How much money do I need?

[christopherrobin]

We are going on a South American cruise from Argentina in January and I was wondering how much money I should take. We fly in the day before our cruise and will have part of Saturday night and Sunday to explore. We have never been to Argentina so not sure if I should take pescos or US$.

[Peregrina651]

The word here is to take dollars--new bills, preferrably smaller bills (though you can probably break larger bills in your hotel). You can use an ATM to get pesos for taking taxis, etc. but make sure that you have small bills there, too. Don't use 100 peso note in a taxi because of the risk of receiving your change in counterfeit.

 

How much is hard to say. What do you plan to spend money on? Are you planning to make any large purchases? Are you planning any tours?

 

Also remember that Chile and Uruguay have their own currencies.

 

Which cruise are you on? If you are sailing with us on January 4, we hope you will join our roll call (there is a link in my signature below) -- or at least join us for the Connections party (have to register for that before we sail).

[owl61]

There are ATMs in the airport ( and all over) so you need not bring either US or Canadian dollars specifically to exchange.

[greatam]

There are ATMs in the airport ( and all over) so you need not bring either US or Canadian dollars specifically to exchange.

 

BUT if Argentina institutes the new "reciprocity fee", you will need $131PP in AMERICAN CASH. You won't even get into Argentina without paying if they collect the fee as Chile does.

 

At the Santiago airport, there is a small area where you either pay the fee upon entry to Chile or show that you have already paid the fee (the stub attached to your passport). There is an ATM in the area. BUT that particular ATM is frequently OUT of money. So unsuspecting people have to be ESCORTED to the currency exchange to get money to pay the reciprocity fee IF the credit card machines are not working. Expensive and time consuming proposition.

 

I would be prepared with US CASH (NEW $20.00's) to pay the reciprocity fee in Argentina. Who knows what actual facilities they will have to collect the fee???? In fact, no one really knows whether it will be instituted.

 

Other than the reciprocity fee, IMHO, purchases over $20.00 should be made with credit cards OTHER than at street markets. DO NOT get a lot of local currency out of the ATM's. You may be STUCK with Argentine pesos when you leave the country. It is NOT particularly cheap to convert currency.

 

I travel for business frequently in SA. I RARELY have over $50.00 local currency on me. But stashed discreetly is US CASH.

[owl61]

BUT if Argentina institutes the new "reciprocity fee", you will need $131PP in AMERICAN CASH.

Are you saying that the entry/visa fee cannot be paid with plastic? Do you have any reason to think that card systems will be unworkable at the airport?

[greatam]

Are you saying that the entry/visa fee cannot be paid with plastic? Do you have any reason to think that card systems will be unworkable at the airport?

 

As I posted, using Chile's example, plastic could be an iffy proposition. The machines are FREQUENTLY off line or "out of paper" at SCL. And after the fee was initially instituted, the Chileans did NOT take ANY plastic for almost 3 years. It was US CASH, ONLY. Couldn't even pay in Chilean pesos.

 

You live there. How do you think Argentina will handle it??? Since it is a US specific fee, do they want US CASH as the Chileans did for quite a few years??? And if they institute the fee, do they have enough time to get the credit card machines all hooked up to the US networks???

[helpmesailaway]

I have some clean 50.00 bills for the fees. Should I replace them with all 20.00's? I am planning on having everything ready to go before I leave including the Argentine fee if necessary.

[greatam]

I have some clean 50.00 bills for the fees. Should I replace them with all 20.00's? I am planning on having everything ready to go before I leave including the Argentine fee if necessary.

 

I guess I don't understand your post. You can't pay EXACTLY $131.00 in either Chile or Argentina with $50.00 bills. And DON'T count on change in US dollars.

 

So if what you are asking is "should I take $50.00's (and expect to get change), at this point I would say no, get the 20's. EXACT change for the reciprocity fee IMHO is the best.

 

There are a lot of counterfeit 100's and 50's in South America. I used to recommend 100's and 50's until the counterfeiting got so extremely bad about 3 years ago. Now, I personally take mostly 20's.

[Keith1010]

My recommendation is to bring USA dollars with you. Bring crisp, fairly new, dollars. Brings some small amounts of 1.00, 5.00, 10.00, 20.00 and some 50 and 100 dollar bills. Remember during the course of your cruise you can get small amounts on board the ship. How much you need in Argentina on top of whatever fees if any are imposed when you arrive depends on where you go. If you have transportation all arranged to the hotel and can pay by credit card then you don't have to worry about cash for the transport.

