Getting a Driver's License in Argentina

When I moved to Argentina six years ago, what initially kept me from driving was the chaotic mix of stray animals, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians coupled with a flagrant disregard for basic traffic laws on the part of many (most?) drivers. Eventually that chaos became the new norm, yet something else even greater was holding me back. I didn't know how to drive stick shift. My husband gave me lessons, dutifully taking me out to practice on the dusty back roads bordering the fields of sunflowers and soy, but I never quite got the hang of it. So even though I'd been driving since the age of 17, I reluctantly gave up my independence, settling—albeit temporarily—for the passenger seat. Finally, after years of being chauffeured around Necochea by my family and friends, I saved up the money to buy a car with automatic transmission (no easy feat in Argentina, where the overwhelming majority of cars for sale have a manual transmission).

With the keys to my new ride in hand, I set my sights on completing another expat rite of passage: applying for a driver's license. As a tourist, foreign drivers are free to roam the mean streets of Argentina with an international driving permit and a valid foreign license; however, residents must obtain an Argentine driver's license. (Note: Foreigners cannot apply for a driver's license without a DNI.)

The information provided here is valid for those applying for a driver's license in the province of Buenos Aires. Please note that my experience in Necochea may be different from yours. The requirements for residents of the city of Buenos Aires and other provinces vary. If you're looking to obtain your license in Capital Federal, the blog Discover Buenos Aires has a very informative post.

Process for Obtaining an Argentine Driver's License (Province of Buenos Aires)

1. Schedule an appointment. Although some municipalities have an online system for appointments, here in Necochea, you have to do it the old-fashioned way by going in person. I went to the Oficina de Licencias de Conducir, Dirección de Seguridad Pública, and I was given an appointment for almost three weeks later. I was also handed a list of the required items that I would need to present at the time of my appointment.

Requirements for Argentine Driver's License (Province of Buenos Aires)

• DNI booklet (not card) plus two photocopies of pages 2, 3, and 8
• Proof of blood type (I used my American Red Cross blood donor card)
• Two completed medical forms (Declaración Jurada de Salud), available for purchase at a nearby kiosk
• Municipal fee ($120 in Necochea, price varies by municipality), pay in advance of appointment and bring proof of payment
• Valid foreign driver's license plus a photocopy of your license

Also, in anticipation of your appointment, take some time to prepare for the written driver's exam (you can purchase a hard copy of the practice questions for a small fee or take a practice test online for free).

2. Check in. On the day of my appointment, I returned to the Oficina de Licencias de Conducir where I waited for my name to be called. I was led back to a desk and asked to present my paperwork, DNI, etc., (all of the items listed above). Next, my photo and fingerprints were taken, and I was asked to provide a digital signature. After reviewing and signing a print-out with my information, I was directed to wait until called for the vision test. I was given my paperwork to take with me.

3. Take vision test. I was asked to identify three letters on an eye chart, and I was given two pieces of paper to add to my collection of forms. The end.

4. Pay provincial fee. Payment of the provincial fee ($173) must be made at Banco Provincia or, in Necochea, at the Cámara de Comercio. I added these receipts to the pile of paperwork and forged ahead.

5. Take written exam. In Necochea, the written exam is given at the Departamento de Tránsito, across town from where my adventure began. Here I was asked to present all of my paperwork and my foreign driver's license. In some municipalities the test is computerized, but not in Necochea. The exam consisted of 56 multiple-choice questions in Spanish about the rules of the road, plus 16 questions, also multiple choice, about street signs. I passed with flying colors and was given a date to pick up my license. I was not required to take a road test, presumably because I was already a licensed driver in another country.

6. Pick up license. My license was available for pick-up at the Oficina de Licencias de Conducir about one week later.

So, now I've officially joined the ranks of the crazies, striking fear in the hearts of pedestrians and stray dogs all over Necochea, and I’ve rediscovered the joy of driving…Argentine style.

[Image credit: Agencia Nacional de Seguridad Vial]

Read More......

Argentine DNI for Foreigners

As promised, I'm back with the skinny on how to obtain an Argentine DNI for Foreigners, your key to the kingdom as an expat in Argentina.

DNI para Extranjeros | National Identity Document for Foreigners

A DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad) allows you to be a fully-functioning member of society here in Argentina. With your shiny new document, you can open a bank account, purchase property, get a cell phone contract, qualify for lower fares on domestic flights, receive discounted admission to national parks, etc., just like an Argentine citizen.

