geoffreybrooks

Do you mean you have spent five years continuously renewing the "Precaria"?

soulskier

No, we graduated from precaria to temporary, and then sold our farm. (Our finca was how we had an investment visa.) Then we brought rental property in Bariloche and have had to show it is our new investment to renew. No we are back to precario, waiting for a 3 year temporary renewal.

JamJamBA

Hi Geoff - genuinely interesting and most helpful I have seen.
Quick questions, since I am looking to obtain residency (currently here as 'tourist'

1. How did you stay in Argentina for 5 years without residency. As a tourist?
2. Is it possible to get an official job contract without residency? I assume having a work permit for example is not the same as residency or obtaining a DNI? All very confusing!

Would appreciate your help!

Thanks

soulskier

No, I mean we have spent the last 3 years trying to renew our temporary residency. They keep renewing our precario for 6 months while the renewal application for temporary residence is be processed.

¡Estamos en tramite!

porph

Hi, sounds like a major ordeal... I'm hoping someone on this thread can help

I have a UK contract doing some finance consulting work however I work remotely and my employer does not mind from which country I work (exact quote - 'you can go and work on the moon if you like!').

If I retain my contract and renumeration in the UK, which visa would be suitable for a stay in Argentina upwards of the 3 months permisable on the tourist visa?

thanks.

soulskier

Check with these guys, http://argentinaresidency.com/

They will be able to answer. ¡Suerte!

porph

Thanks. I did speak to them and was told the following -

'No matter in which country you are located, or travelling, no one can prohibit you to work for your employer in your country of origin.

Even if I work in Argentina and I travel as a tourist in the UK, no one can prohibit me to perform my job for my Argentine employer while I am in the UK.
Same thing happens to you in Argentina. You are not working for an Argentine company. You are travelling in Argentina while you go on working.'

Does this tie with reality? I don't want to break any laws..
(Just going to be present in Arg for 3 months).

soulskier

If you are only going to be in ARG for 3 months, I wouldn't worry about it!

MILNGAVIE

Ah the wonderful process of obtaining a permanent DNI.

Yes the process has been anything but smooth for me - a Scot with a Argentine wife (she obtained British nationality without a problem). Before leaving the UK three years ago we flew down to London in order for me to get the permanent residency visa. All very smooth I have to say and done and dusted withing a few hours. They gave me a sealed envelope to give to immigration when I arrived at Ezeiza.....so far so good.

Nearly two years after first applying I am still waiting for my DNI to be processed. First attempt was aborted after several months as they lost some of my documentation. A few months later I started it again....due to the chenge of government they wouldn't accept the same information I had given the the Consulate in London so I had to get it all done again. The translations etc etc.
Many trips to Buenos Aires and many hours spent in long queues getting all the relevent forms and God knows what else signed and stamped I finally had all the necessary documentation to submit my application.....this was done in March this year.
Despite them saying it would take three months I still haven't received it and have since been informed it could take 6 months plus.
The whole process is a nightmare.....I got totally fed up with it along the way and if it weren't for my wife motivating me I doubt if I would have persisted with it to be honest.

el rubio

Here's my experience from 1982 for what it's worth.

At a time when probably very few people were applying for residence, and even fewer Brits, the procedure took three months without 'acomodado' status. Everyone was very pleasant, despite the fracas going on in the South Atlantic, but there was endless coming and going with paperwork, countless visits to the immigration office in BA until one day I was presented with my documents.

One point to remember: the residence lapses upon two years' absence from the country. Also be sure to take your old passport if you have renewed it since your last visit as border control seek evidence of the date you last exited.

geoffreybrooks

I still do not have my DNI yet after five months wait, although I do at least have the number. After being fobbed off four times "you will receive your DNI within a month", today I was told "You will receive it within fifteen days": the present whereabouts of the document within the system remains a mystery, but just key my DNI number in, and there my details are, and so we are close to success.

My Precaria was renewed in July after three months at the cost of ten pesos, (they staple the receipt and stamp new date of expiry on the back) and since this renewal procedure looks like it can become permanent, I suggested to one of the immigration clerks that there should be a "Permanent Precaria." He replied that in view of the delay in receiving my DNI, what with being a priority case and all, I could apply for a "Constancia de Radicación" which actually was a kind of Permanent Precaria.

