Best option to extend stay as tourist?

[recoleta]

I am about to end my allowed 90 day stay in Argentina as a tourist, and I would like 90 days more.

A quick research resulted in these options:

1. Go to Migraciones and pay $300 pesos. http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesibleingles/?categorias

2. Go to Colonia for the day with Colonia express for $268 pesos. http://www.coloniaexpress.com/ar/tarifas.aspx

3. Go to Colonia for the day with Buquebus for $234 pesos. http://www.buquebus.com/BQBWeb/servlet/com.buquebus.web.compra.daytour.ListadoDayTour?parBase=ARG

Am I missing something? Are there other (reasonable) options? Are these options correct?

Muchas gracias!

 

[citygirl]

Yes (although the 4th option is that many people overstay and just pay the 300 peso fine when they leave).

You can also take a ferry from Tigre to Carmelo in Uruguay.

 

[CMG]

If you decide to go the Migraciones route I would reccomend either going first thing at 8a.m. or at noon (the office closes at 1 p.m.). Also save yourself a lot of hassle by having your passport and any visa stamps photocopied onto a single a4 page.
We just did the colonia thing and it was pretty painless. Bring a good book. Best of luck!

 

[starlucia]

I'd go to Colonia. At least you get a fun day trip and some duty-free shopping out of it, instead of dropping 300 pesos to sit in some creepy bureaucratic gov't office for god knows how many hours.

 

[El Duderino]

Not sure why anyone would take option 1.

 

[Johnny]

I am about to end my allowed 90 day stay in Argentina as a tourist, and I would like 90 days more.

A quick research resulted in these options:

1. Go to Migraciones and pay $300 pesos. http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesibleingles/?categorias

2. Go to Colonia for the day with Colonia express for $268 pesos. http://www.coloniaexpress.com/ar/tarifas.aspx

3. Go to Colonia for the day with Buquebus for $234 pesos. http://www.buquebus.com/BQBWeb/servlet/com.buquebus.web.compra.daytour.ListadoDayTour?parBase=ARG

Am I missing something? Are there other (reasonable) options? Are these options correct?

Muchas gracias!

Never go to Migraciones. That was an option a few years ago but you run the very real risk of their giving you a hard time. They are the epicenter of hard ass when it comes to perma tourists. Even if your not really "perma" yet, I wouldn't risk it.

 

[steveinbsas]

Never go to Migraciones. That was an option a few years ago but you run the very real risk of their giving you a hard time. They are the epicenter of hard ass when it comes to perma tourists. Even if your not really "perma" yet, I wouldn't risk it.

Actually, if this is your first visit to Argentina, there is no risk whatsoever if you go to migraciones for the prorroga de permanencia (90 day extension). The only consequence of not getting the prorroga (extension) is having to pay the overstay fee at the airport when you leave.

Even if you wanted to stay in Argentina "indefinitely" going to Colonia won't make any difference. In fact, those who do so lose any "rights" they have to stay in Argentina the instant they leave.

 

[callderekm]

I am about to end my allowed 90 day stay in Argentina as a tourist, and I would like 90 days more.

A quick research resulted in these options:

1. Go to Migraciones and pay $300 pesos. http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesibleingles/?categorias

2. Go to Colonia for the day with Colonia express for $268 pesos. http://www.coloniaexpress.com/ar/tarifas.aspx

3. Go to Colonia for the day with Buquebus for $234 pesos. http://www.buquebus.com/BQBWeb/servlet/com.buquebus.web.compra.daytour.ListadoDayTour?parBase=ARG

Am I missing something? Are there other (reasonable) options? Are these options correct?

Muchas gracias!

My boyfriend and I took a weekend trip to Uruguay in September and we bought our tickets through SeaCat:

http://www.seacatcolonia.com/index.php?sitelanguaje=ES&sitecountry=AR

We ended up paying about 1/2 the price of the tickets through BuqueBus even though we boarded and traveled on the rapid BuqueBus! Not sure if this is always the case (like if SeaCat also has their own boats?) but it would be good to look into! We booked our tickets 2 or 3 weeks in advance and printed out the receipt before showing up at the terminal.

Good luck!

 

[steveinbsas]

If you decide to get the 90 day extension at migraciones you may NOT be able to go to Colonia before the end of those 90 days to get a new tourist visa. If you go to Colonia with three days left the border agent may not override the prorroga from migraciones and three days later your tourist visa would expire.

This is what a couple members have posted in other threads, but they actually may have received an "ultima prorroga" at migraciones and not have understood its meaning or made it clear in their posts.

 

[Johnny]

Actually, if this is your first visit to Argentina, there is no risk whatsoever if you go to migraciones for the prorroga de permanencia (90 day extension). The only consequence of not getting the prorroga (extension) is having to pay the overstay fee at the airport when you leave.

Even if you wanted to stay in Argentina "indefinitely" going to Colonia won't make any difference. In fact, those who do so lose any "rights" they have to stay in Argentina the instant they leave.

Steve-maybe you are right and there won't be a problem for a non perma tourist, but my last two experiences at immigration were so negative that I don't feel bad about advising not to go there. Particularly when you can spend a few hours in Colonia and not be at the possible lack of mercy in Retiro.