Without much fanfare, it appears that the Argentine government has increased the fee for overstaying your tourist visa from $50 pesos to $300 pesos for non-Mercosur residents and to $100 pesos for Mercosur residents. This change went into effect on April 21, 2009.
Currently most expats are in Argentina on tourist visas that expire after 90 days. There have been three common ways of extending this visa:
- Go to the Migraciones office and pay $100 pesos for a 90 day extension. This may only be done once before actually having to leave the country.
- Take the Buquebus ferry to Colonia, Uruguay for the day. This is a nice day trip, but was more costly than the other options.
- Just overstay your visa and pay the $50 peso fine. This involved no added penalties and only planning for some additional time at the airport.
The last method has now become considerably more costly in addition to being a bit risky. One recent departee was warned that if he overstayed his visa three times, he would not be allowed back into the country. As Argentine’s immigration and visa process has been traditionally lax, one cannot be sure whether this was rhetoric or part of an actual new policy to be enforced. We’ll continue to update this post as we get more information.
Anyone have any experience with this?
UPDATE (4/28/09): The new few to renew your tourist visa at the Migraciones office has also been raised from $100 pesos to $300 pesos. It makes that trip to Uruguay look more and more like an appealing option.
No related posts.
I recently shared my experience living in Taiwan on BA Expats as well that speaks to a changing immigration enviornment.
When I was in Taipei in the early '90s, the Taiwan govt. was notoriously lax about foreigners living and working in Taiwan on the 90 day renewable visa. I knew many people who had been there for years, worked for local companies, spoke flawless Mandarin, etc. etc.
Then one day, it all changed. The Taiwan govt. started running sting operations in bars frequented by foreigners, they wouldn't let people back in the country that were taking the Hong Kong run for visa renewal, and a friend of mine from France was actually escorted to her apartment by immigration officials, told to pack a bag, and was driven to the airport and sent out of the country.
After about 6 months, it was back to business as usual, but it just goes to show that you never know when a country will all of a sudden decide to start enforcing its immigration laws. It's always better to stay on the right side of visa requirements because past behavior is not always an indicator of the future.
I agree. I've been doing the renewal thing just to keep it all up to date. I'm also looking into the Rentista Visa process now, so I'll let everyone know how that goes.
Splendid reporting, Will!
You've got good sources; please keep us up to date.
saludos,
Mike
No problem. Who's Will?
Great Job Dave, there are a lot of us here that just think they can simply pay 50 pesos and do this as many times as they want, a real eye opener!
Fortunately, I've got DNI, (married to an Argentine), se we're all set.
I will pass this important info on to people here on tourist visas.
Fred
Damn, Dave.
Your story was so hot that I couldn't wait to complement you …I mistook you for Discover*** Buenos Aires.
A thousand pardons, my friend,
Mike
Wow – I got out in the nick of time I guess. Left for the US on April 14th and only paid 50 pesos after overstaying by 6 months. Back in BA now with 90 days. Any info on whether the Uruguay option will continue to be as lax? Or will they start a policy where you have to be out of the country for 6 months before you can renew (like in the EU)?
So far, as long as you're out and back in you get another 90 days with no problem.
Hi all…lot's of visa stories floating around. One woman went to the immigration office after her visa had expired, I believe, and was told to pay at the airport. My visa is expired..first time in a year and a half..got sick of going to Colonia and was told it was only $50 pesos at the airport…now it's gone up. Is it worth going to immigration or should I just pay $300pesos at the airport…need a DNI..have to start the process….by the way you can't endorse your birth certificate at the American Embassy…bad info on their website..need to send it into your state of birth…
Once your tourist visa expires by even 1 day, you can no longer renew at Migraciones and must pay the fee for overstaying at the airport. Both fees are now $300 pesos, but paying at Migraciones only gets another 90 days. You could technically overstay as long as you wanted and then only pay $300 pesos, but a lot of people like to comply with the law in case of any future issues.
if you visa has expired, can you still go to colonia for the day? would you be charged the fine at the ferry? i'm trying to avoid the hassle at the airport. thanks.
Given the fact that the government broke their “contract” with us over the “decreto” for obtaining residencia (2 years, then 2 years, then permanent) by adding additional requirements and extending the temporary renewals from twice to who knows how many times, there is now no good reason to live here legally. Argentines, inc La beeping Presidenta don’t follow any law. Why should we?
I run a refuge – recently we had a case of maltreatment and corruption in a local municpality’s zoonosis. The animal protector was suspended instead of the perpetrator (now reversed after a massive campaign). Abuse and abandonment of animals (and children!!!) is rarely prosecuted and almost never punished, likewise domestic violence (despite government campaigns)
It’s a jungle. Argentines often say so, though I shall probably be condemned for saying so.
