Argentina Tourist Visa or Visa-Free Visit: the rule, how days are counted, examples

Summary

A tourist may stay in Argentina for up to 3 months on each entry, with or without a visa. Three calendar months are 89 to 92 days, depending on the months. You can ask the migration authority one time for an extension of a similar length, and you must ask during the last 10 days before your stay ends. If you stay past your date, you cannot extend any more and must pay a fee for an exit permit before you leave. The Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, the national migration authority, runs the rule.

Limit: Up to 3 months for each entry
In days: 89 to 92 days, depending on the months
Extension: One, for a similar period, requested in the last 10 days of the stay
A day counts when: You are in Argentina for any part of it, starting with the arrival day
Law: Law 25.871, Article 24(a), and Decree 616/2010
Run by: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM)

Who it applies to

Tourists from countries whose citizens enter Argentina without a visa, such as the EU countries, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.
Travellers who hold an Argentine tourist visa issued by a consulate.
Long-term travellers and remote workers who spend a season in Buenos Aires, Mendoza or Patagonia.
People who want to stay a second three months and must decide between an extension and a trip out of the country.
Visitors who cross to Uruguay, Chile or Brazil and come back during a long trip.

The rule

Argentina's migration law is Law 25.871. Article 24 lists the kinds of temporary visitors, which the law calls transitory residents, and the first kind, in paragraph (a), is tourists. The law itself gives no number of days. That is set in the regulation of the law, Decree 616/2010: tourists are admitted with a permitted stay of up to 3 months, which can be extended for another similar period.

Article 25 of the law says that a transitory resident may stay for the authorised period and its extensions and must leave when it ends. The officer at the border gives the period and records it at entry. Up to 3 months means that the officer can give less. The date in the migration record for your entry is the one that binds you.

The extension is called prórroga de permanencia. The regulation says that a request to extend a transitory stay must be made within the 10 days before the stay ends. You make it with the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones and pay a fee. The time of an extension is counted from the end of the first period, not from the day you ask.

If your permitted stay has ended, it cannot be extended. You must then get a habilitación de salida, an exit permit, and pay its fee before you leave. The exit permit is valid for 10 calendar days from the day after it is issued. A person who does not put the stay in order can be ordered to do so under Article 61 of the law, with expulsion as the result if they do not.

Why it exists

Argentina's law treats tourism as a short visit and gives it a simple period of three months with one extension. This is long enough for long trips through a very large country and keeps the paperwork low for visitors. People who want to live, work or study in Argentina have their own residence categories under the same law, with checks on work, income and criminal records. The exit permit fee gives people who stayed too long a way to leave in order.

Counting the days

You count the days of one stay in Argentina, from the day you enter to the last day of the period you were given. Any part of a day in Argentina is one day.

Note the date you entered Argentina and the period the officer gave you.
For a stay of 3 months, find the same date three months later. Plan to leave before that date.
If you count in days, use 89 days from the entry day. That is the shortest possible three months, so you will not be late.
If you want to stay longer, ask for the extension during the last 10 days before your stay ends.
With an approved extension, count the new period from the end of the first one.
If you leave Argentina and enter again, start a new count from the new entry date.

How Countr counts it. Countr counts any part of a day in Argentina as one day and counts each entry on its own. It treats 3 months as 89 days, which is the shortest three months in the calendar, so the tracker warns early and never late. Countr does not know about an approved extension or about a shorter period given by the border officer: use your migration record for those. Countr only counts days the phone can see. If your photos or location history have large gaps, the app can show fewer days than you really stayed.

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Examples

Three months that are 90 days

Elena, a Spanish citizen, enters Buenos Aires on 1 December 2026 and is given 3 months. December has 31 days, January 31 and February 28, so from 1 December to 28 February 2027 is 90 days. Countr counts 89 days and shows her at the limit on 27 February 2027. She flies out on 26 February and is inside the limit on both counts.

The shortest three months: 89 days

Peter, a German citizen, enters on 1 February 2027. February has 28 days, March 31 and April 30, so from 1 February to 30 April 2027 is 89 days. If he had counted 90 days from the entry day, his last day would be 1 May, which is past the three months. This is why Countr uses 89 days for every entry.

Asking for the extension in time

Yuna enters on 1 July 2026 and her stay ends at the end of September. She wants to see Patagonia in spring, so she needs more time. The request must be made in the last 10 days before the stay ends, so she goes to Migraciones on 24 September. The extension gives her a similar period counted from the end of the first one, into late December. If she had waited until October, her stay would have ended and only an exit permit would be possible.

Exceptions

The stay can be extended one time for a similar period, if you ask within the 10 days before it ends.
The border officer can give less than 3 months, and then the shorter period applies.
Citizens of Mercosur countries and associated states can enter with their national identity document and have their own, simpler residence routes.
Passengers in transit and crew members are separate kinds of transitory resident with a stay of up to 10 days under the same regulation.
Citizens of countries that need a visa must get a tourist visa from an Argentine consulate before they travel.

Common misconceptions

“Tourists get exactly 90 days in Argentina.”: The regulation says up to 3 months, not 90 days. Three calendar months can be 89, 90, 91 or 92 days, and the officer can give less.
“I can ask for the extension at any time during my stay.”: No. The request must be made within the 10 days before the stay ends. Before that it is too early, and after the stay has ended it is not possible.
“I can extend as many times as I like.”: No. The regulation allows the tourist stay to be extended for another similar period. After that you must leave or change to another residence category.
“If I overstay, I can simply leave and nothing happens.”: No. You need an exit permit and must pay its fee before you can leave. The exit permit is valid for 10 calendar days.

Questions and answers

How many days can a tourist stay in Argentina?

Up to 3 months on each entry, which is 89 to 92 days depending on the months. One extension for a similar period is possible. The period the border officer records for you is the one that counts.

Does the day I arrive in Argentina count?

Count it as day 1. Countr counts any part of a day in Argentina as one day, and counting the arrival day keeps you on the careful side.

Does a day trip to Uruguay give me a new three months?

A new entry is a new admission, and the officer can give a new period of up to 3 months. This is common practice, but it is the officer's decision each time. A person who appears to live in Argentina on tourist entries can be given less or refused.

What is the habilitación de salida?

It is the exit permit for people who stayed past their authorised period. You pay a fee to the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones and receive a permit that is valid for 10 calendar days from the day after it is issued. You must leave Argentina within that time.

Where do I apply for the tourist extension?

At the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones in Buenos Aires or at one of its delegations and migration offices in the provinces. Bring your passport and be ready to pay the renewal fee.

Can I work remotely in Argentina as a tourist?

The tourist category is for tourism. It does not allow you to work for an employer in Argentina. If you plan a long stay with remote work, look at the residence categories made for that.

Sources

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This page explains the rule and how the days are counted. It is not legal or tax advice. The authority decides each case on its own facts.