Embarcarse en la aventura de mudarse a Ecuador viene con sus propios desafíos, especialmente en el ámbito de los envíos y las aduanas. En esta entrevista, nos adentramos en los detalles de este proceso con Ana Herington, abogada y agente de aduana certificada para numerosos clientes, incluyendo Ecuador Moves.
Esta conversación tan detallada cubrió muchos temas. Desde bienes del hogar hasta compras con couriers y los cambios recientes en la ley sobre lo que podés traer como efectos personales, Ana comparte muchísima información valiosa. Tanto así, que consideramos este video de visita obligatoria para cualquiera que esté pensando en enviar o traer bienes a Ecuador.
¡Esperamos que lo disfruten!
Envío de Bienes del Hogar
Requisitos de Documentación
Para iniciar un envío de bienes del hogar, es indispensable contar con documentación específica, especialmente información del receptor en Ecuador. Ana nos explica los documentos necesarios, destacando la importancia de la precisión y la completitud.
Vas a necesitar listas de empaque detalladas y orientación de un transportista con experiencia. Una documentación transparente y detallada no solo facilita el proceso de despacho en aduana, sino que también sirve como registro fundamental para el expat durante todo su proceso de reubicación.
El mensaje de fondo es claro: prestar atención meticulosa a los documentos es una inversión para lograr una reubicación más tranquila y sin estrés.
Tarifas y Multas
Entender las tarifas y las posibles multas es un aspecto fundamental al momento de enviar bienes del hogar. Ana explica los errores más comunes en los que pueden caer los expats y destaca un cambio reciente y bienvenido en la forma en que la aduana ecuatoriana maneja los problemas con las listas de empaque.
Efectos Personales y Viajes en Avión
Ana les recomienda a los futuros expats explorar con mucho cuidado el sitio webaduana.gob.ecAhí se puede encontrar una lista completa de los efectos personales permitidos. Sin embargo, a la fecha de redacción de este artículo, la lista no ha sido actualizada con los últimos cambios. Por ejemplo, ahora se permite una TV de 60" (antes era de 32") y la cantidad permitida de vitaminas y suplementos se duplicó de 4kg a 8kg. Ojalá que el SENAE actualice pronto su sitio web para reflejar estos cambios también.
Ana destaca la naturaleza dinámica de estas regulaciones, subrayando la necesidad de que los expats se mantengan al tanto de las últimas actualizaciones. Esta sección no solo sirve como guía informativa, sino también como herramienta práctica que permite a los expats tomar decisiones bien fundamentadas sobre qué efectos personales traer, garantizando así el cumplimiento de las regulaciones de la aduana ecuatoriana.
Las Mulas y sus Riesgos
El término "mula" toma protagonismo cuando Ana explica la práctica de personas que viajan frecuentemente actuando como couriers para otros. Ana profundiza en los riesgos asociados, ofreciendo una visión completa de las posibles consecuencias, incluyendo los inquietantes riesgos de confiscación, multas y problemas legales. Esta sección sirve como una contundente advertencia, ofreciendo un retrato realista de la naturaleza peligrosa de ser mula.
Las Aduanas Monitoreando Redes Sociales
Uno de los riesgos menos conocidos de ser mula es que los oficiales de aduana monitorean los foros populares donde se coordina este tipo de servicio. Ana revela que funcionarios de aduana y del gobierno monitorean activamente las redes sociales, con especial atención a plataformas como Facebook. Ana subraya las posibles consecuencias de este tipo de publicaciones, destacando el mayor escrutinio y las implicaciones legales que pueden derivarse.
Servicios de Courier y Excepciones
Ampliando las opciones alternativas, Ana ofrece una exploración detallada del uso de servicios de courier como DHL, UPS o FedEx como respuesta a las posibles restricciones de las aerolíneas. Las condiciones para aprovechar esta opción están claramente establecidas, incluyendo un plazo de 20 días para que los artículos lleguen y el etiquetado específico como efectos personales no acompañados. Ana enfatiza el carácter excepcional de esta opción, arrojando luz sobre un método de envío que no es ampliamente conocido y que no está publicado oficialmente.
Consejos para Tratar con las Aduanas
Ana destaca la importancia de consultar a agentes de aduana autorizados, personas que están inmersas en los detalles del día a día de las leyes aduaneras. Se reitera la precaución ante la desinformación, especialmente la proveniente de couriers o aerolíneas, enfatizando la necesidad de verificar la información de manera independiente.
Perspectiva General sobre las Aduanas
Reconociendo las complejidades iniciales que pueden desconcertar a los expats, Ana les asegura la importancia de entender y cumplir con las regulaciones. El énfasis en ir a la fuente para obtener información precisa resuena a lo largo de toda la conversación, con Ana abogando por buscar ayuda de agentes de aduana certificados que traen consigo una gran experiencia.
El proceso con la aduana ecuatoriana puede parecer complicado, pero con la orientación de Ana, los expats están bien equipados para navegarlo con éxito, asegurando una transición más tranquila a su nueva vida en Ecuador.
Aunque esta fue una entrevista de 52 minutos, todavía hay muchos detalles por cubrir en ciertos temas como el envío de bienes del hogar, lo cual abordaremos en un video de seguimiento. ¡Permanezcan atentos!
Contactar a Ana
Email: logisticscardexpress@gmail.com
Unirse al grupo de FB:https://www.facebook.com/groups/Cuencaexpats/
Contactar a Ecuador Moves
Email: mgt@movingecuador.com
Sitio web oficial de aduanas
YapaTree Properties
Contactar a Jason: jason@yapatree.com o +593999475705
Arrendá o comprá propiedades en Cuenca:https://yapatree.com/cuenca-ecuador-real-estate/
Preguntas Frecuentes sobre Envíos y Aduanas en Ecuador con Ana Herington [Transcripción]
Jason00:00
Hola, bienvenidos de nuevo al canal de YapaTree, donde ayudamos a los expats actuales y futuros de Cuenca. Hoy tenemos algo muy especial para vos, una inmersión profunda en el mundo de los envíos con la fantástica Ana Herington, abogada especializada en los requisitos de importación y exportación de Ecuador. Quizás también conocés a Ana como la administradora del grupo de Facebook más grande de Cuenca. Soy vuestro anfitrión, Jason, y vamos directo al grano.
