ENGLISH VERSION PORTAL DEL CONSUMIDOR PROTECTORA

ENGLISH VERSION

PROTECTORA: ASOCIACION DE DEFENSA AL CONSUMIDOR INFORM:

CONSUMER PROTECTION: SERVICE FOR FOREIGNERS (by argentina.gov.ar)

Arriving in Argentina:

All airline companies that fly into Argentina arrive mainly at the International Airport “Ministro Pistarini” at Ezeiza, located at 37 Km (22 miles) from the City of Buenos Aires.

There, after fulfilling corresponding immigration procedures, passengers can travel to the City of Buenos Aires by duly identified taxis and private cars called “remises”, or by private buses, which counters are located at the exit of the airport. If passengers have to travel to any province, the recommended alternative is to use a transfer service to the Metropolitan Airport “Jorge Newbery” or to the bus terminal in Retiro. Remises are private cars contracted by a company, to transport passengers. A taxi trip from the airport to the city takes approximately between 30 and 40 minutes.

Other airline companies that fly into Argentina from Chile, arrive at international Airport “Gobernador Francisco Gabrieli”, located at :; 11 km NE MENDOZA, Ruta 40 s/n, 32°49′54″S 68°47′34″O / -32.83167, -68.79278. Passangers can travel to the City of Mendoza by: duly identified taxis and private cars called “remises”, or by city bus: Grupo 6, recorrido 63. Distance to down town: 11 km or 9 miles.It is strongly recommended to always take identified taxis, private buses or remises hired in the counters inside the airport, and FOR PASSENGERS SAFETY, DO NOT ACCEPT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES OFFERED IN A LOUD VOICE BY NOT IDENTIFIED PEOPLE. Once in the City you can choose a place where to stay as it has a vast hotel offer.

To get around the country:

Due to the vast extension of the Argentine territory, airplanes are a good choice to arrive from abroad or to move to the important cities of the interior of the country, as there are numerous air routes and national airports. Cars are an alternative to travel around the country as Argentina has an extensive road infrastructure, integrated by national and provincial roads.
Ships, are the necessary means of transport for some cases such as the Delta del Río Paraná, being also the main contact with the República Oriental del Uruguay.
As regards to urban and inter-urban transport buses are the means of transport most used. The long distances trips are covered by a vast net of medium and long distances buses.
The railroad net constitutes one of the main means of transport between the City of Buenos Aires and the metropolitan area, and also connects the capital city with some cities of the interior of the country.
The tourist circuits offer visitants a different way to travel around our country.

· More information (in spanish) Free Toll Line for Tourist Assistance in the City of Buenos Aires
Please call 0800-999-283887 (BUETUR). Assistance is provided for national and foreign tourists. For foreign tourists, calls are answered in Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian and French. The complaints handled are for:

cases of commercial abuse;
robberies, theft, offences, losses and failure to locate any person;
non-fulfilment of a contracted service.

For more information, please check the Guide of Services provided by the City of Buenos Aires. Go to site

TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

Consumer Defense:

Claims for issues such as failure to comply with the set transaction policy, for example when a product is faulty or the service agreed is not carried out appropriately, can be addressed at the centre. The claim can be initiated via the internet and handled either by the consumer involved or by a third party by means to a representative who can be registered without cost at the office. Legal backing is not required.

What do you need to present to make a claim? The product or service must have been acquired in the city of claim. The claimant must be the end consumer.

The documentation required to lodge a claim is a written report outing the facts, a receipt for the transaction: bill, purchase receipt, or original contract, a passport or identification document for Mercosur citizens. The claimant must show original copies plus a set of photocopies for the office and a further set for each party involved in the claim. The original copies will remain the property of the consumer.

The service is free.

NEVER, NEVER, PAID MORE THAN ARGENTINIAN, ART 8 BIS CONSUMER DEFENSE LAW

Claims should be carried out in person by the owner of the product at:

» Assistance Program for Tourists in the City of Buenos Aires
Foreign tourists from all over the world can go to the premises of the Agency for Consumer Defense and Protection of the City of Buenos Aires invoking their character of consumers in order to settle any issue that might have arisen. A claim can be filed whenever a company does not comply with what was agreed in a business transaction (e.g.: when the purchased product has a flaw which does not allow or alters normal conditions for its use) or if the company does not render a service in accordance with the agreement signed. Tourists can also obtain further information before the Government of the City of Buenos Aires.