Hi I am new to this group but have live in BA for close to two years. I am on a Tourist Visa but now am getting a Permanent DNI. I found a service that said they can get this for me in lest then TWO months. I have turned in all my paperwork and waiting for my letter of process of Permanent DNI. I am meeting this Monday in immigration to get the Letter with the service. There has been some delay since they said we were trying to get it last week. So I will keep you updated how this goes and maybe there is a better way to get a Permanent DNI. This is a service and they are charging me 1200 US but you only pay 700 US when you get your DNI processing paper from immigration. Then the rest when the Permanent DNI. They claim I will get my Permanent DNI within TWO months. I have a friend who has used them and got his but he is from Europe.
i want a DNI too.this is a sure why of obtaining it in 2 mths?? so 1200 USD?
Hi Gary,
Any new s yet about your DNI process? I am from Europe and I have been living in Argentina for about two years now and I am also looking for a way to get a DNI. Can you sent me some info about the service that you talk about?
Best regards,
Christoph
This site is a great service. I am in living in Catamarca and overstayed my tourist visa. In the past i always left the country not knowing it was only a 50 pesos fine, last year took a 24 hours bus ride to Santiago Chile to remain legal. I missed the 90 days by accident just the other day, but i am glad to hear it is a 300 peso fine, as on another site it said you could be fined 200 dollars for everyday you are over your 90 day stay and may not be allowed to return to the country. I am getting married June 5 so i plan to stay in the country atleast until then. Three hundred pesos does not seems like too much to pay, it costs alot more to get out of the country from here, not to mention the time it takes. I will get a DNI next year so this will not be a problem. Does anyone have any information about the fine process at the airport. How long does it take? Where do you go things like that? Thanks again for the info.
I'm about to leave Argentina next week, and have overstayed my tourist Visa for about 1 month and a half. I was wondering: should I expect any trouble at the airport, and allot a significant amount of extra time before departure? Or should I just expect to pay the 300 pesos and have done with it?
Thanks.
Buen viaje, Davy! It was good to have you.
You can keep following this topic …and help to follow it at IMAS:
http://www.immigrantmutualaid.com.ar/
Mike
Help! My daughter is living in B.A., teaching English to physically disabled young adults. She let her visa expire and for various reasons doesn't feel she can stay without a visa. This is her first "offence." Can she still pay the fine on the way out to Uruguay, stay there for at least 4 hours and come back in and get a new visa at the border?
Thanks for this advice, my tourist visa has expired and I wasn't sure whether to go to migraciones.
Do you know what will happen if I try to travel by air within argentina?? Will I have to pay the fine at Jorge Newberry then am able to travel? Or am I not able to travel? Or do I have to leave the country and get a renewed visa before attempting to travel?
Any advice much appreciated.
Did you end up traveling within argentina with an expired visa? I am in Argentina with the same situation – about to travel by plane to the south. I hear that I probably wont have problems but … probably is not good enough.
There is no problem if you are traveling inside the country. They do not check.
If i`m only part way through my 90 day visa and cross to Uruguay, will they stamp me another full 90 days on my return to BA or just the remaining days in my original visa?
appreciate any help, thanks
You get another full 90 days from the day you return.
So they will definitely ding you if you leave the day after your visa expires? For example, my last entry was June 22, 2009 (meaning it expires this Thursday, Oct 22). I have a flight out of BA on Friday the 23rd. Will I be dinged? And if so, will it cause problems with my student visa processing? Thanks!
I am leaving one day after my visa expires, and wondering if they will still charge me the 300 pesos for overstaying my tourist visa?
Yep, they are going to charge you. One day is still one day too much.
I left a few days after my 90 day visa expired last July – after this law came into effect; taking the buquebus to colonia. Nobody bothered – they stamped my US passport no questions asked; no penalty fee was levied. I don't think they have facilities for this at the ferry terminal, probably only at the airport.
I've been here since October 19th, 2009 and I was suppose to go this morning to Immigration to pay the fine for the extension. I hope tomorrow I'm able to get and not get in trouble.
I've been here for two years. A friend who has been here for seven has heard of a person being told to leave the country. I am still looking for more info on this. Last time I went to Colonia, I was under 3 months, but not under 90 days. The officer went to see her supervisor and came back saying I am working in Argentina. I said no, I am studying. She said then get a student visa and that this time I can board. That seemed to be a warning and I wondered if they might have entered something in the system for me. I have exited and re-entered (paying the extra fee for Americans) since then no problem.
I have overstayed my visa in Argentina and want to cross the border to Osorno, Chile then return again. Will i have problems at the border crossing?
Nope, you'll just have to pay the fee. When you return there will not be any issues.
