That Tango Will Cost You $134 USD!

Argentina will be ringing in the new year with reciprocal visa fees for Americans, Australians and British travelers.

It appears that the land of Tango, Eva Peron and Patagonia is following the suit of its South American neighbors Bolivia, Brazil and Chile.

Chile presently has a reciprocal visa fee for travelers arriving via air, but does not charge the visa fee for travelers entering the country through a land border. The visa is valid for as long as your passport is valid and can be paid for at the airport upon arrival.

Bolivia on the other hand charges the reciprocal visa fee for travelers entering via land and air. It is rumored that the fee is higher at the airport, but the general fee for arriving via a land crossing is $100 USD paid to the immigration officials at the border.

For entrance to Bolivia travelers must demonstrate proof of funds and a hotel reservation. The Bolivian visa is only valid for 5 years and up to 3 entrances per year for a total of 90 days per year.

Brazil is another country that requires American travelers to have a visa, but the Brazilian visa must be applied for outside of Brazil and cannot be obtained at the airport. Travelers that arrive to Brazil without the proper visa will be denied entrance.

The Argentine visa unlike Chile and Bolivia will be valid for multiple re-entries for 10 years from the date that it is issued. According to Argentine Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo, “[the new law] will allow [the government] to raise funds for the modernization of border passes across the country” and continued that the new policy accomplishes “Equal requirements for all, regardless of country of origin” stating that “Argentine citizens visiting the United States must pay a visa fee of $134 USD, while U.S. citizens visiting Argentina may enter the country for 90 days free of charge.”

It is not clear if Argentina will be applying the new visa fee at their border crossings, but Americans traveling by air will have to pay $134 USD a person upon arrival.

The Opinion

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The cost of airfare from North America to Argentina is virtually the same or more as the cost of flying to Europe where U.S. Citizens do not need visas.

The visas in most cases are valid for a significant length of time, however how likely is it that travelers will in fact use their visa more than once?

Normally a South American trip is a once in a lifetime vacation for many travelers. Country hopping throughout South America can become costly very quickly not only because the cost of airfare is high, but the added visa fees can make it nearly outright prohibitive.

To participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) a country must meet specific requirements to qualify. Only 34 countries in the world participate in the program, of which Argentina is not one of them due to political and economic instability which is considered in the qualification process.

The last time Argentina’s currency failed was in 2001 and recently the pension funds of many Argentine citizens collapsed at the cusp of the global financial crisis in 2008.

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With the world economy suffering from a severe recession is it wise to start tacking on fees when travelers are sticking closer to home to save every cent they can?

Will countries like Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela follow suit? And what negative impact if any will this have on South America?

Peruvian authorities reasoned in 2007 that if a tourist can afford buy an airline ticket to Peru then they can afford to pay $100 a person to enter the Machu Picchu Sanctuary.

To add insult to injury on top of the new visa fees travelers are subjected to airport exit taxes which can cost up to $30 USD or more per person.

You have a better chance of traveling through the U.S. or Europe on a shoe-string than South America – It seems that in South America the Precio Gringo still applies.

Article idea: Junior a.k.a. Curlyguy18;  Original article on workpermit.com.