Travel and Fun
(Written on September 2, 2012)
Do Canadians need a visa to travel to a conference in Argentina?
Do Germans need a visa to travel to a conference in Argentina?
I recently traveled to Buenos Aires for a conference. I have Canadian
and German nationality. I wanted to know if I need a visa or not.
I am posting the below information in case it is useful to somebody,
but obviously without any guarantee.
Information available online
Unfortunately, the information one can find online from official
sources is very sparse, and for the most part misleading. For example:
- The Government of Canada website on Entry/Exit
Requirements for Canadians to Argentina states: "Tourist Visa: Not
required; Business Visa: Required", but it does not define
"business". Moreover, the information appears to be wrong (see below).
- The website of the Argentinian
Consulate in Montreal states that "Canadian citizens do not need a
visa when going as tourists to Argentina", and then defines a number
of business visas. The implication is that Canadians need a visa to
enter Argentina on business (however, this appears to be wrong, see
below).
- The website of the Argentinian
Ministry for the Interior and Transport defines "Tourists" as "for
rest or recreation", and defines a number of visa for business
purposes.
- The website of the Argentinian
Embassy in London lists Canada and Germany among the countries
whose citizens do not need a visa for tourism, but does not list them
among the countries whose citizens do not need a visa for business
purposes. The implication is that Germans and Canadians require a visa
to travel to Argentina on business. (This also appears to be false,
see below).
- The
website of the Argentinian Consulate in
Sydney, Australia lists Germany and Canada among the countries for
whom no visa is required as "tourists", but does not list them among
the countries for whom no visa is required as "businessman, investment
or market research (e.g. visiting customers, negotiations, commercial
exhibitions) for ordinary passport holders". The implication is that
Germans and Canadians require a visa to travel to Argentina on
business. (However, this appears to be wrong, see below).
- The
website of the Argentinian Consulate in
Toronto has some detailed information about conference visits. It
states that "The participants in Conferences, Congresses and
Seminars in Argentina may enter as tourists. No need to apply for a
visa in such cases the Canadians, nor the other nationals who do not
require visas to visit Argentina in the category of tourist" (emphasis
in the original). However, it then also states that "Speakers and
organizers of Conferences, Congresses and Seminars in Argentina,
should enter our country with visa in character as
"professional"". The latter information appears to be incorrect, see
below.
- The
website of the Internaltional
Association for Dental Research lists Canada and Germany among the
countries whose citizens "require a visa if they intend to travel for
business purposes". (This appears to be wrong, see below).
What I actually found in Argentina
I went through Argentinian immigration and customs at Buenos Aires
Ezeiza Airport on September 2, 2012. The first thing I noticed when
entering the immigration hall was a big sign stating, among other
things, "Citizens of the United States, Canada, and Australia do
not need a visa for entering Argentina for Tourism or Business
purposes for up to 90 days" (emphasis mine).
One may wonder why this information is not publicly available ahead of
time, and why it actually contradicts what is stated on the websites
of various Argentinian consulates. Perhaps they hope to raise revenue
by selling business visas to people who don't need them? Or perhaps it
is a new policy that the consulates do not yet know about.
I also tested whether I need such a visa as a German citizen. Note
that the citizens of the United States, Canada, and Australia must pay
a so-called "reciprocal fee", which varies from $75 (for Canadians) to
$160 (U.S.). So I decided to enter as a German instead. I found:
- As expected, I did not have to pay a reciprocal fee;
- Nobody asked me any questions about the purpose of my visit, or
any other questions for that matter. My interaction with the
immigration officer was entirely silent except for instructions on
where to put my thumb to have my fingerprint taken. I automatically
received a stamp in my passport that is valid for 90 days.
In general, I got the impression that the Argentinian border officers
are much more worried about smuggling than about the difference
between tourists, conference speakers, and business people. For
example, all luggage (including carry-ons) was x-rayed by customs. It
is also worth noting that all visitors (regardless of country of
origin) have their fingerprints and picture taken at the border.
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Peter Selinger /
Department of Mathematics and Statistics /
Dalhousie University
selinger@mathstat.dal.ca
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