clamping down on perma-tourists

[sesamosinsal]

Well, my idea here is that if the only people being hassled at the border are citizens of the U.S., Canada or Australia, migraciones could be enforcing some reciprocal time limit that we've not been made aware of. This would not surprise me, as it seems that decisions are made rather hastily and without much notice.

If Azerty is a citizen of the U.S., Canada or Australia, then that would throw my hypothesis out the window.

 

[mini]

I'm guessing he is not from the US, Canada, Australia as azerty is the keyboard they use in Belgium & France. Canada does not usually use the azerty keyboard.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Well, since we are all just second guessing and no one really KNOWS what the laws actually state I am going to contact an Argentinian lawyer this week for an hour or 2 of his/her time to get to the bottom of what the actual laws are.

I will post the results of that meeting in this thread.

So Lee.... How did the meeting go? What did you learn?

 

[La Marlina]

After reading all the posts on this thread about 'Clamping down' on the perma-tourists, I am adding one more, to relay my most recent experience in doing the 90 day tourist visa renewal.

I am a US citizen in Buenos Aires, on a tourist visa. I have several stamps in and out of Buenos Aires and Colonia on the same day (four, five?) with various trips to the US made in between) over a one and a half year period. I have never paid the visa overstay, and have always left Argentina within the 90 days, either by going to Uruguay or the States.

I made my latest round trip about two weeks ago on Buquebus, and after reading all the negative posts on this website, I was more than a bit worried about what was going to happen.

The result? I left BA on a morning boat, and at the terminal in Colonia on the way back to BA the same day, the Argentine migraciones officer took my passport, flipped through the pages of, looked at all of the stamps in and out, gave me a nice smile and stamped my passport and gave me another three months. No raised eyebrow, no check of the calendar (I was at day 82 or something) not a single word, other then "gracias, chau!"

I'll let you know what happens in April when I go again....but as of now, I can honestly say I didn't experience anything clampdown-like, or any difference in attitude than any other migracions officer I have had to speak with in the past.

Just my two cents....

 

[steveinbsas]

I think LeavingBA's posts in this thread might have been BS.

 

[ElQueso]

Guys/Girls,

I found this page in Google after searching my problems.

I just wanted to confirm what others have been saying. I have been told my visa will not be extended at the terminal in Uruguay this morning. I only have one stamp from a trip 85 days ago to Colonia. The officer said he is not authorised to extend my current visa and I have been told I have to leave the country: it is forbidden to live here on a tourist visa and we are only allowed one extension by law.

I had to sign some document promising to leave in 5 days before I could board the ferry. I had to give my address in Argentina (that was somehow verified after a 20 minute wait) and my passport number was taken. I was also warned my passport number was now entered into a database and I would have serious problems if I tried to exit the country beyond my current visa.

I am sad that my time in Buenos Aires will be ended. But all good things come to an end. And I respect Argentina and its laws. If I am no longer welcome, then I don't want to be here anyway.

Please be careful folks!!!

I have to say, I found this post a little odd to begin with when it was posted. I really couldn't believe that someone with only one stamp in their passport would have such a large problem with immigrations. I could have understood if he was given a warning, even one that felt stern. But to have to sign some strange paper saying he was going to leave the country, in order to get back in and get his stuff to leave? I've never heard of anything like that.

And how on Earth would anyone in immigrations go check on someone's address in 20 minutes and be able to verify that the person is living there?

Just a couple of things about this alarmist post that didn't ring true with me, and now that we are reading about more people having absolutely no trouble, I just wonder who the fear monger was that posted this? Or, if this is for real, I wonder really what caused the immigration official to take this course with the guy - i.e., what did he really do to piss them off?

I'm not advocating being a perma-tourist - that is a personal choice. I was a permatourist for three years and I received one warning from a border guard once in all that time telling me that I ought to see about getting my residency. I'm not saying that people haven't encountered the odd official at one of the borders who gave them a bit more hard of a time than normal. I'm not saying that Argentinos don't have the right to enforce their immigration laws.

I am saying that I think the fear about the visa renewals AT THE BORDER is a bit more than the reality, at least at this point.

 

[steveinbsas]

I am saying that I think the fear about the visa renewals AT THE BORDER is a bit more than the reality, at least at this point.

This may be (gradually) changing with "better" computer access at the "border" (non EZE) crossings.

 

[ElQueso]

This may be (gradually) changing with "better" computer access at the "border" (non EZE) crossings.

My one warning came from a border guard leafing through my passport and seeing how many border crossings I'd had. I don't know that computer access has anything to do with it - if the Argentinos are going to change their policy the, officers are more than capable of determining multiple crossings quite easily.

And I admit that I don't recall perfectly related to Buquebus, but seems to me they have always had good computer access there anyway?

But you're right, the policy definitely could be changing, for whatever reason, and being a permatourist has a certain amount of risk associated with it, for sure.

 

[steveinbsas]

If the new visa fee is an example of "reciprocity" isn't it reasonable to also expect that Argentine migraciones will (at some point in the future) stop allowing foreigners (especially from the USA) to simply exit the country for a day and return to obtain a new "tourist" visa?

 

[Greg2231]

Except for the fact "Reasonable" and "Argentina" are like oil and water