Updates on customs, trade, and shipping regulations
Import duty, VAT, used-machinery age limits, pre-shipment inspections and outright bans decide whether a machine can enter a country and what it costs to land. These posts explain the rules for the countries our clients ship to most, with the official source for each one.
Rules change, so every post carries the date it was checked. For the current figures, the Seaway Atlas tables list duty and used-machinery rules for every country we ship to.
Used excavators and dozers can go to Chile if clean; used on-road trucks cannot. SAG wash rule, 0% FTA duty, NYK RoRo, ports and the inland leg, verified October 2026.
Used machinery up to 15 years old can enter Ecuador; on-road trucks must be new. Ports, sailings, licences, taxes and the inland leg, verified October 2026.
Verified October 2026: GRA duty-free codes, the vehicle inspection rule, the left-hand-drive ban, Georgetown port limits and the US ports that actually serve Guyana.
Used machinery has no age limit in Peru, but on-road diesel trucks do. Verified SUNAT rules, NYK USCX transit times, ports, permits and the quote checklist.
Sanctions, the Decreto 5.103 age rule, the 90% exoneration, container and RoRo reality, La Guaira and Puerto Cabello after the June 2026 earthquake. Verified October 2026.
A country-by-country guide to importing vehicles, machinery, and project cargo into South America — the real import duty, VAT, used-vehicle age limits, and outright bans, from Chile and Peru to Brazil and Argentina.
From the low, predictable 5% GCC duty to strict age limits and SABER/SASO conformity in Saudi Arabia, here is what it really takes to import vehicles, machinery, and project cargo into the Middle East.
Chile bans most used-car imports to the mainland, but offers 0% duty on qualifying US-origin goods and a powerful free-zone route through Iquique. Here is how to import machinery and vehicles to Chile the right way.
Peru allows used vehicle imports within strict limits and stacks several taxes on top of duty. Here is the full cost picture for importing a vehicle or machine through the Port of Callao.
Uruguay pairs a 22% VAT with Mercosur tariff rules and a 10-year used-vehicle limit — and Montevideo doubles as a River Plate transshipment hub. Here is what importers need to know.
Saudi Arabia keeps duty low at 5% but enforces a 15% VAT, mandatory SABER/SASO conformity, and one of the strictest vehicle age rules in the region. Here is how to clear cargo into the Kingdom.
The UAE offers one of the lowest, most predictable import-tax stacks in the world and a world-class re-export hub at Jebel Ali. Here is how to import vehicles, machinery, and project cargo to the Emirates.
A step-by-step guide to importing a used excavator — the documents you need, how duty and VAT are calculated, and where age limits and database valuations catch buyers out.