 

Keith

[helpmesailaway]

I got the 50.00's to make up for part of the reciprocity fee instead of all 20.00's for the $100.00 dollar portion of the $131.00 fee. I wasn't expecting change for anything and I will have all this prepared before I leave. If $50.00 bills are frowned upon, then it is easy for me to just get all 20.00's. I want to be as prepared as possible!! My bank has been very accomodating on giving me "clean", new $$.

 

Thanks for the info.

[christopherrobin]

The word here is to take dollars--new bills, preferrably smaller bills (though you can probably break larger bills in your hotel). You can use an ATM to get pesos for taking taxis, etc. but make sure that you have small bills there, too. Don't use 100 peso note in a taxi because of the risk of receiving your change in counterfeit.

 

How much is hard to say. What do you plan to spend money on? Are you planning to make any large purchases? Are you planning any tours?

 

Also remember that Chile and Uruguay have their own currencies.

 

Which cruise are you on? If you are sailing with us on January 4, we hope you will join our roll call (there is a link in my signature below) -- or at least join us for the Connections party (have to register for that before we sail).

 

First thanks to all for helping me out. I think I will take a bit of pescos but not much since everything has been arranged by the cruise line.

 

Yes I am on the same cruise as you and have registered for the party. Looking forward to meeting you all. Also need help with some of the shore excursions. Can you recommend some?

[Peregrina651]

Yes I am on the same cruise as you and have registered for the party. Looking forward to meeting you all. Also need help with some of the shore excursions. Can you recommend some?

 

Well then come chat with us on our roll call!! We have some things planned beyond the Connections party that you might be interested in but you have to let us know. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=17397740#post17397740

 

As for help with the shorex, I'm not the one to ask. We are either touring on our own or using independent guides and I haven't really looked at what the ship is offering. If you are interested, there are still some seats open on one of the vans and then a group of us are doing a Beagle Channel catamaran cruise together in Ushuaia.

 

In the meantime, we will add your name to the list we are keeping of who has signed up for the Connections party and hope that you will come introduce yourself on the roll call.

 

 

 

 

[owl61]

You live there. How do you think Argentina will handle it??? Since it is a US specific fee, do they want US CASH as the Chileans did for quite a few years??? And if they institute the fee, do they have enough time to get the credit card machines all hooked up to the US networks???

 

The new Argentine entry/visa fee is not a "US specific" fee. It will be a fee charged to various nationalities and will be in an amount equal to what those countries charge Argentine nationals for a visa to enter their countries whether it be $131 , x amount of euros, pounds, sheckels, etc.

 

The $18 Argentine airport tax has been in existence many years and can be paid using any form of payment, US plastic included. In all the years I have been travelling to Argentina there has never been a time I could not pay the tax with a credit/debit card nor have I ever heard that there was a breakdown in systems that prevented card use.

Anything is possible and I agree that it is advisable for a savvy traveler to carry some cash, but it is extremely unlikely that visitors to Argentina will not be able to use plastic to pay the new fee in case it is actually implemented in January.

[greatam]

The new Argentine entry/visa fee is not a "US specific" fee. It will be a fee charged to various nationalities and will be in an amount equal to what those countries charge Argentine nationals for a visa to enter their countries whether it be $131 , x amount of euros, pounds, sheckels, etc.

 

The $18 Argentine airport tax has been in existence many years and can be paid using any form of payment, US plastic included. In all the years I have been travelling to Argentina there has never been a time I could not pay the tax with a credit/debit card nor have I ever heard that there was a breakdown in systems that prevented card use.

Anything is possible and I agree that it is advisable for a savvy traveler to carry some cash, but it is extremely unlikely that visitors to Argentina will not be able to use plastic to pay the new fee in case it is actually implemented in January.

 

According to my business associate (who splits his time between BA and Santiago), the new Argentine entry fee is very much "US SPECIFIC", tit for tat reciprocity. He states there are only about 9 other countries in the world that charge Argentines a high dollar amount for entry/visa and they are almost all "weird" countries-like Kazahstan, other former states of the USSR and other Communist countries.

 

He sent me this blurb from the Argentine Post (dated October 8, 2008): "Beginning January 1, tourists will have to pay a visa fee upon arrival if they come from countries that charge Argentines a similar fee. In the case of the U.S., which charges Argentines US $134 to get a visa, Americans visiting Argentina will have to pay a similar amount upon arriving at Ezeiza, Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo announced Wednesday.

