What documents do I need to travel to Argentina?
Citizens of more than 120 countries enter Argentina visa-free for up to 90 days with a valid passport. Here is what trip1 travellers should carry, including rules for children.
Updated
Entering Argentina - what you need
Argentina is one of the more relaxed South American countries to enter, and visa-free visitors no longer pay a reciprocity fee. Book your stay on trip1 first, because the address of your first night is one of the details a border officer may ask for.
- A valid passport, with six months of validity and a blank page as the safe standard to aim for.
- A visa or an AVE electronic travel authorisation if your nationality is not visa-exempt.
- A return or onward ticket.
- Proof of where you are staying, which your trip1 booking confirmation covers.
- Evidence that you can cover your costs, such as a recent bank statement.
- Extra paperwork if you are travelling with a child who lives in Argentina.
Visa-free entry and the AVE
Visa-free tourists get up to 90 days per entry. You can apply once for a further 90 days through Argentina's national migration office, and you have to do it before the first period runs out.
If your nationality is not visa-exempt, the AVE (Autorizacion de Viaje Electronica) may be an alternative to a consular visa. It is normally open to travellers who hold a qualifying valid US visa or a current ESTA, and it allows multiple entries with stays of up to 90 days.
The AVE is not automatic. If an application is refused, the traveller applies for a consular visa in the usual way, so leave plenty of time before your trip and check the current conditions with an Argentine consulate.
Travelling to Argentina with children
Every child needs their own passport and cannot travel on a parent's document. Carrying the child's birth certificate is worth doing even where it is not strictly required.
Stricter rules apply to children under 18 who live in Argentina. If such a child travels with only one parent, Argentina requires a legalised permission letter in Spanish from the parent who is not travelling, and a letter notarised abroad usually needs an apostille as well.
These requirements for minors are enforced closely at the border, so check with an Argentine consulate if your family situation is at all unusual.
Checking into a hotel in Argentina
Argentine hotels ask every adult guest for identification at check-in and record the details for guest registration. Foreign visitors should present a passport rather than a driving licence.
Your trip1 booking confirmation is what proves you have accommodation, both at the border and at the front desk. Save a PDF offline so a patchy connection does not slow your arrival down.
Some hotels ask for a payment card at check-in to hold against extras such as the minibar or restaurant charges. That hold is the hotel's own policy and is separate from how you paid for the room on trip1.
Entering Argentina - FAQ
Citizens of more than 120 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and EU member states, can enter Argentina visa-free for tourism. Other nationalities need a consular visa or an electronic travel authorisation.
Up to 90 days per entry. You can apply once for a 90-day extension through Argentina's national migration office before the first period runs out.
The AVE is an electronic travel authorisation for tourists who would otherwise need a consular visa. It generally requires a qualifying valid US visa or ESTA, and it allows stays of up to 90 days with multiple entries.
Each child needs their own passport, and it helps to carry their birth certificate. If a child who lives in Argentina travels with only one parent, a legalised Spanish-language consent letter from the other parent is required.
Usually yes. Border officers can ask for proof of onward travel, where you are staying and evidence that you can pay for the trip.
