Visa Fee To Hit Tourists Starting Jan 1
UPDATE: This post has been updated to reflect new policy details available here.
As reported by your faithful scoopster at The Argentine Post Tuesday, the government will start charging tourists a reciprocal visa fee to visit the country. Beginning January 1, tourists will have to pay a visa fee upon arrival if they come from countries that charge Argentines a similar fee. In the case of the U.S., which charges Argentines US $134 to get a visa, Americans visiting Argentina will have to pay a similar amount upon arriving at Ezeiza, Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo announced Wednesday.
“We’re going to charge them a reciprocity fee, which has nothing to do with a visa requirement,” Randazzo said. Argentina will maintain its open visa policy, meaning will not require tourists to get a special visa to visit. It will simply charge a fee upon arrival. The duration of visas will not change.
Randazzo said the new fees would not affect tourism. “Nobody is going to not visit our country because they have to pay an additional $100 to do so,” he said. However, newspaper La Nacion reported Wednesday that the Tourism Secretariat plans to study the new policy to try and figure out what impact it will have on tourism. This implies, of course, that the government has not already carried out a study to determine if the fees will affect tourism.
Randazzo said the fees will allow Argentina to collect $40 million annually. The money will go toward modernizing immigration services, he said.
“It’s an injustice for an Argentine to go on vacation in the United States and have to pay a visa fee,” Randazzo added.
The biggest share of foreign tourists come from Chile, followed by Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, in that order. Next comes the U.S., which sent about 300,000 tourists to Argentina last year, Randazzo said. Canada is also a major source of visitors. Most other tourists come from Europe and Asia, according to slightly outdated Tourism Secretariat data.
The number of foreign visitors to Argentina is up 115% since 1990. Tourism here really began to boom, however, in 2004, two years after Argentina’s currency devaluation made it ultra cheap.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Scoopster!
Any clarification on how long your 134 bucks is good for? 10 years? 90 days?
“El ministro aclaró que en ningún caso se exigirá visa, sino que se trata de una tasa que recién se cobrará cuando el turista ingrese por Ezeiza o cualquier otro punto fronterizo. (Clarin)”, seems to be saying that it won’t be a visa and it will be a tax collected at any point of entry to RA.
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/10/09/sociedad/s-01777542.htm
Just trying to figure the impact on the every-90-day trips to Colonia.
un abrazo!
Yanqui Mike
I was born in Argentina, and for the last 37 years not residing there. The reason for the expenses for the visa to the USA is probably to be able to trace the amount of argentine-citizens arriving to this country with intentions of staying illegal. Every time I visit my family in Argentina, the same requirement “you are not supposed to work in this country, because of my American Passport” I just tell them that the reason I can travel so many times is because I’m not depending from the salaries that they get paid there. If I have to paid just for entering the coumtry, I’m going to think twice before entering Argentina again.
Do you know if you will have to pay the visa fee everytime you enter Argentina, or just pay it once or something?
Hey Carlos, Yanqui Mike and David,
I’ve been trying to confirm this but haven’t gotten an answer yet. It would be absurd for the government to charge a few if you come and go every three months. Presumably, the new plan will be exactly reciprocal, meaning that if the U.S. embassy typically gives a five-year visa duration, then Argentina would make you pay the fee every five years. But it could get complicated quickly, as the U.S. does not always give five year time frames. Sometimes they give 10 years, others just a one-off entry visa. I’ll update this post as soon as I get confirmation. Clearly, they have not yet thought through all of this carefully.
Taos
[...] that Argentines are charged when applying for a visa to visit the United States. According to The Argentine Post, the fee will bring Argentina about 40 million dollars every year in revenue. Interior Minister [...]
Guys,
Is there any reason why this tit-for-tat action is a bad idea? I don’t like the idea of having to pay for a Argentine visa whatsoever, but I can certainly understand why. So long as Argentine nationals are treated like peasants and/or terrorists by the US State Department and being charged outrageous fees for the privilege, it is understandable that US nationals should expect similar treatment from the Argentines.
The comments on this post are so American self-centered, and totally misinformed. Argentina is setting up a new software/screening system at every point of entry that will be deployed in the next 2 years.
At the same time, an entry fee that is automatically granted when you arrive to Argentina DOES NOT compare to American visa fees, which are NOT REIMBURSED IF THE VISA IS DENIED.
