Do you want to ship your camper to Uruguay? In October 2023, we successfully shipped our camper with Caravan Shippers from Hamburg, Germany to Montevideo, Uruguay. In this article, we share our experience with Caravan Shippers and report on how the process worked from booking, to delivering the camper in Hamburg, to picking it up in Montevideo.
Would you first like a general overview of different providers, shipping options, and how to save money on shipping? Then feel free to check out our post Shipping a Camper. vorbei.
Booking camper shipping
After scheduling an appointment with our container buddies (we are shipping together in a 40" High Cube Container), we booked the shipping through Caravan Shippers. About 4 weeks before the ship's departure, you can schedule a delivery date for the vehicles. It is not possible to do this earlier because the ships' travel time often change. The invoice is only due after the successful loading of the container onto the ship.
Prepare the camper for shipping
The preparation is relatively simple since we are shipping our camper in a container. We need to make sure that everything inside is well-stowed and secured. In addition, gas bottles must be empty and the fuel tank should only be a quarter full. (However, no one checked this during our loading.)
Delivering the camper to the port
We deliver our camper together with our container buddies at the agreed time to the port of Hamburg. On this day, no one from Caravan Shippers is present, only the company that handles the loading on behalf of Caravan Shippers.
Once our container is ready, we drive both vehicles into the container ourselves. To secure the vehicles, wooden blocks are nailed behind the wheels and the vehicles are strapped down with tension belts. The batteries of both cars are disconnected in the container and the car keys are hung on the container wall. Once both cars are properly secured, the container is closed in front of our eyes and a seal is applied. This seal will only be broken in front of us when we pick up the vehicles together in Montevideo. It serves as proof that the container was not opened beforehand. Both the port workers and we take photos of the secured cars, the container, as well as the container number and the attached seal. The container is then packed, and we can start our journey home.
Invoice and loading papers
After the container is loaded, we receive the invoice for the shipping. The loading documents are sent by Caravan Shippers to both us and our clearing agent/customs agent in Montevideo. From this point on, communication is handled by the customs agent.
Papers for pickup at the destination port
A clearing agent is mandatory for container shipping. Caravan Shippers handles the process in Montevideo with Eduardo Kessler. Once we arrive in Montevideo, we visit his office, and he explains all the necessary steps for releasing the vehicles.
To release the vehicles from the port, we need:
- "Certificada de Llegada" document, which we obtain from the Immigration Office (Dirección Nacional de Migración)
- A valid vehicle insurance, which we obtain from a local insurance office on Eduardo's recommendation.
- Passport of the vehicle owner and vehicle documents
*Note: We recommend getting the insurance in advance through "abgefahren" as it also covers Bolivia and Peru. We are now basically double insured because to get insurance for Bolivia and Peru, we had to get a new insurance policy for all MERCOSUR countries. More information on the topic of vehicle insurance and specifically about the insurance with "abgefahren" can be found in our article on car insurance in South America.
Picking up the motorhome at the destination port
With these papers, as well as passport and vehicle documents, we can release our cars from the port about 48 hours after the ship's arrival. The process takes about 1.5 hours, and we are accompanied by Eduardo and a colleague the entire time. Only the vehicle owners are granted access to the port area. Therefore, I have to maneuver our Puch out of the container without Mats.
Before the container is opened, Eduardo, the port workers, and we take photos of the sealed container and the intact seal once again. Then, the seal is broken, and the container is opened. Both vehicles have arrived in Montevideo without damage. The straps are loosened, the batteries reconnected, and we can drive the vehicles out of the container.
From here, we proceed to customs. This is where we get our TIP (Temporary Import Paper) for Uruguay. It is valid for one year. When leaving Uruguay, this must be returned and serves as proof that the vehicle is no longer in the country. The vehicles themselves are not inspected, neither from the outside nor the inside. Once we have our TIP, we can head off right away.
Shipping the motorhome to Uruguay is not that complicated. The South American adventure begins.
