Ship a vehicle, container or machinery from the USA to Ecuador

No. The Ecuador Country Commercial Guide published by the US Department of Commerce lists used vehicles and motorcycles among the goods prohibited from import under COMEX resolution 009-2022 and its reforms. This is not a grey area or a matter of paying more duty. Used cars for general import do not enter Ecuador, and any company quoting you for one is quoting a shipment that cannot be cleared.

Yes. COMEX Resolution 51 permits importing automobiles and other land vehicles provided they are new and the model year corresponds to the year the import takes place or the following year, with the model year verified by the VIN and the import year determined by the shipment date. A current or next model year truck with clean documentation qualifies.

COMEX Resolution 51 states that vehicles whose documents indicate any other condition are not considered new. In practice that means the paperwork decides it, not the odometer. A titled, registered, previously delivered or demo vehicle carries documents showing it is not new. A dealer-fresh unit with a manufacturer's statement of origin rather than a title is the clean version.

Yes, and this is the lane most exporters miss. COMEX Resolution 51 permits free importation of used road-building equipment and agricultural equipment, their components and accessories, provided the model year of manufacture falls within the fifteen years before the year of import. That window covers most of what sells at US machinery auctions.

No route we would recommend. Used vehicles are prohibited for general import, and for the returning migrant household route SENAE states that vehicles carrying a Salvataje, Salvage or equivalent notation on the purchase documents are not accepted as menaje de casa even if they arrive repaired. Salvage stock and Ecuador do not combine.

Used motorcycles are on the same prohibited list as used vehicles. Under the returning migrant route a motorcycle may be brought as part of a household shipment, but SENAE applies its own limits, requiring the model year to fall within the five years before the declaration is accepted and the price not to exceed twenty-five Unified Basic Salaries.

Yes, under the menaje de casa household goods regime. SENAE allows Ecuadorians aged eighteen or over returning with the intention of settling in Ecuador to bring one vehicle or one motorcycle, subject to conditions on age, value, documentation and the migrant's own eligibility. It is a genuine route and we handle these shipments regularly.

SENAE requires the model year to fall within the five years before the customs declaration is accepted, or where the vehicle exceeds that, that it does not surpass the maximum mileage set in the regulations to the Ley Organica de Movilidad Humana. The price must not exceed eighty Unified Basic Salaries. Ownership documents must predate the migrant's arrival.

SENAE requires the person to have lived abroad more than two years, not to have spent more than 180 days in Ecuador in the two years before returning, and to hold a Certificado de Migrante Retornado issued by the competent authority. The exemption must be claimed within sixty months of return, and it can only be used again after ten years.

Yes. SENAE states that to import the vehicle or motorcycle as menaje de casa, it must have been shipped together with the other goods forming the household shipment. That single requirement changes the nature of the job. This is a household move that includes a car, not a car shipment with some boxes added.

SENAE provides that where the value exceeds the limit by up to ten Unified Basic Salaries, the vehicle may still be nationalised on payment of duties calculated on the difference. Beyond that margin, the vehicle cannot use the menaje de casa route at all and falls under the ordinary import rules, which for a used vehicle means it cannot enter.

SENAE permits joint shipment in a single container for related families where the head of each household is related within the fourth degree of consanguinity to the migrant named on the transport documents, provided each family individually meets the conditions. Where there is no blood relationship, the shipment must go through a consolidating agency.

Yes, provided the model year falls within the fifteen years before the year of import, under the free importation provision for used road-building equipment in COMEX Resolution 51. We collect from Ritchie Bros., IronPlanet and Purple Wave sites anywhere in the USA and ship containerized, on flat-rack, or by heavy haulage depending on size.

Both are named in the same free importation provision, covering used road-building equipment and agricultural equipment with their components and accessories, inside the fifteen-year window. Ecuador is the world's largest banana exporter and agricultural equipment demand is substantial, which makes this a stronger lane than most exporters realise.

