Argentina - Argentina to tighten customs control at airports

I know we all read about the book ban in Argentina this week, but one of the other pieces of news that was not as reported on is the new increase in customs inspections at the airports.

http://www.discoverbuenosaires.com/argentina-airport-customs-inspections

More regulations and bureaucracy...

I think this has to do with today's date.

Yes, April Fools clearly.

Surprisingly, a lot of people thought it might be true... One just never knows in this country! Happy April Fools Day!

nicely done..... :D

Tonight a chilean friend coming from MIA via SCL to stay for 4 days had his gadgets seized until he paid the "ransom" taxes.

He had with him:

One really used computer.
One new, out of the box computer retail value $500.
Boxed ipad mini. Retail about $400.
Boxed Digital Camera (pictures) retail value $120.
2 Boxed Hard Disk retail value $70.

Granted he should have opened his boxed gadgets before going through customs, but everything was his staff and he was planning to come back to SCL with everything. He just bought everything before running to the airport and was about to configure things up.

He offered to open and destroy the boxes, but they didn't accept.

He requested to be able to pay a warranty (that he could recover later when bringing things out) and was denied it because he didn't detail the items on the form.

He requested to be able to leave things and pick them up on thursday before his flight, but was also denied.

He was demanded to pay USD 500 as ransom or leave the items and expect a citation from the AFIP (local IRS which runs the customs office).

He ultimately negotiated the price at ARS 1600. He was given official receipts.

I've seen some people having a "not pleasant" time in the aduana lines over the past year. Most times they are now collecting the forms, where in times past, I never turned in a form except one time I needed to declare something, and they at first refused to take the form.

Out of curiosity, what passport did your friend have? CL or US?

In my observations, Chilean citizens have always been hassled more than the developed world "foreigners". This from many land border crossings and traveling by air with my Chilean girlfriend to Mendoza and Buenos Aires. I remember one time when I put my laptop bag through the X-Ray, the customs guy thought it was hers and was about to question her on it but I quickly stepped in to say it was mine and was given an instant pass.

He has both, Cilean and US passport. But currently living in Chile.

Im not going to get into the Andes cross-border situation, as I dont think it adds any real value to the discussion.

Not sure what you mean by Ransom money.... are you saying that the customs guys wanted US$ 500 as bribe, or is that what they wanted your friend to pay as duty...? Sadly, I dont rule out that a bribe was requested, although I do question the amount as it makes no sense in relation to the goods that were being entered into the country.

Assuming that your quoted values are acceptable to customs (and remember that the actual retail price paid does not matter to Customs, all Sovereign Customs Houses reserve the right to value goods at their discretion), then your friend had US$ 1090 in new merchandise subject to Tax/Duty according to local laws. It doesnt matter that he was in transit, that these were not for him... etc. etc. Believe me, I understand your friends frustration and anger, but the rules are the rules are the rules. As a Chileno, I trust he understands this better than me (and Im just an Argentino, ok...?).

So, to continue with the arithmetic, net of the personal exemption of US$ 300 that one is entitled to, that leaves US$ 790 in value that must pay duty. The flat rate is 50%, so that means that the total tax/duty bill to be paid was US$ 395. At the rate of approx. 4,95 pesos per Dollar, that means almost AR$ 2000. He paid AR$ 1600 and got official receipts.... so in this specific sense (leaving aside the US$ 500 "bribe" request ??? - should this be what happened), things went pretty much by the book and your friend was able to massage the values down in the official declaration which yielded the AR$ 1600 payment that was made.

As a final note, not sure what the offer to destroy the boxes was all about.... the stuff was clearly new so if you dont bother to destroy boxes before you go through customs I cant seem to understand what your friend was thinking.... (??)

He was coming here for 4 days with all that equipment? In original boxes? I'd say he did it to himself. The only people I've ever seen hassled before are Argentines.

I'm a permanent resident and came back in September with eight suitcases containing: (2) MacBook Pros, iPad 2, iPad 3, GPS, (2) iPhones, kids clothes and toys, kitchenware, sheets and towels, Apple mouse, keyboard, and a variety of other things. We came through with no problems whatsoever. We declared some of the new items (under the $300/person limit) and they didn't even ask about the rest.

I
As a final note, not sure what the offer to destroy the boxes was all about.... the stuff was clearly new so if you dont bother to destroy boxes before you go through customs I cant seem to understand what your friend was thinking.... (??)

