Legal Any risk to constantly overstaying on tourist visa? How many times can you do border runs in Argentina?

[Used]

@MickMolloy you mentioned that you have overstayed for years here. Do you ever leave? What is the most times people have overstayed and paid the penalty fine and came back and did it all over again? I know people that have overstayed for years but some don't travel too much. One has overstayed and paid the fine 3 times and they got warned the last time they left EZE in July. I assume this depends on the agent.

What is the most times people have heard of people paying the overstay fee and being allowed to come back?

I know an Australian friend that has been here for 4 years. He leaves every year to go visit his family. He did it 3 times and he also got a warning on his last trip out of EZE. They said he had a red flag in his history. He doesn't quality for any residency visas as he doesn't make enough money. He did enter the country again even though they said he has been warned but I'm not sure if the warning means if he overstays again he will have a problem.

He may just go to Colombia for a few months before his tourist visa expires rather than overstay again. It sounds like some people are getting the warning after paying the overstay fee 3 times.

 

[Digital Nomad]

Wanted to post about my friend that has been overstaying in Argentina since last fall. He came in on a tourist visa and normally overstays in pervious years but he has been leaving every 90 days when the tourist visa expires and coming back in. He was at the border in Chile and at first they prevented him from entering. They flagged his passport because they could see he was just doing border runs every 3 months when his tourist visa expired.

He pleaded with them and told him that he had his girlfriend and also all his things in BA and needed to get back. He asked to speak to a manager. The manager was angry and told him they were only giving him 30 days instead of the usual 90 days to prepare so he can leave Argentina. They took down his address where he said he was staying.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? It sounds like something has changed. Maybe he shouldn't have waited exactly 90 days and do the same thing every 90 days. Or maybe just overstayed and paid the fine but it sounds like he is on their radar now. What will happen if he overstays now?

 

[Wally]

Wanted to post about my friend that has been overstaying in Argentina since last fall. He came in on a tourist visa and normally overstays in pervious years but he has been leaving every 90 days when the tourist visa expires and coming back in. He was at the border in Chile and at first they prevented him from entering. They flagged his passport because they could see he was just doing border runs every 3 months when his tourist visa expired.

He pleaded with them and told him that he had his girlfriend and also all his things in BA and needed to get back. He asked to speak to a manager. The manager was angry and told him they were only giving him 30 days instead of the usual 90 days to prepare so he can leave Argentina. They took down his address where he said he was staying.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? It sounds like something has changed. Maybe he shouldn't have waited exactly 90 days and do the same thing every 90 days. Or maybe just overstayed and paid the fine but it sounds like he is on their radar now. What will happen if he overstays now?

Some border crossings they are extra difficult and you get grumpy border guards. They are bored and it is slower there sometimes and they knit pick and look for things. You might want to talk to an immigration lawyer. I have read about things like this happening at border crossings. Probably best to leave within 30 days for a while and reset things and then fly back in with no record of overstaying. You might have problems if you overstay and pay the penalty because they likely already flagged your passport and noted the 30 day limited period to get your stuff and leave.

Once you run into a bad border agent at customs they can flag you. Probably better to just leave within the expiration for at least a month and come back in at EZE.

 

[earlyretirement]

Wanted to post about my friend that has been overstaying in Argentina since last fall. He came in on a tourist visa and normally overstays in pervious years but he has been leaving every 90 days when the tourist visa expires and coming back in. He was at the border in Chile and at first they prevented him from entering. They flagged his passport because they could see he was just doing border runs every 3 months when his tourist visa expired.

He pleaded with them and told him that he had his girlfriend and also all his things in BA and needed to get back. He asked to speak to a manager. The manager was angry and told him they were only giving him 30 days instead of the usual 90 days to prepare so he can leave Argentina. They took down his address where he said he was staying.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? It sounds like something has changed. Maybe he shouldn't have waited exactly 90 days and do the same thing every 90 days. Or maybe just overstayed and paid the fine but it sounds like he is on their radar now. What will happen if he overstays now?

I'd probably chalk it up to a grumpy border agent. The agents there on the border of Chile and Argentina are known to be like that. I agree probably a good idea to just leave before it expires since they already warned you and then come back in via EZE or through Buquebus through Uruguay.

 

[overstayed]

I'd probably chalk it up to a grumpy border agent. The agents there on the border of Chile and Argentina are known to be like that. I agree probably a good idea to just leave before it expires since they already warned you and then come back in via EZE or through Buquebus through Uruguay.

The same thing happened to me earlier this year crossing from Chile to Argentina. Those customs agents are the worst there! They have nothing better to do. I got the same 30 day warning. I thought about just overstaying but I need to leave back and forth as I have sick relatives. I did exactly what you mentioned. I left before the 30 day visa expired. Then I entered again 2 months later to Eze and did not have any problems. I have entered and left without any issues.

 

[old fart]

The same thing happened to me earlier this year crossing from Chile to Argentina. Those customs agents are the worst there! They have nothing better to do. I got the same 30 day warning. I thought about just overstaying but I need to leave back and forth as I have sick relatives. I did exactly what you mentioned. I left before the 30 day visa expired. Then I entered again 2 months later to Eze and did not have any problems. I have entered and left without any issues.

