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Visa questions

 
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Guitar



Joined: 16 Nov 2011
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:47 pm    Post subject: Visa questions Reply with quote

Hi, I want to teach English in Argentina. I have questions about the visa.

Do I need a work visa?
Or can I just use a tourist Visa?
Customs won't give me a hard time if I just have tourist visa but I say that I want to teach English, will they?
I understand that the tourist visa only lasts for 3 months. So I have to take a trip to the border every 3 months to get it renewed?

Thanks.
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mersshroyer



Joined: 21 Aug 2012
Posts: 33
Location: Rosario, Argentina

PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I currently live in Argentina and have known a lot of people who've worked and lived here temporarily.. almost everything here is done "en negro" or under the table. This means your pay is totally undocumented and untaxed. So, the type of visa you have doesn't really matter, at least while you're here. I've never heard of anyone here being questioned about it, besides at customs. A friend of mine lived here for over a year and only renewed his tourist visa once and ended up just paying some sort of fee to re-enter the US.

My advice is to stick with a tourist visa (that's what I'm doing) and hop over to Montevideo for a day or two every 90 days or so.. this is also a good idea so that you can withdraw US dollars (assuming you're American) from an ATM seeing as how it's totally impossible to get 'em here.

Edit: And don't tell them you're going to teach english at customs, just say you're visiting friends or backpacking through the country.

Hope that helps!
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Guitar



Joined: 16 Nov 2011
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, that cleared up a lot of my questions.

I didn't know about the ATM thing though. They don't have them anywhere at all? Not even BA?--- I hate to carry a lot of cash, but if I have no choice...

And just because I'm curious and would prefer not to lie to customs-- what would or could happen if I said I wanted to teach English?
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mersshroyer



Joined: 21 Aug 2012
Posts: 33
Location: Rosario, Argentina

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hate to tell you, but bringing the cash in with you is really the best option because accessing dollars within the country is literally impossible. You won't be able to withdraw them even through a bank teller. You'll be forced to withdraw your money in the form of pesos and pay a fee every time. The problem really though is that the official exchange rate is pretty bad (1 USD, 4.50 pesos) so selling your dollars at the black market rate is the way to go if you want to keep up with inflation here (1 USD, 6 pesos). Might sound sketchy, but it's not uncommon. Your call really.

If you tell customs you want to teach, you might get questioned about how you're planning to obtain a work visa and all that. I just know that getting one is a total pain and few employers will do their part to help you. Again, it's your call but you should do some research on the visa process if you're planning on having that conversation with the customs people.
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Lukas



Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 15
Location: Istanbul

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi mersshroyer,

Thanks for your post. I'm not really thinking about going to Argentina any time soon, but I was interested in your comment concerning buying pesos on the black market. I know that this is standard practice in many countries, but where exactly do you get this done? Is there a dark alley somewhere full of money changers or can you do it in stores?
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mersshroyer



Joined: 21 Aug 2012
Posts: 33
Location: Rosario, Argentina

PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are actual places that will do it for you. I've honestly never had to go to one. The way to find them is usually via word of mouth, but in a situation like this, local friends usually will buy your dollars from you.
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