What I mess I made... advice on transfer to US bank

[chasew4483]

I overstayed my tourist visa by a few years . I don't have a bank account here in Argentina. I purchased a condo here when I arrived. I am now selling my condo, heading back to the US, and finding it impossible to try and get the money out of Argentina into my US bank account.

My realtor spent an entire day with me going around to various banks trying to open an account. I just don't think there is a bank here that is going to open an account for me with an DNI. The buyer of my condo is getting financing and the only options are a deposit into an Argentine account or cash in USD.

I am thinking my only option is crypto. I want to take my USD (crisp, big face) and buy USDT. I will have the deed from my sale that I can use later when I file my taxes to show the source of funds. I am wondering if anyone has worked with buying USDT here in Argentina using cash. Anything I should look out for? Anything I should look for when finding cambios that will handle the transaction?

I appreciate any advice. Yes, I should have thought this through a long time ago.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Howdy Chase,

Before we get started, you have some conflicting statements:

"I am now selling my condo"

"I want to take my USD (crisp, big face)"

Which is it, are you selling? Or have you already sold? Usually the property is sold when you receive the cash.

 

[chasew4483]

I expect to close on the condo in about a week. At that time I will be paid in USD for the condo.

 

[MarshallE]

It's possible with a lot of effort to open bank accounts in Argentina as a tourist, you'd need to get a tax ID first (CDI if you already had one otherwise now a CUIT) it'll probably take a week or two to make it work but it will work more or less. Otherwise you can use a trusted exchanger in BA

 

[LuckyLuke]

Pardon the obvious, but is there a reason you didn't want to wait for a buyer who has the capacity to wire funds directly to your USD account? It is the simplest, safest option.

 

[FrankPintor]

There are "casas de cambio" that will take your cash and transfer it to a foreign account. We've used the one in Belgrano, the normal outlet is on Echeverria 2429, and for bigger operations, the office is around the corner in the Boulevard Los Andes mall on Cabildo 2040.

I don't know what limits they have, or which countries they transfer to, we've sent smaller amounts to banks in Panama.

I think quite a few places offer this type of service.

 

[chasew4483]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I received a private message suggesting Banco Piano. I just left their office and it seems they handle this without any issue. I am even going to have the closing done there. It is expensive, 3.6%! But I have looked everywhere for an option and it is only this or buying USDT with a cambio which I don’t feel comfortable with and is even more expensivs.

In regards to why I didn’t wait for a buyer to do a direct wire to my US account… I assumed I would get paid with a wire to my US account. I didn’t think it would be a problem. The issue came up recently as we are one week from closing. The buyer is financing the purchase which only happens national banks which will only wire the funds to another argentine account.

If anyone as careless as myself ends up in a similar situation Banco Piano is a solid, legal option.

Cheers!

 

[nikad]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I received a private message suggesting Banco Piano. I just left their office and it seems they handle this without any issue. I am even going to have the closing done there. It is expensive, 3.6%! But I have looked everywhere for an option and it is only this or buying USDT with a cambio which I don’t feel comfortable with and is even more expensivs.

In regards to why I didn’t wait for a buyer to do a direct wire to my US account… I assumed I would get paid with a wire to my US account. I didn’t think it would be a problem. The issue came up recently as we are one week from closing. The buyer is financing the purchase which only happens national banks which will only wire the funds to another argentine account.

If anyone as careless as myself ends up in a similar situation Banco Piano is a solid, legal option.

Cheers!

Banco Piano on Cabildo avenue has been doing this for many decades, they are not cheap but they are very reliable.

 

[AleksKarl]

Since you already have Banco Piano lined up, a few things to settle before the closing day. Get the quote in writing: the percentage, the exact amount that will leave Argentina, the receiving account and the date it should arrive. Keep the deed, the purchase contract and anything showing where the money came from, because the US bank may ask for them when it lands. If part of it will be cash dollars, count and check the bills at the office and ask in advance about the condition they accept; worn or marked notes are the usual reason for a rejected exchange. If you also compare the USDT route, rates for cash USD at exchange houses on 6 Nov 2026 (evening, Buenos Aires) ran from 1,515 to 1,555 pesos per dollar across 12 exchangers, so ask for the all-in number before you hand anything over. I am not a lawyer or an adviser; a local accountant for the tax side is worth an hour.