» Assistance Program for Tourists in the City of Mendoza
Secretaria de Turismo del Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza:

In Person: Av. San Martin 1143 – Mendoza, Mendoza

Phone: (0261) 420-2800

By Internet: http://www.turismo.mendoza.gov.ar

A report of the claim will be passed on to the relevant legal authority who will determine if there was an infringement of the law, and what compensatory measures will be taken. The company at fault could receive a sanction and force to pay for damage a sum ranging to $5.000 to the foreign.

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FOR COMPLAIN AND TIPS.

From 6 to 24 hours, the Atention Center answer free questions and complains for travel agencies and airlines, and others tourist issues. Call 0800-333-82667; by Mail turista@turismo.gov.ar; a drst@turismo.gov.ar o 0800@turismo.gov.ar.

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Passport

Valid passport, with or without visa, according to the country of origin. The maximum permanence time granted by the consular offices is of ninety (90) days, that can be extended only once, for the same period granted before, going to any of the delegations of Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (National Immigration Office), before expiration of the term originally granted. To get an extension of time the corresponding fee has to be paid. For more information, call the consulate of your jurisdiction.
No vaccination certificate has to be submitted, except for cholera and yellow fever for passengers coming from countries where those diseases are endemic.
Passengers coming from no border countries are exempted from the fee on luggage content and on new products under U$S 300, plus additional U$S 300 if they were bought in “duty free shops” authorized in the national territory.

VISAS;

Tourist Visa
No visa is required for permanence up to 90 days, for citizens from: The European Union, the United States of America and the following Latin American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Perú and Venezuela.

Requirements to apply for a visa:
   • Valid passport or any other document approved by the Argentine Republic.
   • Application Form (supplied by the consulate).
   • 1 photograph 4 x 4 cm.
   • Round trip ticket.
   • Payment of consular fee.
   • Proof that the applicant is able to support himself in the host country.

The maximum duration of the stay is of (90) days that can be extended going to any of the delegations of the National Immigration Office before expiration of the original term granted.
Ir al sitio

For further information on tourist visas, please call the consulate of your jurisdiction or contact the Argentine Chancellery.
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Visa for Temporary Residence
Anyone who would like to settle temporarily in the Argentine Republic will have to comply with the admission criteria stated in the article 23 of Law Nº 25.871. Apart from the basic personal documents that prove identity, birth information, income and related checks of criminal history background (duly translated and legalized), the applicant will have to submit specific documentation according to his/her particular immigration situation. For further information please contact the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (National Immigration Office).

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:Business Visa
Requisites
   • Valid Passport or any other document accepted by the Argentine Republic.
   • Application Form (supplied by the Consulate).
   • 1 Photograph 4 x 4 cm.
   • Round trip ticket.
   • Payment of consular fee.
The maximum temporary stay granted by the consular offices is of ninety (90) days, which can be extended only once and for the same period of time, which requisite is to go to any of the delegations of the “Dirección Nacional de Migraciones” (National Immigration Office) before the original term is due. The applicant has to prove his/her business activity by means of a letter from the company for which he/she works, bank references, etc. In the case of an invitation from a physical or juridical person settled or living in our country, the applicant will previously have to get the approval by the “Dirección Nacional de Migraciones” (National Immigration Office).
For further information, please call the consulate of your jurisdiction or contact the Argentine Chancellery.

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AMENITIES

Climate

Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere, where seasons are the opposite to the northern hemisphere. March, the beginning of autumn, is the ideal time to visit any place in the country. At this time the weather in the city of Buenos Aires is warm, humid and a bit rainy, and the temperature starts going down, being generally in the range between 11ºC (52ºF) and 25ºC (77ºF). In general, summer, with mild temperatures and long days, is the most favourable season to travel across Patagonia and the meridional Andes. Winter is the recommended season to travel along the north, northeast and northwest areas because rains are less frequent and subtropical temperatures decrease some degrees. Autumn and spring are very favourable in Cuyo, La Rioja and Catamarca pre–cordilleran areas and in Buenos Aires.