Many just overstay and pay the penalty. I wonder if this will change. I can't imagine Argentina will modernize and allow people to continue to break the law. Milei doesn't seem like the type that will allow this kind of thing. It sounds like you can't just overstay if you have to constantly leave to visit your family. I have been crossing back and forth to Uruguay and did not have any problems. I will just keep doing that until it doesn't work.

 

[Uncle Wong]

My amiga's friend that works for the government said that there is going to be more scrutiny for non resident foreigners in Argentina. It will probably be tougher for people to do border runs and also they said there is talk of drastically increasing the fine to overstay and then enforcing so multiple overstays in X months will get you banned from entering Argentina.

Probably a good idea to get legal residency if that is important to you.

Argentina to charge foreigners for use of universities, public hospitals

President Javier Milei’s government says it will introduce new rules allowing public hospitals and universities to charge foreigners, while tightening restrictions for expulsion and refusal of entry.

batimes.com.ar

 

[Garry]

Hi everyone, I just paid my overstay fee (habilitacion de salida) at Ezeiza Airport (EZE) so I thought I would leave a post here with info on the procedure as of December 2024, in case anyone else has to do it. There is conflicting information from different sources online so here is as much recent and relevant info as I can include.

Migraciones office:
Location: Terminal 1 Arrivals. Just past the Havanna and Open 25 HS! on the right.
Hours: Open 24/7
Cost (as of Dec. 2024): 40,000 pesos
Forms of payment: they accept credit card, but no mercado pago. That said, when I went, their cc processing wasnt working and I needed to go to Banco Nacional to pay with cash. I highly recommend bringing cash with you as a plan b.

Banco Nacional:
Location: Terminal 1 Arrivals. Just on the other side of the doors where passengers are exiting their flights. Follow signs for currency exchange (cambio)
Hours: open 24/7. This was a little confusing because there is a second, full service Banco Nacional in the airport that is only open 10am to 3pm. This currency exchange office where you pay the fine is open 24 hours, confirmed with the security guard at the bank.

Procedure: Tell the person at migraciones "necesito pagar la habilitacion de salida" and give them your passport. They will process you and ask for payment. You can pay there with credit card(if it's working that day) or go to Banco Nacional and pay with cash. If paying with cash, you will take a piece of paper to Banco Nacional and after paying they will ask you to sign in a few places on the paper. They will stamp the paper and give it back.

Return to Migraciones where they will print out another paper, and staple to it one of the receipts that you signed at the bank. Then you are good to go.

 

[Tomahawk]

Hi everyone, I just paid my overstay fee (habilitacion de salida) at Ezeiza Airport (EZE) so I thought I would leave a post here with info on the procedure as of December 2024, in case anyone else has to do it. There is conflicting information from different sources online so here is as much recent and relevant info as I can include.

Migraciones office:
Location: Terminal 1 Arrivals. Just past the Havanna and Open 25 HS! on the right.
Hours: Open 24/7
Cost (as of Dec. 2024): 40,000 pesos
Forms of payment: they accept credit card, but no mercado pago. That said, when I went, their cc processing wasnt working and I needed to go to Banco Nacional to pay with cash. I highly recommend bringing cash with you as a plan b.

Banco Nacional:
Location: Terminal 1 Arrivals. Just on the other side of the doors where passengers are exiting their flights. Follow signs for currency exchange (cambio)
Hours: open 24/7. This was a little confusing because there is a second, full service Banco Nacional in the airport that is only open 10am to 3pm. This currency exchange office where you pay the fine is open 24 hours, confirmed with the security guard at the bank.

Procedure: Tell the person at migraciones "necesito pagar la habilitacion de salida" and give them your passport. They will process you and ask for payment. You can pay there with credit card(if it's working that day) or go to Banco Nacional and pay with cash. If paying with cash, you will take a piece of paper to Banco Nacional and after paying they will ask you to sign in a few places on the paper. They will stamp the paper and give it back.

Return to Migraciones where they will print out another paper, and staple to it one of the receipts that you signed at the bank. Then you are good to go.

Thanks Garry. Good to know you did not have any problems. Was this the first time you. have done this? Or have you done it multiple times?

 

[Garry]

Thanks Garry. Good to know you did not have any problems. Was this the first time you. have done this? Or have you done it multiple times?

This was my first time. It was very easy. But I have heard from people overstaying all the time that they are getting a warning. Maybe the government is finally cracking down on overstays. But then again they really need tourism dollars so I am not sure if they can really enforce this. Tourism seems to have slowed down significantly!

 

[Surfer]

Seems like over the years people always say it will get more difficult and it never does.

 

[agua]

Wow is it really this easy to overstay? I guess we worried for nothing! Our nephew got stuck here during covid and lived in Argentina for 2 years. We mistakenly thought it was just a one time exception but it sounds like people are living here for decades. This is great news for us. Thanks.

 

[JonJLA]

Wow is it really this easy to overstay? I guess we worried for nothing! Our nephew got stuck here during covid and lived in Argentina for 2 years. We mistakenly thought it was just a one time exception but it sounds like people are living here for decades. This is great news for us. Thanks.

