Fees at Argentina land borders
 

While answering another post it occurred to me that I haven't seen any mention about the reciprocity fees supposed to be collected in advance at all air and land points of entry into Argentina starting very shortly. As I understand it, you are supposed to go on line before arriving at the point of entry and pay any fee due by credit card. You will not be able to pay on arrival, which is a big shift. You will also be required to pay the fee no matter how you're arriving, which is an even bigger shift. Formerly, land arrivals were exempt.

As I understand it, the advance payment requirement for air arrivals takes effect December 28th 2012. The policy for land arrivals is due to take effect Jan 7th, 2013.

This only applies to people carrying passports who have already had to pay when arriving on international flights into B.A. That includes, of course, Americans, Canadians and Australians, plus some more countries: hopefully, you know who you are.

Please note that I'm only reporting what I heard from usually-reliable sources. If the whole thing falls flat, it won't be the first time that's happened. Probably, you'd prefer not to spend the entire day riding over one of the unpaved high passes from Chile, only to be turned back at the border just as it starts to get dark and cold. Check it out yourself, and do whatever needs to be done.

I've got no information about the specifics, but I've seen enough talk about it elsewhere that it must be easy to learn more about. Google is, in certain respects, your friend.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thought I would share the official Argentinian press release: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones | Accesible

It confirms exactly what Mark said (just in Spanish). We intend to cross from Chile Chico to Los Antiguos (Carretera Austral to Ruta 40) around Jan 10th. We'll post our experience here. Stay tuned...

Always happy to hear when I get it right. I'd also be curious about insurance--whether they ask, demand, or care at all. Seems to be increasingly necessary, although I crossed there without.

Checking your blog from time to time: looks like a good trip. Enjoy!

Mark

I received the following from the Australian government smart traveller service the other day. Not sure what other nationalities it applies to.

Went online to pay and it is a little cumbersome, but relatively easy.


Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate of Argentina for the most up-to-date information.
Australian tourists are charged a “reciprocity fee” of USD100. The fee is valid for multiple re-entries within a period of one year as of the date of first entry. At present the fee is only collected for entry at Ezeiza and Jorge Newbery International Airports in Buenos Aires. After 7 January 2013, this fee will be applicable at all ports of entry. Passengers arriving on cruise ships are exempt.
The reciprocity fee is payable on the Argentine Migration website. Those who pay online will have to print the receipt and submit it to immigration authorities at the airport. Payment of the fee on arrival will be accepted until until 28 December 2012 at the Ezeiza International Airport.
Australian citizens whose passport shows they were born in Argentina are exempt from the fee and should pass through the Argentine passport control line on entry in order to be exempt from the payment. Australian citizens holding a business visa are also exempt from payment.
Argentina has introduced biometric entry procedures at Ezeiza International Airport, Jorge Newbery International Airport and at the Buenos Aires ferry terminal. Visitors to Argentina are required to have their thumbprint scanned by an inkless device and have a digital photograph taken on arrival.
Children (under 18 years of age, as defined by local law) travelling alone or with one parent may be required to provide a letter of consent from the non-travelling parent(s) to the Argentine authorities. Contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate of Argentina well in advance of departure from Australia for further advice.
If you are travelling to or from Argentina via the United States you will need to meet US entry/transit requirements. You should check your visa needs well in advance of travel with the nearest Embassy or Consulate of the United States. See also our travel advice for the United States of America.
The World Health Organization (WHO) lists Argentina as a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission and recommends travellers to all departments in Misiones Province and parts of Corrientes Province (Beron de Astrada, Capital, General Alvear, General Paz, Itati, Ituzaingo, Paso de los Libres, San Cosme, San Martin, San Miguel, Santo Tome) are vaccinated against yellow fever. Iguazu Falls is located within Misiones Province.
Some airlines may require passengers to present a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate before being allowed to board flights out of the country. If in doubt, check with your airline.
Australian Customs officials will ask you to present a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate on entry into Australia if you are aged one year or above and have stayed overnight or longer in Misiones Province in the six days prior to your date of return to Australia.
Make sure your passport has at least six months' validity from your planned date of return to Australia and carry copies of a recent passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.

I will see what happens tomorrow, will be crossing from Brazil to Argentina at Paso de Los Libres.:funmeteryes:

Is effective from January 7.

Just in time for all the Dakar rally people crossing into the country.:innocent:

The official website sends you around in circles and is poorly set up. Thankfully South American Travel News
( South America Travel News: Update to the Argentina Reciprocity Fee | South America Travel News Blog ) makes it easier with these instructions:

To pay the Argentina reciprocity fee in advance, complete the following steps:

1) Go to https://virtual.provinciapagos.com.a.../Registro.aspx

2) Complete the required information and pay the reciprocity fee (per person) with a credit card

3) Print the receipt and keep it with your passport to show immigration authorities upon entry

The current fees are: $160 for the United States (valid for 10 years), $100 for Australians (valid for 1 year) and $75 for Canadians (valid for one entry).

