Importing From India to Argentina

On 31 March 2025 Argentina cut its import duty on clothing and footwear from 35% to 20%, on fabric from 26% to 18%, and on yarn from 18% to between 12% and 16% (Argentine government, Decree 236/2025 (opens in a new tab)). The government said it was undoing increases made in 2007. For anyone buying Indian textiles, that one decree moved your landed cost more than the India-MERCOSUR agreement ever has.

So this page is short, and it's about Argentina's own border. The agreement, its narrow coverage and what we couldn't read are on the MERCOSUR page, and we won't repeat them here. The caveat - we haven't read Argentina's full tariff schedule, so check your own line.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 24 November 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

The decision in brief is in the playbook: Exporting and trade → /india/#trade.

1. The Tariff Moved, Not the Agreement

A 20% duty on a T-shirt is still a big number, but it's 15 points lower than it was, and it applies to every supplier country outside MERCOSUR. That matters for India in a specific way. Indian cotton apparel competes on price with Bangladesh, Vietnam and China, and none of them has a better deal into Argentina than India does. The cut lowered everyone's duty by the same amount.

What it does change is the arithmetic of the PTA. A preference is a percentage off the duty, so a margin on a 20% duty is worth less than the same margin on 35%. If your line isn't on MERCOSUR's roughly 450-line offer list, none of this matters and you pay the full rate. Price on 20% and treat any preference as a bonus.

2. Less Paperwork Before the Goods Ship

For years, an Argentine import needed a pre-approval before the goods could move. The SIRA licensing system went in December 2023 and its replacement, the SEDI statistical declaration, was scrapped by ARCA's General Resolution 5651/2025 with effect from 26 February 2025 (Interborders, February 2025 (opens in a new tab), Expeditors on the SIRA repeal (opens in a new tab)). We read both through trade press, not the Boletín Oficial, so treat them as Reported.

Why does that matter for an Indian order? Because Indian suppliers who sold to Argentina before 2024 remember the delays, and some still quote long lead times or ask for more advance payment "because of Argentine approvals". Ask what the delay is for. The honest answer today is production and sailing time, not a permit.

3. Getting the Goods There

No carrier schedule we read in September 2026 listed an Argentine port from India, so assume a transhipment and ask your forwarder to name the relay hub on the quote. The customs entry point is ARCA's customs service (argentina.gob.ar, ARCA customs (opens in a new tab)). We haven't researched Argentina's VAT and the other taxes collected at import, so get them for your line from your broker.

Next Step

The shared agreement rules are on the MERCOSUR page, and every agreement's status is on India's trade agreements. If you're placing a first order and want the supplier checked and the shipment booked from the Indian end, SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) does that.