Why not complaining about the MILLONS OF DOLLARS that are being collected through visa denials from US embassies around the world???
International reciprocity is a common thing around the world. ALL THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES DO NOT CHARGE A SINGLE DIME TO ARGENTINE CITIZENS TO VISIT THEIR COUNTRIES. The same goes for Israel and Japan. Therefore, Argentina does not charge any single dime to all those countries. That is what is called re-ci-pro-ci-ty.
If you do not like it, please contact your representatives and complain about the United States charging fees in the country that you intend to visit.
Brasil (and very soon Uruguay and Paraguay) also charges entry fees to nationals that charge Brazilian citizens.
Bill,
I can see why the idea of reciprocity is a decent idea, but why now? I mean, wasn’t it about 6+ years ago that the US put their current paid VISA policy in place for Argentine citizens? Why wait so long to reciprocate like this?
And at such a bad time too. With the “global crisis”, and Argentine inflation on the rise, less people from the US/Canada etc seem to be planning on visiting Argentina next year. So after messing up the lynchpin of the Argentine economy (el campo), the Ks are going after tourism now too?
Obviously working in tourism I have a vested interested in this field, but as far as I can see, this policy is Argentina shooting itself in the foot for the sake of an ideological standpoint, at exactly the time when it needs to be trying to attract MORE foreign visitors to the country.
It’s not a bad idea. It’s a terrible one!
Alan
PS – Taos, nice new design! And as ever, great content.
When I finally get round to launching the re-design of my site and start posting new content once more (been pretty busy), I’ll be sure to link you up in some posts.
Hey Alan,
Many Thanks. I’ll be sure to add your site to my blog roll. Your tours look great!
Take care and keep in touch,
Taos
I totally agree, Alan. The whole reason that Americans, Euros and Canadians come to Argentina is that it’s got a great price to quality relationship. While I don’t think this 100 dollar charge is going to affect much of the high end tourism down here, it may affect backpacker tourism and especially repeat tourism (i.e. a guy who goes from BsAs to Uruguay, back to BsAs, through Chile, and so forth–if he’s gotta pay an extra 100 usd each time, this is seriously eating into his trip).
Also, in terms of pure economics, raising the barriers to trade through taxes and tariffs creates dead-weight losses.
The article you posted quotes an Argentine government official saying that “it is an injustice” that Argentines have to pay the US visa fee. What would he say about the policy of charging tourists higher prices to enter national parks, higher prices to travel on domestic flights, higher prices for hotels? Aren’t these injustices? Are Argentines charged more when they go to Disneyworld? Are they charged more for flights from Miami to Orlando? Do they pay more to enter a US national park? Do they pay more for a hotel in Miami because they have an Argentine accent? Before worrying about this injustice, that official should take a hard look at government and business policy in this country and its impact on tourists who can be pretty turned off by the way they are often treated here. Reciprocity? What a lie!
Hey everyone,
I am not sure about Argentina, but when I visited Chile a few years back (renewing my Argentine visa!) they charged me a similar fee, called a “Reciprocity tax” and it is good for the length of time of your passport. I have a stamp and a receipt stapled inside my passport so that I don’t have to pay again.
I disagree that it will not deter tourists from coming here. I personally know that I will NEVER go to Chile again, just because it made me SO mad when I got there, finding out that I had to pay extra just because of a policy the US has to control immigration. I had NO idea about the fee, no travel agents let us know (granted we did leave from Argentina on tickets bought here, and Argentines don’t have to pay), but I also have friends who traveled there from the US and were confronted with the same situation as me.
Sorry, but it is one thing when you know in advance that you must get a visa and pay, and it is another when it is sprung upon you as you land in a foreign country. Plus, if I was a tourist, I would look at the total cost of traveling down here versus going to Europe. It is a good deal here, but plane tickets to get here are quite expensive compared to going to Europe, and this just makes the cost rise. And that was a great point that Eric made about charging tourists more (FOR EVERYTHING, by the way!) than nationals. I know that happens with absolutely everything here…my fiance is Argentinean and his brother has a travel agency here!
I think it is a stupid policy and if they want to make it reciprocity, why not make US citizens get a visa too? At least someone would have to do some (paper)work to earn that money, even if it would be more bureaucracy! But at least it’s something, not just charging you when you get here. UGH!
