, and camping trucks to and from South America and Central America. Our shipping services are available on fast and frequent Roll on Roll on Roll off (RORO) and container vessels, which connect to major South American ports such as Zarate in Argentina, Montevideo in Uruguay..

We offer departure options from various major European (EU) ports such as Southampton, Tilbury, Liverpool, Felixstowe, London Gateway, and Bristol in the UK, as well as Zeebrugge and Antwerp in Belgium, Bremerhaven and Hamburg in Germany, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and other ports in the region.

Temporary Import Requirements – South America

If you plan to travel to South America as a tourist with your vehicle, you do not need a carnet for tourism purposes. Instead, you can obtain a temporary import permit (TIP) to enter all countries. Keep in mind that the duration of the TIP may vary depending on the country you visit.

RORO Shipping Rate from Europe to South America

Shipping from Europe (UK, Belgium, & Germany) to Montevideo – Uruguay & Zárate Argentina

***Please note that on this route the carrier has introduced new requirements for motorhomes and expedition vehicles. Please contact us for further information***

Route Options

There are three routes which go from European ports to South America.

1. Europe direct to South America, port calls Vitória, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranaguá, Zarate, Montevideo (3 x Sailing per month, sailing time around one month) (some shipments do call at West African ports)
2. Europe to South America, via the United States with a transhipment in Panama. Port calls Baltimore, Savannah, Manzanillo, Santos, Zarate. (1 x sailing per month, sailing time 37 to 45 days)
3. Europe (Zeebrugge only) direct to South America calling in Santos Brazil and then Zarate (1 x sailing per month, Sailing time 18 to 20 days)

RORO rates from Europe start from the unit rates below or for larger vehicles €340 per metre length.

Currently freight rates to Montevideo are a little cheaper than to Zarate.

Shipments are priced by CBM, length or a unit rate – contact us for full details.

Average Sailing times and routes – *Note neither vessels goes via west Africa

Carrier 1 – 3 – 4 Sailing per month -takes on average 28 – 35 days from EU port to South America.
Port Calls – Antwerp, Tilbury, Hamburg, Vigo, Bilbao, Brazil (Vitoria, Rio De Janeiro, Santos, Paranaguá) Zarate, Montevideo

Carrier 2 – 1 sailing per month takes on average 20-23 days
Port Calls – (Zeebrugge, Brazil (Santos, Paranaguá) Zarate

Schedules

You can also find the latest North Europe / West Africa / South America Line  Grimaldi schedules here

Example Rates (rates from)

Europe to Montevideo / Zarate – Route 1

Europe to Montevideo / Zarate – Route 2

Local port costs and clearing charges are generally high in the region, expect costs in Zarate or Montevideo to be between $600 & $1200 or more depending on the method of transport and the size of the vehicle.

Port fees and customs charges in Montevideo are broken down as follows (estimates) :

Costs charged by Carriers agent (Grimaldi)

• Landing Order & BL fee $326
• Port Fees by weight to 3000kg $350, 3000kg-7000kg $450, 7000kg + $650

*Costs are set by the carriers agents, other carriers agents may charge different amounts.

Customs Fees Montevideo

Are charged by the weight and value declared, expect fees from $150 – $1,000 or more.

*We recommend arriving in the country early to complete as much of the import process as possible in advance, and to retrieve your vehicle whilst the vessel is discharging, this can save on storage costs. If the vessel discharges on a Friday, its likely the vehicle will need to stay at the port until the Monday. Note different Carriers have different fees payable locally.

Example Container Rates from major European port

Container Shipping from Europe South America (Argentina & Uruguay)

We offer Container shipping from Container from Europe to Uruguay or Argentina

You have the option to ship in 20ft containers or 40ft High Cube (HC) containers. In a 20ft container you would normally only be able to fit one vehicle, 40ft HC you can fit 2 vehicles, or one vehicle and a number of motorbikes.