Thanks all for posting this info, as well as specific instructions on how to pay.

When leaving Argentina yesterday (8 Jan) at the El Límite-Futaleufú crossing I asked the migración official what I needed to do to reenter the country in about a week. He immediately told us to pay the new fee online (we are from the states). The officials were all well aware of the change in the law, stated that all crossings further south would be similarly well aware, and advised us to be sure to pay in advance because they will not accommodate at the border.

Looks like you got this one right, Markharf!

Canadians
 

I was concerned about the fee for Canucks so I just checked and discovered:

For Canadians the $75.00 fee is valid for multiple entries from bordering countries for 3 months.

There is a $150.00 option that is valid for multiple entries for 5 years

Hi

Does this only apply to USA, Canada and Australians? What about the British, Irish, German, Spanish etc? Thanks

Hope I haven't used up my yearly quota of "right."

The new rules apply to anyone to whom reciprocity fees apply. If you don't owe fees, you don't need to worry about where or how they're paid.

Mark

This is what the document looks like


http://two-wheel-tours.smugmug.com/T...na%20Fee-L.jpg

It is called "reciprocity fee", which means that if your country doesn t charge Argentines for entering, Argentina wont charge for entering. This fee has been existing for years at airports and is linked to the need of a visa. Europeans dont need a visa because they reciprocally dont ask a visa for Argentine nationals.

Turned back at Argentine border crossing east of Futaleufu, Chile
 

As an Australian passport holder I can confirm the accuracy of the above advice provided in these previous posts through first hand experience. I was refused entry to Argentina at land border crossing just east of Futaleufu Chile yesterday. Fortunately I did not have far to go back to town, get online during business hours the following day and print myself off the Tasa De Reciprocidad / Reprocity Fee Document (Receipt of US $100 online visa payment) as shown in an earlier post. You will need a copy of this document with associated barcode to present to immigration at the land border entry into Argentina. Most of my previous entry points into Argentina to the south were a little more remote however they occurred just before the implementation date around January 7th so I was lucky.

Promised to report, so here goes.
Crossed at Chile Chico (to Los Antiguos) yesterday. We paid the fee in advance because we read many stories of people being turned back. Easy process, just make sure you enter your birthdate in US format (MM/DD/YY). Entering the day first makes the system explode.

The Chilean officers actually asked to see or receipts before we even exited, apparently many people had been turned back. Process was simple on the Argentinian side. They just took the receipt and entered the number in the computer, stamped the passports and sent us on our way. It was clear the officials were well informed about the changes in policy. I think it would be pretty hard to get through without paying.

Thanks to everyone who posted before us.

Just to muddy the water some:

We crossed back into Argentina at Paso Roballos on Jan 18 and did not have to show proof of paying the reciprocity fee.

In fact, they didn't even have a computer, so scanning a document was out of the question. At some point this will all change, but for now, if you needed a way into Argentina, Paso Roballos is worth a shot. And if it were me, I would bring a nice looking version of the document that DRRambler was kind enough to post in case they do start asking for proof...

....and you can't pay the fee in cash at the border as a couple of aussie backpackers discovered at Villazon a few days ago.

They had cash on them but had max'd out their credit cards :oops2:

Very Helpful!
 

This is very helpful as I plan to lead a group chasing the Dakar 2014 and this are the details that we need to know.

This site ROCKS!:D:D

VisaHQ.com
 

www.visahq.com is a great source for visa information and requirements. The information is updated on a timely bases. The site provides for fee services and includes links to self service websites, like the Argentina tourist fee website. The information is provided without cost or subscription.

See this argentina.visahq.com for details.

I recommend this site for anyone traveling abroad.

It looks like VisaHQ.com quotes the fee schedule when a visa is acquired at an embassy. You might want to know that price if you need to get a visa before leaving your home country and do not want to wait to get one at the border. From the fees noted on this thread and other places on the Internet, it appears that the price charged at an embassy is higher than at the border.

Extremely helpful info in this thread, thanks to everyone who contributed.

When I entered the coutry at EZE they dinged me for $160usd, for an entry permit valid for 10 years.(usa passport). I subsequently exited with my moto to uruguay to renew the temp tourist vehicle permit.
Re-entering AR they busted my chops over the 10 year permit in my passport becuase they did not the equpment to read the bar code on the sticker they placed in my passport at eze.
Bit of a hassle plus they only gave me 3 months for the bike insteadnof the usual 8 months. Now I gotta figure out what to do with Cinderella the KLR.

Sent from my SM-T211 using Tapatalk

A minor change for AUSTRALIANS only
 

Not really a change, just a correction to inaccurate info on the Australian Government web site.

For a long time they have stated that the reciprocity payment is valid for 12 months from the date of first entry to Argentina. This did not agree with the Argentinian info both on their web site and on the reciprocity receipt.

