The norm, in detail
A car certified in the United States no longer gets certified again here
Decreto 796/2026 (Official Gazette, Aug 26, 2026)
in forceNATIONAL
Trade opening
What changed and who it applies to
What changed
It replaces article 28 of the General Regulation of Traffic Law 24.449, approved by Decreto 779/95. Every new vehicle, trailer and semi-trailer —built here or imported— still needs two licenses in order to be sold: the Model Configuration License (LCM), which «certifies compliance with active and passive safety requirements», and the Environmental Configuration License (LCA), covering pollutant emissions and noise. What changes is HOW compliance is proven: a model type-approved under the United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards is accepted with «the endorsement of the Blue Ribbon Letter issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)», and the decree says expressly that nothing beyond what that agency requires may be demanded. It also allows certification by other bodies under the United Nations agreement TRANS/WP29/343 to be validated in whole or in part. It is applied by the Secretaría de Industria, Comercio y de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa of the Ministry of Economy. Signed by Milei, Santilli and Caputo. verif · Aug 26, 2026 ↗
In force
August 27, 2026. The decree itself says it «shall enter into force on the day following its publication», and it was published on August 26, 2026. verif · Aug 27, 2026 ↗
Who it affects
Importers and carmakers bringing in models already certified in the United States or under the United Nations system, who save a local type-approval; the local laboratories and certification bodies that made a living repeating that test; and the buyer of a new car, who should see more models available and sooner. It also covers work vehicles — trailers and semi-trailers fall under the same regime. prob · Aug 26, 2026 ↗
The norm
Decreto 796/2026 of the National Executive Branch, published in the Official Gazette on August 26, 2026. It replaces art. 28 of the General Regulation of Ley 24.449 approved by Decreto 779/95 and its amendments. verif · Aug 26, 2026 ↗
Our reading
This is a barrier to entry falling without a single tariff being cut: what made bringing in a model expensive was not the tax but having to prove here what had already been proven abroad. Recognizing NHTSA certification and the United Nations system turns a months-long procedure into a piece of paper (R4 · opening and deregulation). ⚠️ And there is a real loser worth naming: the local testing that will no longer be done was work for Argentine laboratories and certification bodies. thesis
Where it lands, province by province
Applies the same nationwide
We looked at this rule from each of the five provinces we track and found no effect that lands differently in any of them: it applies the same across the country.
The other rules on this subject16
Imports without prior permit: from SIRA to a reporting SEDIRes. 1/2023 Trade Secretariat + Joint GR AFIP-Trade 5466/2023 (Official Gazette Dec 26, 2023)in force
Mercosur–EU ratified: 450 million consumers open up to agriculture and industryLey 27.800 (Official Gazette Feb 26, 2026); provisional application from May 1, 2026in force
Argentina and the US sign their first trade and investment agreementBilateral agreement signed Feb 5, 2026 (no number; submitted to Congress)pending
Industrial export taxes to zero: chemicals, metals and autos export duty-freeDecreto 566/2026 (Official Gazette Jul 1, 2026)in force
Congress approved MERCOSUR's first free trade agreement with an Asian countryMERCOSUR-Singapore treaty · final passage Aug 27, 2026in execution
The RAF stops being an automotive privilege: tax-suspended inputs for all of industryDNU 252/2026 (Official Gazette Apr 17, 2026)in force
Ignacio Aredez· Chief analyst
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