Legal/logistical things besides visa/residency to prepare before moving from USA?

[sts7049]

i would not deactivate your US credit cards, thye may be useful to have in an emergency. unless of course you won't have accounts or money in the US to pay the bills, then there would be no point to keeping them.

Google Fi used to be a good option for international living, but they cracked down on their policy so i wouldn't recommend anymore using their service to live here, you'll likely get blocked eventually if you don't travel much back to the US. you can easily and cheaply get a local # and SIM. besides, local folks or businesses sometimes will act like they can't contact a foreign number.

 

[cafeamericano]

All above suggestions are good, but let me add a few less practical ones.

Take a last long look around you. Visit all your favorite places one last time. Spend some time with the relatives and friends you love best, especially the older ones, who may not be alive when you come back in 3-5 years.

If you like your weed, smoke your fill, because the cannabis situation here is wretchedly bad.

Gorge yourself on Mexican food, if you like it, because there's damn sure none to be had here that's worth a damn. Truly Divine beef, yes. Mexican food, no.

If you're male and straight, take a bit to truly appreciate American women, because while Argentine women can be delightful in their own way, they are very, very different.

Make some provision for, and give some thought to, the possibility that it may be more than the planned 3-5 years before you get back stateside. Because life consists of what happens to us instead of what we had planned.

Two of these things are no longer as true as they used to be (in my humble opinion). The Mexican food situation has improved immensely in the last year or 2. It’s still nothing compared to areas of the US that are known to have a good Mexican food scene, but CABA has some decent Mexican restaurants now. They’re more hipster/modernish but still hit the spot.

I’ll let you guess which other one is also no longer true

 

[wineguy999]

If you're male and straight, take a bit to truly appreciate American women, because while Argentine women can be delightful in their own way, they are very, very different.

Vive la différence!

 

[pixer12]

What you may need in 3 to 5 years from now..? only god knows ... ! You may need a new job..!

The year range was meant to provide context... the real Q being, what other things should I set up for a long-term relocation.

 

[sts7049]

Two of these things are no longer as true as they used to be (in my humble opinion). The Mexican food situation has improved immensely in the last year or 2. It’s still nothing compared to areas of the US that are known to have a good Mexican food scene, but CABA has some decent Mexican restaurants now. They’re more hipster/modernish but still hit the spot.

I’ll let you guess which other one is also no longer true

which restaurants?

 

[Macanudo]

Thanks! Why do you recommend a Western Union account? Do you recommend bringing a lot of USD for while I'm getting set up locally?

If your main credit cards expire soon, try to renew them before you come. You may need to use them to make online purchases for international travel. If you don't already have a Charles Schwab account, you may want to open one to take advantage of their debit card that rebates all international instant teller withdrawal fees. Western Union is a great way to transfer money to yourself from your US account, and limits the need to keep large quantities of dollars stashed in your apartment.

 

[americas]

I ported my longtime AT&T phone number to Google Voice. I did that while I was here, actually, but I could have done it before leaving.

With Google Voice, for free, I can receive & answer texts. I can also make phone calls from my old number and although I rarely do and I'm not sure if there are charges. You'll get a local phone number for a few dollars a month (welcome to argentina).

Also, for all of your friends and family, get them on Whatsapp if they aren't on it yet. Unless you have an iPhone in which case it's not so important i think.

 

[pixer12]

If your main credit cards expire soon, try to renew them before you come. You may need to use them to make online purchases for international travel. If you don't already have a Charles Schwab account, you may want to open one to take advantage of their debit card that rebates all international instant teller withdrawal fees. Western Union is a great way to transfer money to yourself from your US account, and limits the need to keep large quantities of dollars stashed in your apartment.

Hi again. What's the benefit of using Schwab vs. Western Union for accessing my USD? If I open a Schwab account, and transfer money into it from my existing U.S. bank account, would that be as useful/advantageous as transferring money to myself via Western Union? Sorry if these are super basic questions.

 

[lunar]

Hi again. What's the benefit of using Schwab vs. Western Union for accessing my USD?

During the Macri times, there was a single exchange rate determined by the market. So, people used simply to withdraw pesos from ATMs using a foreign debit card. Schwab is one of the few American banks that reimburses ATM transaction fees, including foreign ones.

Now when the blue rate is twice the official it does not make sense to use foreign cards in ATMs, unless you are planning to go to Uruguay and withdraw dollars there.

 

[darachu]

I'd suggest you renting a mail service company in your city. I've had mine since living here and find it exceptionally valuable as having items sent to you in Argentina can take weeks, or longer. My mail service in the US notifies me of any items received and if I want, they'll send pics or, if necessary, like mail-in ballots, forward them to me.

HI, do you have names of mail service companies? I'm pretty ignorant and haven't heard of this and it sounds like it would help me a lot. My permanent address is in Los Angeles.