Extension renewal experience. A warning.

[Oatmeal]

This morning I went to migration in the capital. I was under the 10 days until my current tourist permit would expired. When i got there, I went to a booth and asked for extension. The person behind the desk asked a lady with glasses (sitting in a corner desk behind the staff which wasn't serving anyone (Manager?). She stated 40.000, he replies 40.000 in cash and if I have the money. I said yes but asked why isn't it 4.000? He said price change. Gave me a ticket to wait for another booth to process and make payment.

When we were sitting, the lady that told the staff (40.000) walked out of her section and spoke to the person about to help us. We didn't like that, so we walked into building 4 to the Caja. I asked the person, how much is it to pay for an extension on a visa permit? He actually said he doesn't know and to speak to the person that was helping us. So we go back and waited. She finally helps us and the first question we asked was "how much is the extension?", she replied $16.000. Now comes the original staff who comes to her section dictating what to do and tells us it is $40.000. He basically hovered over her shoulder and was making sure she charged us $40.000. I spoke up and said my friend was here last week and it was $6.000 and we even found online from the government site stating so. He basically said you have to pay regardless so it is $40.000 and the price just changed past weekend Or something to that effect. My gf puts her phone on audio record, places on the counter and repeats what he said and asks him to confirm (lol). Not sure if he noticed but he said yes. Anyway.. took a little while to sort my info and take prints and photo. However at some point he walked back to his section and came back and said it is only $20.000. We took the receipt and went to the Caja and the dude already knew to charge us $20.000. I guess someone called.

This is a warning to all and it seems they cashier and departments are working together to see if they can charge you more. Also verify the # they give you to check online is valid. I will know in a few days if I got my 90 days but this is what they said. Sour taste on the experience with corruption.

 

[Piranha]

This morning I went to migration in the capital. I was under the 10 days until my current tourist permit would expired. When i got there, I went to a booth and asked for extension. The person behind the desk asked a lady with glasses (sitting in a corner desk behind the staff which wasn't serving anyone (Manager?). She stated 40.000, he replies 40.000 in cash and if I have the money. I said yes but asked why isn't it 4.000? He said price change. Gave me a ticket to wait for another booth to process and make payment.

When we were sitting, the lady that told the staff (40.000) walked out of her section and spoke to the person about to help us. We didn't like that, so we walked into building 4 to the Caja. I asked the person, how much is it to pay for an extension on a visa permit? He actually said he doesn't know and to speak to the person that was helping us. So we go back and waited. She finally helps us and the first question we asked was "how much is the extension?", she replied $16.000. Now comes the original staff who comes to her section dictating what to do and tells us it is $40.000. He basically hovered over her shoulder and was making sure she charged us $40.000. I spoke up and said my friend was here last week and it was $6.000 and we even found online from the government site stating so. He basically said you have to pay regardless so it is $40.000 and the price just changed past weekend Or something to that effect. My gf puts her phone on audio record, places on the counter and repeats what he said and asks him to confirm (lol). Not sure if he noticed but he said yes. Anyway.. took a little while to sort my info and take prints and photo. However at some point he walked back to his section and came back and said it is only $20.000. We took the receipt and went to the Caja and the dude already knew to charge us $20.000. I guess someone called.

This is a warning to all and it seems they cashier and departments are working together to see if they can charge you more. Also verify the # they give you to check online is valid. I will know in a few days if I got my 90 days but this is what they said. Sour taste on the experience with corruption.

Wow this is terrible! Isn't the price listed on their website? Does anyone have the website link so I can see it? I heard corruption was very bad in Argentina but aren't these people worried about getting fired?? Also, do they give you a receipt @Oatmeal? What did the receipt say? I'd be grateful if you can post the URL link of the website with price.

I am planning on moving there in 2 months and want to be prepared.

 

[BikeEnthusiast]

4000 pesos to extend your visa ? Like $2.80 ? That seems kinda insane.

