The Cops Refused To Fingerprint Me At Comisaría 23A

[rcrt]

This past week I finally got all my paperwork together to get the ball rolling on my permanent residency in Argentina.

My research on this topic lead me to the police station closest to the US embassy, Comisaría 23a on Santa Fe, very close to Plaza Italia.

On Friday, 10th of November, I was turned away from the police station because no one was there who knew what to do with my fingerprint cards. They told to come back Monday.

Today, I was turned away again. This time, they told me "We do not do that. We have stopped doing that. You have to go to reincidencia." I explained that this is not for my criminal record in Argentina but rather is for my criminal record in the United States, but they insisted "We do not take those fingerprints here anymore. You have to go to reincidencia and pay 500 pesos and it will be ready in two hours."

Is this correct? It is very possible this cop either didn't understand me or was trying to give me the run around, but if they're telling the truth, it looks like the procedure has changed and you now must go to Reincidencia, pay 500 pesos (!) and wait two hours for them to fingerprint you.

 

[ben]

Reincidencias is for the Argentine background check. The guy simply didn’t understand you and/or didn’t care to.

You need to explain - patiently - that it's NOT for a background check. Don't even explain that it's for background check in the US, so as not to confuse them. Just say it's for a tramite in the US, and the only agency they trust in Argentina is Policia Federal, now Policia de la Ciudad.

Do that and it may raise your chances of success to 50%.

 

[Musicmanman]

You’ll have to get the Argentine background check at reincodencias anyway. They available online 2 hours after they are taken. It’s electronic. $500 pesos os the expedited fee. How long you wait to have then taken depends. Might as well go and see if they can do the others at the same time.

 

[camel]

Go to a different comisaria. Your is 23, that implies there exist comisarias 1 through 22, at least.

 

[steveinbsas]

I believe that most of the comisarias stopped making fingerprint impressions for the FBI checks in the past few years and there and there was only one that would. It might have been comisiaria 23. I vaguely remember someone posting it was near Plaza Italia. and Comisiaria 23 is located at Santa Fe 4000.

You will have to go to reincodencias to get your Certificado Antecedente Penales and they will scan your prints electronically, but I don't know if they will use ink to take prints for the FBI report. I haven't heard that the FBI would accept electronically scanned prints and even if they would, is it actually possible to get a copy of the electronic scan to send to them?

As previously indicated, the Certificado Antecedente Penalese is available on line in two hours if you pay the expedited fee and is considerably less costly ($70) if you wait five days. The report is good for 90 days, but unless they can actually take the fingerprints in ink for the FBI report, there is a chance that it might expire before the FBI report is available (unless you use a professional service to get it).

 

[citygirl]

I had to get fingerprints for a tramite in the US done and at the time, I had it done at the comisiaria on Cabildo right by the tunnel in Las Canitas - 31 maybe. This was 5 years ago though, no idea if they still do it. At the time, they were totally befuddled by it and I had to explain everything to them. How good is your Spanish?

 

[MikeB12]

I read recently on another expat group that police stations are no longer doing it and that there is one central location downtown where you can have it done. I forget the exact address. I'll post it here, if I come across it again.

 

[MatameBA]

Comisaria #27 on Camargo and Malabia did it for me back in August.

I explained my situation to the officer at the front desk. He took my passport and fingerprint sheet back into his superior's office. He reappeared a few minutes later and told me his "jefe" said it was kosher to take my prints.

He told me to sit down and wait. Another officer came, took me in the back of the station, and fingerprinted me (applying the ink with what looked like a paint roller). I had to tell him where the fingerprints on the sheet went, as he couldn't read English.

This was all done in Spanish. Like citygirl said, they were totally confused and I had to explain everything to them.

 

[rcrt]

I went to Reincidencia on Friday and they passed me around a bit before bringing me to a spooky room with a stained table and fingerprinting me.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

You have to go to Azopardo 670. No more fingerprints at the police station.