What is an Importer of Record (IOR) and when do you need one?

You have a supplier, a customer and a shipment ready to go. But the destination country asks who the importer is, and your company has no local presence there. This is the exact situation an Importer of Record (IOR) service exists for.

What is an Importer of Record?

An Importer of Record is the entity legally responsible for an import before the authorities in the destination country. It declares the goods to customs, is accountable for the documentation, and answers for the applicable duties, taxes and local requirements.

In many countries that role must be filled by a company registered locally. If your business is not, you need another way to put the goods through customs.

When do you need an IOR?

An IOR service is worth considering when:

• You sell or deploy equipment in a country where you have no company or tax registration.
• A customer expects delivery to their site, and you are not set up to import for them.
• You are equipping a new data center, office or telecom site abroad.
• You want to understand requirements and costs before the goods leave the supplier.

It is common with servers, IT hardware, networking devices, telecommunications equipment and data center infrastructure, where documentation and authorizations matter.

What does an IOR service usually cover?

The scope depends on the shipment and is agreed up front. It typically includes:

1. Reviewing the product, origin, destination, value and target delivery date.
2. Defining the import structure and the requirements that apply.
3. Coordinating freight, customs brokerage and final delivery.
4. Giving you one point of contact across suppliers, carriers and recipients.

Costs such as freight, duties, taxes, customs charges and delivery are set out in the proposal, so you can plan with fewer surprises.

Can you import without opening a local company?

In certain cases, yes. Feasibility depends on the destination, the goods and how the transaction is structured. That is why it pays to review the operation before you ship: the right documentation, authorizations and import conditions are much easier to solve while the goods are still at the supplier.

Where Comexar can help

Comexar supports imports into Argentina, Brazil, the United States, the European Union and Uruguay. Availability and scope are assessed for your specific product and destination.

If you have a shipment in mind, tell us what you need to import and where. We will assess the next steps.