Moving to Bs As soon... what do I need?

[MattSanTelmo]

Hi all,
I'm flying off to Buenos Aires mid July following my graduation and was hooping to receive some advice regarding the DNI and these sorts of things.
I've been to Argentina 4 times and spent nearly 2 years there in total and this time I'm hoping to make the move on a semi-permanent basis.
My friends/girlfriend (Colombians who live in Bs As) have advised me to arrive on a normal tourist visa and once then to request a DNI (which they have told me can take a couple of months). They've told me to bring some papers along... including my birth certificate, university degree and criminal convictions history, all of which must be legalised and stamped.
My first question, is where do I get this done? I think it is at the Argentina embassy in London but not sure?
Also, what criminal history have others used? Im in the process of requesting it via a 'subject access' through the Data Protection Act but I saw that an ACPO Police certificate is also a potential, but Argentina wasn't listed as one of the countries definitely accepting them.
How did anyone else get on in relation to getting hold of a DNI? My Colombian friends didn't have a great deal of problems, but is that because they are South American? All my advise comes from them and I wasn't sure if different rules apply to British citizens than those of South American states.

I've also been told about the need to bring dollars to pay for rent etc and the difficulties of getting hold of them. What is the best way to 'bring dollars'? Im wary about bringing too much in cash so are there any alternatives? I have a British bank account which I plan on still using once out there. Hmmmm.

Please help!

Thanks a lot!
Matt

 

[Crema Americana]

How did anyone else get on in relation to getting hold of a DNI? My Colombian friends didn't have a great deal of problems, but is that because they are South American? All my advise comes from them and I wasn't sure if different rules apply to British citizens than those of South American states.

This is indeed the case - it's different for South Americans vs others. Getting a DNI is not exactly easy.

A lot has been written about the questions you ask, so you should probably use the search function and research as much as you can. It's a lot of information for someone to just type out... and there are certain things that change (like the dollar situation.)

 

[nicoenarg]

Matt, you can't get a DNI unless you're coming here married to an Argentine or on some other temporary or permanent resident status.

Secondly, you are in for a wild ride if you're going to be dependent on flow of dollars to you from whichever source. That is not to say you can't get it, its just at times its as hard as looking for big-foot or a unicorn or something.

Even having a British bank account is not going to help you because when you withdraw the money from an ATM, you get pesos at the rate of around 4.1-4.3. (unless you can leave Argentina every once in a while and withdraw money from an ATM in a neighboring country).

If you bring cash with you, which will be the best way to go I think, then you can get a rate of around 6 in the blue (black) market.

Oh and whoever told you that the DNI was going to only take a couple of months is an idiot. It took me around 4 months to get my DNI (after I asked my father-in-law to call on his contacts and pull some strings) and when I got the DNI, they had decided to change my gender to female. I went today to get that corrected and now I have to wait another 4 months. So it depends on whether the employee dealing with your papers is high, uninterested, drinking mate, kissing his colleagues or drunk and depending on what state he or she may be, your DNI could take different amount of time to arrive. But again, before you can even think about applying for a DNI, you have to have some sort of "resident" status.

Well, just like Eclair said, search the forums. But I gotta warn ya, the country is changing so much so fast that some of the information you read might already be old and expired.

 

[solerboy]

If you live in the UK all legalistations need to be done at the Legalistaton office in Milton Keynes. You can send things by post.

If you want copies legalised they must first be certified as good copies by a layer, the Legalisation office with the Legalise the lawyers signature.

Getting DNI is not a straight forward matter, you will first need to get permission for residence (residencia). This will be based on your source of income, for example as a pensioner or a recipient of rents / income from shares. I think the minimum is now 8000 pesos per month.

 

[HeyBA]

Hi Matt,

Most people have been here for a few years as a working adult before they go for the DNI without an employer. Probably smart to do the tourist visa thing for awhile and get the lay of the land while your here. Search this site for DNI for some threads on the matter.

Regarding bringing the cash. I want to make sure you get the full the scoop on the dollar situation:

Cash dollars in hand can get you a much better exchange rate than the ATM. So bring as many cash dollars as you feel comfortable with and take an official Remise like Tienda Leon from EZE to where you'll be staying.

Now here's the thing, and it's just a suggestion:

Don't tell anyone you have that many dollars, not even your girlfriend. If you tell your girlfriend, lower the amount, say you've got 900 instead of 3600, and hide the remainder in a different place. It's not your girlfriend, but her friends and friends of friends I'd worry about. Keep in mind that say you brought in a high amount like 8000, that may be the equivalent to a thief of 28000 in their minds eye, i.e., near a years income.