I have traveled from the United States to Argentina frequently and written about it for my website, reviewing restaurants in a way that encourages other Americans to go there.
If this new fee is enacted, I will go elswhere. In this economy, the average American tourist is also likely to look for better deals, or not travel at all, and I respond to that market.
It is bad timing for the Argentine government to consider such a fee, that is, if they want to promote tourism.
This is really petty actually. I think that nations need to be open and do have a right to appropriately screen foreign nationals. Therefore, the US Dept. of State charges a fee to preform the necessary checks. The actual costs of the State Dept. to perform and process the applications and backround checks actually exceeds the visa fee paid by the applicant. Argentina is just charging people flat out for doing nothing.
I think it is an easy way for them to “tax” people and generate revenue without any political consequences. It will, however, raise the overall cost of travel to Argentina, which may result in people deciding to go elsewhere and/or simply spending less while in Argentina.
In any evednt, it is certainly not a welcoming gesture.
I was planning on visiting Argentina this winter, but I decided to go to Australia instead now. I feel Argentina is behaving unwelcoming and unfriendly.
Errmm… Bill: charging a visa has nothing to do with being treated like a peasant nor a terrorrist. A visa has always existed for Argentines in the US but for the Menem years. And MANY Argentines just went there and STAYED, having a feeling they were finally Europeans after that, making fun of all others in Latin Ameica, especially o us, Brazilians. Following your logic, the natural step for reciprocity in Argentina should not be charging a visa, but treating North Americans like peasants/terrorrists.
Taos: the data of the Excel document you use for your post is confusing, does not consider the whole of 2007 and 2008. The data I have from Secretaria de Turismo de la Nación, Brazilians represent 25% of tourists in Argentina for almost 3 years in a row now, then followed by Chile. If Brazilians stop coming here then Chile is right back at the top of the list again, but we have to admit that considering these border crossings, Chile, for its width and huge border with Argentina, tops the list. Anyway, according to the Secretaria, also Brazilians spend more than Europeans and North Americans per day whilst in Argentina. Perhaps th reason is that visits are shorter – spending more in less time. Links are:
http://estatico.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/gestion_turismo/pdf/informe_turismo_internacional_2006.pdf
http://estatico.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/gestion_turismo/pdf/turismo_internacional_2007.pdf
See ya!
I had to pay the us$135 fee for a chance to get the visa, for the mere inteview.. and my visa was denied. No simpathy from me on this one.. And I don’t think it will affect tourism; I’ve heard you only have to pay it once to cover a period of time, not every time you enter the country.
Anyone had any harassment from the immigration people in Uruguay about spending too much time in Argentina? As I’m in a relationship here, I spend a good deal of time in Argentina. A few weeks in 2005, 6 months total over 2 trips in 2006/07, and now since March 2008. meaning when my tourist visa is expired I go to Uruguay. I have 7 pages of stamps from these countries alone. Last week the Argentine immigration official starts asking me all kinds of questions and I was starting to think my welcome has run out here. Anyone experienced the same? Can they deny me a tourist visa if they want? I have an apartment and a dog here and really don’t want to end up stranded in Uruguay. If it’s going to be a problem I’ll just go back to the USA and work on other options. Thanks if anyone can provide helpful info!!!
I use a Euro passport in S.A.. As of early this year Chile stamped your US passport as Reciprocity Fee Paid and you were good for up to 5 years as long as you produced that passport. For travel between adjacent countries there is no fee payable i.e. Chile-Arg.- Urg.- Bsl- Bol. I do not know of new arrangements but I expect it is just a price increase and the 5 years and adjacent country rules remain the same. Check it out at Embassies/Consulates.
I am glad I started researching my next trip down south. Argentina is slapping North Americans with a “justified” reciprocity fee, yet I could not come out at the worst time. I “was” going to go, with my family (4 in total), to Buenos Aires for 1 week, but not anymore. The US$400 I would have gotten charged at the airport would have definitely made a dent on my budget. Mexico City it is… so after all “little changes” like the one mentioned before do affect people’s travel plans…
I was just about to book 2 tickets down there for my girlfriend and myself and decided to go somewhere else instead.. Seems like that is 6 people not going from the US, not a lot, but it is not going to encourage people to go there, flights are already expensive enough.