With the digital system introduced at the beginning of 2011, foreigners obtaining residency can apply for the DNI in a streamlined process right at Immigration instead of initiating a separate trámite at the Civil Registry office.

Requirements for the DNI for Foreigners [When Applied for in Conjunction with Permanent Residency]

• Fee of $40 pesos
• Permanent residency paperwork [make a photocopy for your records because Migraciones keeps the originals]
• Photocopy of the picture page of your passport

The new process to apply for a DNI is quick and modern, including digital signature capture, a digital photo and a full set of digital fingerprints. The entire process can be taken care of at the majority of immigration offices in Argentina. For more information, visit the page about the foreigner DNI [in English] on the Migraciones website.

The document will be delivered to your home by mail within 30 days.

You'll receive the burgundy DNI para Extranjeros booklet [pictured above] plus a laminated, wallet-sized card. Store the DNI booklet in a safe place and carry the DNI card around with you. You'll only need the booklet when and if you vote in local elections (as a foreigner, you cannot vote in national elections).

My DNI arrived sooner than expected. I only had to show the receipt and slip of paper I was given at Migraciones to the mailman, and before I knew it, I had my DNI in my hot little hands.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Regarding My DNI

The Good: I received my DNI in just 2 1/2 weeks.
The Bad: My new DNI lists my place of birth as Buenos Aires, Argentina!?
The Ugly: My photo is seriously unflattering…and I have to live with it for the next 15 years.

Ugh, now to go about fixing the mistake on my place of birth…

---

Argentine Residency: Mission Accomplished!
Argentine Residency: Update #1
Argentine Residency Through Marriage

Read More......

Argentine Residency: Mission Accomplished!

My Argentine permanent residency saga has come to an end. Just the other week I went online to the website for Argentina's immigration service, and I found out that my residency paperwork had been ready since June 22! So, at the first opportunity, Daniel and I headed to the immigration office in Mar del Plata to pick up my completed paperwork. Though my previous experiences there featuring a Colombian ex-con and disappearing computer records made for good blog fodder, I was really hoping for smooth sailing this time around.

I did not have to make an appointment to pick up my paperwork; I just took a number when I arrived at Migraciones. Understandably, those with appointments were given priority, even if they arrived after me, but this system lengthened my wait time considerably. Fortunately, by the time the immigration worker got around to calling out numbers, I realized that most of the people ahead of me had long since given up and left.

As she rattled off the numbers at a rate approaching the speed of light, I realized this worker had missed her true calling in life as an auctioneer. She fired off numbers 99 to 07, the latter of which I clutched in my hand. Despite my best efforts to catch her attention while wading through the masses surrounding the front desk, she'd already slipped into the back, no doubt deciding it was the perfect moment for a mate break.

When she finally made it back to the front desk, I pounced. I stated the reason for my visit and held my breath as she searched for my records in the computer. I swear the worker almost sounded surprised when she confirmed, "Yes, your paperwork is ready." She asked me to wait for a few minutes while my file was being retrieved, and I took a seat once more, feeling (prematurely) optimistic.

No more than ten minutes later, my half-inch-thick paper file emerged from the records room. The woman asked me to review my personal data for accuracy, and just as I handed back the paperwork, she announced, "It looks like the computer system's gone down. You know, this happened the other day, too, and we had to clear out the whole office because we couldn't get any work done."

As we waited for a computer technician somewhere to put a couple of 25-centavo coins in the slot to continue gameplay, the immigration worker explained that I could apply for my DNI para Extranjeros (National Identity Document for Foreigners) right there at Migraciones. She added that the document would be mailed to my home within 30 days.

A few minutes after the computer system was up and running once again, I received my official paperwork declaring me a permanent resident of Argentina.

I also completed the simple and quick process to receive my DNI, which I'll explain in detail when it arrives in August.

For all the complaining that Argentines and expats alike do about the bureaucracy here, I have to admit that the residency process turned out to be fairly efficient and painless for me. The total processing time for my permanent residency amounted to three months, and I should have my DNI in a month. I mean look at that – I only got to do one Argentine residency update! I figured I could milk that for at least two or three more blog posts. Could Argentine bureaucracy actually be improving?

Argentine Residency: Update #1
Argentine Residency Through Marriage Read More......

Bureaucrazy

The Urban Dictionary defines "bureaucrazy" as "any process or organization that sacrifices intelligence and rational thought in favor of administrative red tape." If you've been following my posts about obtaining Argentine residency, by now, you've probably come to the conclusion that this country's bureaucracy indeed qualifies as a "bureaucrazy."

