| Author | Message | ||
     Stephanie S. Walker New member Username: Inhaltslos Post Number: 3 Registered: 2-2009 |
I would like to move to Buenos Aires with my 10-year-old son. I have many friends there and, of course, fell in love with the city. I don't think I qualify for any of the available visas (rental, student, retirement, investor) and am looking for resources I can utilize to make this move. Should I email the U.S. Embassy for help? Any other places online I can check out? Would my son be able to attend school while I was sorting out our legal status there? Thanks for any help you can give! | ||
| Bill Howard Member Username: Veritas01 Post Number: 75 Registered: 5-2006 |
You could leave the country and return every 90 days. As I understand it many people do that. It can get expensive of course...4 times a year you take the ferry to Uruguay and back. Not sure what the US Embassy would tell you other than the Argentine visa requirements which you say you don't qualify for. You might try calling the Washington Embassy for Argentina or one of the consulates..New York..etc. and ask them. They have english speaking staff but presumably you and your son speak Spanish. Good luck. | ||
| Arial Advanced Member Username: Arial Post Number: 343 Registered: 10-2006 |
Hi Stephanie, just want to add to Bill's helpful information. I am in Buenos Aires with interests in Uruguay so I need to go there occasionally, though I am a legal resident in Argentina. Crossing the river to Uruguay would cost you about $90.00 every 3 months ($45 each way). If you lived instead in Uruguay and crossed this way, Uruguay has no requirement as to how many hours you have to be out of the country whereas I think Argentina requires 72 hours before you come back through immigrations. But since I don't need to worry about that, I am not sure. If it is 72 hours, it would mean staying in a hotel in Montevideo or Colonia or wherever the ferry you choose docks on the other side. You could stay in a hostel in Montevideo for $14.00 a night (a hostel just rents you a bed but they are nice and fun) or a hotel room for $45.00 (not guaranteed it changes with the season) or perhaps a hospedage for $25.00 per night. I don't know the cost of a child on the ferry so can't help you with costs if you needed to take your son along which you might since he is a nonresident as well. However, Argentina has not been a stickler about these things. Every other 90 days you can pay a small amount to stay another 90 days, but then you have to go the next time. Paying the fee would probably be cheaper than crossing the river. Unless things have changed here, there is very little penalty for overstaying your visa. I think it was once a $50 fine at the airport when you finally do leave. But no matter what I write here, you will need to check it. I can tell you from experience that things change in Latin America. What I write may be true today and different tomorrow! It is also hard to get good advice here, even from lawyers. Trust me on that one. I can also tell you from experience that the Argentina Consulate office in Miami speaks only Spanish. I had to take a translator with me when I started this process there. New York, according to Bill, speaks English so that would be the way to go. If you are coming here and don't speak Spanish, every hour you spend before you come learning vocabulary will be helpful. But if you have friends here perhaps you are already bilingual. And let me say, ahead of time, Welcome to Argentina! | ||
| Stephanie S. Walker New member Username: Inhaltslos Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2009 |
Thank you so much Arial, for your advice. I admit I rather like the idea of going to Uruguay...I visited Colonia a few months ago (loved it) and am curious about Montevideo.  I read a lot about your experience before I even joined this forum last year. It was very useful. |