I made some enquiries and got the Australian site to correct their info to now read "valid for 12 months from date of payment of reciprocity fee"

In early January I (American; Brazilian permanent residency card did not help) was forced to pay $160 reciprocity fee online at the Chile Chico crossing with a credit card. I plan to dispute with my credit card company. Should be interesting...

What exactly are you planning to protest? Do you carry a USA passport? If so, the payment is required for initial entry. I'd be interested in hearing whether there's a workaround.

Mark

Lucky you could pay the fee at the border. I didn't think that was possible

Jessica,

I will be doing that same crossing later this year so any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

BTW I love your blog. Very useful.

Bill, best to pay that reciprocity fee somewhere more convenient that at an isolated border crossing. It is required for Australians and Americans and a couple of other nationalities of countries that levy similar fees on Argentinians. Few other countries do the same so nothing unfair about it.
You also need to make prior arrangements for Paraguay and Brazil as well if you cross at land borders.

PS But don't pay it months before you cross, because for Australians, it is only good for 12 months from the day you paid it.

Citizenship
 

bobinbahia,

...(American; Brazilian permanent residency card did not help) was forced to pay $160 reciprocity fee online at the Chile Chico crossing...

It is my understanding that countries charge (or waive) the reciprocal fee based on citizenship. If you produced a Brazilian passport, it would document that you are a citizen of Brazil and exempt from the paying the reciprocal fee. Residence and citizenship are treated differently.

I was born in the US and my grandmother was born in Ireland. The steps to getting a US passport are obvious. After producing a chain of documents that prove I am descended from my grandmother, completing a few forms, writing a couple of checks, the Republic of Ireland issues a certificate that I am a citizen of Ireland. My name is entered into the "registry of foreign births". With the supplied certificate I was able to apply for a passport. I carry two passports when I travel. Guess which one I use when entering Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina...and every other country that I ride into.

I flew into La Paz, Bolivia where US citizens pay a reciprocal fee. At immigration I slid the declaration form across the counter. On the form I listed my US address, where I reside. The official started to charge me the reciprocal fee until I produced my Irish passport. The disappointment on his face was delightful to me.

A funny duel citizen story. I had been traveling in Latin America for 5 months when I needed to return to the US for a few weeks. In preparations for immigration in Miami travelers need to fill out the declaration form, notably the section that lists the countries your have visited on your trip. I used up all of the space provided with two letter abbreviations,

MX, GU, ES, HN, NI, PA, CO, VZ, BR, GY, SR, GF, UR, AR, BO

As I slid the form across the counter I said I might have forgotten a country. The official looked at the form, then at me, and asked, "What's going on?" I said, "I've been traveling overland across Latin America." He quickly leafed through my passport and said, "Welcome back." He never commented that I had no stamps in my US passport for any of the countries I had visited. I guess this happens all the time...

Hi, yes, only with the mentioned passports.
EU passport holders don't pay.

Thats not the right link. This one worked for me to retrieve my visa:

https://reciprocidad.provincianet.com.ar/

for USA/Canada/Australia citizens

The link is correct to start the process by first registering. Then you can retrieve your receipt later by logging in

That original link would not let me log in with my username and id (I wanted to retrieve my visa). I took a look at the registration button which asks for stuff that would pertain to an Argentina citizen. It appears to be for Argentine citizens to get their passport.

The "corrected" link I put up lets me log in and retrieve my visa. It also has a registration button that asks for information that makes sense for US/Canada/Australian citizens.

... or is does my computer have gremlins?

Your link worked for me, the original one posted sent me to a dead link and had nothing.
One question, is your link the correct one for first time users? Folks without a password or log in?
I need to pay the fee for a crossing on a few weeks.
Thanks

Australians should not pay their money any earlier than they need to because the validy period is one year from the date of payment NOT date of first entry

Good news for USA Citizens.
 

Please note the following from the Argentina Embassy;

RECIPROCITY FEE REVOKED FOR US CITIZENS BY PRESIDENTIAL DECREE

US citizens are exempt from paying the reciprocity fee by Presidencial Decree No. 959/2016, published on August 23, 2016.

The reciprocity fee still applies to Australian and Canadian passport holders..
August 24, 2016

DIRECT PHONE NUMBER FOR CONSULAR MATTERS
+1 202 238 6460

More info here:
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2016/03/28/argentina-reciprocity-fee-us-citizens/

No fees for UK passport holders
 

I arrived in Argentina by air, left by land, arrived by land, and left by land again. I hold a UK passport and did not have to pay any fees. I presume it is the same for European passport holders as well.


Travel Blog

That is why it is called a Reciprocity Fee. It is a very small price to pay for the other benefits citizens of certain lucky countries enjoy.

No more fee's
 

There are no more fee's for Canadians or American's at the Argentina border crossings.