Chile Forum

Bit of a horror story with our tent. Briefly, we were supposed to have it with us when we arrived. Didn't arrive in the UK in time for that. Provider sent it - it's been AWOL for a month, now has turned up at the local post office. Can't have it unless we pay 250,000 CIF. Which would make the tent just about half as expensive again.

I'm fairly sure that a tent counts as legit travellers' baggage, and according to the the aduana, my legit travellers' baggage can arrive in the country up to 120 days after me.

Anyone know if it's possible / already managed to convince the customs/correo to see this point? Any good ideas for how to proceed?

(more than slightly interested in this question as we are talking not only about the tent - my home for the next two/three years - but also two parcels of other stuff that are on their way...

Thanks in advance...

Edit: this should perhaps be in Legal Issues. Disculpe.

GreatHorseTrip wrote:Bit of a horror story with our tent. Briefly, we were supposed to have it with us when we arrived. Didn't arrive in the UK in time for that. Provider sent it - it's been AWOL for a month, now has turned up at the local post office. Can't have it unless we pay 250,000 CIF. Which would make the tent just about half as expensive again.

I'm fairly sure that a tent counts as legit travellers' baggage, and according to the the aduana, my legit travellers' baggage can arrive in the country up to 120 days after me.

Anyone know if it's possible / already managed to convince the customs/correo to see this point? Any good ideas for how to proceed?

(more than slightly interested in this question as we are talking not only about the tent - my home for the next two/three years - but also two parcels of other stuff that are on their way...

Thanks in advance...

Edit: this should perhaps be in Legal Issues. Disculpe.

It's summer in Chile and nobody much is working anymore but you could try oirsdna@aduana.cl. They've been fairly responsive, straightforward and open with me. In my case it didn't help, given that a 3rd party, DHL, was involved.

GreatHorseTrip wrote:Bit of a horror story with our tent. Briefly, we were supposed to have it with us when we arrived. Didn't arrive in the UK in time for that. Provider sent it - it's been AWOL for a month, now has turned up at the local post office. Can't have it unless we pay 250,000 CIF. Which would make the tent just about half as expensive again.

I'm fairly sure that a tent counts as legit travellers' baggage, and according to the the aduana, my legit travellers' baggage can arrive in the country up to 120 days after me.

Anyone know if it's possible / already managed to convince the customs/correo to see this point? Any good ideas for how to proceed?

(more than slightly interested in this question as we are talking not only about the tent - my home for the next two/three years - but also two parcels of other stuff that are on their way...

Thanks in advance...

Edit: this should perhaps be in Legal Issues. Disculpe.

If it is new and sent by the manufacturer, you can argue but are out of luck. If it was used and repackage and valued at say $150, you can argue and may see some reduction in duty and IVA.

It's not sent by the manufacturer but by the shop where we bought it. Thanks, FrankPintor, for the email address - we will try. Sigh. Buying the horses was supposed to be the hard bit of this trip...

your numbers are not adding up..............

$250,000 would mean that your tent was worth.... $US 2000................., this would also mean you need a aduanas agent for the import.....

what is the value of the item?, do you have a copy of the invoice?

now if the price was $250,000 CIF, this is a value of about $US 500 (the value of the tent), work with about 31% import taxes etc, so about $155, or about $75,000 CLP, + maybe some extra management fees from the post.... but less than $100,000 you have to pay...

I have my hands on the importation-via-post document: in fact the numbers are wrong but not by much. They're charging the 6% three times. By correct calculations, IF we agreed that I'm importing it (which we don't), then I'd have to pay CIF 190,000. Which, let's face it, isn't much better.

I am going to ask very nicely if I can retroactively fill in a Declaracion de Admision Temporal de Efectos de Turistas.

Watch this space...

GreatHorseTrip wrote:I have my hands on the importation-via-post document: in fact the numbers are wrong but not by much. They're charging the 6% three times. By correct calculations, IF we agreed that I'm importing it (which we don't), then I'd have to pay CIF 190,000. Which, let's face it, isn't much better.

I am going to ask very nicely if I can retroactively fill in a Declaracion de Admision Temporal de Efectos de Turistas.

Watch this space...

