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
US citizens do not need a visa for tourism stays of up to 90 days, and the old reciprocity fee is no longer charged. Bring a passport valid for your whole stay; six months of validity and a blank page is the safe standard. Officers can also ask for a return ticket, proof of accommodation such as your trip1 booking confirmation, and evidence of funds.
No vaccine is required to enter Argentina. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends yellow fever vaccination for travelers going to Corrientes and Misiones provinces, which include the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls. Some countries you visit afterwards may ask for a yellow fever certificate, so check your onward destination too.
Visa-free tourists get up to 90 days per entry. If you want to stay longer, you can apply once for a further 90 days through Argentina's national migration office, and you must do it before your first period runs out. Leave time for the application rather than waiting until your last week.
The AVE is an electronic travel authorization for some nationalities that would otherwise need an Argentine consular visa. It generally requires a qualifying valid US visa or an ESTA, and it allows multiple entries with stays of up to 90 days. It is not automatic: if it is refused, you apply for a consular visa, so leave plenty of time.
Every child needs their own passport, and carrying their birth certificate is worth doing. Stricter rules apply to under-18s who live in Argentina: if such a child travels with only one parent, Argentina requires a legalised permission letter from the parent who is not travelling. Check the exact format with an Argentine consulate, because these rules are enforced closely.