Anyone who's ever come face-to-face with uptight government paper-pushers will get a kick out of this hilarious video, but I think there's a whole new level of appreciation to be had if you've specifically dealt with trámites (government paperwork) here in Argentina. Incidentally, the video was filmed in Spain (it appears that Argentina comes by its horrendous bureaucracy honestly).

[Click here if you're unable to view the video.]

Thanks to my friend Beatrice Murch for sending this video my way.

Read More......

Argentine Residency: Update #1

A little over a month has lapsed since I began the process of obtaining Argentine residency through marriage. On Monday, I received a phone call from one of the immigration officers, and I perked up immediately. He asked me to come in the following day to pick up my residencia precaria [link in Spanish], a document granting temporary residency while my permanent residency request is in process. During my previous visit to the immigration office, the officer had held out the possibility that my residency paperwork would be fully completed within one month, but in my heart of hearts, I knew that was wishful thinking. Obtaining the precaria represented a small victory, but as is usually the case with paperwork in Argentina, there was also a problem.

The immigration officer stated that I now needed a criminal background check from Interpol to complete my file. Mind you, I'd already submitted the FBI background check and the criminal background check from Argentine authorities. Not to mention that I've done a lot of reading about the process to obtain Argentine residency, and I don't once ever recall stumbling upon anything listing an Interpol background check as one of the requirements. However, with Expect the unexpected being the unofficial motto of the residency process in Argentina, I dutifully headed to the office of the Policía Federal here in Necochea to request the report.

The police officer who initially greeted me politely tried to brush me off onto the folks at the Prefectura Naval. When I explained that I'd just come from the immigration office at the Prefectura and that they'd specifically sent me to the Federal Police, much confusion ensued. After consulting with three different people, the officer finally decided that, yes, he could take my fingerprints and request the Interpol report on my behalf.

Should you require a criminal background check from Interpol as part of the process for Argentine residency, here are the documents you'll need to present:

• Passport [photocopy of the entire document, including blank pages]
• Original birth certificate with an apostille prepared by the state issuing the certificate plus a translation by an official Argentine translator [photocopy]
• Certificado de matrimonio (marriage certificate) [photocopy]
• Two special forms that you obtain from Migraciones 

You will be fingerprinted at the Policía Federal, free of charge.

Once you've been fingerprinted and you've presented all the necessary documents, an officer will sign and stamp one of the special forms, which must be returned immediately to Migraciones. The report from Interpol will later be automatically forwarded to Migraciones (the officer did not know the timeframe involved).

Honestly, I don't know if the Interpol criminal background check constitutes a brand new requirement that was introduced just within the last month, or if it's all part of the elaborate wild goose chase they like to send people on just for kicks. After some digging, I did find this thread on a TripAdvisor forum mentioning an Interpol background check as a requirement for the pensioner visa, but otherwise I came up empty-handed. I'd be interested to hear about others' experiences.

I also received the disappointing news that the small immigration outpost at the Prefectura Naval – conveniently located just across the river in Quequén – will no longer process paperwork of this type, so I'm now back to traveling an hour and a half to Mar del Plata, with its dismal immigration office, to take care of any future issues.

[Photo credit: kozumel]

Read More......

Argentine Residency Through Marriage

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…permanent residency in Argentina! If you're getting married in Argentina and planning on applying for permanent residency, read on for tips, information and additional resources to navigate the lengthy bureaucratic process.

Applying for Permanent Residency in Argentina through Marriage

Locate the immigration office nearest to you and make an appointment if necessary. An appointment was not required at the location where I applied for residency (a very small office staffed by two people). Prior to the appointment, make a set of photocopies of all the documents you will submit for your personal records.

Necessary Documentation

Be prepared to present the following documents to immigration officials:

• Passport with a valid visa stamp or prórroga de permanencia (visa extension) plus a photocopy of the entire document, including blank pages
• Original birth certificate with an apostille prepared by the state issuing the certificate [What is an apostille?]
• Criminal background check from your home country with an apostille [For U.S. citizens, this document must be issued by the FBI with an apostille prepared by the U.S. Department of State. Complete instructions for requesting the criminal background check from the FBI are provided on the FBI website along with additional info about the apostille procedure (#9) in the FAQ.]
• Criminal background check from Argentine authorities [obtained at the local Registro Civil through the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia]
• Certificado de domicilio [proof of address in Argentina, obtained at the local Registro Civil]
• Spouse's DNI plus a photocopy of the entire document
• Acta de matrimonio [a certified copy of the signed page from the marriage record, obtained at the local Registro Civil]
• Four 4cm x 4cm color passport photos
• Fee – $600 pesos

Translation

Both the birth certificate and the criminal background check from your home country (plus their respective apostilles) must be translated into Spanish by an official translator and legalized by the Colegio de Traductores Públicos.

