My experience extending tourist visitor visa - Ask Me Anything (AMA)

[TejanoExpat]

I recently went to Migraciones en Retiro to get the visa extension (prórroga). So I thought I'd give some words of advice for people wanting to extend their visa de turista past the 90 days you automatically get.

How you get there is obviously not part of the procedure sensu stricto, but I'll note that I took the train from Palermo and that day there happened to be cancelled train so I spent probably 45 minutes waiting in Palermo and then the walk from the station to the Migraciones building isn't exactly fun. At one point I crossed railroad tracks where there were two firemen gathering funds for new uniforms (that was the story, anyway -- and they were very nice if nothing else) and they told me that earlier that morning someone had been stabbed in a robbery where I was just walking. The lack of police presence in the area given a fresh stabbing seemed a little odd, but

Then I get to the building and I have to say, I expected more. I've only done a similar process once in my life (in Lima, Peru) and the difference is night and day. I feel like Migraciones here in Buenos Aires is something I'd expect on a land border crossing in the hinterlands somewhere. But here's the first piece of useful advice I'll give you: the line closest to you as you enter is for consultation and/or getting your turno (a slip of paper with a number). Go to the further away line that has a sign saying "citas turno" and when asked what you're up to, say some variant of buenos días, quisiera realizar el trámite de prórroga. Something like that.

Now, the first terrible mistake I made was getting there at 11:00ish. That wasn't my original plan, but that's how itt happened. The guy told me that they had already reached capacity for that day. Then he was telling me that the sistema was caído, viste and I had not in fact visto. He told me to come back the next day, earlier.

So I went the next day, earlier. I got there probably around 9:15 and this time I did get into the building. Once you're in there they pretty much tell you go here, then there, etc. It ended up taking a surprisingly long time (I left around 11:30). Most of it was just was waiting to be called, so I'd recommend taking a book. In the end I was given a piece of paper describing how to descargar disposición to finalize the procedure. One worrying thing is that this morning I tried to do it and after following the instructions I landed on a page that said "Debe presentarse en su Delegación para poder regularizar la situación." I hope that that will change before my flight out of the country, because if it doesn't I'm just going to take this paper and my receipt and say, yanqui entender muy poco yanqui ya pagar.

Anyway, hope this helps someone down the road!

Pd. Very important (!!) At migraciones, before entering the building, I was asked when my visa was going to expire and elsewhere I've read that you need to go in the 10-day window before it expires. I'm curious to know why that's the policy, but in any case it seems like it's enforced. Also don't forget your 4000 pesos in cash.

Thanks for your post. it was VERY helpful!

Of course, this being ARG(GH!)ENTINA, as soon as pen is put to paper or digital ink, it will change!

When I arrived it was rather chaotic. As soon as I got to the line/queue/fila, the funcionario disappeared.
A line formed behind me and when another funcionario arrived I told him in Spanish that I needed to prorrogar my tourist visa, then he told me to move to the end of the line! I told him I was the first one there so he asked the kid next to me, who said I was the primero, then he told me to wait and walked away. About 5 minutes later he waved me through to go to building 4.

After entering there was a female employee in a kind of prefab classroom building.
One guy asked her something and she told him to talk to a guy in a red shirt (camisa roja)
Then I asked her to verify where to go and she said I should talk to the man in the green shirt (camisa verde)
So I looked in the distance and no one was wearing either a green shirt or red shirt, so I asked her again and then she
pretended she didn't hear me or see me and that I wasn't there. Not a good beginning!!!

Only after I entered Building 4 did I encounter employees who treated as a human.

I then got a number and was told to go to building 6 and wait for my number to appear on the computer screen.

My number was 48 and the number on the screen was 28, so I figured that 20 numbers would take 30 or 40 minutes to process.
WRONG! It took 2 hours.

When I finally got to the Box/Caja the 20-something kid was a sweetheart, and he guided me through the process.
And after verifying my identity, taking my 10 fingerprints, my photo, etc., he gave me a printout to download a document that I would need to show to give to the migraciones when I leave the country.

