Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

I've got too many PM's the last few days asking about it, so if I'm going to answer all of these questions I mine as well do it in public so I don't have to repeat myself and so everyone can benefit from it.

Types of things I'll answer:

- Different neighborhoods: cost, feel, safety, things to do in each
- Argentine culture and history
- Visas
- Other cities in Argentina besides BsAs and things to do in them
- How to find an apartment
- Getting around the city and to/from the airport
- Language questions and questions about tango classes
- Cost of living and Argentine currency
- Nightlife: bars and nightclubs
- Restaurants, sidewalk cafes, delivery
- Theatre: tango shows, opera, plays, musicals, symphonies
- Sights to see, markets to visit
- Weather, seasons, etc
- Playing poker online here or questions about casinos here
- Pretty much anything else you want to ask about. Hookers, weed, whatever, I'm game for pretty much anything. I'm sure I've forgotten to mention some important stuff.

I'll start the thread off with some PMs I've received but feel free to add in your own questions. Keep in mind, I've only been here about 3 weeks now, but I did a ton of research before coming, I lived in a different country before this, and I have friends here who have lived here for more than a year... if I don't know the answer I can promise to find out for you. Perhaps some of the other 2+2 BsAs will show up from time to time.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

Question from anonymous:

[ QUOTE ]
... what brought you to argentina? argentina seems liek a great place to me because it's spanish speaking which is what i'm learning, it sounds like it has all the culture and cool stuff of the US or europe, but is cheap, and different and latin american at the same time. do you know anything about language schools in buenos aires, or even colleges (is it hard for an american with bad grades like myself) to get it? and finally, have you learned the tango down there??? oh actually finally, argentina is super cool because they're so big on soccer too, how does that work for you?

[/ QUOTE ]

My answer:

I came to Argentina for pretty much the reasons you stated. Winter in Sweden was getting a bit too cold for my tastes and I was getting a bit bored with the small town I was living in. I wanted to move back to a big city and I was really looking to something Spanish speaking. Spain was going to be pretty damn hard and I'd already done the Europe thing. Buenos Aires just had everything come together for it: easy visa requirements, Spanish speaking, very cheap cost of living, lots of expats to help as a support network, tons of world-class theatre (opera, symphonies, musicals, play), beautiful women, one of the best nightlifes in the entire world, beautiful Euro-inspired architecture, temperate weather, lots of variety like California (skiing, glaciers, awesome beaches, big wine country, etc), as well as the fact that it was summer instead of a cold ass winter .

A 2+2er friend of mine is actually a part owner of a language school out here that also has a really good tango instructor that is usually really good at pulling in lots of girls for the classes, but he recently had knee surgery so I'm not sure how long he is out of commission.

Language school are generally pretty easy to get started on if you give them a few days notice. You can get private classes for $8-10 per hour with an instructor to work the hours you want and on what you want. It's the best way to go because you move much faster than with a group class and you can always get lessons tailored to you (for example... I want to learn how to order at a restaurant or how to pick up on girls or how to get my laundry done, etc). However, if you want to save a bit of money you can do group classes for $4-6 per hour with a class size of 2-5 depending on how many people are near your level. You can take as few or as many classes as you'd like. I currently take 2 hours a day, 5 days a week of private classes. If you are only here for a week and wanted to maximize your learning you could do 4 hours.

One other thing to keep in mind is that the Spanish here is slightly different. There are really only two big differences. First, the city of Buenos Aires (along with Uruguay) the only places in the world to use the word "vos" instead of "tu". So instead of "tu eres" it is "vos sos". Tu is still used in the possessive and most of the regular verb conjugations stay the same, but other irregulars change like "tu tienes" becoming "vos tenes" or "tu quieres" becoming "vos queres". The teachers here obviously know the tu form and will have no problem just teaching that to you if that is what you want, though the rest of the Spanish world will understand if you used vos for example... they'd just know you learned in BsAs; much like we'd know someone using British slang is from there.

The other difference is that the "ll" is not pronounced like an English "y" but rather like an English "sh". The Spanish "y" is also pronounced like the English "sh". Again, the teachers won't do that if that is what you want, but that is the way everyone speaks here, so "Yo", "calle", and "llamas" may sound weird to you at first. It doesn't take long to get used to though.