This administration is desperately looking to jack anyone it possibly can. Farmers? No? How about the pension system? How about visiting Americans then? Oh good idea! We’ll say it’s because they do it too overlooking any obvious common sense differences in immigration requirements between the two countries.
The bitter irony of course is argentina as a whole is likely to lose as much or more as the government will gain from price gouging tourists. I swear this country is obsessed with making every centavo it can in the here and now with no regard for tomorrow or the next day, which seems to keep the place perpetually impoverished. It’s weird. I find it difficult to believe all these people doing these deeds are really that ignorant. It seems like eventually someone would learn a thing or two about the way social and economic systems work and realize you get what you put in, that when you provide value you make sales. Rob rob rob as much as possible right now, that’s what most business decisions I’ve been privy too seems to have been based on.
I read in a different article that the visa is good for 10 years and it’s obtainable upon entry (meaning you don’t have to apply for it BEFORE arriving in Argentina) Here is the link:
http://www.workpermit.com/news/2008-10-10/argentina/immigration-tourist-visitor-fees-new-law.htm
The timing is kind of bad to do the whole reciprocity thing, but it’s only fair for Argentina to do this. We latin Americans have to pay $12 to make an over-the-phone appointment for an American visa plus $134 for the visa fee plus we have to fill out forms and stuff. If we get denied, we don’t get A SINGLE PENNY BACK. Talk about the rich making money off the poor, huh? Argentina is being kind enough and they’re offering the visa upon arrival, so there is no limited access to the country, you just now have to pay what you charge Argentines to visit your country.
This visa law only applies to countries who charge Argentines a visa fee, so countries like Peru, Bolivia, Brazil who do not charge Argentina do not get charged in return. My guess is, if you have dual citizenship in which one of your nationalities is visa-exempt, you can enter Argentina on such passport and avoid paying the visa fee.
Taos,
Have you heard any updates on how exactly this is going to be implemented? Will they charge it only at Ezeiza or at every border crossing from La Quiaca to Ushuaia? Will it be good fro 5 or 10 years or one-off?
Thanks!!
Thomas
I agree with “A keller” it’s an easy way to get taxes without any political consequences. However, I think it is short-sighted and they are going to lose a lot of tourism because of “you pull my hair I’ll pull yours” mentality. I have been saying for years how smart the Argentinians are for not charging a fee, b/c of the positive effects on tourism. There is a reason I’ve never been to Chile and don’t ever plan to, $100. It’s seems like a small deal but it’s a big world and a lot of options. I’m on my third trip to Argentina in 4 years and I was always impressed at how easy the visa situation is. Sure we charge you guys and it sucks, but would you rather have an unemployment at 10%+. I know that I would like to invite friends of mine to Buenos Aires but they are not going to want to visit for a week if they have to pay an extra $100.
Hey Alan what’s you tour website? I though your comments were good too.
However, I do think it’s unfair that we charge an unrefundable fee (I believe it’s the cost to process the application). I think this should be changed and hopefully it will. We lose economically from illegal immigration about as much as we gain from tourism, so it’s not as straight forward as making money from tourism for us.
But for Argentina, I think it’s more important to look at the bigger picture, employment levels, and the long term effects of such a policy. A small change like this could impact tourism by 15% over time (lost visitors and a little less spending while there) which would cause the Argentine economy to lose more than the $40 million gained.
My wife and I visit Argentina every year at least once for at least a two month period. We used to do the same type of visit to Brasil, until the late 70′s when Brasil made it an awful effort to acquire a toursit visa which had to be utilized within 90 days or it expired! Then we switched to Chile, who followed suit with collecting the fee at the airport without tourists even being forewarned. Chile applied the fee to the entire valid length of one’s visa (ie 10 years or less). The one and ONLY place the fee was collected was at the airport, when we arrived several times via cruise ship, no fee was charged. Now here comes Argentina with her version of a tourist fee, completely and totaly a smoke and mirrors situation. What a country decides to do within it’s borders is certainly their choice, however one would hope for some consistency, but after all this is Argentina, the land of double and triple standards regarding the fleecing of the golden goose, tourism. I can tollerate higher pricing (double standard airfares domestically, hotels, etc.) but they’ve gone too far with this one. It is petty, but one has to draw a mark in the sand at some point, we arrived Dec 3rd and depart Feb 3, without visiting Uruguay (due to the $134 Argentine Visa Fee) costing Buquebus two first class high speed boat fares. With sadness, we won’t return to Argentina, this is one line I will not cross !!!
