Crossing Iguazu border into Brazil

[Jteee]

Hi,

Ive got a couple of questions if I may pose them. I’m doing a whirlwind stop to Iguazu for my birthday and am hoping to squeeze in as much as I can in the 48 hours I’ll be there including sleep

1. Do Argentinian nationals need a passport to cross the border into the Brazil or is a DNI sufficient? The reason for this is that my girlfriend is a native of Buenos Aires and she does not have a passport. I’m hoping to do a helicopter tour and it seems that they all leave from the Brazilian side, so I want to know if it’s possible for my girlfriend to cross the border without a passport
2. Is the border fairly seamless? I’m a little worried about the timing because I would be crossing a week before my 90 days visa would expire and I don’t want it to come across that I’m doing a visa run. I don’t need a new visa and will be heading to Uruguay before the 90 days expires and won’t be back here for many months. Henceforth I don’t want to acquire a new visa if my crossing is interpreted as a visa run
3. Does anybody have any recommendations for helicopter tours?

I can’t wait to see Iguazu and I hope to celebrate the last birthday of my twenties seeing Iguazu from the sky, before I mourn my impending 30s haha.

Thanks!

 

[Quilombo]

1. DNI is sufficient (provided the person is a PERMANENT resident or citizen)
2. Last time I was in Iguazu (2019) my friends and I rented a car in Iguazu and crossed in to the Brazilian side since it was cheaper for hotels at the time. They didn't even stop us going in or going out, but Argentina did, and they I assume share the entry/exit data with Brazil and Paraguay. Argentine customs/immigration was painless as normal.
3. Can't help you here.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

2. Visa runs does not exist, it is called about of entry permit.

 

[Jteee]

2. Visa runs does not exist, it is called about of entry permit.

So I don’t need to worry? I can show my owned travel from Argentina to Uruguay and onto Europe if worst comes to worst?

 

[argentinaorbust]

Hi,

Ive got a couple of questions if I may pose them. I’m doing a whirlwind stop to Iguazu for my birthday and am hoping to squeeze in as much as I can in the 48 hours I’ll be there including sleep

1. Do Argentinian nationals need a passport to cross the border into the Brazil or is a DNI sufficient? The reason for this is that my girlfriend is a native of Buenos Aires and she does not have a passport. I’m hoping to do a helicopter tour and it seems that they all leave from the Brazilian side, so I want to know if it’s possible for my girlfriend to cross the border without a passport
2. Is the border fairly seamless? I’m a little worried about the timing because I would be crossing a week before my 90 days visa would expire and I don’t want it to come across that I’m doing a visa run. I don’t need a new visa and will be heading to Uruguay before the 90 days expires and won’t be back here for many months. Henceforth I don’t want to acquire a new visa if my crossing is interpreted as a visa run
3. Does anybody have any recommendations for helicopter tours?

I can’t wait to see Iguazu and I hope to celebrate the last birthday of my twenties seeing Iguazu from the sky, before I mourn my impending 30s haha.

Thanks!

1. Last time I crossed with my Argentine ex wife, she didn't need a passport but that was a long time ago, I don't think she would now but you can call resorts there to make sure.

2. Post covid - This border is a massive headache, I wouldn't cross if you don't need to but here's how it works. Most of the time, you can routinely see 2-3km long lines to both enter & exit Argentina, 5, 10 hr wait times are normal. To avoid these lines, you need to cross with an official tour operator with special permission - they have their own lines, and crossing would take 5 or 10 minutes. Current prices should be around 50 usd each way. I seriously doubt they care about permatourists at this crossing. I have my 5th consecutive permatourist visa run coming up & the Paraguayan & Bolivian borders aren't like UY & Chile crossings - here they have serious stuff to worry about.

3. Helicopters, I don't know but I'm not sure how much experience you have in Misiones/COrrientes area but it's a different world to BA. Puerto Iguazu is a hellhole (venezuela style fuel/food lines, power outages, piles of burning trash, wild brazucas, etc). Foz isn't that much better. All the best accommodation is in the resort area of the Argentine side, secured by both prefectura & gendarme in a beautiful stretch of pristine virgin jungle away from the town. I recommend you stay here, or ideally, in the new Gran Melia in the actual park for a good experience. IMO - there's no reason to even go to Brazil & I'd book everything through your resort.

Despite all the negative stuff I said, this area is truly beautiful, the Argentine side does a lot of conservation work & at least in the (Argentine) resort area it's a great experience.

 

[Jteee]

1. Last time I crossed with my Argentine ex wife, she didn't need a passport but that was a long time ago, I don't think she would now but you can call resorts there to make sure.

2. Post covid - This border is a massive headache, I wouldn't cross if you don't need to but here's how it works. Most of the time, you can routinely see 2-3km long lines to both enter & exit Argentina, 5, 10 hr wait times are normal. To avoid these lines, you need to cross with an official tour operator with special permission - they have their own lines, and crossing would take 5 or 10 minutes. Current prices should be around 50 usd each way. I seriously doubt they care about permatourists at this crossing. I have my 5th consecutive permatourist visa run coming up & the Paraguayan & Bolivian borders aren't like UY & Chile crossings - here they have serious stuff to worry about.