Then there are also some slang words or words that are different. "Che" is used a lot as a polite way of getting someones attention if you don't know their name and also seems to have extended into a friendly term among friends (and a joke to US expats). Words that are different include "heladera" instead of "refrigerador" and other things like that which can be sort of confusing the first time.

As for tango, I personally haven't taken classes yet, but I believe they are around the price of group Spanish classes and possibly even cheaper (since the class sizes are usually larger, though there are 2 instructors). So I'd expect $3-6/hr for tango classes to be average. If you are going to be here a long time it's something you have to do a the very least as a way to meet girls or other people.

They are very big on soccer and if you are here during soccer season (Feb-June) or (August-Dec) and they are playing you have to go to a Boca Juniors game which is apparently an experience unlike anything you'll ever see. There are also some young twenty-something expats who get together for pick-up games of soccer on I think Mondays and if you speak Spanish and make friends pretty much everyone plays soccer sometime. Unfortunately due to my injury it's hard for me to run so I haven't gotten into it yet but I'm hopeful.

Useful Links:

Academy Recoleta - Run by Juan and a 2+2 friend, it has Spanish classes (private and group) and tango classes. This is where I go and pay $10/hr for private lessons.

Interhispanica - Another academy in the Recoleta neighborhood that has Spanish classes. No tango here though. I believe private classes are $8-9/hr.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Met,

Thanks again for the info. If you don't mind, I have another set of near daily questions for you

Just looking at the ByT Argentina site, it seems as if the Palermo district is a little more "suburby" than downtown. Is it possible I could find a house with a yard in this area to rent? Are you aware of other places in Argentina that are low in crime but more like suburbs or rural? Do you know a good leasing agent I could take to to discuss various housing options? I think I would like the big city but having a dog may make it difficult.

Also, any advice on the best way to learn Spanish quickly? I took a couiple of years in high school so I probably remember some of the basics.

If I make it down to BA I'd definately like to buy you some beers for all your help

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

First of all, you don't want to live downtown (Recoleta is not downtown). Ideally you probably want to live in Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, or Barrio Norte. I'd stick with Recoleta and maybe Palermo when you first move here and the consider relocating later.

Palermo isn't suburby and Recoleta has more open park spaces, but it IS possible to find some places in Palermo with a small yard which is impossible to do in Recoleta. Recoleta is more 6 story and higher apartments with restricted entry and a doorman. Palermo is more 2-3 stories and don't have such things and things are definitely a lot more spread out there than in Recoleta. I can't give you exact information but I did go to a party last weekend at a nice 2 story, 2-bedroom condo with a decent sized backyard (by city standards) in Palermo and they are paying about what I am for a 1 bedroom in Recoleta. Not sure where they found it or I'd try to point you in the right direction.

As for other cities in Argentina, the farthest out you probably want to go is some of the nicer actual suburbs of Buenos Aires. I wouldn't move to other parts of the country. Unfortunately, it's city life for me so I don't know anything about the suburbs.

There aren't really leasing agents for foreigners. You can't get an actual lease because you need a guarantor, therefore you can of stick with getting fleeced by the furnished rentals (though if you shop around it's not so bad).

As for learning Spanish, I sort of answered the question above. I'd recommend 10 hours a week of private instruction. I took three years in high school as well and after one week I'm already back to stuff I was learning in the middle to end of my second year. It comes back pretty quickly, but the biggest hurdle is speaking and understanding people, as well as building a large vocabulary to allow you to get around.

Beers are always appreciated, though at $2.50 for a 3L pitcher, I think you could part with more than a few [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

Have you been to an asado yet? Have you had the steaks? Have you gone out clubbing? Can I come visit when I return to BA this summer?

As for Boca Juniors: try getting in with a local, and try getting into the stands with all the hardcore fans. If I remember correctly, they're on the north side of the stadium.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

For fun, here are some random pictures that I either took or got from online of Buenos Aires and Argentina.

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/6...artment6uk.jpg
This is my apartment in Buenos Aires. Not pictured are a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and balcony.

