Argentina deregulates automotive market and simplifies vehicle imports

The Argentine government has issued Decree 796/2026, modifying the regulations of the National Traffic Law to deregulate the automotive market. The measure, signed by President Javier Milei, Chief of Staff Diego Santilli, and Economy Minister Luis Caputo, aims to simplify the homologation process for both domestic and imported zero-kilometer vehicles.

A key component of the reform is the direct recognition of United States safety certifications. Argentina will now accept the ‘Blue Ribbon Letter’ issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as sufficient evidence of compliance with active and passive safety standards. This allows vehicles built under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to be approved without additional local testing, provided their identity is verified via the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

Despite these simplifications, all vehicles must still obtain a Model Configuration License (LCM) for safety and an Environmental Configuration License (LCA) for emissions and noise standards. Additionally, the decree liberalizes the market for auto parts, eliminating the need for prior authorizations for the import, production, or sale of components and spare parts.