Originally Posted by
IceTrojan
Really, just 2 laptops and 3-4 phones... not hauling in the warehouse.
The duty-free limit is US$300 on new items ... Since all bags are X-rayed, if they ask you to open them and they find new electronic items in their original packaging, you
will be charged duty over the $300 limit (and that's if you have the receipt for the purchase). If you not have a receipt, customs will estimate the value of the item new
in Argentina (and that will be a LOT higher than for what you purchased the item).
It's not as if they separate returning Argentine nationals from foreigners being screened - everyone has to go through the same screening of their bags. The agents don't know to whom the bags belong (this year they seemed to have returned to allowing multiple passengers to line up at the entrance to each screening station, as opposed to the previous situation when only individuals/families were allowed to approach).
Depending on the agent who screens your bags, you might breeze through, but if an agent asks you to open you bag(s), and they find dutiable items that you haven't declared be prepared to pay.
You can see the customs form in the link - so you don't have to rely on getting the form on the plane and filling it out there.
http://www.afip.gob.ar/genericos/for...OM-2087-G3.pdf
Despite what a FT posted in another link, bags have
always been subject to X-ray upon international arrival (at least since 2002 when I started to coming to Argentina regularly). In over 100 arrivals, I have only twice been able to skip screening - once during the H1N1 epidemic when all arriving passengers were thermally screened before being allowed to enter, and airport employees were gowned and masked - and I only had carry-on bags, and another time, when for a short while, there was a green/red random button for allowing some passengers to skip the X-ray when the screening stations were overloaded. But even then I was asked verbally about any prohibited items (and it's obviously I'm not Argentine from my accent).
On numerous occasions I've been asked to open my bags - usually because I have a lot of commercial foodstuffs that the aduanero cannot identify from the video screen. That's never been a problem when they see the item - but once they've gone to the trouble of opening your bags they will have a look. Once I was carrying a (used) replacement TV remote which prompted a thorough inspection of all my bags. I've been sent to secondary only once - not something that I would want to happen again - my bags were taken from me and searched outside my presence (and they didn't return my passport).
Only once have I been pressured for a bribe - I was carrying a 3-year old (obviously used) Macbook and a cheap cell flip-phone ... an agent became verbally abusive until I switched from English to castellano in a loud voice ...
Argentine customs law is what it is ... you know in advance what's permitted duty-free ... Es lo que hay ...