You can locate an official translator in Argentina through the website of the Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

Processing of Permanent Residency Paperwork

It is my understanding that immigration officials normally provide a certificado de residencia precaria – a document conferring temporary residency while your permanent residency request is in process – at the end of your appointment; however, the only document I was given was a receipt for the $600 fee.

I inquired about the aforementioned document, and the immigration officer stated that the precaria wasn't necessary since he expected my residency to be processed quickly (!). He stated that if my request for permanent residency isn't granted by the end of April (total processing time of one month), then he would provide me with the precaria.

He also mentioned that there's a slim possibility that I may be called for an interview by immigration officials in Mar del Plata to ensure that I didn't enter into a sham marriage for immigration purposes.

Processing of your residency paperwork can take anywhere from a couple of months up to one year and multiple trips to the immigration office, so be patient!

The Next Step

Once you have received status as a permanent resident, you may begin the process to obtain a DNI for foreigners.

Disclaimer: What I've detailed here represents my personal experiences at the civil registry office in Necochea and immigration office at the Prefectura Naval in Quequén, Province of Buenos Aires. Given the capricious nature of Argentine bureaucracy, your experience may be different.

Additional Resources:

List of requirements to request residency based on marriage to an Argentine, as outlined by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones [in English and Spanish]

Experiences with applying for permanent residency in Argentina from Meag at A Domestic Disturbance

The Embassy of Argentina in the United States can advise you if you're beginning the permanent residency process for Argentina while still living in the U.S.

[Photo credit: luxomedia]

Read More......

Getting Married in Argentina

If you're planning on getting married in Argentina, read on for information and resources regarding the necessary steps to arrange a civil ceremony.

The Argentine government recognizes the civil wedding as the only legally binding marriage ceremony performed in Argentina. You may opt to be married in a religious ceremony as well, but all couples must have a separate civil ceremony to legalize their union.

Note: Either you or your fiancé(e) must be Argentine or a permanent resident of Argentina; two tourists cannot legally marry each other in Argentina. [Update: As of May 2012, foreign tourists are allowed to marry in the City of Buenos Aires and the provinces of Santa Fe, Tierra del Fuego and Buenos Aires. If both you and your fiancé(e) are tourists, please see my post "Foreign Tourists Permitted to Marry in Buenos Aires" for more information and requirements.]

Marriage in Argentina Between a Foreigner and an Argentine Citizen

To begin the process, you and your fiancé(e) should head to the Registro Civil (Civil Registry) closest to your legal place of residence, as recorded in your fiancé(e)'s DNI. You may select a date for your civil ceremony no more than 30 to 45 days out from the date you plan to get married. We were able to pick both the date and time of our ceremony; however, we were limited to Monday through Friday between 8am and 1pm, as those are the hours that our Registro Civil is open to the public.

Requirements for Marriage in Argentina (Foreigner Marrying an Argentine)

• Foreigner: passport with valid visa stamp or prórroga de permanencia (visa extension) plus a photocopy of the entire document
• Argentine: DNI plus a photocopy of the entire document
• Blood test results [get blood drawn at local hospital no more than one week prior to date of wedding (no cost); return certified results to the Registro Civil before your wedding day]
• Complete and return paperwork, including the names and personal information of two people who will serve as witnesses [cannot be family members; must be Argentines with DNI]
• You may be required to provide additional documentation proving that any previous marriages were legally terminated, either by death or divorce.
• Fees [$40 pesos payable at Banco de la Provincia—you cannot pay at the Civil Registry]

The civil ceremony lasts only twenty minutes or so and is conducted by an employee of the Registro Civil. Most people invite friends and family to attend the civil wedding even if there will be a church ceremony later on, but at the very least, you must bring your two witnesses, and of course, your partner!

You will be given a libreta de familia and certificado de matrimonio [photo] immediately following the ceremony. If you or your spouse plan to obtain residency following your marriage, you must also pay a separate fee for the acta de matrimonio, a certified copy of the page you, your spouse and your witnesses signed in the marriage record.

