Unusual Situation

[steveinbsas]

You will undoubtedly have to pay the $600 overstay fee when you leave unless you leave at an "unattended" border crossing (if any actually do exist).

Does the scan of your old passport include the page with your entry stamp? If it does, I wonder what more they would ask for when you finally depart.

Unless you came here a long time ago, your first date of entry with your old passport number should be in the system.

The only thing you might have to worry about (and only if you didn't have the scanned copy of your old passport that shows your first entry) would be an accusation of entering the country "illegally" but that doesn't seem likely.

If you are leaving by air at EZE, you can try to pay the overstay fee at the Retiro Omnibus Terminal up to ten days before your scheduled departure. If they allow you to pay the fee/fine you can go straight to the airline check in at the airport. You will go through the ""final" migraciones clearance before preceding to the gate, but with the receipt for the overstay and the copy of your old passport in hand you should be OK.

If the copy of your old passport does not include the page with the entry stamp, perhaps you could get a certificate from migraciones "verifying" your date of "legal" entry. You won't be the first foreigner to leave with a new passport.

I am going to amend my post based on something I just remembered:

Based on information I've read in other threads, you DO NOT have to pay the overstay fee before you leave.

The airline may give you some flack if you haven't paid the fee, but one other member DID leave without paying. He was denied entry when he returned, but only because he had not paid the fee on line prior to returning. If $600 pesos is a significant amount of $ to you, I suggest you at least try to check in before paying the overstay fee.

If you have no intention of returning there is no reason for you to pay the fee unless the airline personnel at the check in insist that you pay it before giving you the boarding pass.

As Dr. Rubilar once posted: "There is no problem leaving."