Jason00:25
Muy bien, empecemos por lo básico. Vos brindás mucha ayuda a la comunidad expat de Cuenca a través de la administración del grupo de Facebook Cuenca Expats and Friends. Es un grupo fantástico y de verdad te lo agradezco, pero también parece requerir muchísimo esfuerzo desinteresado. Sé que estás muy ocupada, así que ¿por qué elegís ayudar tanto a los expats?
Ana00:47
Oh, bueno, Jason, antes que nada, muchas gracias por recibirme. Es un placer enorme, un honor que finalmente tengamos esta linda reunión, vos y yo. Probablemente una de las razones más importantes por las que hago esto es porque me encanta ayudar a la gente. Eso es lo principal. Cuando llegué aquí a Cuenca en 2019 con mi esposo, que es de Texas, por cierto. Especialmente para él fue más fácil encontrar expats que le ayudaran a entender y conocer un poco más la cultura cuencana. Hicimos muchos amigos en ese tiempo. Conocí al anterior administrador de Cuenca Expats, Richard Minckin, quien lamentablemente falleció hace un año. Desde 2019 fuimos amigos. Él se fue y yo ya lo estaba ayudando a administrar el grupo. Le di mi palabra de que seguiría haciendo esto por la comunidad de Cuenca Expats y aquí estoy.
Jason02:01
Ah, bacán. Tengo entendido que vos fuiste expat en otro país en algún momento, ¿no?
Ana02:07
Sí, y también fui expat. De hecho, viví en Chile durante seis años. Estudié derecho allá y entiendo cómo se sienten los expats en un país completamente diferente. A pesar de que en Chile hablan el mismo idioma, fue una cultura totalmente distinta. Entonces, saber a dónde ir... yo era estudiante, sin familia allá, fue como un reto entender cómo funciona esa nueva cultura.
Jason02:42
Hay muchos desafíos que se presentan cuando uno se muda a un nuevo lugar. Esa es nuestra motivación, o mi motivación también. He vivido en varios países y siempre la persona que te ayuda con esa adaptación al nuevo país marca una enorme diferencia en cuánto vas a disfrutar los primeros tres meses, los primeros seis meses en particular. Entonces hay mucho esfuerzo detrás y sí aprecio el tiempo que le dedicás al grupo de Facebook, así que gracias por compartir por qué lo administrás. Pero a un nivel más amplio, sé que básicamente sos una de las pocas expertas en aduanas y envíos a quien yo personalmente acudiría en Ecuador. ¿Podés contarnos un poco sobre ese background? Porque sé que muchos expats entienden más o menos que vos hacés algo relacionado con aduanas y envíos, pero creo que muchos detalles se pierden.
Ana03:35
Sí, bueno, soy agente de aduana. Mi especialidad básicamente son las importaciones y exportaciones en todos sus aspectos. Eso incluye importaciones y exportaciones. Pueden ser importaciones comerciales o envíos de bienes del hogar. Como agente de aduana, yo personalmente no manejo couriers porque eso es más un proceso personal que vos podés hacer sin necesitar un agente de aduana. Estamos hablando de envíos pequeños como la categoría cuatro por cuatro. Pero para importaciones comerciales que empiezan desde $5000 en adelante, y de hecho el peso también desde 100 kilos en adelante se considera una importación comercial, y ahí es cuando yo hago mi trabajo. Para mí, han sido probablemente 18 años haciendo esto. Mi padre, quien también es abogado en aduanas, fundó esta firma hace 30 años. Y claro, cuando regresé de Chile, fue lo más natural para mí. La pasión, lo único que he conocido siempre es este mundo de las importaciones y la logística y para mí es fascinante. Es fascinante porque nunca se deja de aprender. Todo cambia constantemente, especialmente en la aduana ecuatoriana. Todo cambia cada día.
Jason05:19
No me cabe duda, y entonces tu día a día, tu pan de cada día, es básicamente resolver cómo pasar las cosas por la aduana. ¿Es eso en pocas palabras?
Ana05:28
Es más la experiencia. Yo conozco todas las leyes, todos los procesos y todas las regulaciones que la aduana ecuatoriana exige a cada importador para hacer el despacho aquí en Ecuador. Esa es mi experiencia y claro, también trabajamos con socios. Por ejemplo, mi gran socia y amiga es Vicki Spitzak de Ecuador Moves, y le tengo un respeto enorme. No solo como amiga sino también como profesional. Ella sabe mucho sobre logística. Así fue como nos conocimos. Nos conocimos a través de la misma pasión que tenemos, que compartimos por los envíos, por la logística.
Jason06:14
¿Entonces para los bienes del hogar, eso es en lo que Ecuador Moves se especializa tradicionalmente?
Ana06:20
Ecuador Moves. Su especialidad son los envíos de bienes del hogar. Toda la logística, todos los envíos que manejan. Tienen sus agentes en los Estados Unidos y claro, tienen sus agentes aquí en Ecuador.
Jason06:42
Chévere, eso es muy útil. Entonces si necesitás enviar bienes del hogar a Ecuador, irías a alguien como Ecuador Moves y ellos comenzarían con los trámites y la logística, pero cuando se trata del despacho en aduana propiamente, ahí es donde vos en particular entrás y...
Ana06:59
Sí, yo soy... para los envíos de bienes del hogar, soy parte de Ecuador Moves. Soy la agente de aduana de Ecuador Moves, así que básicamente Vicki es el cerebro y la cabeza de Ecuador Moves y ella me contrata. Vicki es mi amiga, mi socia y mi clienta, y hemos trabajado juntas a la perfección. Entonces sí, si querés obtener más información sobre envíos de bienes del hogar, definitivamente necesitás contactar a Vicki.