 

“We’re going to charge them a reciprocity fee, which has nothing to do with a visa requirement,” Randazzo said. Argentina will maintain its open visa policy, meaning will not require tourists to get a special visa to visit. It will simply charge a fee upon arrival. The duration of visas will not change."

 

From everything I have read and hear from business associates in South America, the Argentine entry fee is directed at the US more than any other country. And since the Argentine government figures they will get about 40 million from the new fees, and 300,000 Americans visit Argentina annually, the new fee just about equals 40 million US dollars. Co-incidence???? I don't think so.

[Jade13]

The new Argentine entry/visa fee is not a "US specific" fee. It will be a fee charged to various nationalities and will be in an amount equal to what those countries charge Argentine nationals for a visa to enter their countries whether it be $131 , x amount of euros, pounds, sheckels, etc.

 

The $18 Argentine airport tax has been in existence many years and can be paid using any form of payment, US plastic included. In all the years I have been travelling to Argentina there has never been a time I could not pay the tax with a credit/debit card nor have I ever heard that there was a breakdown in systems that prevented card use.

Anything is possible and I agree that it is advisable for a savvy traveler to carry some cash, but it is extremely unlikely that visitors to Argentina will not be able to use plastic to pay the new fee in case it is actually implemented in January.

 

Has this reciprity/Visa/entry fee in affect yet? I heard they were thinking of it but was not aware it was official. We will be arriving in BA in the begining of February. Also, it we go into Brazil and back into BA, I hope we will not have to pay again?

 

The travel company we are going with to Antarctica collected an additional $20.00 for a imigration tax and I haven't figured out what that's about.

[owl61]

Has this reciprity/Visa/entry fee in affect yet? I heard they were thinking of it but was not aware it was official. We will be arriving in BA in the begining of February. Also, it we go into Brazil and back into BA, I hope we will not have to pay again?

The travel company we are going with to Antarctica collected an additional $20.00 for a imigration tax and I haven't figured out what that's about.

The entry/visa fee has not gone into effect yet. It is scheduled to be implemented Jan 1, 2009, but rumor has it that it will be delayed. It will be good for at least the life of your passport so you should not have to pay it again upon your reentry into the country on this trip.

Remember that Americans do need a visa to get into Brasil and that the visa must be issued within 90 days of your first entry into Brasil. They are generally good for multiple entries and can vary in length for up to 5 years. If you can get a 5 year visa you might be saving yourself some hassle and money down the road. I have heard the authorities can be pretty arbitrary in the length of any visa issued. If you are paying for a service to obtain your Brasilian visa, then ask them about it and see if they can wangle the longer visa for you. Don´t be disappointed if they can´t.

Why not simply ask the travel agent what the $20 fee is? Is it your airport exit tax and, if so, how is that evidenced?

[Peregrina651]

According to my business associate (who splits his time between BA and Santiago), the new Argentine entry fee is very much "US SPECIFIC", tit for tat reciprocity. He states there are only about 9 other countries in the world that charge Argentines a high dollar amount for entry/visa and they are almost all "weird" countries-like Kazahstan, other former states of the USSR and other Communist countries.

 

 

Actually, other countries that will be affected include CANADA and AUSTRALIA.

[greatam]

Actually, other countries that will be affected include CANADA and AUSTRALIA.

 

Actually, Canada and Australia pay about 1/2 what US citizens pay-$61 (75CDN) and $68 ($100AUS) USD respectively. About 1/5 the amount of Canadians and Aussies visit Argentina yearly vs the amount of Americans.

 

Some impact for sure (especially for those country's tourist' pocketbooks). But a relatively small portion of the 40 million dollars the Argentine government expects to collect on their new fee.

[Mel]

Do you know what (if anything) British passport holders would have to pay on entering Argentina after January 1/09?

[DD]

The new Argentine entry/visa fee is not a "US specific" fee. It will be a fee charged to various nationalities and will be in an amount equal to what those countries charge Argentine nationals for a visa to enter their countries whether it be $131 , x amount of euros, pounds, sheckels, etc.

 

The $18 Argentine airport tax has been in existence many years and can be paid using any form of payment, US plastic included. In all the years I have been travelling to Argentina there has never been a time I could not pay the tax with a credit/debit card nor have I ever heard that there was a breakdown in systems that prevented card use.

Anything is possible and I agree that it is advisable for a savvy traveler to carry some cash, but it is extremely unlikely that visitors to Argentina will not be able to use plastic to pay the new fee in case it is actually implemented in January.

