How Much Is It Going To Cost To Step Foot In Argentina?

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Rumor has it that Argentina has finally decided to make the travel game a little more fair. Recently, the Ministry of the Interior has released a notice that the Reciprocity Tax will take effect on January 1st, 2010. It´s a fee that American, Australian and Canadian passport-holders will have to pay upon entering Argentina. Apparently, if you enter the country from any other “port” other than the Ezeiza International Airport (Buenos Aires’ main airport), you will be charged the fee upon exit.

The fees are as follows:

US = USD 131.00; Australia = USD 100.00; Canada = USD 70.00

The fees are not for a visa, which means if you have a tourist/business visa (free), you will still have to exit and enter the country every 90 days and pay the fee each time.

The tax is based on how much an Argentine has to pay in order to enter those respective countries. My Argentine friend brought this to my attention a few weeks ago:

¨Why,¨she asked, ¨does an Argentine have to pay to go to Canada or the U.S. when you can come here for free? It´s much more expensive for us to go there. That´s why I never go.¨

Eventually, the Reciprocity Tax plans to incorporate all countries that charge Argentines entry fees. Even if it is going to be more expensive for some, I guess the scales are balancing.

By Brit Weaver

About the Author

Toronto born and based, Brit is an avid leisure cyclist, coffee drinker and under-a-tree park-ist. She often finds herself meandering foreign cities looking for street eats to nibble, trees to climb, a patch of grass to sit on, or a small bookstore to sift through. You can find her musing life on her personal blog, TheBubblesAreDead.wordpress.com.