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.

Correct link:
http://www.argentinepost.com/2009/12/argentina-to-charge-americans-an-airport-entry-fee.html

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.

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.”

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.

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.

Hey Alan what’s you tour website? I though your comments were good too.

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