Jason07:31
Claro, pondremos el enlace en la descripción para quien lo necesite. Es muy importante tener una referencia con quien se pueda actuar, pero vamos a las preguntas. Sé que te han bombardeado con un montón de preguntas, especialmente en esta época del año, compras navideñas, y todos quieren sus cosas y las quieren ya. Yo soy uno de ellos, estoy esperando unas cosas y estoy un poco nervioso de si van a llegar, así que estoy muy contento de que estés aquí para conversar hoy.
Jason07:57
Entonces la primera pregunta que tenemos, Ana, es para alguien que está por enviar un paquete a Ecuador, ¿cuáles son las cosas clave que debe saber?
Ana08:07
Vaya, esa es una pregunta muy, muy importante. Primero que todo, diría que no... no quiero decirlo como confiar, pero no le hagás caso a lo que te dicen en origen. Supongamos, por ejemplo, que estás en Estados Unidos o tenés familia allá. Tu familia quiere enviarte un paquete, un regalo de Navidad, y van a, no sé, no quiero nombrar empresas, pero digamos que van a UFF Courier. Bueno, van a UFF (es un ejemplo) y dicen que quieren enviar ropa usada o quieren mandar plata con la ropa usada, y ellos recibirán el paquete. Nunca van a decir, "Bueno, no conocemos las regulaciones de aduana en Ecuador." Prestarán el servicio. Recibirán el paquete, pero una vez que llega aquí, es cuando te quedás atascado con los problemas en aduana. Así que a veces no es nuestra culpa. A veces es porque en origen no conocen todas las regulaciones que tenemos aquí.
Jason09:27
¿La gente normalmente se traba con los tipos de bienes o dónde surgen generalmente los problemas?
Ana09:34
Hay couriers que conocen algunas de las reglas aquí en Ecuador. Sé que algunos dicen, "No, no podemos enviar esto." Pero al mismo tiempo, no tienen toda la información o la información correcta. Hay algunas cosas que tienen excepciones que sí se pueden traer pero ellos no lo saben. Por eso es tan importante ir a... si básicamente estás dudando sobre qué hacer, qué podés traer, si no encontrás un agente de aduana, bueno, si no podés contactarme a mí, que es muy fácil contactarme, intentá ir al sitio web principal de Aduana: aduana.gob.ec. Ese es el sitio principal donde encontrás todas las respuestas a las diferentes categorías: el 4x4, el courier, qué puedo traer, qué no puedo traer.
Jason10:29
Lo estuvimos mirando antes y fue actualizado recientemente, ¿verdad? Parecía que tenía buena información que...
Ana10:34
Tiene toda la información que necesitás. Lo único que probablemente no vas a ver, que no ha sido actualizado, es la lista de los efectos personales que podés traer como pasajero, porque incluso para eso hay límites también. No es que porque vengo con mi maleta puedo traer un montón de cosas porque son mías. No, también hay restricciones y de hecho hay una lista publicada en el sitio principal del SENAE. Lamentablemente, revisé el sitio web y esa lista no ha sido actualizada porque ha habido cambios desde septiembre de este año. Básicamente, la lista de efectos personales, las cosas que puedo traer conmigo, ha cambiado.
Jason11:16
Lleguemos a eso en un momento. Creo que es muy importante cuando estamos hablando de... Entonces hay dos cosas, ¿verdad? El envío en el punto de origen con una empresa de courier o algo así, y luego están los artículos que traés en tus efectos personales, creo que los llaman así. Entonces vamos a llegar a eso en un momento.
Jason11:32
Por ahora, digamos que es un paquete normal que estamos intentando enviar desde Estados Unidos a Ecuador. ¿Hay cierta información que necesitamos tener clara, incluyendo en el paquete? ¿Qué tipo de documentación manejamos normalmente?
Ana11:48
Bueno, hay cosas que probablemente necesitás saber sobre qué no puedo traer, en cualquier aspecto. Y esas cosas son la plata. No podés enviar plata, aunque quieras meterla dentro de un sobre y hacer que parezca documentos, no. Eso es un no rotundo.
Jason12:07
¿Ninguna cantidad, así sea, no sé, un par de cientos de dólares? ¿Nada?
Ana12:10
Nada, nada. Primero que todo, estos couriers siempre escanean los sobres. Por lo menos sé que DHL lo hace. Somos los agentes de aduana de DHL Express aquí en Ecuador, por cierto, así que sabemos cómo es el proceso de DHL cuando reciben un paquete. Ellos escanean todo, abren, revisan, verifican y lo envían. Así que definitivamente, y claro, si ven plata, simplemente lo devuelven, no lo van a aceptar.
Ana12:42
Las joyas. ¿Es correcto?
Jason12:44
Sí, las joyas.
Ana12:45
Mi esposo siempre dice eso. Yo no digo jewelry, jewelry. Bueno, perdón por eso. Así que nada de joyas. Nada de oro, nada de plata. Eso es un no rotundo. Nada de ropa usada por ningún motivo, nada de ropa usada. "Ay, quiero mandar mis botas de senderismo, las voy a enviar por courier." No, no podés enviar ropa usada, no.
Jason13:12
¿Entonces tiene que tener una etiqueta o algo que indique que es ropa nueva?
Ana13:15
Tiene que ser ropa nueva, la única forma de enviarla es a través de un courier. Ropa, y no toda la cantidad que yo quiera, tiene una restricción claro, que es por la categoría cuatro por cuatro, pero podemos hablar de eso en un momento, pero solo si es ropa nueva. Entonces para todo, incluso para enviar una tubería, para todo hay restricciones, y la gente va a decir por qué la aduana ecuatoriana es tan restrictiva, por qué son tan...
Jason13:44
Sí, ¿por qué?
Ana13:45
Bueno, son...