Disclaimer: Different provinces and civil registries often have varying requirements for marriage. What I've detailed here represents my personal experiences in the City of Necochea, Province of Buenos Aires. Given the capricious nature of Argentine bureaucracy, your experience may be different.

Additional Resources:

General list of requirements for marriage in Argentina, as outlined by the United States Embassy in Buenos Aires [in English]

Specific requirements for marriage in the City of Buenos Aires and for the Province of Buenos Aires [in Spanish]

Experiences with getting married in Argentina from Meag at A Domestic Disturbance

Legal implications of international marriage, with information specific to Argentina from Expat Argentina [older post but the information is still useful]

[Photo credit: blmurch]

Read More......

A Tale of Red Tape

With my visa set to expire in just a few days, Daniel and I drove 1 1/2 hours to the immigration office in Mar del Plata last Monday to obtain an extension. Let the games begin.

[Welcome to your friendly neighborhood maximum security detention center immigration office.]

We arrive at Migraciones at 8:30am and find that virtually no one is in the office. We're called upon immediately, and I explain the purpose of my visit. The immigration employee tells me I must make photocopies of each and every page of my passport and then return to the office with the copies. Thankfully there's a kiosk on the corner, and we file down the stairs and out the building to complete our first task. We're back in 15 minutes or less, and we hand over the photocopies and take a seat.

The immigration office is bleaker than bleak. My eyes wander over the flimsy, black, molded plastic chairs and dingy white walls, while the fluorescent fixtures overhead cast a cold, harsh light over everyone and everything. In the middle of the wall hangs a faded portrait of Mother Theresa, since no Argentine public office can be without a figure of the Virgin or a saint of some sort.

After waiting for about 45 minutes or so, the immigration employee calls us up to the desk. He says there's a problem. With a great flourish, he produces a printout that lists my exits from and entries into the country. Although I have a stamp in my passport that clearly shows my last entry into Argentina, there is no record of it in the computer. The employee explains that he'll have to call Buenos Aires to get this sorted out, and he recommends that we take a walk for an hour or so in the meantime.

Fortunately, we do have an errand to run, so we head out and take a long walk down Avenida Independencia to our destination. With time to spare before the magic hour when my problem will be fixed, we stop at a sidewalk café for coffee and a medialuna, knowing full well that there's no real hurry to return.

We head back to Migraciones at 10:30am, and I'm trying to be optimistic. The office is bustling now, with a new face turning up every few minutes. We wade through the sea of people, and we manage to nab a place to sit. A few minutes later, the employee informs us that he's still waiting on an answer from Buenos Aires.

Over the course of the next two hours, we manage to make occasional eye contact with the employee, but he does nothing more than mumble for us to hang tight un segundito (a quick second) before turning away. Finally, after quite a few segunditos, he calls us up to the counter to tell us, with the gravest of expressions, that my situation is "very complicated," and he urges us to wait while he gathers reinforcements. He returns with another employee who informs me that I have unwittingly become a participant in what amounts to "an absolutely unheard-of situation." I assure you that these are the last words you want to hear while standing in a government office – anywhere.

Apparently, back in October when I visited Uruguay with Daniel and my parents, we returned to Argentina on some sort of ghost ship, or perhaps it was the Good Ship Lollipop. Either way, the boat I took from Colonia to Buenos Aires is nowhere to be found in the computer system. There is no record of that boat, and according to the system, none of the passengers that left Buenos Aires that morning returned to Argentina. As it turns out, not only is the Buquebus record MIA, but it seems that Migraciones has also misplaced my tarjeta de ingreso, a little piece of paper that serves as physical proof of one's entry into the country.

The second employee states that he is waiting for approval from Buenos Aires to manually enter my arrival data into the computer. He tells me not to worry; he assures me that everything will get straightened out – that it has to get straightened out. Just sit tight. I make an about-face and trudge to the back row of seats with Daniel.

A steady stream of Bolivians, a pack of Senegalese, a Russian couple, a young German woman, a pair of Asians, a smattering of Argentines and goodness knows how many other nationalities file past us as we await word from some pencil pusher in Capital Federal.

Bonus: there are no Colombian ex-convicts chatting me up this time 'round.