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/4077/mystreet2sm.jpg
The street I live on. As you can see it doesn't feel like you are going to die.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...olonBsAsAR.JPG
The Teatro Colon. It's the national theatre and has it's own orchestra, ballet company, opera group, and is home to many other events. Unfortunately, it is closed for renovation until the end of the year in preparation for its 100th anniversary. All productions were moved elsewhere.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...eatroColon.JPG
Teatro Colon at night. Beautiful shot.

http://www.salvadorfotoclube.com.br/...a%20Rosada.jpg
Casa Rosada, the presidential palace of Argentina

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...9_de_julio.jpg
Avenida 9 de Julio. I admit it's an artistic shot, but it's all I have. The widest street in the world.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Monserrat.jpg
Plaza Once Subway Station

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...r-P3050007.JPG
No idea where this is but it shows some of the open spaces.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e_la_Mujer.jpg
Puerto Madero

http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/programs...-rush-hour.jpg
Rush hour


I'll post more later.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Have you been to an asado yet? Have you had the steaks? Have you gone out clubbing? Can I come visit when I return to BA this summer?

As for Boca Juniors: try getting in with a local, and try getting into the stands with all the hardcore fans. If I remember correctly, they're on the north side of the stadium.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, an Argentine friend had an Asado. He did a wonderful job and I actually think that was my 2nd or 3rd night in Buenos Aires so it was a good way to start it off.

I eat lots of steak, almost everytime I go out somewhere. Bife de Chorizo is awesome. It's pretty hard to not have a steak here unless you are trying to be different.

I've been to Opera Bay twice, but unfortunately no other clubs than that as most of my friends seem to prefer bars. I've been to more bars than I can remember or find again though. Anyone can come visit, but its summer now.

I know, I'm trying to get a group together to go when they start playing in a month and a half.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
"Che" is used a lot as a polite way of getting someones attention if you don't know their name and also seems to have extended into a friendly term among friends

[/ QUOTE ]


Sounds pretty much like the equivilent of the American-english, "Dude." Or even, "Hey Man."


nice pics. Looks awesome.


Pretty flowers on your coffee-table.


[ QUOTE ]
It's pretty hard to not have a steak here unless you are trying to be different.


[/ QUOTE ]

Friend of mine is a lawyer for a human-rights group and travels to various Latin American countries a lot.
He's also a vegetarian.
He mentioned that he loved Buenos Aries in his 3 or 4 visits there but mentioned the steak obesession as being a significant obstacle for him. He gets away with eating fish some of the time. Other times even that isn't even an option and he's stuck with rice and potato or something.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Spain was going to be pretty damn hard

[/ QUOTE ]

Can you explain what you mean by this?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"Che" is used a lot as a polite way of getting someones attention if you don't know their name and also seems to have extended into a friendly term among friends

[/ QUOTE ]


Sounds pretty much like the equivilent of the American-english, "Dude." Or even, "Hey Man."

[/ QUOTE ]

Sort of. Boludo is more like "dude" between friends, but unlike Che is calling someone an idiot if its someone you don't know. Apparently, "Che boludo, que paso?" is common among friends.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It's pretty hard to not have a steak here unless you are trying to be different.


[/ QUOTE ]

Friend of mine is a lawyer for a human-rights group and travels to various Latin American countries a lot.
He's also a vegetarian.
He mentioned that he loved Buenos Aries in his 3 or 4 visits there but mentioned the steak obesession as being a significant obstacle for him. He gets away with eating fish some of the time. Other times even that isn't even an option and he's stuck with rice and potato or something.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I know a vegetarian who lives here and she claims it isn't as hard as I would think it is. There is even an organic, vegetarian restaurant here in town that is supposed to be amazing. She has started eating fish once in a while though to make it easier at some restaurants and also I assume to get the necessary protein.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Spain was going to be pretty damn hard

[/ QUOTE ]

Can you explain what you mean by this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Getting residency in Spain is pretty damn impossible. If you don't have residency it's going to be hard to live in any Schengen country.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

I dont suppose it's possible to pull the leave and come back trick with Schengen countries? I know there's a 90 day limit for staying, I was thinking about trying to leave and come back once so I could stay for 6 months. Also, I saw on a Spanish expat site something about a visa if you were self employed and one of the examples they gave for this was if you worked online, did you ever hear about this/do any research into this visa?