Overstaying in Argentina has been going on for years. No worries. Happy new year.

 

[Jeep]

Be careful if you're constantly overstaying. My friend went to do a border run just like he has done every few months over to Colonia. He is here on a tourist visa but has lived in Argentine since covid lockdown.

He has paid a few times the overstay fee as he couldn't get out on time a few times. He was coming back on friday and the customs on the Argentine side were grilling him. This has never happened before. He was very nervous but they asked him why he was constantly in Argentina. They asked how long he was staying this entry and he told them around 3 months.

They asked him where he was staying and asked the specific address and could see how long he was here. His Spanish wasn't good so he couldn't understand everything. He said they were clearly angry at him. They pointed out the 3 times that he paid the overstay fee and told him he was breaking the law staying in Argentina permanently and not as a tourist. They told him if he was leaving the country every 3 months before the expiration that was fine. They called over a manager who was very nice he said and he told him not to overstay again.

I don't know if this is something new and a new directive from migraciones. I asked him if they were trying to get a bribe and he said at no time did they ask for any money. He said they looked very bothered that he was doing this. He has been crossing many times and no one said anything to him before.

According to what they told him that he could travel around and leave before it expires without problems but constantly overstaying and paying the penalty was problematic. We often hear the reverse from some people that it's better to just pay the overstay fee but this is not what they said.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Be careful if you're constantly overstaying. My friend went to do a border run just like he has done every few months over to Colonia. He is here on a tourist visa but has lived in Argentine since covid lockdown.

He has paid a few times the overstay fee as he couldn't get out on time a few times. He was coming back on friday and the customs on the Argentine side were grilling him. This has never happened before. He was very nervous but they asked him why he was constantly in Argentina. They asked how long he was staying this entry and he told them around 3 months.

They asked him where he was staying and asked the specific address and could see how long he was here. His Spanish wasn't good so he couldn't understand everything. He said they were clearly angry at him. They pointed out the 3 times that he paid the overstay fee and told him he was breaking the law staying in Argentina permanently and not as a tourist. They told him if he was leaving the country every 3 months before the expiration that was fine. They called over a manager who was very nice he said and he told him not to overstay again.

I don't know if this is something new and a new directive from migraciones. I asked him if they were trying to get a bribe and he said at no time did they ask for any money. He said they looked very bothered that he was doing this. He has been crossing many times and no one said anything to him before.

According to what they told him that he could travel around and leave before it expires without problems but constantly overstaying and paying the penalty was problematic. We often hear the reverse from some people that it's better to just pay the overstay fee but this is not what they said.

There is a segment of the population here that wants the government to crack down on immigration issues. They are more concerned about neighboring countries like Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru vs. Americans or Europeans but maybe in a mid-term election year they are cracking down on this.

 

[LyellLanatone]

Be careful if you're constantly overstaying. My friend went to do a border run just like he has done every few months over to Colonia. He is here on a tourist visa but has lived in Argentine since covid lockdown.

He has paid a few times the overstay fee as he couldn't get out on time a few times. He was coming back on friday and the customs on the Argentine side were grilling him. This has never happened before. He was very nervous but they asked him why he was constantly in Argentina. They asked how long he was staying this entry and he told them around 3 months.

They asked him where he was staying and asked the specific address and could see how long he was here. His Spanish wasn't good so he couldn't understand everything. He said they were clearly angry at him. They pointed out the 3 times that he paid the overstay fee and told him he was breaking the law staying in Argentina permanently and not as a tourist. They told him if he was leaving the country every 3 months before the expiration that was fine. They called over a manager who was very nice he said and he told him not to overstay again.

I don't know if this is something new and a new directive from migraciones. I asked him if they were trying to get a bribe and he said at no time did they ask for any money. He said they looked very bothered that he was doing this. He has been crossing many times and no one said anything to him before.

According to what they told him that he could travel around and leave before it expires without problems but constantly overstaying and paying the penalty was problematic. We often hear the reverse from some people that it's better to just pay the overstay fee but this is not what they said.

No offense, and I'm not saying you are lying, but this exact same story has been appearing on expat boards since 2005 and earlier. I know because I have been overstaying off and on and reading it for 20 yesrs. Down to the exact phrasing about how "the crackdown is here" and "they are finally getting serious"

Anyway who knows, maybe this time it really is for real. Or maybe in 2045 we'll be here reading about how "immigration is really getting serious now" and maybe your friend if he / she exists is just telling you some exaggerations

 

[Larry]

No offense, and I'm not saying you are lying, but this exact same story has been appearing on expat boards since 2005 and earlier. I know because I have been overstaying off and on and reading it for 20 yesrs. Down to the exact phrasing about how "the crackdown is here" and "they are finally getting serious"

Anyway who knows, maybe this time it really is for real. Or maybe in 2045 we'll be here reading about how "immigration is really getting serious now" and maybe your friend if he / she exists is just telling you some exaggerations

I think isolated incidents can happen. Probably depends on if the customs guy was in a bad mood or not. I doubt they will really care. Need tourists money too much.