Leaving & Re-Entering on Different Passports

[elflyingkiwi]

Hi all,

I have been staying here in Argentina since October 2024. I have left twice in that time, once to Chile for five days and once to Uruguay for about the same length of time. No issues coming back in either time - just the occasional question about where I am staying, why I am here, etc.

I am slightly worried about leaving and coming back this time since I am now over the 180 days you are supposedly only allowed to have each calendar year and it would be the third time I am entering the country in the last 12 months. I am concerned that, even if I left for another week to another country, I might have issues getting back in because of this.

To renew, I am planning to do a day trip to Colonia but am concerned about issues I might have on trying to re-enter Argentina. I am lucky enough to have both an Australian and New Zealand passport - so far, I have only entered and re-entered with the NZ one. Would leaving on the NZ one and then re-entering on the same day be a good idea? In my mind, I imagine migraciones wouldn't even know that I am the same person, since the passport is the only identification they have for me each time I enter the country? As long as I leave the country on the same one I entered with (the NZ one) I don't see there being any issues?

Just seeking thoughts/opinions on what the best tactic is here. I am also aware that I can just overstay and pay a fine but I am concerned about potential issues in the future if I do this. I also know there is the option to extend the 90 day visa to a 180 day one, but I worry they would just deny me for this since I have already "extended" it twice already.

Thanks all : )

 

[cortazar]

While I don't see the harm in leaving on one passport and entering on another, trying to game the system is a bad idea. If it ever came out that you took advantage of your dual citizenship to overstay across two passports, you could have problems reentering or applying for permanent residence. I also believe that you must report all your passports as a part of the resident-application process (not sure, though).

You can look through the forums; someone recently wrote about being deported. But I do not think the immigration authorities are particularly strict. The best route to solving your problem is hire a lawyer to help you both get in good legal standing and work out the long-term status that makes sense for you. This also will save you from stress and worry every time you need to leave or enter the country.

 

[Alby]

I was advised once by an immigration lawyer not to try this trick.

 

[Vossos]

I would be extremely surprised if you weren’t flagged as the same person on either passport. And if you are questioned you won’t have a good reason for deciding to use a different passport beyond trying to game immigration

For all its faults Argentina has amongst the fairest/loosest immigration standards. I’d recommend overstaying which I think is the learned wisdom here

 

[ArgentinaVet]

This would be instantly flagged as everyone entering or leaving Argentina submits to a digital fingerprint and facial recognition technology equipped photograph. Those in combination with the same birthday and name would undoubtedly flag an alert in the system.

 

[antipodean]

They will match your two passports in their system and know both passports belong to the same person by automatically matching personal information and biometrics. There is absolutely nothing wrong or illegal with using two passports (to avoid possible administrative issues you should make sure you travel in and out with the same passport on each visit) but obviously they might have something to say about your intentions to stay longer than permitted or contrary for your stated purpose of travel. No amount of non-argentine passports will help you solve that issue.

 

[elflyingkiwi]

Hi all, thanks for all the responses.

The fact that they capture biometric data about travellers had totally slipped my mind, so they would absolutely know that you are the same person since you will have the same name, same DOB, and same fingerprints irrespective of which passport you use.

It's still kind of mind-boggling to me that simply overstaying your visa is not strictly illegal - this is definitely not the case for visa holders in Aus/NZ !

I'm in the process of finding an immigration lawyer about what the best options are for trying to stay long-term. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know! I would be very appreciative.

 

[antipodean]

On the contrary, I think it would be extremely unlikely for them to figure this out. How would they know you are the same person? When you enter the country they search for you using your passport number - doing it with your name would take too long as it would yield too many results. The only way I could imagine they would know is if the system somehow automatically matched your fingerprints up.

The only thing different on your two passports is (a) passport number (b) country of issue (c) issuing authority (d) issue and expiry dates.
Your name, DOB, place of birth, your face and any biometrics you give are the same.
Each country maintains a register of each individual person (not just passport, which change and are often multiple in nature) that enters a country.
When "John Smith" born "01JAN2000" in "Whakatane" appears twice, it triggers an alert for the immigration officer who will revise and merge the profiles into one if the photos (and/ or biometrics) match. Same things happen after a passport renewal.

Am speaking from experience having done this myself with multiple passports and travel documents and observed the info on the immigration officers screen in Argentina, Brazil and elsewhere containing every document I have ever used to enter and leave these countries. One time an immigration officer even asked "Do you also have an X passport" when I appeared on another passport.