Don't tell your landlord or anyone you do business with that you have dollars. Say you get pesos out of the bank, and that if things are priced in dollars you'll pay in pesos at the official rate. Say this at the beginning off any transaction and have it in the contract. If you get any resistance to this, just say, I can't get dollars, sorry, in polite way. Do business in pesos.

 

[expatinowncountry]

Hi Matt,

Most people have been here for a few years as a working adult before they go for the DNI without an employer. Probably smart to do the tourist visa thing for awhile and get the lay of the land while your here. Search this site for DNI for some threads on the matter.

Regarding bringing the cash. I want to make sure you get the full the scoop on the dollar situation:

Cash dollars in hand can get you a much better exchange rate than the ATM. So bring as many cash dollars as you feel comfortable with and take an official Remise like Tienda Leon from EZE to where you'll be staying.

Now here's the thing, and it's just a suggestion:

Don't tell anyone you have that many dollars, not even your girlfriend. If you tell your girlfriend, lower the amount, say you've got 900 instead of 3600, and hide the remainder in a different place. It's not your girlfriend, but her friends and friends of friends I'd worry about. Keep in mind that say you brought in a high amount like 8000, that may be the equivalent to a thief of 28000 in their minds eye, i.e., near a years income.

Don't tell your landlord or anyone you do business with that you have dollars. Say you get pesos out of the bank, and that if things are priced in dollars you'll pay in pesos at the official rate. Say this at the beginning off any transaction and have it in the contract. If you get any resistance to this, just say, I can't get dollars, sorry, in polite way. Do business in pesos.

I think this is great advice.

 

[katti]

the easiest way is to go to the argentine embassy in your country, they will tell you what documents you need.

 

[DontMindMe]

I assume your girlfriend already have a DNI? Did she simply "request" it? My boyfriend is Colombian and while the process can be easier for them due to Mercosur connections (Colombia has associate member status), it's not just an application you turn in. He got his through the job that brought him to Buenos Aires, and even that wasn't the simplest process. He ended up hiring someone to help him. He could actually get citizenship now, but after almost five years in Argentina he's getting ready to get the heck out of dodge just like a lot of people. Search the forum; there are a zillion DNI threads. I would search the threads on finding jobs and stuff too, if I were you...

Side note: While your girlfriend and her Colombian friends will certainly be helpful during your transition, do keep in mind that they are not locals and will likely not have the broad network of connections that make life more bearable and enjoyable in Buenos Aires, especially now, when things are super crazy. Being part of a dual expat couple brings its own set of challenges, and that's a big one. Another is: you're not from BA, she's not from BA, and eventually, one or both of you may want to leave. But cross that bridge if and when you come to it. It can also be lonely if neither of you are able to make local friends (hard to do if not dating an Argentine), just the revolving door of expats from various countries. I am not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just being real with you. However, Buenos Aires is an incredible place to be in love, and Colombians tend to be so awesome, open and friendly, as I'm sure you already know! Be smart, have fun, and don't do anything stupid like get your girlfriend pregnant.

 

[MattSanTelmo]

Hey guys,
thanks for the post replies and the helpful information.
Some of you certainly do live up the reputation on this site of being incredibly negative, which may well be justified given that you are the ones with the experience, but given my experience of Bs As (yes Im aware its different when you're not living there on a permanent basis) there is no need to be quite so pessimistic.

I have actually been to Bs As and a few times before on long multi-month trips and already have a strong group of local and international (south american) friends (as does my girlfriend who has now lived there for almost a year) based in Buenos Aires.

As for the DNI, i assumed it would be different for me than for my girlfriend, but she literally requested it and received it (albeit after about 2 to 3 months). Yeah she had to pester them a few times and go to the offices and queue all day and got quite frustrated, but that sort of stuff happens.... not the end of the world.

As for the dollars, Im not planning on getting by on dollars in any sort of exclusive manner or attempting at any stage to exchange dollars into pesos, quite the opposite. I just thought that, given the advise of my girlfriend regarding the difficulties of attaining dollars and their necessity for a limited set of transactions, such as paying rent for example in some cases, it would be sensible to bring some with me or to have some access to them for necessary times.

Regarding residency and the DNI issue I guess i don't really have a clue so the advise is really good, thanks. Im not sure how my girlfriend an her friends have attained their DNI and temporary residency statuses given that they do part time work in bars/hostels etc but I'm assuming it is to do with their Colombian nationality, which of course will be of no help to me. Right... so ill go and start searching the forum re: these issues.

Thanks again for the help guys...
and try and be a bit more positive yeah!

 

[Gringoboy]

Matt, it's not negative, it's realistic.
This is not the country it once was.