UK Car Shipping to Uruguay

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Uruguay (Montevideo)

The total cost of shipping depends on the vehicle make, model and most importantly size. We work directly with all shipping lines in the UK to arrange regular and reliable vehicle exports from the UK to Uruguay (Montevideo).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table for Montevideo. They move with the market and with the vehicle, and a full export quote covers the UK-side work listed below as well, so treat them as a guide rather than a final price. The table does not publish a RoRo rate for Uruguay, so that one is quoted per booking — we do sail it, and the schedule below shows the departures. See the full rate table or ask us for an itemised quote.

What a full export quote covers

• Loading and lashing vehicle into ship
• UK customs export and clearance
• UK port handling charges
• DVLA documentation and export certification
• Export documentation (e.g. Bill of Lading)
• Posting of the Export Documents from UK by UPS/DHL
• Shipping of the vehicle from the UK to Destination Port

Not covered

• Pre-Export Inspection (if required)
• Marine Insurance (container only)
• Collection and/or delivery of the vehicle
• All destination country's import fees

Apart from import duty, taxes, port storage and demurrage at the destination, which the importer always pays, we can add any of these to your quotation, priced separately, along with customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent.

Shipping to Uruguay

Our Uruguay sailings call at Montevideo, the country's main commercial port, on the Río de la Plata. It is administered by the state port authority, the Administración Nacional de Puertos (ANP). Customs clearance there is for the Dirección Nacional de Aduanas, and a car that is allowed in is registered (empadronado) with the Intendencia, the government of the importer's department.

Uruguay has banned imports of used cars and light commercial vehicles since Law 17.887 of 2005, which set the ban for 48 months; Law 19.171 of December 2013 extended it without time limit. An exception needs a certificate of necessity from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, and the law lists only a few: specialised vehicles that cannot be assembled in Uruguay, non-profit donations, some lorry cabs, special vehicles for carrying people at sports grounds, and sporting or classic vehicles more than 30 years old whose only use will be exhibition or competition. Anything brought in that way cannot change hands for 48 months.

Two other routes exist. Since 2022, Decree 101/022 has allowed a classic of 50 years or more to be imported for good, on an application to the Ministry of Economy and Finance proving ownership, age and classic status; the car may not then be sold in Uruguay and must be registered within 30 days of clearance. Uruguayan citizens coming home after at least two years abroad can bring in a vehicle of their own through the Foreign Ministry's Oficina de Retorno y Bienvenida, with the ownership document apostilled in the country that issued it, so that is worth arranging before the car leaves the UK.

We work directly with the shipping lines serving Uruguay, delivering to Montevideo, and handle the whole UK side for you: sourcing the vehicle, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where the car qualifies, collection, UK customs clearance and export documentation, and loading onto the ship. Sailings leave from London Gateway, Tilbury and Liverpool. Duty and taxes in Uruguay are paid by the importer and are not in our price. We can arrange customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent, quoted separately, or work with an agent of your choice.

Documentation Required for Booking

• Car Registration Document (V5 or Logbook) and Vehicle Invoice (or value).
• ID (one government-issued photo ID and one utility bill showing address).

Payment Terms / Modes

• A £1,000 deposit secures a vehicle we source or buy for you. It is part of the price, not an extra fee. If you cancel, our terms and conditions say what is refunded.
• The balance is due in full, in cleared funds, before the vehicle is loaded, unless your quotation sets out different terms.
• Bank transfer preferred. Card payments up to £5,000, with no fee on personal debit or credit cards.
• Letters of credit, cheques, money orders and cash are not accepted.

Our Other Services

Car Sourcing and Buying on your behalf

Buying and exporting a car to Uruguay doesn't need to be stressful. UK Vehicle Exporters specialises in sourcing and exporting vehicles from the UK, with trusted shipping partners and support at every stage, from choosing the vehicle through to loading it onto the ship.

Tax-Free Vehicle Supply and UK VAT

UK Preferential Origin (Reduced Import Duty)

Some UK-built vehicles may qualify for reduced or zero import duty. That depends on the UK having a trade agreement with the destination country and on the car meeting that agreement's rules of origin. During your quote, we'll confirm whether the vehicle you're interested in qualifies.

VAT-free Supply of VAT-Qualifying (VATQ) Cars

A VAT-registered dealer can sell a new car, or a used car that carries VAT on its full price, free of UK VAT when it is exported and HMRC's conditions are met. Used cars of that kind are known in the trade as VAT-qualifying: typically ex-rental or ex-lease cars, where the hire or leasing company reclaimed the VAT when it bought them. On a VAT-inclusive price, the VAT is one-sixth. A used car sold under the second-hand margin scheme is different: VAT is due only on the dealer's margin, and HMRC does not let a dealer zero-rate it as an ordinary export. We are not VAT registered, so the saving comes off the dealer's price, not as a refund from us. We arrange the export to Uruguay and give the dealer the proof of export it needs.

HMRC's Personal Export Scheme (PES)

The Personal Export Scheme lets overseas visitors and UK residents who are leaving the UK, and will stay outside it with the car for at least six months, buy a car free of VAT and use it here before it is exported. Only VAT-registered businesses can operate the scheme, so you buy from a dealer that runs it. The car must leave within 12 months of delivery for an overseas visitor, or 6 months for a UK resident, or the VAT becomes payable. It can suit anyone relocating to Uruguay: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.