3. Helicopters, I don't know but I'm not sure how much experience you have in Misiones/COrrientes area but it's a different world to BA. Puerto Iguazu is a hellhole (venezuela style fuel/food lines, power outages, piles of burning trash, wild brazucas, etc). Foz isn't that much better. All the best accommodation is in the resort area of the Argentine side, secured by both prefectura & gendarme in a beautiful stretch of pristine virgin jungle away from the town. I recommend you stay here, or ideally, in the new Gran Melia in the actual park for a good experience. IMO - there's no reason to even go to Brazil & I'd book everything through your resort.

Despite all the negative stuff I said, this area is truly beautiful, the Argentine side does a lot of conservation work & at least in the (Argentine) resort area it's a great experience.

I’ve booked a hotel resort for 2 nights on the Argentinian side. I’m hoping they’ll be able to line me up with a tour operator to go to the Brazilian side to take a helicopter tour. We will only be there 48 hours so if there’s that kind of wait then I’ll give it a miss. But 50 dollars each would be worth bypassing it. Would I need cash or is a foreign credit card okay?

 

[argentinaorbust]

I’ve booked a hotel resort for 2 nights on the Argentinian side. I’m hoping they’ll be able to line me up with a tour operator to go to the Brazilian side to take a helicopter tour. We will only be there 48 hours so if there’s that kind of wait then I’ll give it a miss. But 50 dollars each would be worth bypassing it. Would I need cash or is a foreign credit card okay?

Cash dollars are worth about 10-20% less in Puerto Iguazu, right now in BA if they're giving you 400 they'll probably give you around 320-360 in Iguazu, if you can even find someone to change them, most of the time you can't & if you do they won't have much pesos (WU in Iguazu is 50k max). If you're staying in the resort area I'd just pay with card with the new visa dollar & you won't need cash, all the drivers, restaurants, etc there will take card. If you do need cash definitely change it in BA before you go.

 

[TXinBA]

1. DNI is fine. I went back in Aug '22 but I also had my US passport as backup.

2. We hired a tour company and last minute decided to go over to Brazil side. There was a line but not biggie. We stayed on the Arg side, went to Arg side first, walked around, took a car over, did the helicopter tour and then did the Brazil side, all in the same day. It was more than sufficient and even had time to have dinner in town.

3. We did the helicopter tour and it was just on the other of the Brazil border @Helisulexperience on IG. The view is great but I got stuck on the helicopter with two super inconsiderate humans who was doing videos of themselves the whole time and I got caught in the middle on the back row. I couldn't see out of the windows without their phones in my face. (I'm obviously still annoyed ). You don't get to choose who's in there with you. So just be aware, they can take up to 4 at a time. I think it was $250 or so for the two of us for 10-15 mins.

While on the Brazil side, I just used my US credit card and they just charged everything in USD (food, ticket, , etc). I assume you can just use that same US credit card on the Arg side and get it on MEP.

 

[FrankPintor]

1. DNI sufficient for Argentinian citizens and permanent residents.
2. The border checks are really very cursory, wife (Argie citizen with invalid DNI... she had applied for a new one, automatically invalidating the old one) and SIL (PR) went in December and crossed into Brazil and back without any problems. Wife shouldn't actually have been allowed to do so (we were pulled up at a different crossing later in December for exactly that reason, and had to exit on passports). If your documentation is in order, I would expect no problems.
3. No idea really, we passed a few helicopter outfits on the way to the falls in Brazil, but I didn't take note.

I don't honestly recognise the border crossing described by Argentina or Bust, which is not to say he's not telling it like it he saw it, but the times I was there there was minimal delay crossing the border in any direction. Take a taxi from your hotel, he'll wait for you at the border and give you recommendations on what to do. I wouldn't expect any problems really.

 

[argentinaorbust]

I don't honestly recognise the border crossing described by Argentina or Bust, which is not to say he's not telling it like it he saw it, but the times I was there there was minimal delay crossing the border in any direction. Take a taxi from your hotel, he'll wait for you at the border and give you recommendations on what to do. I wouldn't expect any problems really.

I spend a month or two at a time in the area for years now, it didn't used to be like that but that's how it is now. There's not always a large line, but more often than not there is. Most of the time, if you're in an official taxi it won't apply to you, but IMO unless you really need something in Brazil I wouldn't risk crossing. Most land borders with Paraguay, Brazil & a few Bolivian ones are like this now. Do not expect quick crossings.

Largas colas para entrar a Iguazú por el éxodo brasileño | El Territorio

Hubo unos tres kilómetros de autos esperando cruzar, la misma distancia entre la Aduana argentina y brasileña. Pese al refuerzo de personal, existió demoras en Migraciones

www.elterritorio.com.ar

Just a tip for those doing tourism in the area, that entire Parana River area is filled with gorgeous waterfalls, probably dozens - Iguazu just happens to be the most touristy. If you rent a car in Foz or CDE, then drive up to Guaira, I think that waterfall is actually bigger in terms of volume than Iguazu & there's 0 tourists (there's not much accommodation options either). Iguazu area is gorgeous but suffers from mass tourism.