Guide: How To Apply For Authorization For Travel Dollars

[ARbound]

Hi All,

I've taken the liberty of making a guide to demonstrate how one can apply for and hopefully get
permission from AFIP to buy USD/GBP/EUR/etc for foreign travel.

I was able to do this today, July 29th 2014 and got my dollars from Banco Galicia where I have
an account.

Let's begin.

Prerequisite:

I strongly recommend you have a bank account at a bank in Argentina. You can go to
an exchange house, but I do not have experience with doing so. You also MUST
have at least a fiscal key level 2 or higher.

Step 1:

Sign in to your AFIP account at: https://auth.afip.go.../contribuyente/

Step 2:

Click as indicated.

Step 3:

Click as indicated.

Step 4:

Click as indicated.

Step 5:

Click as indicated.

Step 6:

Click as indicated.

Step 7:

Fill in all the requested information. The only optional section is how you've paid for the trip/ticket.

 

[ARbound]

Step 8:

In this section here, you must add yourself and any dependants/family members traveling with you. Once you do, you can hit "Agregar" to populate the "Nomina..." list. This is also the page on which you enter the amount IN PESOS that you want to be authorized to buy. I applied for $73/USD per day based on the official rate + 35% tax and mine was approved.

Once you're done reviewing for errors, select "Confirmar" to make the application.

Step 9:

To check the status of the application, you are going to navigate to the original login page.
For me the application was approved instantly.

Step 10:

Click as indicated.

Step 11:

Click as indicated.

Step 12:

Click as indicated.

Step 13:

Click as indicated.

Step 14:

On this page you will be able to see the status of the application. By clicking on the application number you can access your "Constancia" to print and take to the bank.

Step 15:



Ensure all the information is accurate and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you can print your "Constancia"
by clicking "Imprimir Constancia". This will open a PDF file.

Step 16:

If everything worked you should have a piece of paper to print that looks something similar to this:

Presently, according to the AFIP office I went to downtown and trying to figure things out with the guys at the bank, the timeframe in which you can go and purchase dollars is ONE day before departure at 10 AM. If you try and buy dollars/other currencies before then, the AFIP system will prevent it.

Also, just because you apply for $1,000 USD (like we did in my example) does not mean you will be authorized to buy that many.

Lastly, even though the bank can see your approval, you MUST bring the printed PDF. You will give it to the teller, he will then print out another long receipt for you to put your name, sign, your destination country and how long you're going for.

I was able to get small bills, you just need to ask for them.

Good luck!

 

[Somewhereinba]

Good info. So much work for something that should in theory be so simple Makes you feel like a criminal.

 

[Northener]

Good info. So much work for something that should in theory be so simple Makes you feel like a criminal.

I have managed to get overseas currency 5 times since 2012 by this method (probably around 2000 dollars total). The other 4 times I applied the web site was down. Now the AFIP is asking for photocopies of my passport for each trip to show I did leave the country on the day specified and did not come back early. I suspect copies of the passport will not be enough, they will probably want them legalised by an escribano. There are also more forms to be filled in after the trip to confirm you did actually leave the country.

 

[ARbound]

Good info. So much work for something that should in theory be so simple Makes you feel like a criminal.

The teller and I talked about how we think things are being done to make it as difficult as possible to get dollars so
people don't try to leave the country for any reason. I believe they wish to make you feel like a criminal so you just
don't bother or go straight to Florida since those dollars aren't in the system like the legal AFIP ones are.

I have managed to get overseas currency 5 times since 2012 by this method (probably around 2000 dollars total). The other 4 times I applied the web site was down. Now the AFIP is asking for photocopies of my passport for each trip to show I did leave the country on the day specified and did not come back early. I suspect copies of the passport will not be enough, they will probably want them legalised by an escribano. There are also more forms to be filled in after the trip to confirm you did actually leave the country.

I haven't heard of that before, but it doesn't surprise me. I must admit that I applied for what I thought was $1,000 but turned out to be $900 +/- because I figured to aim high incase they said no I'd be closer to what I could afford. In the end I bought around $400 legally and bit more from friends to hedge, but honestly for 89 centavos I don't know if flagging yourself in the system is worth it. For me, because every dollar counts it was and since I'm not coming back (anytime soon) it didn't really matter, but for others it might make more sense to just go to the blue.

 

[Crema Americana]

One day before? Cutting it close! When my husband bought dollars, the first bank he went to told him to come back 1 day before departure. Not wanting to wait so much, he went to another bank, spoke to a manager or something, and they allowed him to buy (maybe 4 or 5 days before?) It may depend on what bank you go to or how much you complain. One day leaves a lot of room for something to go wrong.

 

[sleazemerchant]

The teller and I talked about how we think things are being done to make it as difficult as possible to get dollars so
people don't try to leave the country for any reason. I believe they wish to make you feel like a criminal so you just
don't bother or go straight to Florida since those dollars aren't in the system like the legal AFIP ones are.

The Argentine government does not care if you leave the country and is not seeking to prevent their citizens from leaving the country; they are, however, attempting to discourage overseas spending that depletes BCRA USD reserves. As such they fight tooth and nail to discourage overseas Argentine bank issued credit card use and the sale of foreign currency through the BCRA regulated circuit.