Buying a Car in Argentina as a Foreigner: Steps and Costs

A British citizen can buy an Argentine-registered car without residency. For a used car, though, paying the seller and signing Form 08 are only part of the transaction: the buyer and registered owner file the transfer at the vehicle's Registro Seccional, the local office of the DNRPA motor vehicle registry. Ownership is reflected in the updated title and registration certificate once the registry approves it.

The purchase price is only the starting figure. On a 2020 Volkswagen Gol at the September 2026 reference price of ARS 15.86 million (about US$10,400), a transfer in Buenos Aires province comes to roughly ARS 630,000–780,000 (about US$415–515). That includes the DNRPA fee, stamp duty and checks. The buyer also needs an Argentine tax identifier before filing and compulsory insurance before driving.

First decide how much car you need

Outside central Buenos Aires, or for regular intercity journeys, owning a car may justify its running costs. In CABA, parking, traffic, tolls and insurance make renting for occasional trips or using taxis and SUBE public transport a useful comparison. Argentina drives on the right; ownership and permission to drive remain separate matters, and a UK no-claims discount does not transfer to an Argentine insurer.

Buying a car does not extend immigration permission. The UK driving licence guide covers the separate question of driving on a UK licence.

The identifier the registry needs

The Registro Seccional assigned to the car's patente (number plate) checks the buyer's identity and tax identifier. A resident uses a DNI with a CUIL or CUIT. Someone without these can obtain a CDI from ARCA, the Argentine tax authority, for people who lack a CUIL or CUIT.

Registry requirements for the particular transaction are best settled before a non-refundable deposit changes hands. CUIL, CUIT and CDI explained sets out what each number is for. There is no national foreign-buyer surcharge.

How a used-car sale becomes a registered transfer

The car and the person selling it need to match the registry record. The título (title), cédula (registration certificate), number plate, VIN and engine number establish the identity of the vehicle, while a mechanic's daylight inspection addresses its condition. A DNRPA informe de dominio (title report) identifies the registered owner and any prenda (secured loan), embargo (attachment) or other restriction.

Patente instalments and traffic fines are checked with the province or city that charges them, because the title report does not show those balances. The sale contract can allocate any debt between the parties. The verificación policial checks chassis and engine identity, remains valid for 60 days and serves a different purpose from the mechanic's inspection.

Once those checks are done, the buyer and registered owner complete Solicitud Tipo 08 (Form 08). DNRPA allows online pre-entry before the signatures are certified; the parties can attend the registry together or sign before an authorised certifier. Payment follows the sale contract, with a filing receipt as evidence that the transfer is under way. The updated title and cédula come after approval, so a signed Form 08 alone should never stand in for a completed transfer. A seller signing by power of attorney also needs a power whose scope the registry accepts.

A gestor, or paid paperwork agent, charges about ARS 50,000–150,000 (about US$33–100) to help with the filing, but cannot clear a lien. Before collection the car needs at least seguro de responsabilidad civil, compulsory third-party insurance; the policy proof and registration papers travel with the driver.

The September 2026 purchase budget

DNRPA charges 1% of its fiscal value for a transfer, rising to 2% for an import from outside Mercosur. That fiscal value runs about 60–80% of a car's market price. Stamp duty is charged once on the transaction value: 3% in Buenos Aires province (PBA), 2.5% in CABA and 1.5–3% elsewhere. The checks add roughly ARS 80,000 (about US$50), depending on what is needed.

For the 2020 Gol at ARS 15.86 million, a fiscal value around ARS 9.5–12.7 million produces a DNRPA fee of about ARS 95,000–127,000. Stamp duty adds ARS 476,000 in PBA or ARS 396,500 in CABA, before the checks. Since early 2025 the registry has stopped charging for the cédulas (green and blue cards), título, number plates or certification of up to two signatures.

CCA, the Cámara del Comercio Automotor, publishes monthly reference prices. Its September 2026 figures below use 2020 models unless another year is shown.

*Dollar equivalents use the September 2026 planning rate of ARS 1,520 to US$1. Sellers may price in pesos or dollars; currency controls for individuals were lifted in April 2025, though bank compliance and transfer costs still matter on a large payment.*

Insurance and patente after the purchase

The compulsory policy is third-party liability (RC). In quotes from nine insurers (ATM, Triunfo, SP/San Patricio, Swiss Medical, Digna, Mercantil Andina, Nación, Río Uruguay and Galicia) on 10 September 2026, the lowest monthly RC premium was ARS 21,032 (about US$14). A saloon in CABA was around ARS 67,000 (about US$44), and a CABA pick-up quote reached ARS 97,621 (about US$64). Third-party-plus started around ARS 49,094 (about US$32); comprehensive, or todo riesgo, started around ARS 60,409 (about US$40) and reached ARS 351,955 (about US$230) for a Hilux in CABA.

In Buenos Aires province, ARBA's 2026 patente tax is 1–4.5% of the vehicle's fiscal value. It is billed in ten monthly instalments from March, with up to 15% off for paying the year at once or up to 10% off an instalment paid on time. The province collects for the first ten years of a vehicle's life, then the municipality takes over.

Fuel, tolls, parking and servicing come on top. VTV timing and exemptions depend on vehicle age and registration location; a premium paid to an insurer also cannot make an expired driving entitlement valid. For an occasional weekend trip from central CABA, the running costs can make a hire car the more sensible purchase decision to defer. Shipping a UK car into Argentina is a separate import and homologation procedure, with import duty; it belongs with the planning for shipping belongings from the UK.