Moving arrangements

What !  And make a Gringo -- or Gringa -- miss out on the ‘experience' of dealing with Ecuador's law-unto-itself customs agency -- SENAE !

No such luck.

cccmedia

Seriously, if you are moving your home from the US to Ecuador you have to go through customs?  Even if you own property in Ecuador?  Why on earth would you have to pay customs for your furniture to be shipped?

I have to say if I have to pay customs for my home to be moved that suddenly makes moving seem unattractive.  People in the US often have to be relocated abroad and never go through customs for home to be relocated.  My nephew and his wife are just getting back from two years in Japan, no customs for their clothes and furniture back into the US

MegfromCT wrote:

I have to say if I have to pay customs for my home to be moved that suddenly makes moving seem unattractive.

Some folks -- like me -- don't have the stomach to deal with everything that you would/might/could encounter in shipping a container to a country such as Ecuador.

It's best you learn the ‘facts of life' about this now, before subjecting yourself to SENAE and the logistical nightmares you might be heading for.

Please read my posts on the Shipping Information thread, where -- among other things -- I detail what I did in lieu of shipping a container to EC....

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=450331

  -- cccmedia

I should also point out that Expats who obtain a residency visa get a six-month window to import a shipping container tax-free to La República.

However, that does not mean that you and your belongings will escape the intense scrutiny of the dogs of SENAE, who have the power to add a tax or a tariff to anything they deem questionable.

cccmedia

It sounds like a horror show!

MegfromCT wrote:

It sounds like a horror show!

Dealing with Ecuadorean formalities is straightforward IMHO. Unfortunately some gringos fail to understand the rules of this country and as result face unnecessary obstacles. Ecuador doesn't cater to the whims ignorant foreigners. There are rules here and they may seem different but are indeed just laws that one must fully comprehend in order to be successful whether it's residency, importing things or anything else that requires dealing with laws/rules.

I'm not in Ecuador yet.  I'm simply contemplating the possibility.  But I have just returned from 4 years in China.  Although I didn't have to pay customs to take my Canadian personal possessions (5 suitcases) into China, my stuff being shipped TO Canada from China has not yet arrived.  I may have to pay duties.  That is fair.  Every country is sovereign and entitled to its own legislation.  Why should Ecuador be any exception?

In fact, I learned about Ecuador only today that the country uses US currency!  Ok, maybe I should somehow have known that by osmosis! In any case, it is a huge disappointment, indicating that USers have gained undue influence in yet another dominion of the Americas.  That single fact has me rethinking my destination.  I don't want to move to a place that is attempting to emulate what so many are trying to escape, while at the same time wishing it to be the same in many respects as that from which they are escaping.

Ah, the contradictions we live.

Life in China was often frustrating, the bureaucracy cumbersome and unfathomable.  But it is theirs!  I am the foreigner trying to cope in their system.  A system to which they are entitled.  A system in which  It is my duty, my adventure and my burden,  to accept or leave and return from whence I had come.  Acculturation is a four stage process, the romance of the new place, the frustration of the new place, the acceptance of that place, and the integration of values within that place with one's former self.  I always found it valuable to reflect upon what stage of acculturation my perceptions of a given moment had arisen.

If you are frustrated with the customs duties Ecuador charges on foreign goods coming into their country, what stage of acculturation are you at?  Where, geographically, emotionally, politically, do you want to be?  How does the system they exist in, serve their needs?  That is their culture.

Thank you for your input.  It is nice to see other perspectives.  There are alternatives which are not so demanding that you abandon self and soul simply for affordable living.  I adapt well, but I also carry my family with me.  To uproot self and not have the comfort of soulful connection of home doesn't appeal to me; I am no Robinson Crusoe.  I have lived abroad but not in a place or manner that actually charges for the use of used personal goods.  Purchases are charged for sure, but not used clothes and personal goods. 

The idea that I would pay duty on something that is old and worn seems genuinely absurd to me.  Limits of valuation makes more sense as that can impact a local economy.  There are 22 Expat Easy countries. I have no interest in living out my life abroad but rather simply a good amount of time to offset the extreme costs of life where I currently live. 