Jason13:46
Es frustrante. He tenido problemas con las aduanas. He tenido bastantes problemas con las aduanas.
Ana13:49
Bueno, hemos lidiado con, perdón SENAE, pero hemos lidiado como agentes de aduana con una institución pública. Es burocrática lamentablemente, y el problema es que la aduana trabaja... su misión principal es recaudar impuestos. Básicamente es eso, y de alguna manera siempre depende de quién esté dirigiendo actualmente todo el SENAE, esa dirección puede cambiar. Tengo que decir que el último director del SENAE que tuvimos recientemente intentó cambiar esa dirección de no solo ser un recaudador de impuestos, sino también brindar y facilitar un servicio a la gente. Así que también depende de la dirección que...
Jason14:49
¿Tenés alguna indicación de hacia dónde quiere ir el nuevo Presidente en términos de aduanas?
Ana14:54
¿La nueva dirección?
Jason14:55
Sí.
Ana14:55
Bueno, sé que hay una nueva directora, una nueva señora que ha sido nombrada recientemente y sé que probablemente ya estará dirigiendo el nuevo SENAE.
Jason15:09
Claro, pero es muy pronto para decir exactamente hacia dónde quieren ir.
Ana15:13
Voy a conocerla pronto. Conozco a cada director que ha habido en los últimos períodos, siempre voy y tenemos reuniones porque es importante saber quién es el director y la dirección que va a tomar. El último director, lo vi, somos buenos amigos, tuvimos una reunión y supe la dirección que iba a tomar, que era como, "No quiero seguir teniendo esta imagen de simplemente recaudar impuestos. Quiero ser un facilitador. Quiero brindar un servicio." Y en el poco tiempo que estuvo al mando, hizo un muy buen trabajo. Hizo cambios muy buenos que te voy a contar en un momento.
Jason16:00
Bacán, bacán. Con ganas de escuchar sobre eso, pero siguiendo con algunas de las categorías de importación y en particular algunos de los límites. La categoría principal, o la única categoría real en la que quiero enfocarme un poco es el 4x4 porque personalmente la encuentro bastante útil. Pero sí tiene sus limitaciones y puede ser bastante confusa de usar, especialmente cuando tenés servicios como Tienda Mia. Ellos parecen operar bajo la categoría 4x4 y básicamente bloquean artículos si creen que no va a ser apropiado para la categoría 4x4, pero ¿qué tan bien conocen realmente esas reglas?
Ana16:43
Bueno, he visto y he hecho mi pequeña investigación sobre Tienda Mia, y creo que hacen un muy buen trabajo. Están muy al tanto de los límites y si algo está fuera de los límites te avisan, como "Lo sentimos, esto supera la categoría 4x4", que básicamente para quienes no saben qué es el 4x4, es que tenés un beneficio, la aduana ecuatoriana te da el beneficio de traer paquetes personales para tu uso personal que estén bajo el peso de 4 kilos o 8.5 libras, y el paquete total, y estoy hablando del peso total y el costo total de tu paquete, no puede ser más de 4 kilos ni más de $400. Entonces necesitás tener esas dos condiciones para estar en la categoría 4x4, o podés tener una de ellas pero nunca como 5 kilos o "ah, pero mi paquete cuesta $100." No, definitivamente no entra en la categoría.
Jason17:50
Sí, y en cuanto a las otras excepciones principales, sé que, ah, contame vos, ¿sigue existiendo que solo podés hacer cierta cantidad de envíos 4x4 por año?
Ana18:00
Ahora no es por cuántas veces puedo hacerlo en un año. La limitación por año es el monto. Entonces digamos por ejemplo que envío tres veces al año bajo la categoría 4x4 y mi costo total, el costo total de mis paquetes es mil seiscientos en total durante el año, durante todo el año, eso es todo.
Jason18:28
Entendido.
Ana18:29
Entonces mi restricción es que no puedo enviar más de mil seiscientos al año.
Jason18:35
O sea, máximo 4 envíos como...
Ana18:37
Sí, mil seiscientos dólares al año. Ese es el límite.
Jason18:41
Entendido.
Ana18:41
Pero aquí está lo interesante. La gente podría decir, "Ah, okey, entonces mi límite es mil seiscientos por año. Digamos que en un envío voy a enviar cuatro o cinco perfumes." Eso serían como mil seiscientos dólares. No podés hacer eso porque hay una restricción sobre cuántos artículos del mismo tipo podés traer en un envío. Sí, porque si traés, digamos por ejemplo, quiero enviar cuatro pares de zapatos o cuatro perfumes, si enviás más de tres de esos, se considera una importación comercial y ahí es cuando te quedás atascado porque este tipo de cosas no se saben.
Jason19:35
No, me enteré de eso. Aquí en el estudio somos cuatro personas, así que intenté comprar 4 micrófonos en el mismo envío y sí, me topé con esta regla, y básicamente me dijeron de frente que simplemente no iba a poder. Me dije, okey, tiene sentido porque sí, ya es casi un negocio.
Ana19:51
Cualquier cosa que querás traer, aunque sea dentro del 4x4. Okey, entonces es menos de $400 y mi peso es menos de 8.5 libras o cuatro kilos, pero voy a traer cinco de ese mismo artículo. No, no podés hacer eso. La restricción es hasta tres del mismo artículo y listo.
Jason20:10
Claro, y con el 4x4, yo mismo he hecho bastantes compras a través del programa con diferentes proveedores y todos funcionan un poco diferente, especialmente en lo que respecta a la consolidación de paquetes. Y eso es importante con el 4x4 porque obviamente tenés límites muy definidos. Algunas empresas consolidan automáticamente y no tenés opción. Otras simplemente no consolidan nada. Entonces solo necesitás investigar un poco sobre esa empresa en particular y cómo operan. ¿Estarías de acuerdo o tenés algún proveedor en mente que estés feliz de rec
Ana 20:44
Well, I personally... and again I am the customs agent for DHL and I can talk for DHL. We've been customs agents for them for well, my father started 25 years ago, probably more, 27 years ago and I've also worked for DHL before they became our clients so I worked for them for a while and I know their processes, their internal processes are pristine. They take care absolutely of every detail. They might have a little flaw here and there but they are like for me the best for shipping internationally.