 

[barbablanca]

I have just been told about a case when an extra-mercosur citizen got his “prorroga”, then going to Uruguay and not being let back in to Argentina. The lawyer who told this story explained it the way that prorroga gives a legal way to stay 90 days longer but it comes with two things:
1. It doesn’t overrule the 90 days in 180 days, so if you stayed over 90 days in Argentina as a prolonged tourist, should you leave the country, you still have to wait before coming back.
2. When one contacts the migraciones for the prorroga for the first time, it creates a “case” which automatically issues a deportation order 90 days later, not sure about the consequences of that but he claimed that if one just overstays without ever contacting migraciones, no deportation order is issued.

Another interesting turn he told is that according to the constitution, once tourist visa expires, one does not become illegal, instead, one becomes a person without visa which has full citizen rights apart from voting.

My opinion of the last statement is that it’s debatable and probably only in court. I wouldn’t like to be in a position where I had to explain that to border control.

 

[steveinbsas]

I have just been told about a case when an extra-mercosur citizen got his “prorroga”, then going to Uruguay and not being let back in to Argentina.

I have no reason to doubt that this actually happened, as individaul border officials have the power to deny reentry at thier own descretion, but, if I understand correcty, they do not have the power to override a 90 day prorroga.

One example of this was the story of an extra mercosur citizen who made a "visa run" to Uruguay and returned before their 90 day prorroga expired. That individual was allowed to reenter but was not granted a new 90 day tourist permit.

They were given ten days to leave the country (aka a deportation order).

The lawyer who told this story explained it the way that prorroga gives a legal way to stay 90 days longer but it comes with two things:
1. It doesn’t overrule the 90 days in 180 days...

Is there a specific rule (that you know of) that states that ian individual is only allowed to be in Argentina for 90 out of 180 days if they don'r have a prorroga?

Others have posted that the maximum "legal" stay in any 365 day period is 180 days, but no one that I know of has ever cited a law or decree to that effect.

if you stayed over 90 days in Argentina as a prolonged tourist, should you leave the country, you still have to wait before coming back.

There have been many extra Mercosur citizens who have overstayed their 90 day tourist permits, left the country, returned less than 90 days later, and were granted entry with a new 90 day visa, but there was a group of five expats who were dented reentry from Chile...at least one of them the first time they had ever tried.

I don't think any of them had a 90 day prorroga.

2. When one contacts the migraciones for the prorroga for the first time, it creates a “case” which automatically issues a deportation order 90 days later, not sure about the consequences of that but he claimed that if one just overstays without ever contacting migraciones, no deportation order is issued.

I did not kow this for a fact, but I am very glad you posted it.

On a related note, if I understand correctly, applying for temporary residency (such as the visa rentista) creates a case which grants a prorroga which may total more than 90 days (if numerous extensions of the precaria are granted).

I have assumed that if the temporary residency is not granted, that migraciones will issue a deportation order, but I am not sure how much time they will have to leave the country before being subject to arrest.

I have also assumed that returning to migraciones after being denied the temporary resideny and receiving a deportation order would likely result in arrest on the spot.

Someone recently asked how many times they could reapply for temporary residency if the first application was denied.

My answer was zero and suggested they stay away from migraciones if their aplication for temporary residency is denied because they would be subject to arrest and detianed until they are deported.

I would love to be wrong about that, but I would not suggest anyone even apply for temporary residency unless they are very sure they will qualify for it.

Here is the thread:

How often can you apply for the rentista visa if you are denied?

Hello everyone, I understand that there are numerous threads regarding the rentista visa but I wanted to ask specific questions pertaining to my situation. 1) If I'm currently receiving monthly dividends of $300 USD from a US ETF in a taxable brokerage account, would it be worth applying for...

baexpats.org

 

[steveinbsas]

Is there a specific rule (that you know of) that states that an individual is only allowed to be in Argentina for 90 out of 180 days if they don'r have a prorroga?

