Arriving in BA tomorrow and have urgent ?

[tkayolson]

I am due to land in BA tomorrow morning...right now I am in Miami on a six hour layover. I flew out of LA today and they very nearly didn't let me on the plane because I had no return ticket. They finally let me on after talking with their supervisor... who relayed the message that they might not let me into Argentina if I have no return ticket. The LAN airline supervisor in Miami told me that I have to have an airline ticket out of the country in order for Arg customs to let me in. I went to the LAN ticket office and the gentleman there told me that a boat ticket to Uruguay would probably suffice but that they don't usually question US travelers anyways. After thinking about it and talking to some people is seems silly that they wouldn't let me in without proof of travel. Don't many people travel by bus in South America? And aren't bus tickets purchased in person? In the year that I've been planning this trip I have never read that I would be denied entry if I didn't have proof of departure. I have a little less than four hours before my flight to BA leaves. I would appreciate any help!!!! THANK YOU!!! -Tiffany

 

[French jurist]

It should be OK Tiffany. At worst, if someone comes to pick you up at the airport, ask this person to buy in your name a ferry ticket to Colonia (40 dollars) so that you have a safety. But it should be OK

Anyway, with Internet, you can buy the Buquebus ticket & print it! www.buquebus.com

 

[breezegirl15]

I just got here a few weeks ago without a return ticket and no one said anything to me. They just want you to pay their tax to enter the country. I don't think anyone is going to bug you.

 

[bebero]

it's a scam to get you to buy a return ticket from them.don't worry.

 

[CarverFan]

Can you quickly book your ferry to Colonia online, just google buquebus, you can always change or cancel it.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

You should be just fine. 99% of bona fide visitors just walk straight through without challenge. We've discussed this many times before on BAExpats but perhaps it would be unfair to ask you search the archives while holed up in transit in an airport so, in a nutshell, Argentina has a perfect right to expect tourists to demonstrate that they are arriving for touristic purposes and one of the ways they can do that is by showing they have a return or onward ticket. But there is no requirement or condition of entry that you should have one. If an airline is telling you different, it's come from the airline itself, not from Argentina. Maybe the airlines do this to cover their asses, maybe it's to sell more tickets - who knows?

 

[lejohnson]

I flew into BA with LAN in July without a return ticket, and no one ever said anything to me...

 

[ben]

Basically - immigration here almost never asks anything at all - they do not care.
Airlines almost always do - it is their rules.

I've even had an check-in agent offer to sell me a refundable ticket back - "Just refund it as soon as you're in the country".

 

[elclandestino]

Never been asked a return ticket anywhere in Latin America

 

[starlucia]

Technically, an airline CAN refuse to let you board without "proof of onward travel," but it seems to be rarely observed. In September I flew one-way from Madrid to Ezeiza on Lufthansa, and I had no issue whatsoever checking in online or picking up my boarding pass at the counter.