Exporting by post, with no value cap: Argentina finally regulates commercial postal exports after 45 years (Decree 604/2026)
Argentina's Customs Code has always contemplated exporting by post. In 45 years it was never regulated, which produced an odd asymmetry: an Argentine company could receive parcels from abroad through the official mail, but was barred from using that same channel to sell abroad. Decree 604/2026 enables commercial postal exports for the first time, with no value cap (art. 1), opening a low-cost logistics channel for SMEs and e-commerce sellers to ship orders worldwide through Correo Argentino. It also aligns the door-to-door import regime with the courier one: a USD 400 FOB allowance per shipment, exempt from import duties and the statistical fee (only VAT applies), up to five shipments per person per year — and it repeals the 50% rate that used to penalise anything above the threshold on postal purchases. Outbound shipments with no commercial purpose (family support or gifts) are exempt from duties up to USD 5,000 per month per sender. ARCA will issue the operational rules that complete the framework. In force since publication.
- Legal instrument
- Decree 604/2026 (Official Gazette 17 July 2026, notice 344470) — replaces article 80 of Decree 1001/82 and repeals article 8 of Decree 161/99
- Authority
- ARCA (Customs) and Correo Argentino — international postal shipments regime, both inbound and outbound
- Status
- In force
- Last verified
- 2026-07-17
What changes
- Commercial postal exports are enabled with NO value cap (art. 1) — the channel existed in the Customs Code but had never been regulated
- Door-to-door imports are aligned with the courier regime: a USD 400 FOB allowance per shipment, exempt from import duties and the statistical fee (VAT still applies), up to five shipments per person per year (art. 2, replacing art. 80 of Decree 1001/82)
- Article 8 of Decree 161/99 is repealed — it imposed a 50% rate on the excess over the threshold for postal imports (the previous mail regime allowed a USD 50 allowance and 12 shipments a year)
- Postal exports with no commercial purpose (family support, gifts): exempt from duties up to USD 5,000 per month per sender
- ARCA will issue the complementary rules; Correo Argentino acts on the recipient's behalf in the customs formalities of the simplified regime
What it opens
For a company producing or selling from Argentina, postal logistics becomes a commercial export channel for the first time: shipping individual orders worldwide through the official mail, with no value cap and without the overhead of a full customs declaration per shipment. It is the model cross-border e-commerce sellers use elsewhere, now available from Argentina. Worth confirming the operational detail with a customs broker once ARCA publishes the complementary rules the decree announces.
Who it applies to: e-commerce operators, exporting SMEs, light manufacturing and regional products
Sources
- Boletín Oficial — Decreto 604/2026 ↗
- Infobae — Qué cambia en el régimen puerta a puerta ↗
- El Cronista — Fin de la alícuota del 50% y exportaciones sin tope ↗
- La Nación — Simplificación de compras al exterior y exportaciones pymes ↗
Sources are primary wherever available — the Official Gazette, the issuing authority, or the text of the rule itself. This is information, not legal advice.
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Full guideUsing Argentina as an Export Base: Mercosur, Trade Agreements and the 2026 Customs ReformsRead it in the Journal →Is this window yours?
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