Jason 21:30
Sure.
Ana 21:32
Internationally.
Jason 21:33
But do they have their own consumer-based 4x4 program though like, can I go to the DHL and just go, look, I want my stuff or do I have to go through a third party?
Ana 21:41
Yes, they do. And then they are also... well we're talking about personal packages, personal effects, but they also have this e-commerce program that if you for example have a business where you want to export hats to the US and you want to send you know certain X amount through a courier. They have a program for E-commerce for that. I mean, it's pretty amazing.
Jason 22:06
That's great. I want to dig into that on another episode because exporting products like Ecuadorian products to the world I think is fantastic and not enough people do it in my opinion so let's definitely pencil that in for a detailed chat. But in terms of the packages themselves, what happens if, let's say a package arrives here in Ecuador, but it doesn't have my contact information on it? Does it go to a black hole? Do I ever see it again?
Ana 22:34
One of the very first things and actually responding to one of your first questions, "What do I need to know or what do I need to have in mind before shipping?" is you need to provide all your full details when you send a package. If you're going to send a package, you need to provide your full name or again the person who is going to receive the package here in Ecuador. So you need to provide your full name, your cedula number, or your passport number if you don't have it, your email address, and your local Ecuadorian phone number nobody's going to call a US number here. Once the package arrives, they will call you or they will email you. The majority of the time they email you and actually you receive an email twenty-five hours prior to the arrival of the shipment. So if they don't see any contact information, the package is gonna stay there and nobody is gonna.
Jason 23:29
No one's going to know it's just gonna sit there. Yeah, right.
Ana 23:31
Nobody's going to know and it can be any courier. It can happen with any courier. When you send these packages, you need to provide this full information, otherwise, they're not gonna call you. So the other thing that you need to keep with you always is your tracker. Your tracking information - your tracking number. Once you give the package to the office, to the courier, they're going to give you a little document. If you purchase on Amazon, you're going to have tracking info. Keep that tracking info always with you, because that's the only thing that you will have to check.
Jason 24:07
So if you lose that, you're basically screwed, right?
Ana 24:09
That's the only way to find and track your shipment. That's it. If you don't receive any information here and you know that the package is about is about to arrive, the very first thing that they're going to ask you here in any courier, any office, give me your tracking info. What's your tracking number? So that's very important.
Jason 24:27
Let's say this happened. We sent a package to Ecuador and I forgot to put my details on it. That package is just going to sit in a warehouse in Guayaquil somewhere.
Ana 24:39
Forever and ever. So yeah, yeah.
Jason 24:42
There's no like 10-year limitation period or no?
Ana 24:45
They can stay there for a year. Usually after a year they just take them to a deposit where after a year they just destroy it or they... You have an entire year to claim your package.
Jason 24:59
Got it.
Ana 25:00
If after six months you find your package, you can actually claim it, but probably you're gonna pay a penalty. The fine. The famous fines for not claiming your package.
Jason 25:14
But after a year. So for example, I know airports are pretty famous for having these weird auctions where you can just go and bid on a random bit of luggage that obviously belongs to someone. There's nothing like that in terms of the goods that aren't claimed they just get completely destroyed or burnt or whatever?
Ana 25:28
After a year they get donated or destroyed. One of those. But you have an entire year to claim those. And of course, if you go and claim that after 30 days you're going to pay a fine, that's the law.
Jason 25:39
Sure.
Ana 25:40
The law says that if you don't claim your package 30 days after the arrival, you're going to pay a fine and that penalty fee of two hundred and twenty-five dollars.
Jason 25:51
Two hundred and twenty-five. Right.
Ana 25:52
Two hundred and twenty-five dollars which is basically 50% of the main salary here.
Jason 25:58
Sure.
Ana 25:58
Next year, if the main salary increases, the fine will increase.
Jason 26:03
My understanding is they're still trying to figure that out for next year. Do you know, have they settled on the minimum salary for 2024?
Ana 26:10
Not yet, I think they haven't said yet. This new government hasn't said how much it's gonna be next salary. But be ready because the fines are gonna go up, are gonna increase and they will always increase.
Jason 26:22
Everything's going to increase not just the fines, but, if you're applying for a visa, for example, all those amounts are basically pegged to the minimum salary as well so it does shift everything, yeah.
Ana 26:31
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So basically, yeah, you have to be very careful with these fines. You can avoid those fines.
Jason 26:38
Awesome, awesome. I completely agree those fines are a big issue, but there are other fines too that people can be hit with it's not just a late fee. So for example, I know some... talking about household shipments, I know that some providers make you pay a certain amount of deposit because they are expecting additional fines or additional release fees. Can you run me through that particular scenario and any I guess unexpected fees or taxes that can be sprung on people I know that happen a bit?
Ana 27:10
Usually, I know how Ecuador Moves and how Vicki works - extremely transparent, and Vicki always advises the clients. Like for example, right now, give you a very quick example: The law on household goods shipments just changed in July of this year. It changed in a way that... OK, if we see any mistakes on your list, the list that you provide because the list of your items needs to match the things that are being inspected because everything is inspected for household shipments. They're going to open your boxes and the law says right now, "OK, if we find any mistakes", let's say for example, in the list says that box number one has 8 shoes and I open box number one and I see four cups of coffee. That's a mistake on the list. And because of that, you can get a fine of $225.
Jason 28:05
So each mistake?
Ana 28:06
No, no, no, no, no. For the entire shipment, it's one fine. For the entire shipment, even if you find one or ten, it's one fine.
Jason 28:13
There's always going to be some mistake there, right? There has to be.