I haven't had to extend for many years but I know it used to be at least $50 USD. Chile was like $100 last time I was there. I imagine anything visa related for an Argentine in the USA costs a fortune

 

[Betsy Ross]

This morning I went to migration in the capital. I was under the 10 days until my current tourist permit would expired. When i got there, I went to a booth and asked for extension. The person behind the desk asked a lady with glasses (sitting in a corner desk behind the staff which wasn't serving anyone (Manager?). She stated 40.000, he replies 40.000 in cash and if I have the money. I said yes but asked why isn't it 4.000? He said price change. Gave me a ticket to wait for another booth to process and make payment.

When we were sitting, the lady that told the staff (40.000) walked out of her section and spoke to the person about to help us. We didn't like that, so we walked into building 4 to the Caja. I asked the person, how much is it to pay for an extension on a visa permit? He actually said he doesn't know and to speak to the person that was helping us. So we go back and waited. She finally helps us and the first question we asked was "how much is the extension?", she replied $16.000. Now comes the original staff who comes to her section dictating what to do and tells us it is $40.000. He basically hovered over her shoulder and was making sure she charged us $40.000. I spoke up and said my friend was here last week and it was $6.000 and we even found online from the government site stating so. He basically said you have to pay regardless so it is $40.000 and the price just changed past weekend Or something to that effect. My gf puts her phone on audio record, places on the counter and repeats what he said and asks him to confirm (lol). Not sure if he noticed but he said yes. Anyway.. took a little while to sort my info and take prints and photo. However at some point he walked back to his section and came back and said it is only $20.000. We took the receipt and went to the Caja and the dude already knew to charge us $20.000. I guess someone called.

This is a warning to all and it seems they cashier and departments are working together to see if they can charge you more. Also verify the # they give you to check online is valid. I will know in a few days if I got my 90 days but this is what they said. Sour taste on the experience with corruption.

Nothing makes me more angry when I hear stories like this. It is fairly common here. I talked to another expat that went to renew and they had a similar story. I also think the amount they charge is based on them sizing you up to see how much they think they can get away with. Incidents like this should get reported so people get terminated. The new administration is trying to cut out corruption and on a termination spree so I'm shocked that employees would risk their jobs but it goes to show you that they have no fear and so many must be doing it. They probably all share in on the profits from this theft.

Did you get some official receipt @Oatmeal? Did the price really go up to 20,000 pesos? Or was that a scam too? I thought the rate was much higher than this to extend although I haven't had to deal with this in over a decade so I don't know what the true costs are but this seems extremely low. They really should increase the fee if it is this low. Other countries are much more expensive than this.

 

[Oatmeal]

 

[Oatmeal]

4000 pesos to extend your visa ? Like $2.80 ? That seems kinda insane.

I haven't had to extend for many years but I know it used to be at least $50 USD. Chile was like $100 last time I was there. I imagine anything visa related for an Argentine in the USA costs a fortune

https://www.migraciones.gov.ar/pdf_varios/tasas/cuadro_tarifario.pdf

 

[Oatmeal]

Nothing makes me more angry when I hear stories like this. It is fairly common here. I talked to another expat that went to renew and they had a similar story. I also think the amount they charge is based on them sizing you up to see how much they think they can get away with. Incidents like this should get reported so people get terminated. The new administration is trying to cut out corruption and on a termination spree so I'm shocked that employees would risk their jobs but it goes to show you that they have no fear and so many must be doing it. They probably all share in on the profits from this theft.

Did you get some official receipt @Oatmeal? Did the price really go up to 20,000 pesos? Or was that a scam too? I thought the rate was much higher than this to extend although I haven't had to deal with this in over a decade so I don't know what the true costs are but this seems extremely low.

20.000 in my eyes is a scam. I lied about my imaginary friend paying 6.000 last week and they replied price changed over the weekend. The fact the cashier (caja) didn't know how much is the cost when asked and when we returned he already knew to charge 20.000 seems to us that they have something going on. Also they changed the priced from 40.000 and the second person processing said it was 16.000 but changed to 40.000 when told by the other staff.