 

Within the last 24 hours (just arrived home), I paid the $18 Argentine airport tax using a credit card. No problem -- cash or credit all works the same.

 

Rely on ATMs and take a few hundred US Dollars just in case.

[Peregrina651]

Do you know what (if anything) British passport holders would have to pay on entering Argentina after January 1/09?

 

Holders of British passports will not be subject to the new tax.

[greatam]

Holders of British passports will not be subject to the new tax.

 

I have no specific knowledge of UK passports, but doesn't the UK charge Argentines almost as much as the USA???? It seems to me when some of my business associates went to Europe for a Del Monte sponsored trip, they paid something like 65GBP for an entry visa. Or maybe they had to go in on business visa's??? Don't know-just curious.

[Peregrina651]

This is a Google translation of the article published in October 8 edition of La nacion, an Argentine newspaper. Sorry that it seems like gibberish but then most machine translations do.

 

This article in Spanish has been my source of information. I haven't found any updates from dependable sources since then; everything else that comes up on Google has been from blogs or other equally unreliable sources. In short, the available reliable information on this new tax is scarce and very little information has been issued by government sources since the October 8th announcements. I have asked sources in Buenos Aires; they know less than I do. A member of our roll call called the Argentine embassy in Berlin and they has no idea. Another member called the embassy in Australia; they knew nothing.

 

This is what was announced in La nacion:

The federal government implemented a "reciprocity fee" to the citizens of all countries that require visas Argentine processed and paid special fees to enter its territory. In other words, from the effect of the measure, which would be immediate, Argentina charged for each foreign citizen who enters the country as well as their nation to an Argentine charged for the processing of visas.

 

This means that people in countries that do not charge entrance fees not be paid, however, for example, Americans must pay $ 131, such a sum to be paid in that country's embassy for the visa application process .

This is a decision by Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo, who will be officially announced today.

As explained, the proceeds used to fund an upgrade of the computerization of all delegations of the National Directorate of Migration.

Furthermore, it seeks to make the immigration system more secure.

 

 

"Do not begin to require visas, but would only be charged a fee for admission. Formalities must not be carried out before the Argentine embassies abroad," said a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior.

 

 

U.S., Canada and Australia

account for the largest number of tourists entering Argentina from countries that require visas to the Argentines.

Other nations that require this procedure are

Saudi Arabia, Botswana, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Egypt, Estonia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Lebanon, Romania, Russia, Syria, Taiwan and Vietnam.

In some cases, the procedure involves only the presentation of a passport and photos, and complete a form.

In others, like Nigeria, require a letter of invitation or a letter of guarantee from a bank. In China, it requires a payment of $ 20.

 

 

THE NATION wanted to know what impact the measure will have on tourism, because the U.S. is the second country in number of visitors it brings to Argentina, after Brazil.

In 2007, arrived through Ezeiza 286,240 Americans and 32,925 Canadians.

According to reports from the Ministry of Tourism of the Nation, this represents 10% of foreign tourism in the country.

Between 2006 and 2007, increased by 7% the arrival of Americans in Argentina and 19% of Canadians arriving.

 

 

Sorpresa

Surprise

The decision surprised traders who work with foreign visitors.

Since the Ministry of Tourism discussed with caution and some surprise.

Sources close to the secretary, Enrique Meyer, reported that the measure will be evaluated to determine how it will affect the influx of visitors.

 

 

Since the United States embassy, diplomatic sources told La Nacion that the Argentine Foreign Ministry had not yet informed and slid not yet internalized the scope of the measure.

"We are expecting more information to speak on the topic," said a diplomatic source.

"Our goal is to preserve the momentum of tourism and trade between the two countries along with student exchanges," he said, and let it be known that, as a matter of reciprocity, which was not brought Argentina visas to American tourists.

 

 

That is not a visa processing fee, but a means of income to be paid each time they visit a foreign country.

Instead, the U.S. visa is paid once and is valid which can range from months to ten years.

 

 

The Canadian Embassy has another system: Argentines pay 245 pesos for a single entry into the country, $ 485 for multiple entry and $ 1295 per admission of a family group. Australia takes on the $ 100 visa.

 

 

link for translated article: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp%3Fnota_id%3D1057264&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtasa%2Bde%2Breciprocidad%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DRic%26sa%3DN

 

 

link for original article in Spanish: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1057264

 

 

 

[owl61]

According to the U.S. Embassy that the new Argentine VISA fee will not be going into effect on January 2, 2009 as planned but is being postponed at least until March 2009. The cost, duration and other important details remain unknown."

[zaddict]

woops