Ana 28:16
It's almost, it's almost impossible... Well, with Vicky, we have actually had clean shipments that they have...
Jason 28:27
Hundred percent? 100% correct - wow that's incredible.
Ana 28:31
But some of them, we really have to fight with customs and explain. There are some things with labels and stuff that we have to explain to the inspector, like no, this is not a, it's...
Jason 28:43
There's gonna be translation issues too.
Ana 28:44
Yeah, that's actually what customs agents do behind the curtains. It's basically, OK, this is my time here once your shipment here when the container arrives, Vicki and I we're just behind and we're fighting. We have to talk to the inspectors we have to let them know this is not a mistake. We have to clarify. I mean, there's a lot of things, not just ok, here's your container. It arrived. It's going to be inspected, good luck. No, no, no. There's a lot of work and fight behind for our clients for that and a lot of clarification. But the fines basically right now is that for any mistake one or ten, it's going to be a $225 fine.
Ana 29:30
But before this new regulation that has just been published in July. Before that, when the inspector found mistakes in the shipment - they start inspecting boxes and they say, "OK so you have mistakes here in the list. Sorry, we cannot continue with this inspection. You will have to now request a pre-inspection. Which is absurd. Basically is to request a pre-inspection to correct the list and you go again and do the pre-inspection, do the corrections of the list, and then you have to do another final inspection to verify that the pre-inspection that you did was correct. That was completely absurd and I am so happy that our previous Senae director eliminated that thing again we don't have any other second inspections or pre-inspections to correct another inspection but we have the fine. So if you realize just the movement of a container - one inspection involves like $600, 700$ for every inspection, for every movement of container, it's a lot of money.
Jason 30:45
It certainly adds up. Now I'm glad they've made that change too it sounds like someone's using a little bit of common sense, which is fantastic.
Ana 30:52
Common sense. It's common sense exactly.
Jason 30:54
Awesome, that's very helpful in terms of the household goods shipment Ana. But let's move on to a slightly different theme and the personal effects and air travel. Am I just allowed to bring in whatever I want as long as it fits in my suitcase? Or how do I find out what is allowed and what is not allowed?
Ana 31:12
Well, there is actually... like I say always go to the main source which is the aduana.gob.ec main website and there is a list of personal effects that is published. The list, unfortunately, on the website has not been updated with the last regulation which was in September this year. But the items that you can bring are the same. What has changed is basically the amount of things that you can bring now, which is even more. For example, now you can bring up to 5 liters of alcohol. Before this new regulation, you were able to bring just 3. The sizes of the TV also have changed. It was like 30 inches, now it's up to 60 inches without paying any taxes.
Jason 32:00
No, I think it was 32 inches. But yeah, 32, very, very similar.
Ana 32:03
32 and now it's like 60. Up to 60. So you can actually find what I can bring on the main website. What I can bring, what personal effects I can bring? Basically, you can bring vitamins, you can bring your clothes, you can bring electronics, but there is also a limit on the amount of things that I can bring.
Jason 32:25
I think they doubled the supplements as well from memory.
Ana 32:27
Yeah, now you can bring up to 8 kilos of vitamins.
Jason 32:30
That's a lot of..
Ana 32:31
That's a lot of vitamins and supplements.
Jason 32:33
That's really cool and this kind of moves into mulling territory, 'cause that's kind of how they operate. And so how, let's say, for example, the law says I can bring in a 60-inch TV. Fantastic, I get excited on Amazon, it's Cyber Monday, I buy a 75-inch TV and now what happens? I try and bring it in through the airport, I go to customs, and customs stops me at the airport and says, "Sir, your TV is too big." What happens?
Ana 33:06
If you bring your TV, what is actually regulated right now with you? If you want to be up to that size, you can bring it with you without any problem.
Jason 33:17
Sure, but 75 inches is bigger than 60, so it's not allowed. So what would happen?
Ana 33:21
Well, you will pay... actually, they will tax that TV.
Jason 33:26
So they'll tax it?
Ana 33:27
They will tax it. It's not that they're gonna keep it. They're not gonna confiscate it, but they will tax it, yeah.
Jason 33:31
How would they do that? So for example, it's a 75-inch TV. They're just gonna find the model number, Google what I may have paid for, and then...
Ana 33:40
When you bring those kinds of items, you make sure first of all you bring your invoice with you. Make sure you have your invoice because that's the very first thing they're gonna ask you at the airport. And second of all, how they tax it. Well, there's a list where the percentage of tax is based on the size of the TV. That's why customs emphasize the sizes of the TV because the percentage of tax is based on the size. So they're gonna go to the list, "Ok, this is like over 60" and then it says X amount of percentage, which I don't know, I can't remember exactly the amount, but you're going to be, you're going to be taxed for sure.
Jason 34:22
So they're just going to treat it like any other similar item that someone's going to be importing and you're going to be paying...
Ana 34:29
They will consider it as a commercial importation.
Jason 34:31
Sure, sure. But that's very helpful. Now moving on to the concept of mules. Now, this is a bit of a tricky one because they operate in a legal gray area basically. Can you just walk me through, in this context, we're not talking about drugs or anything like that, we're talking about someone in the US in particular bringing goods for people here in Ecuador. Can you just walk me through how that works and some of the pitfalls that you need to look out for?
