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Argentina - Customs

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Arriving by Yacht:

Before Sailing to Argentina, check with the Argentine consulate with regards to what one needs to do with regard to exit and entry papers, leaving the boat, hauling your vessel, having work done on your vessel or anything that may create a potential problem with Customs.  If you can get this in writing, even better.

Using a shipping agent for clearance etc. appears to prevent any problems with Customs, for now.

For the latest on Customs rules and fines being imposed for perceived infringements, see cruising reports

Length of Stay:

Most foreign flagged yachts are permitted to stay in Argentina for the duration of the crew’s visa (in most cases 90 days) and a customs document pertaining to this will be issued on arrival. However, foreign flagged yachts are allowed to be temporarily imported for a maximum period of eight months except for those coming from a Mercosur country, (ie. Uruguay, Brazil). In this case, the period of importation is reduced to three months.

A vessel may not visit Argentina for the purpose of carrying out repairs without importing the vessel. Repairs may only be carried out for damage sustained within the country for the purpose of allowing the vessel to leave under the conditions of the temporary import. Any repair work should be cleared with the local Customs office ahead of time (See “Further Possible Fines” below).

Note that Argentine Customs now state:

No vessel may be left unattended in Argentine waters without the written application to, and consent of, the local Customs authority.

A power of attorney must be granted to a resident living within a certain radius from the boat and a notarized letter produced to communicate this information to customs and coast guard. The penalty for infringement is 1% of the value of the vessel.

No vessel may breach the terms of their conditions of entry into the country by using their boats for commercial activities while in Argentina.

If a yacht is deemed to be chartering in Argentina waters by Customs, they are liable to a fine of 30% of the value of the vessel. Remember, even if you make a voyage in Argentina waters with people paying costs aboard, you could then be construed to be a charter vessel.

Further Possible Fines:-

The local Customs have come up with all sorts of ways one could be considered to be breaking the rules. This includes but is not limited to:

Modifying or repairing the boat, purchasing goods or equipment locally, leaving the vessel and travelling overland, even purchasing fuel can be considered an infraction without going through the laborious process of completing paperwork. Any infraction could lead to boat arrest and a spot fine of 1%.

Other items:

Firearms must be declared to customs.

Importing Parts/Spares:

This is best avoided. Cruisers recommend having spares sent to Punta Arenas, Chile instead: even the locals do.

Last updated:  August 2020

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Argentina was last updated 2 years ago.

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  1. January 24, 2022 at 12:00 PM
    profile photo
    sue-richards says:

    Here is an update as of Jan 20th for Puerto Williams and Ushuaia.

    Argentina:
    Ushuaia is open for arrivals and a number of boats including us have cleared in with no issues over the past couple of weeks. PCR test, health insurance and electronic affidavit are required but we were not required to quarantine once the PCR result was received. The lack of quarantine may have been a special case because we traveled from Puerto Williams. Cases of omicron are currently quite high in Ushuaia so this could change at any time but officials in Ushuaia have reported that unless things get much worse the port will be open for the remainder of the Antarctic season.

    Chile:
    Puerto Willians (and all Chilean ports) are currently closed with very few exceptions. 72 hour humanitarian stops are still allowed for food and fuel but here in Puerto Williams even those requests are sometimes being turned down because Ushuaia is open 20 nm to the west. Officials in Puerto Williams would prefer the port to be open and want to help yachts but health controls have tied their hands. There are still Chilean residents waiting to return to Puerto Williams from Ushuaia who have been stuck since the beginning of the pandemic. Given the slow increase in Covid numbers throughout Chile, it is not expected that anything will change before winter arrives in a few months. Most foreign boats departing for Antarctica this year from Puerto Williams will not be allowed to return.
    For boats considering sailing into the Pacific, it is possible to receive permission for an “innocent passage” north through the channels after provisioning in Ushuaia. Given Chile’s long coastline and mixed reports of difficulties stopping even for fuel and provisions north Puerto Williams it would be difficult to recommend at this time.

    Gary and Karina
    SV Sea Rover II

  2. September 10, 2021 at 4:52 AM
    guinearags says:

    I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with you on Argentina as the country with the most Spanish speakers. That would be Mexico at about 120 million people. Colombia has about 45 million people, and Spain has about 40 million as well. Surprisingly, the United States has about 50 million Spanish speaking people in the country, more than the population of Argentina as well.