No, and this catches people out. SENAE explicitly excludes from the equipo de trabajo regime any vehicles under tariff chapters 87, 88 and 89, along with bulldozers, graders, scrapers, compactors, skid-steer loaders and excavators by specific tariff heading. Machinery imports as a commercial shipment under ordinary rules, not under the migrant exemption.

Often. Smaller excavators and loaders fit a 40ft container once the boom or arm is removed, while larger machines travel on flat-rack or by heavy haulage. The dismantling cost is usually far less than the freight difference. Send us the make and model and we will tell you which method is cheaper for that specific unit.

Agricultural and earth-moving equipment is commonly subject to cleanliness requirements on arrival because of pest and disease controls, and this applies across the region. Steam cleaning before loading costs very little against the risk of a machine being held at the port for cleaning at your expense. We build it into the preparation where it applies.

It depends on the US origin, the container size, and whether pickup and towing are needed. What we will not do is quote you cheaply for a shipment that cannot clear. Tell us exactly what the cargo is and we will confirm eligibility before pricing, because on this lane that is worth more than the freight number. Get a free quote in 24 to 48 hours.

Because they either do not know the rule or are not telling you. Used vehicles are on Ecuador's prohibited import list. A quote is easy to issue and the problem only appears when the container is sitting at Guayaquil and cannot be cleared, at which point the storage and return costs are yours. Ask any company quoting you to name the resolution that permits it.

Tariff treatment of US-origin vehicles has changed more than once recently, including temporary reductions and a reciprocal trade agreement signed in 2026. Rates and their entry into force move, so we will not print a number that may be wrong by the time you read it. Ask your customs agent in Ecuador for the current rate and what origin documentation is needed to claim it.

It scales with the distance from the dealer, auction site or seller to our loading warehouse in New Jersey, Savannah, Houston, or Baltimore. Gulf departures often suit the Pacific lanes better than East Coast ones for Ecuador. We include the pickup cost in the quote so you see one figure.

Filling it, since ocean freight is charged on the container rather than per unit. For machinery the calculation is different, because dimensions rather than count decide what fits. Tell us everything you intend to move and we will work out the most efficient loading rather than pricing each item separately.

Guayaquil for most cargo, since it is Ecuador's principal container port and commercial hub with onward connections to Quito and the highlands. Posorja is the modern deep-water terminal to the south and suits larger vessels. Manta serves the central coast. Tell us the inland destination and we will route it.

Guayaquil is the established port inside the estuary and handles the bulk of the country's containerised trade. Posorja is a newer deep-water terminal on the coast south of it, able to take larger vessels without the river transit. Which one your cargo arrives at often depends on the carrier and service rather than your preference.

Houston frequently suits the Pacific routing via the Panama Canal, though our East Coast warehouses in New Jersey, Savannah and Baltimore also serve this lane. The right loading point depends on where the cargo is bought and which service is running. We choose it around your purchase rather than our convenience.

Our service ends at the port of discharge. Inland delivery is arranged by your customs agent, who is also handling clearance. Tell us the final destination anyway, since it affects which port makes sense and whether the cargo should route through Guayaquil or elsewhere.

We handle the US side, including the filing in the Automated Export System, known as AES or EEI. You provide the ownership documents and the bill of sale or invoice. Ecuadorian import permits, duty and clearance are handled at destination by your customs agent, and we supply the documentation they need.

No, and be wary of anyone who says they clear customs everywhere. Destination clearance is done by a licensed Ecuadorian customs agent. We are the ocean carrier, we deliver to the port of discharge, and we provide the paperwork your agent needs. On the menaje de casa route in particular, an agent who knows the regime is essential.

Within 24 to 48 hours in normal cases, and usually with an eligibility answer faster than that. Send the cargo details including the VIN or machine model, the US location, and your destination port. If what you are describing cannot enter Ecuador we will tell you straight away rather than quoting it. Request a quote

We are the NVOCC. Cassandra Logistics is a federally licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediary under FMC license OTI No. 025125NF, legally Royal Port Container Lines, Inc. DBA Cassandra Logistics. The licence is public and verifiable with the Federal Maritime Commission before you send anyone money.