Agreed. It is also generally not a bad idea to have receipts on hand for new goods if you think there might be an issue. And as I mentioned above, the forms used to be a waste of paper, now they are actually used.

On a final note, what is going on is quite clear, as before Argentines leave Argentina, there's a line to declare what one is leaving with, to avoid problems on the return.

On a final final note ;) one should not be surprised if any government appears to be enforcing its own import laws, even if it hasn't in the past.

As a final note, not sure what the offer to destroy the boxes was all about.... the stuff was clearly new so if you dont bother to destroy boxes before you go through customs I cant seem to understand what your friend was thinking.... (??)

Yes sounds to me as if he was a bit of an amateur when it comes to trying to fool the customs people.

Yes sounds to me as if he was a bit of an amateur when it comes to trying to fool the customs people.

Wait a sec..... I thought all you subjects of Her Majesty always played by the book...? Whats all this nonsense about fooling customs people...?

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Wait a sec..... I thought all you subjects of Her Majesty always played by the book...? Whats all this nonsense about fooling customs people...?

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Yes I'm British......so never choose to bring anything in that isn't allowed free of charge.

It's the wife who makes me do it.

Im more confused.... I thought you were a Scot...?

A Scot with a British passport.

A Scot with a British passport.

Dominado !!!!! :p

(cause the wife makes you become an Old Smuggler)

:D

I went through customs the other day, and the agent at the X-ray was talking on his cell phone as I brought through 5 bags. Nothing was new, and nothing was in boxes. I brought through a MacBook, iPad, Google Nexus 4, Wii, Playstation 3, and a couple cameras.

I was never asked for the customs form, nor were my two friends who arrived in the last week.

I went through customs the other day, and the agent at the X-ray was talking on his cell phone as I brought through 5 bags. Nothing was new, and nothing was in boxes. I brought through a MacBook, iPad, Google Nexus 4, Wii, Playstation 3, and a couple cameras.

I was never asked for the customs form, nor were my two friends who arrived in the last week.

That's because you are not Argentino.

My girlfriend got her hand luggage searched because the government knows people are going abroad for clothes and electronics.

They caught many people with Apple products and will charge them the appropriate tax.

Meanwhile all the times I have been there I have either never been stopped in the X-ray or I was able to skip the X-rays altogether.

That's the way it is.

Meanwhile all the times I have been there I have either never been stopped in the X-ray or I was able to skip the X-rays altogether.

That's the way it is.

I've never been able to skip the X-ray. I never had a customs form collected until the past year or so, and then for a few trips they did collect them, until the last trip.

I've never been able to skip the X-ray. I never had a customs form collected until the past year or so, and then for a few trips they did collect them, until the last trip.In perhaps 60 entries in the past 10 years, I have only skipped the X-ray twice. Once was about 7 years ago when they were probably short-staffed and were randomly selecting passengers. The other time was during the SARS scare when I was told to skip the X-ray (by a gowned and masked employee), and I had only carry-on luggage.

When I've had a new electronic item in my luggage (like a LED TV), even though below the US$300 dutiable limit, I've always made them take the declaration. Otherwise I just hold it with my passport (which they sometimes check to make sure I'm NOT argentine), and they most often do not collect the form. But sometimes they do ...

It is true that the customs guys are after the locals. You can get away with muling a lot more stuff if you are a visitor. Its the same with entering booze into Brazil. My Brazilian clients get hell when entering with wine but I can schlep a caseload and nothing happens.

Only ever had a problem once and that was when I left it to the wife to do the talking which resulted in them confiscating some daffodil bulbs.
After that I have always went first always carrying the goodies in my bags making it known to them that I'm British......that usually has the desired effect of them showing little interest in what I have.

It used to be more common to get told not to bother putting the cases on the scanner belt but recent years this hasn't happened to us.

Only ever had a problem once and that was when I left it to the wife to do the talking which resulted in them confiscating some daffodil bulbs.... So you are saying you were trying smuggle daffodil bulbs into the country? And risk them aggressively colonizing the pampas and displacing the indigenous soy plants. Shame, shame on you! :p

So you are saying you were trying smuggle daffodil bulbs into the country? And risk them aggressively colonizing the pampas and displacing the indigenous soy plants. Shame, shame on you! :p

That's exactly what I said to the wife.