  3. November 23, 2018 at 5:36 PM
    Lynda Lim says:

    Thanks to the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires the next weekend ( 29/11-02/12 ) is forbidden sail near Buenos Aires Port and the north area until Olivos port.
    Omar Wetdoc, from Buenos Aires

    1. July 24, 2019 at 3:03 PM
      svcarina says:

      Hello Omar,
      We are presently in Portugal and potentially heading toward Argentina. There have been comments that ‘Argentina is getting expensive’. Expensive, compared to say Europe, US, Canada? Can you comment? Thanks for you past comments by the way.
      Regards,
      James and Shelley
      S/V Carina, Portugal

  4. October 29, 2018 at 1:24 PM
    Lynda Lim says:

    Update from Sailors for Sustainability:

    We found Werner’s report about the inspections and requirements in Mar del Plata for yachts sailing south to Patagonia very helpful. Note, however, that the list of requirements seems to have changed recently. For example, fewer flares are required and AIS was added.

    The new list (from May 2018) can be found here: https://cargasitiow.prefecturanaval.gob.ar/webpna/documentos/ordenanzas/ordn_pdf/4-2018-1.pdf

    The list is in Anexo “A”.

    We do not yet have any experience with the Argentinian authorities, so we don’t know yet if they actually check each item on the list. We will let you know what our experience was after Mar del Plata.

    Floris & Ivar

  5. March 28, 2018 at 9:30 PM
    Data Entry5 says:

    Notices to Skippers and current warnings in the Argentine sea.

    Available in Spanish and English, click over WP.
    http://www.hidro.gov.ar/nautica/GeoRadioavisos.asp
    Omar Wetdoc, from Buenos Aires

  6. November 24, 2017 at 9:18 AM
    Data Entry5 says:

    Clearance in Mar del Plata – as of Nov 22/17

    I have submitted a long report about my experience clearing in and out here (see adjacent), however important to note are the safety requirements for visiting International yachts, as this caught me out.

    The Prefecture demands that international vessels are classified as “Veleros Oceanicos” and have a list of safety requirements that boats must comply with before clearance is granted. There is a link to the list in my report adjacent.

    This includes the requirement to have a certified life raft, six parachute flares and six handheld flares. The chief of Prefecture for the Coastguard department has given me the right to have no sextant on board. All other requirements apply. I had a total of four inspections.

  7. July 22, 2017 at 9:34 AM
    Data Entry5 says:

    Posted on behalf of Anastasia July 2017

    Beginning December 2016 we asked our permission for the Falklands, it was done in Mar del Platta. We left on14 December from Mar del Platta and arrived on 29 December in Desceado (after a stopover in Caleta Hornos) there we left on 13 January 2017 for the Falklands. We had at that time our permission without any problem.

    The permission is NOT at all a bottleneck to go to the Falklands. In Desceado and in Mar Del Platta the prefecture was super friendly and did not make any problem for us. We had a peaceful crossing and even in PW and here in Ushuaia no problems about our whereabouts.

  8. December 20, 2016 at 4:19 PM
    Data Entry5 says:

    Getting a Permit to Malvinas/Falklands – from Omar Sanchez:

    The bureaucracy has unfortunately increased and now it takes about 40-45 days to get the permit to go to Malvinas/Falklands.

    That is why this year some foreign sailors have preferred to return to Punta del Este in Uruguay and to make the dispatch to the Malvinas from there, without touching Argentine ports to Malvinas.
    This does not invalidate the rule that establishes the daily position report in Argentine waters.

  9. May 16, 2016 at 11:26 PM
    Data Entry5 says:

    After March 24, 2016, U.S. citizens no longer need to pay a reciprocity fee to enter Argentina.

    See: http://www.embassyofargentina.us/en/consular-section/reciprocity-fee-for-us-citizens.html
    Wetdoc, from Buenos Aires.

  10. January 27, 2016 at 12:04 PM
    Data Entry5 says:

    Our thanks to Henk Boersma for these updates.

    Puerto Williams Update:
    Recently the “SAG” (these are the people responsible for avoiding alien flora and fauna arriving on Chilean soil) started implementing a law that no fresh fruit, vegetables or meat can be brought into the country. All will be confiscated and destroyed. Threats with fines for not complying are in the air.

    For years this has been the rule in the rest of the country, however now PW is included as well which doesn’t make sense. Maybe it will blow over.
    For the charter boats that do their shopping in Ushuaia (Argentina), this new rule forces a change of plan… The problem is of course, that there are no reliable supplies in Puerto Williams!

    Ushuaia Update:
    All is quiet on the customs front, apart from some issues which involved Argentine sailors with foreign flagged boats. They are still fussy about arriving or going to the Falklands without a permit.

    Cruising the Beagle Channel
    For cruising the Beagle Channel as far as Staten Island, no zarpe is required for trips to Lapataia and Islas Bridges but the Prefecture must be notified before you leave with the details of your trip. Anywhere further out, and you must pay a visit to the Prefecture for a zarpe.