Buenos Aires Forum: Airport Entry Fee for U.S. Citizens beginning Dec 20, 2009

I already started a thread on this... please see here

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294266-i977-k3261…

i have a british and spanish passport also. does it apply????? Only have a US green card not passport

This is bad news for tourism however I think it's EXCELLENT they are making it good for 10 years. They actually were going to start this earlier in the year and were talking about being a fee each time you visited Argentina which would have been horrible. Countries like Chile were already charging this for the life of the passport but if it's good for 10 years I don't think it's bad but definitely not "tourism friendly".

As mentioned, for a family of 4 it can add up. Still, I think Argentina is an amazing value for the money. I spent 6 weeks in Europe this summer and we spent a bloody fortune in things like taxis, dining out, etc. The dollar and Euro are high here relative to the weak peso so even with the fee your dollar goes far here in Argentina.

I know tourism is hurting all over the world right now. Argentina is desperate right now to raise money. I don't agree with the charge but I'm glad to see it's valid for 10 years which is definitely a step in the right direction.

Many people come back to Argentina over and over again. But even for those that just come 1 time I think it's still worth it. Your dollar will go much further here vs. other places around the world. We easily spent much more than that in most cities in Europe dining out just one time.

I think once the recession ends, people are going to be rediscovering Argentina again. Until unemployment starts going the other way, however, this wasn't the best time to charge a fee but governments all over the world are desperate right now to raise more income for their coffers.

Hi Barca tripleta, I think this doesn't apply to you , is only for American citizens with USA passports., not for EU citizens or EU passport holders. Just to make sure ask your embassy. By the way, we are big Barca fans too!!

excellent.........

I can't agree with you more, saintba. All of your points are well taken. We are returning for a second time and staying 2 months......but my 3 kids are flying down for 2 weeks....and so the fee hurts. However, not only do Allan and i adore BA.....we do feel like our US $$$$ goes far, so we breathe deeply and SUCK IT UP..........Ronnie

Yes, definitely if you are traveling down with kids the fee can add up but I think you have to look at the big picture. As I mentioned, in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brugges, Nice, Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, Milan and Florence at nice places for 2 people we spent at least 125 EUROS on average for a nice meal with tip and no alcohol (but with appetizers, salads, entrees and dessert). Yes, in those cities you can find affordable meals too but most things were quite expensive with the horrible exchange rate for dollars.

While inflation here has been horrible in Argentina the past few years (at least 20% a year), there is still value abound with public transportation, restaurants, city tours, etc. all being very affordable in Buenos Aires.

In London where we spent 9 nights it was pretty shocking to see what they are charging on the Metro. We bought a week pass with the Oyster card which wasn't as bad but on our 2 days before flying back to Buenos Aires we were staying in the Mayfair area. One night we decided to take the metro and were pretty surprised to see the one way fare now is 4 Pounds (u$s 6.4) for a one way fare per person.

Granted in the 6+ years I've lived in Buenos Aires I've never even been on a metro nor a bus. But the reason is taxis are so darn cheap here and available 24 hours a day. In London taking taxis we spent quite a bit of money.

I still agree with you all that the government here in Argentina is very short sighted to charge this tax and it could end up being a source of losses if tourism goes down. But I also realize that desperate people do desperate things when the economy is so bad and they are in desperate need of money. Same thing will happen in the USA with all kinds of new taxes.

I still think it's a small price to pay if they truly make it good for 10 years.

Does anyone know if this Fee applies to other countries that require visas of Argentinians aswell like Canada or Australia?

Yes the reciprocity fee is also for Australians (USD 100) and Canadians (USD 70). This fee is not a visa and is based on the amount Argentinians must pay when requesting a visa for those countries.