Vehicle Shipping from South Africa to South America (Montevideo Uruguay and Zárate Argentina)

We specialise in shipping cars, 4×4’s, Motorhomes, Campervans & Camping trucks from South Africa to South America, offering shipping services on fast, frequent Roll on Roll off (RORO) and container vessels to all major South American ports, including Montevideo Uruguay, Zarate Argentina, Cartagena Colombia.

Departure Ports in South Africa are Cape Town (containers only), Port Elizabeth and Durban.

RORO Services

There are regular, reliable Roll on Roll off services to and from South America, we recommend people to book on direct services that go from South Africa to South America.

There are two routes for Roll on Roll Off services to Montevideo and Zarate, the first goes via Vitoria & Santos, Brazil and then to Montevideo and Zarate. The second goes direct to Montevideo and then calls at Brazilian ports prior to heading towards Europe.

The service via Brazil is usually around $10 per cubic metre cheaper than the direct services.

The services are good value for those with oversized vehicles, but also provide comparative costs to sharing a 40ft container for a smaller vehicle.

The import / export costs of shipping RORO is significantly cheaper than container shipping in South America.

Example Rates (rates from)

Carrier 1 $75 per cubic metre

Carrier 2 $80 per cubic metre

*Special rates apply for units under certain heights.

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, it is likely the vehicle will need to stay at the port until the Monday. Note different Carriers have different fees payable locally.

Instant Shipping Quotation

Latest RORO South Africa to South America schedules

Container shipping

We offer Container shipping from Durban and Cape Town to all major ports in South America.

Container share: Shipping a container for sole use can be expensive, we offer a container share service whereby you can share a container with others to reduce the costs. Please contact us for further details.

Container shipping rates

Please contact us for rates.

Import  / Export Requirements – South Africa / South America

If you are shipping a foreign vehicle from South Africa we recommend entering the South African customs Union (SACU) via land borders with a Temporary Import permit, this can reduce the customs costs for outgoing shipments.

For import into South America a Carnet is not required for tourism purposes, however a carnet may be used if you wish to use one.

For export we recommend you arrive in the city of departure a week before sailing to complete customs formalities. Customs formalities can take place a few days before the vehicle is taken to the port. Under normal circumstances the vehicles is dropped off at the port 48 hours before arrival of the vessel.

 Shipping Rates

Example Container shipping rates from South Africa (Cape Town & Durban) 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

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 Africa 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.

Recommended Reading / Information

The Overlanding Africa facebook group & Overlanding the the Americas are 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.

Port Connections to and from Africa