Buying a car in Punta Arenas (Chile) and selling it in Lima (Peru)

Hi there,

Next September (2025), we’re heading to Latin America as a family for a year, and we’re thinking of buying a vehicle (car, van, or camper) in Punta Arenas, Chile, to sell it later in Lima, Peru. While I don’t think buying in Punta Arenas will be too complicated, I’m looking for info on border-crossing requirements (Chile-Argentina / Argentina-Chile / Chile-Bolivia, and Bolivia-Peru), as well as the steps and conditions for selling the vehicle in Peru.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi there,

I think there’s already been one or two similar discussions on this very forum about buying/selling vehicles in Chile.

Just a heads-up—Punta Arenas is in a free-trade zone. If you buy a car there, pay close attention to that detail so you don’t run into VAT issues when leaving the zone.

Good luck! !

Thanks for your reply, Thierry.

What I’m particularly interested in—and what I can’t find any recent answers about—is selling a Chilean vehicle in Peru or possibly Bolivia.

If anyone has info on this, I’d love to hear it! 😉.