Thanks for the thread

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

The Schengen countries are all linked and have a 90 days within a 180 day period explicit rule.

I've never heard of that particular visa, but I'll look into and get back to you later tonight.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

living in BA and finding the veggie places is one thing.

He was going there on business and attending big conferences and meeting with various predientes at the 'summit of the americas' they had and stuff like that where you pretty much have to eat what they serve...or somebody hosts a cocktain gathering and, again, you're stuck with steak and that's about it.


Anyway, when he was telling me that in all his trips around South America (including some more remote places) his vegetarianism sometimes becomes an obstacle and he can really stick out.


It was just something I remembered when you mentioned all that steak down there.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

Did you line up a permanent apartment before you went there? Or did you stay somewhere temporarily first (a hotel or whatever)? If you had the apartment before you showed up, how did you know what neighborhood you wanted to live in?

What hoops do you have to jump through if you want to play on Party/ use Neteller/ do other things that Americans can't do anymore? What did poker sites do to make sure that you were giving them a real address?

Do they have any American sports on cable TV channels?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

Yeah. Even trying to get a restaurant to not put bacon or something on an entree for a muslim or jewish friend is damn near impossible. They are like... what?? No pork? WHYYYY???!?!?!

And then of course they either forget or don't care.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Did you line up a permanent apartment before you went there? Or did you stay somewhere temporarily first (a hotel or whatever)? If you had the apartment before you showed up, how did you know what neighborhood you wanted to live in?

What hoops do you have to jump through if you want to play on Party/ use Neteller/ do other things that Americans can't do anymore? What did poker sites do to make sure that you were giving them a real address?

Do they have any American sports on cable TV channels?

[/ QUOTE ]

I actually had my apartments lined up for the first 7 months I will be here. I sort of lucked into getting the perfect location that I would have wanted had I known more. I just made sure I was staying in Recoleta and it was sort of hard to screw up.

I'd recommend getting a place for one month in Recoleta or Palermo. Then explore the city and see what area you like best. From there you can get a longer rental somewhere else and even see the place before you commit.

I lived in Sweden before living in Buenos Aires, so I've been able to play on every site for a while. Most sites want a scan of your passport and an electricity bill or lease agreement with your name and address on it. Party will even cross-check your IP the email is coming from to make sure you are in the right country you say you are and they also check your IP when you long on.

I fund my accounts with my Swiss bank account via bank wire. I'm trying to figure out how I want to fund my party account at the moment but I think I'm going to need to order a Visa from my bank and do it that way as they get upset I live in Argentina yet want to use a bank in Switzerland.

For TV, there are a bunch of different levels of programming. I get VH1, CNN, MTV, ESPN, and a few other American channels. You could probably get the whole lineup if you are willing to pay enough. Usually cable is included in your apartment price, but you may be able to upgrade. Using a slingbox or other such device is another way to watch American TV if you are so inclined. I usually just stick to [censored]. I don't really care, but it won't get you sports.

Also, for sports, you may as well get used to lots and lots of soccer. That's the only sport you are going to hear people talk about and see constantly on TV. But it is for a good reason, Argentina is actually pretty damn good.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

citanul,

Please resize the Puerto Madero picture, I didn't realize it was oversized until just now. Don't want to screw up the alignment. Thanks.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
.. Winter in Sweden was getting a bit too cold for my tastes and I was getting a bit bored with the small town I was living in.

[/ QUOTE ]

What town in Sweden were you in?
I'm going to be living there form april through october in Karlskoga which is also a small town.

What did you think about the people there and the culture?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

How hard is it to obtain a bank account in Argentina? I have had trouble finding defintive information on the internet. I know that you have an offshore account but maintaing the minimum balance would be difficult for me.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

Do they hate the British because of the Falklands war?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
.. Winter in Sweden was getting a bit too cold for my tastes and I was getting a bit bored with the small town I was living in.

[/ QUOTE ]

What town in Sweden were you in?
I'm going to be living there form april through october in Karlskoga which is also a small town.

What did you think about the people there and the culture?

