Shipping a container from the UK

Incredibly, the container continues to give me grief. Although migrants are permitted to import their worldly goods free of the 60% duty, in order to get the goods released, it is necessary to pay a guarantee to customs, which is discharged when the migrant is granted residency. My residency was granted 19 months ago but that, in itself is not enough. My agent insists that I need to submit my cedula confirming legal residency. Such a cedula requires the submission of a partida and that was received in December 2022 but when I went to DNI for my new cedula, they found an error on the partida and could not issue the cedula. DGREC, the issuer of partidas seem not to want to replace the defective document despite their lawyer agreeing with my lawyer that the error was at DGREC. I am about to be invoiced for a third year's guarantee. Nobody at customs, DGREC or DNI answer my emails.

Sounds like a nightmare. The devil being in the details seems more prevalent in foreign locales. I'm curious about what it cost you to ship the container from the US, if you are open to sharing. Hoping to go through the process myself in a year or so. I shipped a container (POD) from Canada to the US in 2021, and it was a total nightmare...again, the devil being in the details. It seemed like every step was handled by yet a different person in a different state or Canada. Everyone passed the buck every time I called.  Fortunately I am good at being persistent and even threatening legal action if necessary, so eventually I got my belongings. I can only imagine trying to go through the process in a foreign language!

The cost of shipping the container, a 20' aka 1 teu was relatively low or would have been if everything had gone to plan. I was quoted a price from Hamburg Sud in the region of USD 600-700 from London. When I tried to book a space, they replied saying they no longer take bookings from individuals so I found a shipping agent who came back with an even lower price of USD 497 which was made up of an arcane retinue fees in several currencies. All looked good so I loaded the container in a yard about a mile from the dock and sent it on its way. Then the problems started. There was no seaway bill, so an emergency swb had to be raised. When the container arrived 6 weeks later, I was still in the UK because I couldn't get permission to enter Uruguay due to the Pandemic. I eventually found a customs agent through a friend of a friend who insisted that I needed to send various notarized and apostilled documents to him before he could get the container off the wharf and into a bonded area of the port. that delay cost USD2,440 in TCP

which is 'Time Charter Party'. Once in the bonded yard the cost of storage was a mere $14 per day. I often saw it forlornly sitting atop a stack of other containers because it took my agent 4 months to get it released after arriving in Uruguay. I also had to pay import duty on the container because it was mine and of course, the cost of transporting it to MVD. the final bill came to USD 4,861 + the USD14 per day for the year it was in bond. Several people I spoke to, including the Customs asked why I couldn't find a better agent. I suspect my agent was getting a kickback from the storage company.

So my advise is decide whether you want to use your own container. I bought mine because I wanted a secure galpon but you could rent one from the shipping company or you could simply rent space in a container which is called Less than Container Load (LCL). Find an agent at both ends to ensure that everything is covered from dispatch to release. That is Sea Way Bill issued, and container sealed then a customs agent at destination and a contractor to move the container or goods to your door.

This is why so many expats advise leaving everything behind and buying new "stuff" in your target country, or at worst bring only 6-7 suitcases with things you can't stand to part with and just pay a few extra $$ in baggage fees...unless you are trying to complicate your life with more stress and worries.

@OsageArcher The problem is finding goods of the same quality in Uruguay. Even if you can, the price if up to 3x the cost as it will be imported. If you live in an antique house, as I do, you can get well made, solid furniture at auction but it doesn't sit well in modern houses.

So when you read that an expat may import their personal and household effects 3 months before or 3 months after arrival, that is clearly not the case. It's likely that a more competent customs agent could clear one container without delay but my agent is still holding out for my full legal cedula which may only be issued if and when the DGREC see fit to correct their mistake and issue the document require to get the full cedula.

Wow. Thanks for detailing the pitfalls. It seems like the best thing to do would be get a cedula and THEN have a container shipped using the company's container. Would seem like the company would then help fight to get it released. Having a decent agent also seems imperative. I will definitely get recommendations before I attempt it.

And there's the rub. By the time you get your full legal cedula, you will have been in the country longer than your duty free import period.

Hmmm, I was thinking that one had 90 days of Tourist status before one's residency period started., especially if I went back to the US briefly in the interim. Guess I have a lot to learn still.

After three meetings between lawyers on my side and lawyers of the DGREC, the latter has finally agreed that the mistake was theirs and an amended partida was issued. This enabled me to obtain my full legal cedula and close the tramite of the importation from four years ago. The customs agent has asked for another payment.

Hi,

I am new to this forum.

I was inspired by this man who built out a beautiful container.

He is a boatswright (cabinet maker). So he has contacts at the dock.

Boat builder’s incredible 200 sq/ft container home:

youtu.be/sPgjndFqqwY?si=263Z4HGYIAA7OnL-

I  live in New England, USA. I currently live in 400+ some storage and patio space.

The new administration is coming in January 2025. If I lose my HUD/VAsh subsidy then the rent will be undoable. I will be living in a tent again. The weather and the crime in the US make that very unsafe, especially at my age.

I have been wanting to move to South America for decades.

I was born and lived in Texas. We traveled to Mexico (away from any border) once a month for medication and stuff. We could cross over with a drivers license in 1994. We drove to San Jose del Cabo in 1995, and car camped along the way. We met a man who did underwater repairs and had his own barge. That was when Central America was in turmoil so he could dock anywhere. The Spaniard who worked for him said that the worst criminals/pirates were the Federales, hence this guy’s dual job as “watchman “.

My daughter’s in laws are from Uruguay. They left in the 1970’s and’i0’s when the government was not so stable.

Uruguay looks very stable now.

It is more difficult to get a visa then residency than say for example Paraguay. The weather looks better in Uruguay, in my opinion.

I am accustomed to living a slow life, a farm life, or a small city life.

I have skills. I will maintain some regular income if the administration doesn’t cut it.

So I am developing some new skills and a small business.

I just wanted to bump this forum to the top and add the boat builder’s beautiful build.

¡Me siento bienvenido!¡