The cost of a single container for one vehicle surpasses the costs of RORO shipping, however, if sharing a container, the costs become comparable.

Container Dimensions
20ft – L5.9m W2.34 Door Height 2.27m (Useable L5.4m, W2.2)
40ft HC – L12.03m W2.34 Door Height 2.58m (Useable L11.25m, W2.2)

Instant Shipping Quotation

Example Container shipping rates from Europe to South America

Container shipping prices vary but start from $1200 for a 20ft container and $1400 for a 40ft container, excluding stuffing and local charges.

The prices below for export costs include outgoing sea freight, ports fees, stuffing and trucking. Import costs are paid direct and show as an indication only.

*Prices vary by departure port

We will Help you find a shipping Partner / Container Buddy

Container Share from Europe to South America 

Below are the current open container shares, if you would like us to paid you up, send us an email with the following:

1. Your quote ID
2. Shipping Date
3. Quote id from below that you would like to share with
4. We will then check the other shipper is ready to proceed and book you in!

Add your shipment to our container share list here

Shipping from Europe (UK, Belgium, France & Germany) to Cartagena Colombia

RORO rates from Europe start from $65 per cbm returning rates $55.

Container shipping prices vary but start from $1200 for a 20ft container and $1400 for a 40ft container, excluding stuffing and local charges.

Cartagena is a little cheaper for port fees, expect roro port fees of around $250-$450, it is possible to self clear or to appoint an agent for a cost of $300.

Shipping from Europe (UK, Belgium, France & Germany) to Manzanillo, Panama

RORO rates from Europe start from $65 per cbm returning rates $50. Container shipping prices vary but start from $1200 for a 20ft container and $1400 for a 40ft container, excluding stuffing and local charges.

Expect roro port fees of around $250-$350, it is possible to self clear or to appoint an agent for a cost of $200.

Cruise / Travel with your vehicle

Its possible to sail with your vehicle from Europe to South America on the same RORO ship. This allows you to drive your vehicle on board and to be there when it arrives at the port. Contact us for more information.

The prices include full board and there are no additional fees for your vehicle.

Rates are charged as follows: (Prices updated for 2019)

Passenger Fares Per Person (Full Board)

Vehicle shipping costs – Sea Freight – (Charged by Vehicle Length + Height in metres)

Motor Vehicle Insurance

We help provide vehicle insurance for foreign vehicles, cars, 4×4, Motorhomes or Trucks for travel and touring in South America.

Typically we offer Mercosur insurance which covers Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil, on a third party liability basis.

To apply for Mercosur Insurance we would require the following details:

• Full Name
• Passport number
• Date of birth
• Period you need to be covered (dates)
• Vehicle information: brand, model, year, chassis number, Engine number, registration number.
• Photos of the vehicle (one must include the licence plate)

Specialist insurers can provide additional coverage – (contact us for more details)

Once outside of Mercosur countries, insurance can normally be purchased on the borders of each country.

Insurance cover can be arranged for a period of 3 -12 months.

For more information, contact us or see our Motor Insurance – For foreign Vehicles page

Travel Insurance

We would strongly recommend a Travel insurance policy for travel in South America. Read more about South America Travel Insurance.

Booking

We recommend booking South America bound services 2-3 months before departure due to the high volume of cargo on this route. To obtain a quote please complete our online quotation form.

The absolute minimum amount of time to bookings on this route is three weeks in advance of the vessel arriving in port, generally most ships depart full, and are normally full month in advance, so please book early!

For booking to ship as passenger on the ship we recommend booking up to 6 months beforehand due to the limited spaces available.

Recommended Reading / Information

The Overlanding South & Central America facebook group is the best resource for travellers with their vehicles, providing information on routes, campsites, visas, border crossings and much more. Join today and meet other travellers.

Other Routes

Europe to / from North America (USA, Canada)
Panama to Colombia
Europe to Africa