[/ QUOTE ]

May I ask what you are doing visa wise. I'm always curious. I lived in Amal. People are friendly, they hate muslims. That's pretty much the gist of it. If you aren't muslim you are cool. Everyone speaks English but in a small town they will start to resent you if they know you live there but don't make an attempt to learn Swedish.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Do they hate the British because of the Falklands war?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know if hate is the right word, but they did rename anything that had to do with the Brits in the city. The British clock tower is now called something else, etc. They don't like to talk about it and they certainly don't like you calling it the Falkland Islands. They have their own name and they still claim it as their territory on maps of Argentina.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
How hard is it to obtain a bank account in Argentina? I have had trouble finding defintive information on the internet. I know that you have an offshore account but maintaing the minimum balance would be difficult for me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your whole question confuses me. I don't think you have any vague idea of what you are talking about. I wouldn't get an Argentine account. Most offshore accounts require $10-50k minimum balances.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

How did you decide to live in Amal? Seems like a very odd choice. Also, where are you originally from?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

I am going there to play baseball. The town has a baseball team in the elite division and they like to bring over pro or ex pro american baseball players to help streghthen their team.

So as far as a visa and everything, the team takes care of it.

I spent 7 months in Antwerpen, Belgium in 2004 and just had to worry about getting my passport.

Q : do they have any kind of baseball in Buenos, Aries?

Q : do you remember playing 2/4 at the alladin or something here in vegas in the magoo game where everyhone was buying in for like 1,000+?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
How did you decide to live in Amal? Seems like a very odd choice. Also, where are you originally from?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah it is. Don't ask.

I was born in San Jose. Moved to San Luis Obispo for college. Moved to Vegas after that. Then Sweden, and now Buenos Aires.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Q : do they have any kind of baseball in Buenos, Aries?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm, that's a good question. Do you mean amateur or professional? There definitely isn't a professional league or even team. Even in an intramural way it's very, very uncommon and I've never heard of it. Basketball is a bit more common though, as Argentina did win the gold in Athens for Men's Basketball [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

[ QUOTE ]
Q : do you remember playing 2/4 at the alladin or something here in vegas in the magoo game where everyhone was buying in for like 1,000+?

[/ QUOTE ]

At the Aladdin? No, I've only ever played there once and it wasn't with 2+2ers. I've done something similar numerous times at Wynn and MGM, however.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

I was saying that keeping atleast $10K in one account would be difficult for me, thats why I was asking about the banks in Argentina. However I just found a few banks that only require a $5K minimum in their offshore accounts.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

yeah, was probably the MGM, my roommate john said he remembered playing with you in the game, just thinking about how small the world is

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

mason55,

I looked into that visa you were talking about. Apparently it does exist. You could qualify under the self employed visa or non-lucrative (filthy rich) visa. For more information you would have to contact the Spanish embassy as I don't know the exact details of either of them or even if playing poker would qualify for the first (having a huge bank accounts definitely qualifies one for the second, but it has to be HUGE). Also, you must show that you will have health insurance while you are there.

It seems to take 5 years after this to get citizenship, though Spain does not allow dual citizens, so you'd have to renounce your American citizenship or lie to them.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

met -

Seems that you've found about the same things I did. Good to have someone else take a look at it and verify that it all meant what I thought I did. I guess I'll contact the Spanish embassy here in LA tomorrow and find out if I can qualify.

I'm not planning to become a citizen or anything, I really just want to be able to stick around for longer than the 90 day Schengen period.


Thanks for the help, I'll probably make a post in this forum about how it all goes once the process is complete.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
met -

Seems that you've found about the same things I did. Good to have someone else take a look at it and verify that it all meant what I thought I did. I guess I'll contact the Spanish embassy here in LA tomorrow and find out if I can qualify.

I'm not planning to become a citizen or anything, I really just want to be able to stick around for longer than the 90 day Schengen period.


Thanks for the help, I'll probably make a post in this forum about how it all goes once the process is complete.

[/ QUOTE ]

I look forward to your thread about how this turns out.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
I am going there to play baseball. The town has a baseball team in the elite division and they like to bring over pro or ex pro american baseball players to help streghthen their team.

So as far as a visa and everything, the team takes care of it.


[/ QUOTE ]


Did you play professionally?