Hi,
I've been living here in Buenos Aires on a tourist visa since Feb and already extended my visa once at Migraciones(and what a nightmare it was I might add). My visa will be valid until Aug 17, 2010 but I want to stay until Oct and can't be bothered to leave the country for a visa run. I was thinking about overstaying and paying the fee at the airport on my way out of the country. Would this be OK you think? Would there be complications?
I know many people who have done this with no problem. You just have to pay the $300 peso fine before you check in for your flight, so give yourself some extra time at the airport.
Thank you so much, Dave. I'm leaving and not planning on coming back any time soon so I guess it shouldn't be a worry. I guess I will just save the trouble and overstay and pay the fine then. Thanks again.
Hi Dave, I've paid the $50 pesos fine twice before as i have ben living here for 4 years. I'm not actually married to an Argentinian and in the process of applying for my DNI. I'm leaving for a holiday on Friday to Brasil and now having learnt that they are really tightening things up am abit spooked about not being allowed to re-entre the country. Any thoughts?
Sorry…that should read that I am married to an Argentinian!! Kelly
I can´t disagree with you, DaVe …but don´t you think it´s a matter of enforcement?
Argentina isn´t any different from other countries when it comes to handling tourists and immigrants.
Here´s another question: leaving Argentina, more or less permanently, via EZE is one thing …but don´t you think that leaving for a trip to a neighboring country (with a visa violation then attempting to return) is another?
Jus' askin',
Mike
I'm strictly speaking from anecdotal evidence that I have heard from friends and on the various expat sites. I'm sure they could always change their policies (as they are known to do here), but for the moment, I have never heard of anyone paying the fee and then being denied entrance back into the country.
Like I said, it could change at a moment's notice. I never took the chance myself and now have a residency and DNI, so do not have this worry.
Hi,
I’m student at UBA however I’ve been staying in Bs.As. with a now expired tourist visa. I’m planning to go back to California for a couple weeks and then returning (and changing to a student visa). In the meantime though, does anyone have any thoughts on whether i should deal with this at Migraciones office or at the airport? Is there a difference between the fees charged at the airport than the 300 peso fee at Migraciones? How much earlier should I go to the airport if I need to pay the fee there? And, will I have problems coming back to Argentina?
Thanks!
Ava
The fees are the same, but the lines at Migraciones will be much worse. Save yourself the hassle and just do it at the airport. Just give yourself a little extra time at the airport. And no one has ever reported problems coming back into the country.
so, sorry to keep beating a dead horse…i am going to wait until my parents come for a visit to leave the country, i will be 1.5 months overdue. i wont have any trouble leaving and coming back, i will only have to pay the fee on the way out of argentina??
thanks!!!
Yep, as of right now, no one has ever reported a problem with leaving, paying the fine and then coming back in.
Not even if they've done it twice before and are now 1 and half years overdue?!
There have been some reports that they are changing their policies, but as of right now, I have only heard of one person who was told to get their visa in order and only given a 14 day extension. There are a lot more repors of people coming and going with no problems.
at migraciones they told me that overstaying the visa is possible 3 times.
I still have one question: Last time I renewed my tourist visa at migraciones. In the stamp is written by hand: ultima prorroga.??? I just wonder if they always write this because the visa can be extendet at migr. only one time. Or does it mean I will not get a new tourist visa anyway, even if I leave the country and come back? I just want to be shure;-)
Thanks!!!
I've had a working visa before leaving the country for several months. Now coming back, I've been told that I can not renew the visa after being away for all that time and that I have to start with the process from the beginning. I made an appointment at migraciones to start again, getting a new working visa. Still, until that day I will have a gap of 3 weeks without any valid visa as my tourist visa extended two months ago. Should I once leave the country will they get aware of the gap and will they charge me eventhough I had the appointment? DaVe what you think?
Hello!
I just moved to Mendoza three weeks ago to live with my boyfriend and try to find work. I encountered some problems with the airlines (Delta) on the way here. My original return ticket was for July, but they made me pay a 250 dollar fee to change my return ticket to 90 days from my arrival. Apparently the airline is charged a hefty fine if a passenger overstays a visa, so they can't afford to take risks.
Migraciones informed me that I can only renew my tourist visa only once, by traveling out of the country and then returning. After that, I must obtain a visa or get married.
If I obtain a visa, it seems I will be required required to pay 600 pesos. Does this sound right to you all? Does anybody know of a cheaper way to stay in the country and/or how to convince the airlines to let me change my ticket to 8 months or so from now?
thanks for the advice!
