Argentina customs
Apply for visa
Free import
• Clothing and personal items for your own use, not intended for sale, plus books and newspapers.
• One mobile phone and one laptop or tablet for personal use.
• Other goods (new or used, including gifts) worth up to USD 500 per person when arriving by air or sea, or up to USD 300 when arriving by land or river. Travelers arriving by air or sea may also buy up to USD 500 at the arrival duty-free shop (by land, only at Puerto Iguazu).
• Travelers under 16 receive 50% of these allowances. Spouses, partners and children under 16 traveling together may combine their allowances.
• The allowances can be used once a month and cannot be carried over. A single duty of 50% is charged on the value above the allowance.
• Keep receipts for goods bought abroad. Goods that were declared on form OM-121 when leaving Argentina return duty-free.
Currency
• There is no limit on the amount of Argentine pesos or foreign currency you may bring in.
• Cash, bearer negotiable instruments and gold or other precious metal coins worth USD 10,000 or more in total (or the equivalent in other currencies) must be declared to customs on arrival (form OM-2249-A). For travelers under 16 the threshold is USD 5,000.
Prohibited
• Narcotics and illegal drugs
• Archaeological and cultural heritage items
• Goods for commercial or industrial use (they cannot be imported as baggage)
• Without SENASA authorization: meat of any animal, sausages, cold cuts and ham, dairy products, honey and other bee products, home-made food, food without a label, fresh fruit and vegetables, plants, flowers, seeds, bulbs and soil, animal feed and veterinary products
Restricted
• Packaged and labeled food in amounts for personal consumption is allowed, for example canned fish or meat, pasteurized dairy products, jams, juices, dried fruit and nuts. Vacuum-packed Iberian or Serrano ham from Spain in its original packaging is also accepted.
• Firearms and ammunition may be brought in only temporarily, for hunting or sport shooting at authorized places, with an Autorizacion Temporaria de Ingreso y Egreso de Armas issued by the National Firearms Registry (RENAR). Apply at an Argentine consulate before travel (or, once, to the authorities on arrival) with your passport and home firearm licence. A fee of ARS 20,000 per firearm is charged on each entry, and the firearms must be declared to customs. Explosives also need RENAR authorization.
• Dogs and cats need an International Veterinary Certificate (with a Spanish version) or an official legalized pet passport, valid for 60 days from issue. It must confirm a health check within 10 days and parasite treatment within 15 days before the certificate was issued, and a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before arrival (for first vaccinations). Pets under 3 months need official confirmation of their age and that they have not been exposed to rabies.
• Endangered species of plants and animals and products made from them (CITES) need permits.
• Goods above the allowances, food and agricultural products regulated by SENASA, and cash from USD 10,000 must be declared to customs.
• Clothing and personal items for your own use, not intended for sale, plus books and newspapers.
• One mobile phone and one laptop or tablet for personal use.
• Other goods (new or used, including gifts) worth up to USD 500 per person when arriving by air or sea, or up to USD 300 when arriving by land or river. Travelers arriving by air or sea may also buy up to USD 500 at the arrival duty-free shop (by land, only at Puerto Iguazu).
• Travelers under 16 receive 50% of these allowances. Spouses, partners and children under 16 traveling together may combine their allowances.
• The allowances can be used once a month and cannot be carried over. A single duty of 50% is charged on the value above the allowance.
• Keep receipts for goods bought abroad. Goods that were declared on form OM-121 when leaving Argentina return duty-free.
Currency
• There is no limit on the amount of Argentine pesos or foreign currency you may bring in.
• Cash, bearer negotiable instruments and gold or other precious metal coins worth USD 10,000 or more in total (or the equivalent in other currencies) must be declared to customs on arrival (form OM-2249-A). For travelers under 16 the threshold is USD 5,000.
Prohibited
• Narcotics and illegal drugs
• Archaeological and cultural heritage items
• Goods for commercial or industrial use (they cannot be imported as baggage)
• Without SENASA authorization: meat of any animal, sausages, cold cuts and ham, dairy products, honey and other bee products, home-made food, food without a label, fresh fruit and vegetables, plants, flowers, seeds, bulbs and soil, animal feed and veterinary products
Restricted
• Packaged and labeled food in amounts for personal consumption is allowed, for example canned fish or meat, pasteurized dairy products, jams, juices, dried fruit and nuts. Vacuum-packed Iberian or Serrano ham from Spain in its original packaging is also accepted.
• Firearms and ammunition may be brought in only temporarily, for hunting or sport shooting at authorized places, with an Autorizacion Temporaria de Ingreso y Egreso de Armas issued by the National Firearms Registry (RENAR). Apply at an Argentine consulate before travel (or, once, to the authorities on arrival) with your passport and home firearm licence. A fee of ARS 20,000 per firearm is charged on each entry, and the firearms must be declared to customs. Explosives also need RENAR authorization.
• Dogs and cats need an International Veterinary Certificate (with a Spanish version) or an official legalized pet passport, valid for 60 days from issue. It must confirm a health check within 10 days and parasite treatment within 15 days before the certificate was issued, and a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before arrival (for first vaccinations). Pets under 3 months need official confirmation of their age and that they have not been exposed to rabies.
• Endangered species of plants and animals and products made from them (CITES) need permits.
• Goods above the allowances, food and agricultural products regulated by SENASA, and cash from USD 10,000 must be declared to customs.