Very glad they took them as it saved me having to plant the damn things. :D

So you are saying you were trying smuggle daffodil bulbs into the country? And risk them aggressively colonizing the pampas and displacing the indigenous soy plants. Shame, shame on you! :p

Those dumb flowers stand no chance against the GM Soybeans.... another invention of the Colonial Powers...... :rolleyes:

Those dumb flowers stand no chance against the GM Soybeans.... another invention of the Colonial Powers...... :rolleyes:Surely those Soybeans have the right to self-determination. :)

Surely those Soybeans have the right to self-determination. :)

Really, Mme. CFK should just try and expropriate the Monsanto code and that will put a crushing halt to the regime once and for all.

Really, Mme. CFK should just try and expropriate the Monsanto code and that will put a crushing halt to the regime once and for all.

No need. Producers just stock up on seeds from one harvest to use in their next crop and just "forget" to pay Monsanto. In practice, there is nothing much Monsanto can do to enforce their intellectual property rights. Still, they remain doing business here so it probably means that they still make enough $$$ despite losing on the repeat revenue, so they are waiting for things to get better once the K regime is out of office.... wise medium term approach me thinks... ^

No need. Producers just stock up on seeds from one harvest to use in their next crop and just "forget" to pay Monsanto. In practice, there is nothing much Monsanto can do to enforce their intellectual property rights. Still, they remain doing business here so it probably means that they still make enough $$$ despite losing on the repeat revenue, so they are waiting for things to get better once the K regime is out of office.... wise medium term approach me thinks... ^

You interpreted my comment al reves. ;) I meant that Monsanto will crush the K, not the reverse, putting an end to the K regime, not an end to the Monsanto regime. Oil companies, banks, airlines, ain't got nothing on the poder of genetically-modified foodstuffs!

I wish big business had enough clout down here........ but me thinks that also aint gonna happen..... ;)

You interpreted my comment al reves. ;) He's probably getting confused with the lunfardo thread. :p


I meant that Monsanto will crush the K, not the reverse, putting an end to the K regime, not an end to the Monsanto regime. Oil companies, banks, airlines, ain't got nothing on the poder of genetically-modified foodstuffs!Oh, I'm sure that Monsanto has a destruct sequence somewhere in the code that can be activated at any time. There'll be tofu on K's face I'm sure ;)

I wish big business had enough clout down here........ but me thinks that also aint gonna happen..... ;)Au contraire. Time to brush up on your Mandarin methinks :eek:

For the first time in years, I have a little problem with customs control... that was on my last trip to Argentina (Dec 2012 after Christmas). They asked me about my DSRL camera and the equipment (3 extra lens,1 flash and 1 P&S camera). I told them that I always bring the same equipment and I never have any problem with it, but "she" insisted that I should had declared it. The funny things is I don't live in Argentina, I'm argentino but I travel with my US passport and the only time that I tried to declare it, I was not allowed it because at that time, I couldn't do the Global Refund stamp and declare any electronic at the same time. Besides, I brought an old iMac 20" G4 (they don't make it since 2004) for my family (it's old, but no more spyware problems) ;)

On my return, I declared it the equipment with my Argentine passport but only the DSRL and the lens/flash. The Macbook Pro and the P&S camera looked very used, so they refused to do it, not even the iPhone 4, they will only declare iPhone 4s or iPhone 5.

I always declare any electronic that is brand new in box, for example last year I brought 2 HDTV 26" (150 each on Black Friday) and few more things, the total was around $400= $50 that I should had to pay but they just took my declaration form and they didn't want to do the payment form, so I didn't pay anything.

As experience, if you bring tools like a portable drill, circular saw or small tools, they will not charge you a dime, but don bring auto parts because are forbidden.

You being Argentine was the downfall unfortunately.

I know but I did not have any problems in the last 8 years (around 20 trips to Arg). I always declare any brand new electronic, but never my personal items (dsrl, iphone, p&s camera, macbook, ipad). And as you may know, they are always ready for NYC/MIA flights.

Next time, I will bring my mountain bike (old but high end GT Zaskar LE) ;)

You being Argentine was the downfall unfortunately.

Its clear the Customs bloodhounds can smell out the locals and we are certainly their favorite prey...... :rolleyes: