border crossing in South America on Sundays
 

Footprint South America Handbook: QUOTE: Border Crossing: if you do not have a carnet, do not try to cross borders on a Sunday or a holiday anywhere as a charge is levied on the usually free borders in South America. END OF QUOTE
Naturally I don´t have a carnet down here since it is not mandatory.

What´s your experience? Is it true, that one has to pay a fee for the temporary importation ON SUNDAYS?

Greetings from Ecuador

Panny

I never paid any attention to days of the week, which suggests I must have crossed some borders on some Sundays. No carnet, no problems (although there were a few countries which levied minor fees regardless). I do remember an anomaly or two--like entering Venezuela, where the aduana was indeed closed on Sunday, so they admitted me and told me to come back on Monday after I'd purchased insurance.

In fact, that's the more likely scenario--insurance offices that are closed on Sunday.

Take this for what it's worth; I'm not so accomplished at paying close attention to details which don't greatly matter.

Mark

Hi Mark,

that implicates, that we have to buy insurances at some borders. Right?
I´m aware, that we need insurance for some countries in south america, but I thought that in contradiction to central america you have to get them IN the country and not at the border.

cheers

Panny

It depends, of course. Entering Venezuela I needed insurance to get a temporary import permit....and there were plenty of roadblocks to check. French Guiana needed insurance only when leaving. Guyana and Suriname only to enter. In Peru I evaded the roadblocks because I could only buy a year at a time, although more recent reports say you can purchase a month now; in Colombia I used an old American insurance card (not recommended, of course, but it worked for me), while others report heavy fines; in the south, reports vary greatly but people have been forbidden to enter in northern Argentina recently (coming from Bolivia), while I entered and left repeatedly without any insurance. Etc.

You're looking for hard and fast rules. There are none, and if anyone tells you there are you can safely discount anything else they tell you. Everyone's experience varies, and it changes over time as well. Some get lucky; some crumble at first hint of extortion from police. My philosophy is to assume that it will all become apparent at the appropriate time, and if it turns out I need insurance there'll be someone around to tell me so, then sell it to me. It's been working that way all over the world. Sometimes patience is the order of the day....but you're coming from Central America, so you'll be alright on that score.

Hope this is helpful. Have fun!

Mark