I wrote the above in response to this:

It doesn’t overrule the 90 days in 180 days, so if you stayed over 90 days in Argentina as a prolonged tourist, should you leave the country, you still have to wait before coming back.

I assume that it is the condition of the 90 day tourist permit that you only can stay in Argentina "legally" for 90 days unless you get a prorroga (though an oveerstay is not a crime), but I should have asked:

If somone overstays their 90 day tourist permit and does not get a prorroga (also available up to 30 days after the tourist permit expires),how long are they actually required by a specific rule (if one exists) to stay out of the country before coming back, or is being allowed reentry something that is always at the sole descretion of the border official?

 

[steveinbsas]

PS to my previous post: The 30 day grace period to get a 90 day prorroga includes a 50% charge over the origninal cost of the prorroga and, if I understand correcty, does not add more than 90 days to the original expiration date of the 90 day tourist permit.

Also, if I understand correctly, that the 90 day prorroga cannot be requested before the final ten days of the original permit and the prorroga adds 90 days from the date the prorroga is granted, not from the original expiration date of the 90 day tourist permit.

 

[rdino]

Went to imigraciones today to extend my tourist visa for a second time . (I already extended in November 2022), and today I was rejected!

The admin guy was very friendly though and said not to worry and just pay the fine when I leave in a few months.

So I guess you can only extend once per visit to Argentina?

 

[steveinbsas]

The admin guy was very friendly though and said not to worry and just pay the fine when I leave in a few months.

This is very good to hear, in light of this post made earlier today:

When one contacts the migraciones for the prorroga for the first time, it creates a “case” which automatically issues a deportation order 90 days later, not sure about the consequences of that but he claimed that if one just overstays without ever contacting migraciones, no deportation order is issued.

It means that migraciones does not have a policy of arresting and deporting those who overstay a prorroga.

So I guess you can only extend once per visit to Argentina?

This has always been the case, but the still unanswered question is how long you have to have been out of the country before you return to get a new 90 day tourist permit that can be extended for an additional 90 days.

 

[barbablanca]

Is there a specific rule (that you know of) that states that ian individual is only allowed to be in Argentina for 90 out of 180 days if they don'r have a prorroga?

Looks like "extra-mercosur" is not enough to describe the situation. The person that was denied entry is Russian. There is a bilateral agreement between Russia and Argentina that allows Russian nationals to stay without visa no more than 90 days in the last 180 days. I have not heard about exact rules in similar agreements with other countries but given that most other extra-mercosur nationals are allowed to stay 90 days without visa, I assume it is similar to that one with Russia.

 

[TejanoExpat]

I have just been told about a case when an extra-mercosur citizen got his “prorroga”, then going to Uruguay and not being let back in to Argentina. The lawyer who told this story explained it the way that prorroga gives a legal way to stay 90 days longer but it comes with two things:
1. It doesn’t overrule the 90 days in 180 days, so if you stayed over 90 days in Argentina as a prolonged tourist, should you leave the country, you still have to wait before coming back.
2. When one contacts the migraciones for the prorroga for the first time, it creates a “case” which automatically issues a deportation order 90 days later, not sure about the consequences of that but he claimed that if one just overstays without ever contacting migraciones, no deportation order is issued.

Another interesting turn he told is that according to the constitution, once tourist visa expires, one does not become illegal, instead, one becomes a person without visa which has full citizen rights apart from voting.

My opinion of the last statement is that it’s debatable and probably only in court. I wouldn’t like to be in a position where I had to explain that to border control.

I recently went to Migraciones en Retiro to get the visa extension (prórroga). So I thought I'd give some words of advice for people wanting to extend their visa de turista past the 90 days you automatically get.

