Vehicle shipping United States to South America

We specialise in shipping cars, 4x4’s, Motorhomes, Rv’s, Campervans & Camping trucks to South America from the United States (USA), offering shipping services on fast, frequent Roll on Roll off (RORO) and container vessels from all major US ports (Galveston, Houston, Everglades, Baltimore, Brunswick, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Seattle & Tacoma).

Arrivals to all major South American ports including Cartagena Colombia, Manta Ecuador, Callao Peru, San Antonio and Iquique Chile, Montevideo Uruguay, Zarate and Buenos Aires Argentina and many others.

Sailing can take between 6 and 40 days depending on the departure and destination ports.

Which is the cheapest route

Generally shipping from the southern ports of Galveston and Houston to Colombia is the cheapest route into South America. The next cheapest route is from the east coast ports to the east coast of South America, Zarate Argentina and Montevideo Uruguay.

The most expensive route is to to the west coast of South America from any US port. The reason being all ships must pass through the Panama Canal and attract additional fees. 

Example rates (from)

Below are example rates from the USA to South America, these are for guidance only, are only the freight cost and therefore do not include BAF, LSL, any port fees or customs fees on either end. Generally port and custom fees are high in South America.

*Please note some carriers charge a Panama canal surcharge, some of the rates above include the surcharge, others don’t.

Import Requirements – South America

Generally temporary entry for tourists is straightforward. Tourists can enter most South American countries for tourism purposes on a temporary import permit without a carnet. Generally, most countries allow temporary imports of 1 to 3 months, some countries will allow longer.

A Carnet De Passage is not required for entry.

Motor Vehicle Insurance 

We help provide vehicle insurance for foreign vehicles, cars, 4x4, Motorhomes or Trucks for travel and touring in South America.

Typically we offer Mercosur insurance which covers Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru 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 North America due to the high cost of medical services in the region. Read more about South American Travel Insurance.

Booking

We recommend booking North American 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