FWIW, Brazil has recently relaxed the 90 day initiation, which is progress.
My understanding of the new arrival tax is that it is valid for ten years. I haven’t been able to confirm if this is ten years, tied to the specific passport or ten years straight up, regardless of passport expiration, unlike Chile.
As an airline employee (ie able to travel often, and cheaply) and a self professed cheapskate: we have visited BsAs annually, and have very much enjoyed it, generally renting an apartment for a good part of a month each year. While our $ may not be specifically fealt in the tourist areas, we do do a fair spending in barrio Norte grocery shops and other local businesses and with a certain eye doctor, etc.
My family has recently grown.. And we had planned on continuing our annual visits, but the thought of an additional $500-700 on arrival has me pondering alternate ciies. I’d hate to write off BsAs, but that’s the sort of cash that will get us an additional weeks lodging in Lima, or elsewhere… I don’t know.
My family has grown, so there are two additional arrival fees due.
The arguments in favor of the reciprocity fee are idiotic. Are you telling me that the cost of Argentina to screen people that will not overstay and do not want to harm that country is $131.00 per person. That’s BS.
My wife and I canceled our trip to Argentina. We are both from Central America originally but did not want to fork the money for our other passports that only last 5 years. We were stuck as Americans and decided to cancel everything before giving our money away to some populist measure.
What are the $131 going to be use for????? At least with the USA, we know is covering the bureaucratic and administrative fees of screening visitors. Why should US residents subsidize that expense. It makes sense that visitor forks it.
I bet you it’s just some corrupt populist measure meant to appease “el pueblo” and fatten up some politicians.
What do they think that the few countries that are charged are going to change their policies????? Like they are not thousands of Brazilians and Argentinians that do not overstay in Canada and the US. I don’t blame them. I would too. What I am criticizing is the lack of logic.
ONE CHARGE SERVES A PURPOSE. THE OTHER ONE IS JUST A TANTRUM. They do not charge citizens of countries that most do not overstay their visits….
IDIOTIC and COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. We’ll stick to Peru and Colombia, warmer people, less arrogant, and with less “infulas de grandeza.”
I recently traveled to Chile on a repeat visit and was planning on visiting Mendoza for a weekend. I have been to Bs As twice and was hoping to finally cross the boarder and visit Mendoza. However the new reciprocity tax changed my mind. I would rather stay in Chile and drink a whole lot of great wine on that side of the boader with the cash than spend 131 to drink wine on the other side. I find the whole “we are going to get even with Americans” thing offensive! …. It is not the money, it is the principle! And what control do I have as a US citizen to control my country’s policy on visas… um probably about zero! The Argentine’s want the American money they should let the tourists bring in that money and spend it in local businesses not pump the money into some politicians account! The people need the money not the government!
completely agree with Jose!!!!
I completely agree with Jose and Viajera. It’s not the money but the principle. I’m from Peru and I would not be in favor of imposing a visa entry fee to American-passport holders into my country.
Granted, it’s a tit-for-tat situation. You punch me and I’ll punch you back. However, scores of latinos try to get into America intending to overstay their welcome. And like Jose said, I don’t blame them. I might do that myself as well. Who am I to throw the first stone? We’ve got American over-stayers in Peru as well, and we can’t afford to send them back home, so just charge them one dollar for each day they’ve overstayed. And the amount of American over-stayers in Peru is minimal when compared to the number of illegal latinos (or just Peruvians for that matter) in the USA. I’m sure there isn’t a country on earth that welcomes illegal migrants and the USA is trying to control illegal immigration, as any other country would. If we need visas to go to America it’s because we have taken advantage of them and now they’re suspicious of letting us in. We have brought it upon ourselves.
And yes, I can see where the $131 is going… into some corrupted politician’s pocket.
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Hey I was just googling for info about this and came across your post. You should update the link at the top of this entry as it points to a 404.
Incorrect link:
http://www.argentinepost.com//2008/2009/12/argentina-to-charge-americans-an-airport-entry-fee.html
Correct link:
http://www.argentinepost.com/2009/12/argentina-to-charge-americans-an-airport-entry-fee.html