How you get there is obviously not part of the procedure sensu stricto, but I'll note that I took the train from Palermo and that day there happened to be cancelled train so I spent probably 45 minutes waiting in Palermo and then the walk from the station to the Migraciones building isn't exactly fun. At one point I crossed railroad tracks where there were two firemen gathering funds for new uniforms (that was the story, anyway -- and they were very nice if nothing else) and they told me that earlier that morning someone had been stabbed in a robbery where I was just walking. The lack of police presence in the area given a fresh stabbing seemed a little odd, but

Then I get to the building and I have to say, I expected more. I've only done a similar process once in my life (in Lima, Peru) and the difference is night and day. I feel like Migraciones here in Buenos Aires is something I'd expect on a land border crossing in the hinterlands somewhere. But here's the first piece of useful advice I'll give you: the line closest to you as you enter is for consultation and/or getting your turno (a slip of paper with a number). Go to the further away line that has a sign saying "citas turno" and when asked what you're up to, say some variant of buenos días, quisiera realizar el trámite de prórroga. Something like that.

Now, the first terrible mistake I made was getting there at 11:00ish. That wasn't my original plan, but that's how itt happened. The guy told me that they had already reached capacity for that day. Then he was telling me that the sistema was caído, viste and I had not in fact visto. He told me to come back the next day, earlier.

So I went the next day, earlier. I got there probably around 9:15 and this time I did get into the building. Once you're in there they pretty much tell you go here, then there, etc. It ended up taking a surprisingly long time (I left around 11:30). Most of it was just was waiting to be called, so I'd recommend taking a book. In the end I was given a piece of paper describing how to descargar disposición to finalize the procedure. One worrying thing is that this morning I tried to do it and after following the instructions I landed on a page that said "Debe presentarse en su Delegación para poder regularizar la situación." I hope that that will change before my flight out of the country, because if it doesn't I'm just going to take this paper and my receipt and say, yanqui entender muy poco yanqui ya pagar.

Anyway, hope this helps someone down the road!

Pd. Very important (!!) At migraciones, before entering the building, I was asked when my visa was going to expire and elsewhere I've read that you need to go in the 10-day window before it expires. I'm curious to know why that's the policy, but in any case it seems like it's enforced. Also don't forget your 4000 pesos in cash.

FYI, when I left Migraciones, the official who processed me gave me a sheet of paper on which he wrote a 9-digit "Numero de Expediente" If you were given this number then all you need to do is type that number and your date of birth at this web site:

Consulta Unificada Migraciones | argentina.gob.ar

Estado de tu trámite Migraciones, Solicitud de Renovación de Certificado de Residencia Precaria

www.migraciones.gov.ar

I then downloaded a 3-page document with all the details of my visa extension. The immigration officer said I would need to show it to Immigration (Border Control?) at the airport when I leave Argentina.

 

[steveinbsas]

Looks like "extra-mercosur" is not enough to describe the situation. The person that was denied entry is Russian.

It looks like the person who was denied entry was making a "visa run" in order to get a new 90 day tourist visa.

Obviouly, that attempt failed big time.

There is a bilateral agreement between Russia and Argentina that allows Russian nationals to stay without visa no more than 90 days in the last 180 days.

Does this mean that Russian citizens who are subject to this agreement must leave for 90 days after a 90 day stay and then may return for an aditional 90 days?

I have not heard about exact rules in similar agreements with other countries but given that most other extra-mercosur nationals are allowed to stay 90 days without visa, I assume it is similar to that one with Russia.

To be precise, "extra-mercosur" nationals who are from "visa free" countries and are granted a 90 day "tourist permit" upon entry, are allowed to stay for 90 days, and then thay may "legaly" extend thier stay for an additional 90 days.

Some members have posted that the maximum ·legal" stay in a 365 day period for these individuals is 180 days, but there does not appear to be be a strict enforcement of this policy or rule, or even if it exists in writing.

PS: "Border runs" may result in a new 90 day visa for individuals from visa free countries, but can also result in the denial of entry.

In those cases it's always up the the immigration official at the point of enrty, but the official has no choice when it comes to an individual subject to the "90 in 180 day" rule.