A family of Bolivians entertains a baby with spiky, jet-black hair using a toy in the shape of a silver banana, while a porteño tries to keep his rambunctious little girl occupied by pointing to a political poster plastered to the wall. The father tells us he took advantage of the fact that he was in Mar del Plata on vacation to come to Migraciones here instead of back home in the capital. He describes the immigration office in Buenos Aires as a "nightmare" with people "pissing themselves" as they wait in line. Fortunately, no one here is suffering from incontinence, and it it's all very orderly and civil, just slow as molasses (in January? No, make that July).

At one point I glance up at the portrait of Mother Theresa hanging to my right – even she looks bored. I ask her to help me; I'm not Catholic, but I figure it can't hurt. I then have a sudden revelation about the rationale for religious iconography in Argentine government offices.

With the office virtually empty, the doors about to close at 3pm and nothing yet resolved, the second employee beckons us over to deliver the news: my problem will have to be revisited tomorrow. He jots down our phone number and promises to call when he gets word from the powers that be.

Three days and 12 phone calls later (every single one initiated by us), the data finally shows up in the computer. We pop across the bridge to Quequén, and with the assistance of the immigration officer at the Prefectura Naval, I have everything taken care of in just 45 minutes. Well, four days and 45 minutes.

Read More......

Don't Leave Fido or Fluffy at Home: Traveling with Pets to Argentina

Moving to Argentina does not mean that you have to leave behind your pets! Fortunately, traveling with pets to Argentina isn't as difficult as you might imagine. Of course, there are some hoops to jump through.

First, you must make arrangements for your pet to accompany you onboard the aircraft. Some airlines will allow you to travel with your pet in the cabin but others do not, e.g. American Airlines. My two cats rode in steerage with the luggage, and they made it just fine. American Airlines charges a fee of $150 per animal [one way] – check with your particular carrier for rules and fees. Click here for a partial list of carriers and links to their policies about shipping pets (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Be advised that the airlines do not allow pets to travel in the belly of the plane if the temperature is forecast to exceed 85ºF at any point on the itinerary; if so, the animals will be denied boarding. Even traveling in October as I did, temperatures topping out at 85º+ F were a concern in Houston, Atlanta and Miami (layover options when leaving from Philadelphia), so I decided the best option to ensure that my furry friends would be accompanying me was to book a non-stop flight from New York City to Buenos Aires. I couldn't chance it that the cats would be denied boarding since the cost to send them as "cargo" on a separate flight would have been about $675 for the two of them (gulp!).

Next, let's take a look at the requirements and paperwork necessary to bring your pet along for the ride. The complete, official pet admission guidelines for Argentina can be found here at the SENASA website; the following is a summary of the requirements.

Fortunately, there is no quarantine for cats and dogs entering Argentina (under normal circumstances – in other words – for animals in good health and with proper documentation). Documentation about the health of your pet is provided by means of the International Health Certificate. This document should be obtained from your veterinarian (check with your vet to make sure that he/she is certified by the USDA - APHIS [United States Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service] to issue this certificate).

In addition to the International Health Certificate, you must provide evidence that your pet has been vaccinated against rabies. If your pet is over 90 days old, he/she must have had the rabies vaccine less than one year prior to the date of entry in Argentina but no less than 30 days before the date of entry into Argentina.

Once your veterinarian has completed the International Health Certificate, the form must be sent along with the rabies vaccination record to the USDA - APHIS office in your state capital for endorsement. The catch is that the vet exam/issuance of the International Health Certificate and USDA endorsement must all be completed no more than 10 days prior to entry into Argentina, so careful planning is required to ensure that all documentation is finalized before your departure. Most likely you will have to express mail the documents or personally present them in the USDA - APHIS office in order to complete all of the documentation in a timely manner; time is of the essence!

In addition, it is recommended that the documents be apostilled and translated into Spanish. In my personal experience, I found that the apostille alone was sufficient. I obtained the apostille from the Department of State office in my state capital. Once you have cut through all of this bureaucratic red tape, you are ready to travel with your pet!

Upon arrival at the airport in Buenos Aires, you will pick up your pets in the baggage area if they didn't travel in the cabin, and you will be directed to meet with a SENASA (the Argentine version of the USDA) official who will review your documentation. After paying a small fee, you're free to begin your adventure in Argentina with your pets!

If all of this just sounds too complicated, there is the alternative proposed by the satirical news source The Onion: "Before leaving home, take your pets to local humane society and have them put to sleep; get new pets when you come back." :p

Additional helpful links about travel with pets:
Argentina.gov website - Admission of Pets into Argentina
IATA (International Air Transport Association) - Recommendations for shipping a cat or dog

Read More......