 

[Digital Nomad]

20.000 in my eyes is a scam. I lied about my imaginary friend paying 6.000 last week and they replied price changed over the weekend. The fact the cashier (caja) didn't know how much is the cost when asked and when we returned he already knew to charge 20.000 seems to us that they have something going on. Also they changed the priced from 40.000 and the second person processing said it was 16.000 but changed to 40.000 when told by the other staff.

This kind of thing annoys me here. I deal with the same thing on a smaller scale even buying fruits or veggies at the local corner store. My girlfriend who is a local will pay 50% less than me! They will just double prices because I'm a gringo. This annoys me. They purposely don't put prices out at many places so they can do this.

Prices must have really gone up. This thread said it was 4,000 pesos before.

Extending a Tourist Visa in Buenos Aires to be a permanent-tourist in Argentina

I saw another thread about over staying your tourist visa. I along with many of my friends have over stayed many times or did border runs. I never had any issues. You can read this great website with tons of information and addresses. https://inlovelyblue.com/extend-argentina-tourist-visa/

www.expatsba.com

 

[Jenn]

This morning I went to migration in the capital. I was under the 10 days until my current tourist permit would expired. When i got there, I went to a booth and asked for extension. The person behind the desk asked a lady with glasses (sitting in a corner desk behind the staff which wasn't serving anyone (Manager?). She stated 40.000, he replies 40.000 in cash and if I have the money. I said yes but asked why isn't it 4.000? He said price change. Gave me a ticket to wait for another booth to process and make payment.

When we were sitting, the lady that told the staff (40.000) walked out of her section and spoke to the person about to help us. We didn't like that, so we walked into building 4 to the Caja. I asked the person, how much is it to pay for an extension on a visa permit? He actually said he doesn't know and to speak to the person that was helping us. So we go back and waited. She finally helps us and the first question we asked was "how much is the extension?", she replied $16.000. Now comes the original staff who comes to her section dictating what to do and tells us it is $40.000. He basically hovered over her shoulder and was making sure she charged us $40.000. I spoke up and said my friend was here last week and it was $6.000 and we even found online from the government site stating so. He basically said you have to pay regardless so it is $40.000 and the price just changed past weekend Or something to that effect. My gf puts her phone on audio record, places on the counter and repeats what he said and asks him to confirm (lol). Not sure if he noticed but he said yes. Anyway.. took a little while to sort my info and take prints and photo. However at some point he walked back to his section and came back and said it is only $20.000. We took the receipt and went to the Caja and the dude already knew to charge us $20.000. I guess someone called.

This is a warning to all and it seems they cashier and departments are working together to see if they can charge you more. Also verify the # they give you to check online is valid. I will know in a few days if I got my 90 days but this is what they said. Sour taste on the experience with corruption.

Thanks for the heads up @Oatmeal. Appreciate hearing about potential scams so I can avoid them. Is there some place where you can officially report attempts to scam you? Or is it not worth reporting?

 

[Vero]

Thanks for the heads up @Oatmeal. Appreciate hearing about potential scams so I can avoid them. Is there some place where you can officially report attempts to scam you? Or is it not worth reporting?

The tourist police can be helpful when someone is trying to cheat you. But for things like stores charging you one price vs. locals I am not sure if there is anything they can do. But maybe if enough people report things like this then the person will be less likely to attempt it.

Most locals are very careful as there could be potential ramifications later.

Here is the website and contact info for the tourist police. They are nice and speak English, French, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese.

Health & Security

SecurityBuenos Aires is a safe city, but like with any large metropolis, there are some precautions to be taken. For example, it is highly convenient not to leave bags or hand bags hanging on chairs in public spaces, as well as not to walk at night in poorly-lit streets.If you have any question...

turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar

 

[BikeEnthusiast]

Wow that's pretty amazing, under $15 to renew your visa I imagine would be the cheapest of any country in the world.

The fact the people working there don't even know the price and can seemingly make up anything they want shows how unprofessional it all is.