Living without the soul of whom I am and my connection to my identity and family seems too harsh a sentence to exchange for lower costs.  I appreciate perspective, and I thank you.  It has been valuable to learn.  I have time to make this choice, and time to seek alternatives as well.  Plus things are dynamic, and it is hard to know exactly where economy will be in 15 years.  But I am keeping thoughts alive as to options.

You don't have to pay taxes if you want to bring your personal belongings to Ecuador.
You need a Resident Visa for you and your family and then you can bring your container free of taxes.

Of course, there is a process and rules you have to follow or you can end paying more money, The important thing is get a trusted person or lawyer for your Visa and get a moving company to help you navigate through this. If you want to do it for yourself it can be very complicated.

And once your container is at Guayaquil port you have to deal with customs and physical inspection of your belongings, again it can be stresful and fustrating but with the right help it can be done.

If you need more info about this let me know    [email protected]

Vinny

FYI:
I brought my personal items from Canada including a car in a container this January after complying with all the requirements as per information provided at The Ecuadorian Consulate. No taxes were paid, however , there are other fees and charges that can not be avoided.
I used the Port of Esmeraldas VS. Guayaquil . Easy paperwork and no delays. Recommended for expats trying to bring their items and settle in Ambato, Quito or further North.

MM

marcomueses wrote:

FYI:
I brought my personal items from Canada including a car in a container this January after complying with all the requirements as per information provided at The Ecuadorian Consulate. No taxes were paid, however , there are other fees and charges that can not be avoided.
I used the Port of Esmeraldas VS. Guayaquil . Easy paperwork and no delays. Recommended for expats trying to bring their items and settle in Ambato, Quito or further North.

MM

Thanks for the information, unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there about importing a car for foreigners, some state this is only permitted for Ecuadorean citizens or dual-nationals.

Are you Ecuadorean?

And if not, just to clarify, you did not pay duty on the car? Additionally can you share how old your car was before it was shipped to Ecuador. I've seen numbers ranging from 1-4 years for age of car that is allowed to be imported.

Vsimple: Are you Ecuadorean?

And if not, just to clarify, you did not pay duty on the car? Additionally can you share how old your car was before it was shipped to Ecuador?  I've seen numbers ranging from 1-4 years for age of car that is allowed to be imported.

----------

Marco's intro page shows he was “returning to the homeland.”  So he would qualify for the exemption allowing the importation of his vehicle.

Most Expats are prohibited from importing to EC a used car or truck if they are not returning Ecuadorians.  Whoever said a four-year old car was imported by an Expat is undoubtedly mistaken unless the mentioned exemption was in play.

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

Vsimple: Are you Ecuadorean?

And if not, just to clarify, you did not pay duty on the car? Additionally can you share how old your car was before it was shipped to Ecuador?  I've seen numbers ranging from 1-4 years for age of car that is allowed to be imported.

----------

Marco's intro page shows he was “returning to the homeland.”  So he would qualify for the exemption allowing the importation of his vehicle.

Most Expats are prohibited from importing to EC a used car or truck if they are not returning Ecuadorians.  Whoever said a four-year old car was imported by an Expat is undoubtedly mistaken unless the mentioned exemption was in play.

cccmedia in Quito

Ahhh, thanks for pointing that out, ccc. When I read Marco's post I was about to lose it because time is dwindling since I got my residency and thought I was missing out on importing a car duty free.

Vsimple,

Yes, I was born in Ecuador, returned to the "homeland" after 45 yrs. away.

Reading the rules to bring a vehicle as part the of "menaje de casa", for Non-Ecuadorians planning to live permanently in Ecuador,  ( Decrete #888 , Registered No.- 545, page 5, article 8, 2 ) , they can ask for exoneration of "Menaje de casa" as well.
Although no vehicle es mentioned in this part, based on the Interpretation of  "menaje de casa" given in Article No.-1, qualifying could be open to discussion and argument.

It will be advisable to ask directly to the Aduanas of Ecuador in order to avoid related issues .

http://www.aduana.gob.ec/files/pro/pro/ … 110929.pdf

Atención por correo Electrónico :
[email protected]
Procedimientos aduaneros, consultas sobre normativa aduanera,

MM