I was a radio play-by-play guy for various teams for 10+ yrs.
Florida State League from 96-01.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

Are there laws against playing online poker in Argentina? Are they planning on indicting any Neteller founders anytime soon? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Are there laws against playing online poker in Argentina? Are they planning on indicting any Neteller founders anytime soon? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

No and no. You can actually get a real residence visa as a poker player if that is what you prefer to do. I'll probably go through the trouble some day.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

Great thread.

Is it possible to use your visa for, say, 2 month trips w/a return to the US for a week or so, followed up by another 2 month BA trip, yet another trip back home, etc. Or will this be a problem?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
You can actually get a real residence visa as a poker player if that is what you prefer to do. I'll probably go through the trouble some day.

[/ QUOTE ]

What are you doing right now to stay in Argentina. Once your 90 or whatever day visa is up what do you do? I, like some others here, are looking to relocate for awhile, but i don't wanna have to move to a new country every 90 days. Can you do visa runs or anything like that?

If anyone has anymore information about applying for a self-employment visa (poker) please feel free to chime in.

What is the climate like year round in Argentina? Are the beaches nice?

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

I know a Brazilian that lived in BA for 2+ years w/o leaving and when we went to Uruguay, she just paid the 50 pesos, stamp, stamp, and we were let through w/o any issues. No issues coming back into the country from Uruguay either. This was Oct of 05.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
Great thread.

Is it possible to use your visa for, say, 2 month trips w/a return to the US for a week or so, followed up by another 2 month BA trip, yet another trip back home, etc. Or will this be a problem?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's fine. They don't seem to care.

Re: Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You can actually get a real residence visa as a poker player if that is what you prefer to do. I'll probably go through the trouble some day.

[/ QUOTE ]

What are you doing right now to stay in Argentina. Once your 90 or whatever day visa is up what do you do? I, like some others here, are looking to relocate for awhile, but i don't wanna have to move to a new country every 90 days. Can you do visa runs or anything like that?

If anyone has anymore information about applying for a self-employment visa (poker) please feel free to chime in.

What is the climate like year round in Argentina? Are the beaches nice?

[/ QUOTE ]

Argentine Tourist Visa Information

When you arrive they will ask you the purpose of your visit. Just say you are a tourist. They will stamp your passport with a Visa that is good for 90 days. This is free. They will give you something to give them on your way out, but if you lose it isn't the end of the world.

Within the first 60 days (or while you still have at least 30 days left on that visa), you can go down to someplace in BsAs and get it extended for another 90 days for a 100 peso ($33) fee. In this manner you are essentially getting a 180 day tourist visa. This can only get an extension once per entry into the country.

So after 180 days, you must leave. Fortunately, Buenos Aires is on the water and Uruguay is right across from it. You can take a 120 peso ferry to Colonia and back that will take about 9 hours roundtrip. I believe they have an express ferry that is around 200-250 pesos and will take you one hour each way (plus around two hours of waiting time in Colonia in which to grab lunch or something). When you come back on the ferry you get a new 90 day visa even if it is the same day.

You can also obviously leave to Chile, Brazil, the USA, or any other country and get a new visa when you return, but Colonia, Uruguay is the closest. If you overstay your visa, you have to pay a fine on the way out. I've never heard of anyone getting too much of a hassle when trying to return after overstaying their visa, but I've heard it can mess up you getting a residence visa at a later date. Also, they are free to change their mind at any point.


For the residence visa you need to either set up an Argentine corporation and hire yourself as a necessary employee (some sort of BS managerial role) or you need to be receiving sufficient dividends from investments (can even be in your own offshore corporation) to sustain yourself in Argentina. It's complicated and sucks. Plus you owe taxes on worldwide assets if you have residence here.

Buenos Aires is about the same latitude as San Diego. It is more humid, but not Florida like. The summer average high is in the mid 80s. The winter average high is around 60. So pretty temperate. Here is a link to weather.com's averages for Buenos Aires.

For beaches, there are no beaches in Buenos Aires. It is a port city. However, Mar de la Plata is about a 4 hour bus ride away, and Punta, Uruguay is a tad bit longer on a ferry. Both are really good beaches. Argentina has a very diverse range of landscape in the country, much like the USA. Argentina has glaciers, snowy mountains for skiing, a huge wine country, beaches, etc. If you live here there is ton to see outside of the city.