All the fear mongering posts about how they are getting serious and cracking down on perma tourists - yeah I'll believe it when I see it. I did a same day trip to Uruguay recently and the immigration officers couldn't have cared less if Osama Bin Ladens corpse was trying to enter the country

 

[Vince]

What a disgrace! Unfortunately this type of thing is common here if they see a foreigner they usually see $$$$. It's no different with anything here and you have to be very careful here. When I was buying my property here the realtors and the Escribano they recommended tried getting me to pay all of the stamp taxes. They told me that was normal. I learned quickly that you have to be careful here.

Wow that's pretty amazing, under $15 to renew your visa I imagine would be the cheapest of any country in the world.

The fact the people working there don't even know the price and can seemingly make up anything they want shows how unprofessional it all is.

All the fear mongering posts about how they are getting serious and cracking down on perma tourists - yeah I'll believe it when I see it. I did a same day trip to Uruguay recently and the immigration officers couldn't have cared less if Osama Bin Ladens corpse was trying to enter the country

I thought the same thing. 4,000 pesos is peanuts to renew a visa. I didn't realize it was so cheap. 20,000 pesos even seems like a good deal but I guess you'd have to see what the fee is now to overstay your visa. You can't make it too high or people will just overstay and pay that fee. All these fees probably are going up.

I agree about fear mongering on visa runs. I have a few friends living here 15 years and just doing visa runs. People say maybe this is changing but I don't buy it when I read stories like this where corrupt agents are charging whatever they want.

@Oatmeal I wonder what kind of receipt they would have given you if you did pay the 40,000 pesos? Do you think they would have just given you a fake receipt? Or no receipt at all?

 

[Piranha]

https://www.migraciones.gov.ar/pdf_varios/tasas/cuadro_tarifario.pdf

Thanks a ton for the links and info! This kind of stuff really helps me. I heard a few stories like this from other expats that live down there but great to see specific info. How do you protect against stuff like this happening?

 

[Flamingo]

Thanks a ton for the links and info! This kind of stuff really helps me. I heard a few stories like this from other expats that live down there but great to see specific info. How do you protect against stuff like this happening?

Sometimes you can't really protect against someone trying to scam you. It's very common in markets to be asked for a higher price if you're a tourist or foreigner. Maybe if you have a local friend that can go with you and just speak for you. I have found that people are less likely to try to cheat a Porteño vs. a tourist. I have gone to some offices before when my foreign friend got one price.

But I see the same thing happen for many things. One time a translator wanted to charge a friend double of what they offered to charge me. It is a problem here in my country and I'm ashamed of it.

 

[Avocado]

I very ashamed and embarrassed of my country for do this to tourists and foreigner people. I hope things can change here. This should not happen here. I hope some day they get rid of all the corruption.

 

[Oatmeal]

What a disgrace! Unfortunately this type of thing is common here if they see a foreigner they usually see $$$$. It's no different with anything here and you have to be very careful here. When I was buying my property here the realtors and the Escribano they recommended tried getting me to pay all of the stamp taxes. They told me that was normal. I learned quickly that you have to be careful here.


I thought the same thing. 4,000 pesos is peanuts to renew a visa. I didn't realize it was so cheap. 20,000 pesos even seems like a good deal but I guess you'd have to see what the fee is now to overstay your visa. You can't make it too high or people will just overstay and pay that fee. All these fees probably are going up.

I agree about fear mongering on visa runs. I have a few friends living here 15 years and just doing visa runs. People say maybe this is changing but I don't buy it when I read stories like this where corrupt agents are charging whatever they want.

@Oatmeal I wonder what kind of receipt they would have given you if you did pay the 40,000 pesos? Do you think they would have just given you a fake receipt? Or no receipt at all?

I have a receipt for 20.000, I'm sure they would have given me a receipt for more. My gf is hypersensitive to BS and on top doesn't like it when I get taken advantage of. She has her past experiences to add to this. 20.000 or 40.000 sure.. doesn't matter but it is kind of hard to look at the person in the eye when they are just screwing you over while you are being a civil person. She saved me 20.000 for speaking up so I'm glad as I usually avoid confrontations.