Ana 34:58
Well, basically what Mules... here in the expat community we know mules as basically a person, a passenger that comes and goes very often back and forth and brings things for people. The amount of things that this mule brings is based on the list of the personal effects, based on the amount that I can bring. So the mule, at least a person that has been doing this for a long time they are very aware of the limits, of the weight, of the amount. So based on that they do it. What some of them might not know is that even though they've been... and the risk is for the person, the mule. I don't like how that sounds but anyway, I don't know why they put the mule, but the risk is for the mule. Sometimes they don't realize the high risk that they run. If they get stopped at the airport, they get inspected by an officer, from a customs officer, and they will inspect all your luggage. Let's say for example this person comes with two luggage or three luggage and they start realizing and see that some of these items are not theirs. Of course. And we all know that I have to take all the tags, and names because they receive all the packages from the US, from people, from all over. And normally what you do is you take off the tags, you take things from the boxes, and you put it in your bag because you're bringing things like pretending it's yours. That's basically what they do. Which is fine, I've done it. I mean I've done it, I've done it a few times, but it's very risky. It's very, very risky. I've seen people and actually, I have a case, especially from a person. I'm not gonna say who the person is. It's an expat and this person was stopped in customs I think it was like 10 or 12 bins full of things because this person was mulling and this person was doing this for years. It was never stopped at the airport. They never even thought in 100 years that they would ever be stopped and they actually thought that what they were doing was legal because they were just bringing their things.
Jason 37:37
And they've done it so often that they just felt invincible.
Ana 37:40
Years, but it took one time that they got stopped. Even though they were careful about not having tags and names and things like that on the things. But they saw the amount and they knew that they were mulling, that they were like an informal courier and that's when the law goes.
Jason 37:59
And what happened?
Ana 38:01
Well, first of all, they will confiscate everything. That's what actually happened, they confiscated everything. They will keep it and confiscate it in storage with customs. And of course, you will be able to claim some things and pay taxes for the things that you're bringing. But some of the things based on the amount of let's say for example vitamins, they were like hundreds and hundreds of supplements/vitamins that once you pass the amount of what the personal number of things that you can bring, it's when they say uh so you pass the amount. But the vitamin supplements have restrictions from the health ministry so you need permission. You don't have permission, so they will keep it you're not going to be able to release it. So it's very important to be aware of that, the law. I mean, for these people actually it was a nightmare. We had to intervene not only as customs agents but also as lawyers who specialize in customs. To make the story short, we were able to save the entire shipment.
Jason 39:10
Did you have to pay a big fine?
Ana 39:12
They had to pay a big fine.
Jason 39:13
Yeah, yeah, wow.
Ana 39:15
They had to pay a big fine, but they released it because they had their customers all over them.
Jason 39:20
So it is risky. That's the bottom line. It's a way of getting goods here and I do it. I'm waiting on a package right now, but I know that there is a good chance that if this guy gets stopped, I'm either going to lose my package or I'm going to have to effectively contribute to his fine amount and then pay some more.
Ana 39:38
Sometimes when I read comments from people saying like, "Oh, I had this before. I have brought 100 cigars with me no problem.
Jason 39:47
Of course, yeah. But one time, you got lucky.
Ana 39:50
Very lucky, let me tell you, you were very lucky but that doesn't mean that it's allowed or it's going to happen to another person.
Jason 39:55
From my experience, one of the issues with the mules is once they get stopped once, then they're a target.
Ana 40:02
They were targeted and believe me they have not been able to do this again. That was it. That was it. You definitely get targeted every time you go and you enter again too, to Ecuador.
Jason 40:17
Sure. Now I think that's very helpful thanks for going deep on that particular topic because I know it's one that people can get unstuck and it's easy to trust people, and the most obvious risk before we even get to the customs risk is that it's an unregulated industry. So you have to trust the person that's bringing in the stuff and there are stories there too.
Ana 40:37
I understand completely why this... and again this mule service and something that probably people don't know because again me, I go in meetings with officials. With people in customs. With directors. And I know that these people are always tracking Facebook so be very, very careful. Be very careful. I'm telling you this as your friend, as your community friend, very careful. Because I've seen for example posts, not from expats, but from Ecuadorians that they post on Facebook live "I'm flying in November, I'm flying in December, I'm bringing" and Senae is tracking these services.
Jason 41:26
Yeah, yeah wow. So there's like agents in there.
Ana 41:30
Yes.
Jason 41:30
Specifically looking at catching mules now you're saying.
Ana 41:33
I mean, yeah. A very quick example. Let me give you... I witnessed probably 6 months ago, a very good friend of mine and a very sweet girl, unfortunately. She has a pretty good business. She provides invoices, she provides facturas and everything. She has a clothing business. She brings everything from the US. She's not a mule. She buys it in the US, but she brings it with her in her luggage. And of course, what are you doing? You're avoiding tax, you're not paying taxes.
Jason 42:11
You're bringing in business stuff and you shouldn't be doing that.
Ana 42:14
Exactly. But it's her business so she has a store and everything and she makes Facebook lives two times a week and just one day, the SRI and customs knocked on her door posing as clients. And they were like posing as clients and she was showing and suddenly a bunch of police, I mean, it was...
Jason 42:36
Whilst doing Facebook Live?
Ana 42:37
No.
Jason 42:38
Ok, Jesus.
Ana 42:39
No, it was traumatic for her. They took everything away. At that second they had... these people have no mercy. No mercy. So be extremely careful. What you're publishing out there.
Jason 42:54
Absolutely that's really good advice. Facebook in general, I think you just need to be a little bit careful what we're posting, but taking extra special precautions in this instance. Talking about the mistakes that people can make, obviously posting online, can be one, but are there any other mistakes that potential first-time shippers should be looking out for? We've covered a few already, I know, but are there any extra?
Ana 43:16
Well, definitely always go to the main source if you have doubts about how to ship. Don't rely only on the information that the courier provides in origin, because they are not aware of what's going on here.
Jason 43:30
How could they be? How are they going to know the regulations in all the countries around the world? That's an impossible task.
Ana 43:35
Even the airlines, even the airlines provide the wrong information about passengers. And the famous embargo that so many expats talk about. Well, they want to bring luggage, especially during this time of the year and I don't know why airlines at the airport say "No, it's customs. This is restrictions in Ecuador." No, this has nothing to do with Ecuador's customs.
Jason 44:00
Just trying to save on fuel or what did you put it down to?
Ana 44:02
No, it's basically some airlines during a certain time of the year, not necessarily during December, it can be any time during the year that they have their own high seasons and high demands. When the demand is so high they restrict passengers to what amount of luggage they can bring. Even if you want to pay extra, they don't allow it because of the embargo. The embargo is basically a restriction from the airlines, not from the country.
