RustyC

Is the reciprocity fee payment always linked to the passport number, or can the receipt still be valid with a renewed passport under the same name but with a different number if you still have the receipt? My current passport expires in late 2018.

David Beach

Yes, but you have to have and show the expired passport with the same number on the printed form, along with the new passport.

Cheapster

Wow... TONS of good info here!

I read through a bunch of it but seem to be missing the part I need (of course).

We traveled to EZE in July of 2013. I was a bit unprepared and had to pay the fee at the last minute from my laptop in the ticket line!

Our passports are stamped with our entrance and exit dates... but I just cannot find that receipt.

1. Do I understand correctly that the payment is somehow tracked with our passport numbers?

2. Is there a way I can check that and make sure we're good?

3. If nothing else works, is there a way to get a copy of that receipt somehow?

4. (Bonus question) Anyone care to speculate on routing? We're planning on the end of March (IAD-EZE about $1100) and would love to catch one of those 'free' 48-hour layovers on the way down.

GUWonder

If the reciprocity payment stamp proof is not in your passport or you can't reprint your reciprocity payment receipt otherwise, email [email protected] with your:

name, nationality, passport number and birthdate as per the passport you used when putting in for the reciprocity payment

and request they provide you proof of payment.

The free layovers are ordinarily connections under 24 hour on internstional itineraries of this nature.

MSPeconomist

The old reciprocity fee receipts (when you paid at the airport upon arrival) were stuck in the passport, but the new system requires an online purchase.

I wonder whether there would have been a receipt in an email message or attachment.

IIRC you're now supposed to have the paper receipt with a bar code.

GUWonder

The embassy/consulates have ways to make sure such persons don't need to repay the reciprocity fee. Whether the staff is willing to assist or not, I don't know. They are able to assist, if willing.

putongo

Thank you for posting this note about contacting [email protected] regarding getting a duplicate copy of your reciprocity receipt sent to you via email. I paid for my reciprocity stamp back in 2010 and, after traveling quite a bit, the barcode on it had faded. I emailed [email protected] and gave them my passport number, name, date of birth, and passport expiration date -- and they emailed me back with a duplicate electronic receipt within 12 hours of my request. Much quicker than I expected!

Thanks,

p

elruso

I hold Argentina and US citizenship. However, I wasn't born in Argentina, my Argentinian passport is expired, but I have the DNI.
My wife is also US citizen and Argentina resident. She holds a DNI for foreigners (the brown one).

The consulate page http://embassyofargentina.us/embassy...rocityfee.html
stays explicitly that none of us has to pay the fee, so I don't worry about crossing the border:
However, I have some concerns about the airline personnel.. Are they aware of this rule and what is DNI ?
Timatic just says:
- Exempt are holders of a valid visa issued by Argentina.
- Exempt are those born in Argentina.
- Exempt are holders of dual Argentine nationality.

There is no mention of DNI !
Did anybody had experience boarding US airline with DNI + US passport ?
What about DNI for foreigners (DNI para extranjeros) ?

Thx.

GUWonder

If you have the Argentine DNI document, then you have what you need. TIMATIC will mention it when US is entered as nationality and Argentina is entered as a country of residence. As long as you have a valid DNI and as your wife has a valid DNI too -- and as long as you have that to present at immigration on arrival -- you two don't need to pay the reciprocity fee. If TIMATIC doesn't satisfy them -- and it should -- then point them to the Argentine embassy website that says the same thing.

If you pay the reciprocity fee, you have slim to no chance to get it refunded.

elruso

Thanks GUWonder.
I double checked the TIMATIC (via star alliance link) and effectively it mentions the "national id" and doesn't mention the reciprocity fee if I specify nationality: USA, country of residence: Argentina and destination country Argentina:
It also points to the following document listing the IDs, including DNI
https://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/t...ubuser=STARB2C

Schultzois

I find it interesting to check in on this thread every so often. It's become normal that all the North American, and all or at least most of the South American carriers are very diligent (almost obsessive... checking 3+ times before letting you board) about ensuring that you've paid your reciprocity fee.

I've written about BA taking a more strangely relaxed approach (not asking for anything up front, making an announcement an hour before landing talking about if you haven't already acquired your "Visa" and are from the US, Canada or Australia... and indeed the ground staff who met me on the jetway about a bag that their systems had told them hadn't been loaded asking me if I had paid my fee when seeing I was holding a US passport in my hand).

The most surprising experience of all, however, was taking a recent Iberia flight into EZE (from Nice via Madrid). OLCI without issue. No inquiry at any step along the way, whether checking in at NCE, asking for new (paper) boarding passes, which sometimes makes them check, transit and boarding in MAD, not even an announcement onboard as BA has done. Absolutely, positively no checking or warning whatsoever at any point along the way, right through to disembarking at EZE.

Isn't it a problem for the airline if, somehow, a passenger they've carried all the way from Europe gets as far as immigrations without having any idea of the requirements (you'd have to be pretty daft, I admit, but then again it's even more daft of the airline not to check)?

I wasn't thinking much about it during the journey, but when I realized that not only had no one ever asked me for proof of payment, there had not even been an announcement prior to landing, I was really a little bit surprised.

I'm now rather looking forward to my next AA flight, where I won't even be allowed to get a boarding pass before I've proven that I've paid, and even then I expect to be checked 2-3 times more along the way!

bigguyinpasadena

Just a note of caution. I used a link in one of the above post and was directed to a google search which had a link that looked very similar to the address posted. Unfortunately it took me to a non-goverment site which stated the fee was $190 not $160 which gave me pause ( I will not muddy the water by posting that link)

I backtracked and found the correct link (as posted above) http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesi...ciprocidad.htm
So a little caution would be wise

GUWonder

When flying from Mt Pleasant to Rio Gallegos, is there any immigration/reciprocity payment fee check done at Rio Gallegos?

mkt

I'd love to read this entire thread, but I'd rather just ask. I'm traveling to EZE on Sunday for a quickie business trip. My Spanish passport is expired, and the consulate won't be able to renew it in time, so I have to enter as a US citizen. I figure I'll just apply for the 10 year permit/visa/fee/whatever-this-is.

Is it a true 10 years, and just hang on to my expired passport? Or will it actually expire with my passport?

GUWonder

Mine is a true ten years and was issued in affiliation with my US passport that expired. I use it with my current US passport without issue. In other words, the reciprocity payment is good for ten years even if you change US passports within the course of that ten years. As long as the names match in both US passports issued to the same person, ten years is the validity period of the proof of reciprocity payment.