 

[Avocado]

I have a receipt for 20.000, I'm sure they would have given me a receipt for more. My gf is hypersensitive to BS and on top doesn't like it when I get taken advantage of. She has her past experiences to add to this. 20.000 or 40.000 sure.. doesn't matter but it is kind of hard to look at the person in the eye when they are just screwing you over when you are just being a civil person. She saved me 20.000 for speaking up so I'm glad as I usually avoid confrontations.

But I wonder how it work? If you pay 40,000 and they give you receipt for 40,000 I wonder how because they have proof of the crime of overcharging? This would mean all the office and manager even high up know about it. Your girlfriend Porteña? Probably not. Maybe she also foreigner because these government office sometimes look all the foreigner people the same. I guess she not from Argentina either. Always the people know foreigner people.

I'm sorry you have to go through this.

 

[Oatmeal]

But I wonder how it work? If you pay 40,000 and they give you receipt for 40,000 I wonder how because they have proof of the crime of overcharging? This would mean all the office and manager even high up know about it. Your girlfriend Porteña? Probably not. Maybe she also foreigner because these government office sometimes look all the foreigner people the same. I guess she not from Argentina either. Always the people know foreigner people.

I'm sorry you have to go through this.

From Venezuela, I have personally witnessed prejudice (masked as racism ?) against her, which makes me sad and mad for her.

 

[earlyretirement]

This morning I went to migration in the capital. I was under the 10 days until my current tourist permit would expired. When i got there, I went to a booth and asked for extension. The person behind the desk asked a lady with glasses (sitting in a corner desk behind the staff which wasn't serving anyone (Manager?). She stated 40.000, he replies 40.000 in cash and if I have the money. I said yes but asked why isn't it 4.000? He said price change. Gave me a ticket to wait for another booth to process and make payment.

When we were sitting, the lady that told the staff (40.000) walked out of her section and spoke to the person about to help us. We didn't like that, so we walked into building 4 to the Caja. I asked the person, how much is it to pay for an extension on a visa permit? He actually said he doesn't know and to speak to the person that was helping us. So we go back and waited. She finally helps us and the first question we asked was "how much is the extension?", she replied $16.000. Now comes the original staff who comes to her section dictating what to do and tells us it is $40.000. He basically hovered over her shoulder and was making sure she charged us $40.000. I spoke up and said my friend was here last week and it was $6.000 and we even found online from the government site stating so. He basically said you have to pay regardless so it is $40.000 and the price just changed past weekend Or something to that effect. My gf puts her phone on audio record, places on the counter and repeats what he said and asks him to confirm (lol). Not sure if he noticed but he said yes. Anyway.. took a little while to sort my info and take prints and photo. However at some point he walked back to his section and came back and said it is only $20.000. We took the receipt and went to the Caja and the dude already knew to charge us $20.000. I guess someone called.

This is a warning to all and it seems they cashier and departments are working together to see if they can charge you more. Also verify the # they give you to check online is valid. I will know in a few days if I got my 90 days but this is what they said. Sour taste on the experience with corruption.

Sorry this happened to you. Argentina can be a disgrace when you have to deal with things like this. I wish I could say this kind of thing isn't common there but corruption is a big issue there. I've seen so many things in 22 years of working and living there.

Good for you @Oatmeal that you called them out on this and stood your ground. I do the same thing there and I always call people out when I spot it. Most Argentines are also against these types of things happening and a big reason why you saw the historic vote. People don't want to live with this kind of corruption. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[import export]

From Venezuela, I have personally witnessed prejudice (masked as racism ?) against her, which makes me sad and mad for her.

I've been coming to Argentina for years. Both pleasure and also work and corruption like this is a fabric of society there. It's true they attempt it far more with non-residents there. I also have a friend from Venezuela and she lives in BA and she has to go through a lot of BS as well. It doesn't matter than they aren't white and speak Spanish fluently. She has experienced this same BS.

@Oatmeal what is your plan? You will extend this for another 90 days? Then will you just do border runs? A friend is moving there and he is asking me the best route to take. I read supposed crackdowns on border runs but I don't buy it. I'm curious what the best plan is these days to live in Argentina for a year or more. He has NO interest in getting DNI there for tax reasons.