That won't work or everybody would do it after the fact.
Make sure the other goods you mentioned are not in their new boxes with thier invoices and make the value under $1000, real but under $1000

nwdiver wrote:

GreatHorseTrip wrote:I have my hands on the importation-via-post document: in fact the numbers are wrong but not by much. They're charging the 6% three times. By correct calculations, IF we agreed that I'm importing it (which we don't), then I'd have to pay CIF 190,000. Which, let's face it, isn't much better.

I am going to ask very nicely if I can retroactively fill in a Declaracion de Admision Temporal de Efectos de Turistas.

Watch this space...

That won't work or everybody would do it after the fact.
Make sure the other goods you mentioned are not in their new boxes with thier invoices and make the value under $1000, real but under $1000
Use the search there are several good discussions on sending stuff into Chile and the costs and best methods.

So, it turns out that if you ask really nicely, and you go to Santiago to repeat the request even more nicely in person, then you can get things brought in as temporary tourist stuff, even after the fact. The tent is on its way, the sleeping bag and pack saddles are here, last two packages clearing customs even as I type.

Happy

Many thanks for the advice, everyone.

PS - it turns out one of our mares is maybe pregnant. That will make the trip more interesting...

GreatHorseTrip wrote:So, it turns out that if you ask really nicely, and you go to Santiago to repeat the request even more nicely in person, then you can get things brought in as temporary tourist stuff, even after the fact. The tent is on its way, the sleeping bag and pack saddles are here, last two packages clearing customs even as I type.

Happy

Many thanks for the advice, everyone.

PS - it turns out one of our mares is maybe pregnant. That will make the trip more interesting...

Hi GreatHorsetrip, this is good info,

if you have some time can you say where you went and what forms or procedures you had to do to bring stuff into chile as a termporary tourst that had been sent to you by Post/dhl/fedex or however........

This may be handy for other people and good info to know....

The process went a bit like this:

- Parcel is at post office but cannot be given until we pay the monies asked in the Importacion Via Postal form that is attached to it
- Phone post office, explain we don't wish to import anything; it's just our tent
- Post office says clearly that they have nothing to do with the decision - we must talk to the aduanas in Santiago. They give us a number that is never answered.
- We phone Santiago customs on the general number available on their website. The man is nice but vague. He is unable to give any advice on the telephone.
- Phone another number for customs, obtain another nice-but-vague man, explain same things. Same response.
- Go to Santiago on the overnight bus. Into aduana office at around nine, out around eleven, all sorted. We gave them the tracking numbers for all the expected packets (including the one already arrived), explained the trip, explained that these items were just personal baggage...blah blah. We didn't have to fill out any forms at all. We dealt just with the guy on duty.
- Emailed the tracking numbers to the office, just to make sure.
- Received copy of mail sent from customs man to other people in customs, saying that such-and-such packets were not to be regarded as importation items.
- The customs had to cancel the procedure already started for the tent, so that took longer, but all the others have come through in three days at the maximum.

So, that's it. Not much help in terms of instructions to follow, but perhaps encouraging in that two people armed only with patience and a questionable French/Spanish mini-dictionary could manage it...

GreatHorseTrip wrote:The process went a bit like this:

- Parcel is at post office but cannot be given until we pay the monies asked in the Importacion Via Postal form that is attached to it
- Phone post office, explain we don't wish to import anything; it's just our tent
- Post office says clearly that they have nothing to do with the decision - we must talk to the aduanas in Santiago. They give us a number that is never answered.
- We phone Santiago customs on the general number available on their website. The man is nice but vague. He is unable to give any advice on the telephone.
- Phone another number for customs, obtain another nice-but-vague man, explain same things. Same response.
- Go to Santiago on the overnight bus. Into aduana office at around nine, out around eleven, all sorted. We gave them the tracking numbers for all the expected packets (including the one already arrived), explained the trip, explained that these items were just personal baggage...blah blah. We didn't have to fill out any forms at all. We dealt just with the guy on duty.
- Emailed the tracking numbers to the office, just to make sure.
- Received copy of mail sent from customs man to other people in customs, saying that such-and-such packets were not to be regarded as importation items.
- The customs had to cancel the procedure already started for the tent, so that took longer, but all the others have come through in three days at the maximum.

So, that's it. Not much help in terms of instructions to follow, but perhaps encouraging in that two people armed only with patience and a questionable French/Spanish mini-dictionary could manage it...

excellent post... there we go people, receiving an item for temporary import visa the post etc can avoid taxes with a visit to the aduanas office! good work!