Electricity

In our country the electric system is 220 Volts and frequency 50 Hertz. If you have electric appliances for 110 volts, you can purchase adaptors in specialized stores.

Money

In Argentina the currency is the PESO ($).
There are bills of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 pesos and coins of 1 peso and 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents.

Tips

As in many other countries, in Argentina it is customary to leave a tip of 10% of the consumption in bars, cafes and restaurants and to tip doormen, porters, concierges and hotel attendants and also attendants in cinemas, theatres and shows.

Telephone Booths

Everywhere in the country there are telephone booths from where you can make domestic or international calls, where calls have to be paid cash. Some have fax services and access to Internet and special booths for ear–impaired people.

Banks and Stores Opening Times

Banks and Exchange Houses
Mondays – Fridays 10 am to 3 pm.

Commercial/Trade Offices
Generally 9 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm.

Shops and stores
In big cities, 9 am to 8 pm, although in the interior of the country they use to close at noon. On Saturdays, opening time is 9 am to 1 pm. Shopping malls and big stores are open the 7 days of the week from 10 am to 10 pm.

Cafés, bars and pizza parlours
They are almost always open except between 2 am and 6 am.

Restaurants
Lunch is served as of 12 pm and dinner as of 8 pm. Nevertheless, there are many places where you can get fast food served at any time. It has to be taken into account that these opening times can be different depending on the province.

Airports

International Ezeiza Airport “Ministro Pistarini”Inaugurated in 1949, it is the international terminal of excellence in the Argentine Republic as it concentrates 80% of the country’s international air traffic.
Address: Autopista Ricchieri, Km. 33,500. Ezeiza, Province of Buenos Aires.
Telephone – information:(54–11) 5480–6111.

Jorge Newbery Airport
It is located in the northwestern area of the City of Buenos Aires. It holds mainly domestic flights, and in a lesser degree, international flights to the República Oriental del Uruguay. It is the airport with most passengers in transit.
Address: Av. Rafael Obligado S/N. (1425) Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
Telephone – information: (54–11) 5480–6111.

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Domestic Airports
Complete list of Domestic Airports. You can search by province, by name, or by code.

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TAX RETURN

Foreign tourists can request the VAT (Value Added Tax) return for the purchase of products manufactured in Argentina for a value of not less than seventy Argentine pesos ($70). To apply for this tax return, products have to be purchased in stores adhered to this system, which show the “TAX FREE Shopping” logo. When purchasing any product, tourists have to request the seller an original Invoice “B” category or ticket “B” category, and the “Global Refund Check”. Before departing from Argentina, tourists shall submit the products purchased, the invoice or ticket and the Refund Check to the Customs Office. To know the amount to be refunded o further information on this respect, please contact the Tax Revenue Office (AFIP).

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ESTIMATED PRICES

To know about approximate prices in Argentina, we recommend a list of different products and services provided by the Secretariat of Tourism of the City of Buenos Aires.

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DISTANCES

Interactive version where you can check distances, shown in kilometers, in three different sections: between Buenos Aires and the interior of the country, Buenos Aires and South America and Buenos Aires and the main cities in the world, provided by the Secretariat of Tourism of the City of Buenos Aires.

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TELEPHONES

Calling Times at Reduced Rates

For local, domestic and international calls from private telephone lines (not public telephones).

Reduced rates: Monday – Fridays 0 to 8 am and 9 pm to 12 am; Saturdays 0 to 8 am and 1 pm to 12 am; Sundays and national holidays 24 hours.
Nevertheless, telephone companies offer special rates that are variable.

Public telephones

From the public telephones located in public spaces and closed areas with high people affluence – such as hospitals, commercial centers, airports, etc.– local, long distance and international calls can be made. These public telephones take coins of 5, 10, 25, 50 cents and 1 peso (Argentine currency). Also assorted telephone cards of different costs can be bought. In most public telephones the basic functions are shown in various languages. You can get further information in:
Telefónica de Argentina
Telecom Argentina