Now here is a warning for those who are planning to exchange American Express travellers cheques in Argentina.

(1) On dates unknown prior to 10 September 2010, Amex distributed instructions throughout Argentina to banks and exchange houses that Amex travellers cheques should be dishonoured where the holder is a foreign national and is unable to show a valid entry stamp in his passport less than three months old. On 9 September at two exchange houses in Buenos Aires, my American Express travellers' cheques were dishonoured because I could not show a recent entry stamp.

(2) I am a person exempt from obtaining an entry stamp with effect from 7 April 2010 by virtue of being granted a "Certificado de Residencia Precaria" issued to me by the Ministro del Interior, Dirección Nalcional de Migraciones, and current until its next renewal on 27 September 2010.

(3) On 10 September 2010 I went to American Express Central House at Arenales 707, and showed them my passport as proof of identity together with the Precaria document which is, after all, the equivalent of an entry stamp and permission to remain in the country working and so forth.

I pointed out that the only difference between a foreign national who has a DNI, and a foreign national who holds a document issued by the Department of Immigration stating that he has residence, is that the Department of Immigration has the latter person in the system as a resident but has simply not yet replaced the temporary document of residence with the permanent one while their "procedures" are grinding through.

Since the Precaria has the value of an entry stamp, the demand of Amex that all banks and exchange houses in Argentine follow Amex guidelines and dishonour ALL travellers' cheques presented by a foreign resident unable to produce a DNI is illegal in such cases as those outlined. I think the correct course of action here will be a complaint to the banking governing body since there is some question of dishonesty involved by American Express Argentina.

To get back to AMEX Head Office: After long deliberations they agreed to cash the travellers' cheques. However, I suspect that only here will you get a hearing no matter how eloquent your advocacy in the suburbs. I copied out the sign at the "Cambio" window:

Extranjeros residentes en el país:
- Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI)
Según BCRA Com A2885 - documentos de identificatión.

I have not seen this regulation, but undoubtedly the real culprits will be the authors (the Argentine financial authorities) who are ignorant of anything outside their own sphere and lack quality lawyers who might see the significance of how Departmnent of Immigration interim procedures apply to the rule.

elhombresinnombre

Hey that's not fair! You've already had your September 10th while the rest of will have to wait until Friday for our one to come along.

geoffreybrooks

Sorry, backdate everything two days. My ancient brain cannot take all the excitement with that DNI being so near.

volviendo

Hello, I'm new in this forum and I hope I'm not just replying to one person, because I have a general question.
First of all, the info regarding "continuity of passport" is really helpfull, how to know this things?....
My problem is that I'm not sure if I lost my permanent residency. Of course, no need to mention, the DNM migration , gives no answer to that. I'm still in Europe but I'm going to go back to Argentina by the first october week.
I grew up in argentina, and lived there for around 20 years, I moved to Germany ( I'm german, well I know this is the british forum, but this is the best forum I found) and I'm here since 20 years. My question is if I lost the residency. When I left argentina I didn't say that I'm not going to return for such a long time, I simply didn't know. And I didn't go before this famous 2 years staying in germany to the consulate, to say that my intention is to go back, I didn't know either.
Does somebody has some experience regarding this issue?, I know what the low says, but....reality is sometimes different.
And , another question , if I have to renew my residency, which case applies to me? my parents are foreigners too, they only have the permanent residency, they live for more than 30 years there , continuously, but still there are not argentinien citizens. The problem is that I have to be there because there are ill, and they need my help, when parents become childs....
Not a nice situation, and dispite a lot of "gestores" advisers and so on, nobody is really willing to answer.
Thank you

el rubio

Hi Volviendo.

All I can tell you is that I had trouble at Ezeiza when re-entering about three years ago as a permanent resident with a new passport, being unable to give evidence of my previous exit date. This rule was explained to me then and it is mentioned in the conditions on my certificado de radicación definitiva.

The border official was able to verify the previous exit date and I was let in after a short delay. I could have entered as a tourist of course.

You perhaps need to check your exact residence status and the corresponding conditions as they may not be equivalent to mine. I obtained my residence as an adult on the basis of being married to an Argentine national.