Jason 44:33
But basically saying we're full of baggage right now, therefore we can't take anymore.
Ana 44:38
No, they don't want to look bad they just say to the passengers, "Oh no, right now Ecuador is not allowing." I don't know why they say that.
Jason 44:47
I mean to make themselves look like they're not the enemy.
Ana 44:50
The airline, they're not going to say to you, "We don't allow you to bring." I don't know if because there are contract issues, service issues they can get in problems, I don't know. But this is definitely not an Ecuadorian customs issue.
Jason 45:05
Yeah, it's not very transparent from the airlines. Is there any way to fight that? With the airlines, have you come across any successful scenarios?
Ana 45:16
Not directly. And this is another exception that probably very few people know. That when let's say, for example, I have many cases of ex-pats, who are at the airport and are bringing 6 luggage. The airport says you cannot bring six because of the embargo. You can only ship two, so they got stuck with four. What they do at that moment is that they have the option to ship it through a courier: DHL, UPS, or FedEx. Do not ship through Ecuadorian post, please.
Jason 45:58
Why is that? What happens?
Ana 46:01
It's a nightmare. Sorry, Ecuadorian post, but it's a nightmare. I will go into that in a minute but you can ship your luggage separately through a courier. But there are conditions to do that, and the condition is that you need to fly. And you need, let's say, for example, you're flying through American Airlines with your two luggage and you ship four of your luggage through DHL. The luggage that you're shipping separately needs to arrive within a time period of 20 days. Once you arrive, you have 20 days for the luggage to arrive and to claim it as personal effects. That exception is called the luggage of a passenger that is not coming with... I don't know how to say this in English, but it's "equipaje de pasajero". So it's like not... how do you say that?
Jason 47:00
It's goods unaccompanied.
Ana 47:02
Unaccompanied, personal effects. Unaccompanied. Exactly that's it in English. So you can do that, but there are conditions and there are also restrictions to that. And with that, that luggage, you can ship your clothes, your used clothes. It's the only exception that allows you to bring your clothes. That exception is so exceptional that it's not even published.
Ana 47:29
Yeah, right.
Ana 47:30
It's not even out there. Why?
Jason 47:31
So is this a backdoor way for me to get some second-hand clothes into Ecuador with this exception or not?
Ana 47:36
The only way is that you fly with that...
Jason 47:39
I'm going to pay a lot of money through the couriers eventually, though, right? If I'm at the airport, I'm assuming they're going to be pretty expensive, the courier options.
Ana 47:46
Yeah, yeah, yeah because they're going to charge you based on the weight.
Jason 47:50
Si, si, si. So not a great plan for getting secondhand clothes here.
Ana 47:55
I've seen people paying like $8000 for luggage that's shipped through a courier, but they don't have any other option to do that, so.
Jason 48:03
Wow, that's very helpful Ana. Any other last-minute tips about the customs and shipping that you have?
Ana 48:12
Well, customs is fascinating for me. I know that for a lot of people, it's a nightmare and a lot of people just satanize Ecuadorian customs. And yes, sometimes it might seem very unfair and confusing. But the best way to somehow do this correctly is to go to the source. The main source of information, is the main website, Senae website, that I'm I'm sure you can publish later. Contact a customs agent, a customs agent. When I say that, we have our certification, we're registered with Ecuadorian customs.
Jason 48:52
It's very important that they know and keep up to date with the laws here. I've seen some pretty big horror stories happen with customs agents that maybe they've been applying something that doesn't actually exist, but ultimately you as the consumer, you're going to lose out if that happens.
Ana 49:09
So yeah, facilitators may be informed but a licensed customs agent that is on the day-by-day and on the law every day, it's a completely different thing.
Jason 49:25
I agree.
Ana 49:25
Go to the source, go to the main website of Senae and if you have any questions, of course contact me.
Jason 49:34
I wish I knew you when I first came to Ecuador.
Ana 49:37
A lot of people say that to me. A lot. A lot of people say I wish I would've met you before.
Jason 49:41
I have a love-hate relationship with customs here because that's actually the reason I'm in Ecuador. My origin story is I came to Ecuador for kitesurfing. My gear was being sent to Ecuador unaccompanied by me, and that was just such a huge mess that it took me months. And by the time I figured out that mess, I met my partner and started to like Quito and all the rest of it. So in a way, if it wasn't for, I'm just gonna call it the inefficiency of customs, I probably wouldn't be in Ecuador today. So in a way, this is like a bit of a silver lining from a personal point of view it's like, OK, it's not all bad with customs. Sometimes unintended consequences work out to be OK in our circumstances.
Jason 50:25
So Ana, thanks very much for your time today. That was I think a very comprehensive guide to shipping and customs in Ecuador. And so if you do have any questions for Ana or Ecuador Moves, how do they want to contact you or and/or Ecuador moves?
Ana 50:44
Oh well, you can contact me through the Cuenca Expats and Friends group which by the way, I am more than happy to provide information for our community through my email. I can leave you my email: logisticscardexpress@gmail.com or my WhatsApp. I'm very available too. Also for household goods shipments, don't forget Vicki Spitzack of Ecuador Moves.
Jason 51:13
Probably do an episode just on household shipments because it's got a bunch of rules associated with that, so, at some point, we'll focus on that.
Ana 51:21
That's a completely different world. That's an alternative universe for shipments. So definitely, yeah, definitely it's something that we will need to cover with... I would like to have Vicki here, of course, because she's amazing.
Jason 51:36
Fantastic. Thanks, Ana and if you've found this information helpful, please don't forget to like and subscribe. And of course, if you're in the market to rent or buy property, feel free to check out our listings at yapatree.com or feel free to provide your preferences to us and we'll do the searching for you.
Jason 51:52
So thank you very much for watching and we'll catch you in the next video. Take care.