Hello,
My 90 day tourist visa just expired the beginning of december 2010 and I have paid the 300 pesos at the airport before for overstaying (allow some extra time and make sure to pay before going through security and waiting in the long line for them to check your passport. I almost missed my flight)
Anyway, I need to go to the US embassy soon for a immigration visa interview with my fiance, and I dont want them to have ANY reasons whatsoever to deny us so I think it would be a good idea to renew at migraciones. Does anyone know if you can enter the US embassy with an expired 90 day tourist visa? And, could someone explain the process of renewing the visa at migraciones??
The US Embassy could care less about your overstay on the Argentine tourist visa. That is not their concern. Look on BAExpats.org though for a lot of advice on renewing the visa at migraciones, although I am not sure that you can since it is already expired…
thanks Dave!
so you think they will still let me in to the embassy and not pay any attention to the expired tourist visa? Because that would be a lot easier. Today I went down to migraciones and basically went in circles to try to get the visa renewed. I was told that you can only get a turno from 730-830am and they only give out 80 turnos. Then i was told that since it was already expired I would have to pay 300 plus 150 pesos more as a type of fine. I did read online that you have up to 10 days to renew after your visa has expired but they would hear nothing of it. It was a very wasted trip
The US Embassy is not going to even look at your Argentina visa. It is not for them to enforce it.
Hi,
We are a family of 4, if we stay over the 90 days, will we have to pay 300 pr. person?
Yes, it is a per person charge.
Hi Guys, I read through your messages. I have been here for 10 months, obviously overstaying my tourist visa. I called the immigration call centre and they told me that it dosnt matter how long I stay, and that i can just go and pay the 300 pesos (which is nothing really) 10 days before i leave the country. They said there wouldnt be any problem. This is a completely different story from what i was told at the argentinian embassy in australia. I had the same experience with peru last year, so there are two sets of rules, give the argentinian immigration a call and check with them to be sure.
Thanks,
bec
You can pay the $300 peso fine at the airport before you leave the country. There is no reason to go anywhere else and pay beforehand.
Does anyone know, with the 100 US entry fee into Argentina, is that for multiple entries, as im planing on going to Argentina then Chile Ecuador and back to Argentina. ( i dont want to be paying 100 USD each time i step on Argentine Soil…… Thanks for anyone who can help….
The entry fee is valid for 10 years.
I am from South Asia, My renewed tourist visa of Agentina was expired at 23rd September, i am planning to leave Argentina after 1 month overstay to Brazil ( i have visa to brazil too), is there any problem in the airport to leave argentina for brazil, thank you
You will have to pay the fee of $300 pesos for overstaying your visa.
Hi
We r a French family ( I my wife and son) we wish to immigrate to Argentina. Is it possible to come to the country on tourist visa and then apply for some suitable visa while in Argentina?
I can show income coming from abroad and can bring sufficient funds to set up a business.
Many thanks
Hi guys, I'm from BA but married with an english guy and my children are both european. I came to Argentina 4 months ago to visit my dad (he's got a cancer) and so my children (11 and 2 year old) overstayed their visas.
I've sent the eldest one this week back to Europe to visit the family for xmas and I've only had to pay the 300 pesos.
Don't know what to do with the 2 year old, we're leaving in july… not sure if going to Uruguay is a good idea as I'm not sure they have a proper place to pay the fee in there.
How many times could we go to Uruguay to get the visa renewed ?
I would suggest that you just overstay the visa and pay the $300 pesos when you leave in July. You can pay the fee at Uruguay too, but you would have to go several times to keep it current. Just overstay and pay once…
Thanx Dave ! Will see this week.
Argentina is a unique country regaring immigration and citizenship. It is a cultural mistake to renewal your visa because 1) it is illegal to do it more than once (as illegal as overstaying) 2) you can apply for residency or citizenship any time with no consequenses because the whole system look for make you legal. So, my legal advice is 1) if you are planning to stay more than 6 months, just overstay and pay the fine when you leave or 2) if you are immigration to Argentina, just overstay and apply for citizenship after 1 year and 1 day. More info here: http://www.rubilar.com.ar or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_nationalit…
hi everyone,
i am canadian and have been in buenos aires since mid-september. i'm planning on staying here until july 2012. i haven't left the country since i've been here and am not sure if i should go to the immigration office before to renew the visa or if i should just pay the fine at the airport when i leave in july.
i was also planning on doing some travelling within argentina (via plane) and was worried that it would cause me problems since i'm travelling within the country…. any thoughts?!
and i wanted to do some travelling to uruguay/chile possible before july as well, but worried about this visa business! my girlfriend is from here and the reason that i'm here!
thank you in advance!!!
Immigration will not renew if it is already expired, so I'd say stay and just pay the fine. Traveling in the country will not be a problem, but when going to Uruguay you'll be made to pay. Coming back in you'll get another 90 days.