Has anyone done the Australis Cruise....visa question about Punta Arenas??
 

Hello All,

We are taking the Australis cruise from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas in March. I know as US citizens, we will not need a visa but will need to obtain a tourist card in Punta Arenas. This will be our port of entry into Chile. Will we pass through customs as we disembark the ship? Is this where we get the tourist card? Or do I need to arrange for one in advance.

Also, we will be going from Arenas to El Calafate and then TDP and then back to Arenas. I believe that the 90 day visa we get in BA for Argentina will still be in effect and that the Tourist Card we get in Arenas will get us back into Chile. But I just wanted to see if anyone else had done a similar itinerary and what their experience with the border crossings was.

Thanks for your help!!

Are you worrying about the reciprocity fee for US citizens? It is only charged if you fly into Santiago on an international flight. All disembarking passengers at any entry point are given a disembarkation card to fill in. there is no charge for this. You keep the copy to turn in when you leave Chile. It doesn't matter how many times to cross the border the procedure will be the same: fill in the card, keep the copy, turn it in when you leave. You get 90 days each time you enter either Argentina or Chile.

If you are flying into Buenos Aires on an international flight and are US citizens, then you will pay US$140 reciprocity fee each. It is good for 10 years even in an expired passport. You can enter as many times as you like without paying any fee during that 10 year period.

Tip: don't call it Arenas unless you want to upset the locals. Give it the full name, Punta Arenas.

Thanks so much for the tip....my TA refers to it as Arenas and I guess I thought it was a local thing. Good info to have.

I wasn't worried about the fees so much as encountering a problem while disembarking in Punta Arenas or at any of the crossings. This is my first trip outside of Europe where my entry point is not through an airport. And it seems like these are fairly small towns.

Thanks again!

Have done this on another line no worries everything taken care of at the port.IF you fly into SCL or EZE you will be charged a "reciprocity" visa fee (what the US charges)
otherwise not. travel.state.gov and cruisecritic.com your
ship reviews for details.

Have fun!

Now you can one up your TA and say, by the way my local friend says it is Punta Arenas not Arenas! :)

You will not have any problem on disembarkation or any of the border crossings AND you are going to some of the most beautiful places in South America! Lucky you. Enjoy your trip.

We did that cruise in 2005 - can't recall the specifics of the visa but did want to mention a great restaurant in Punta Arenas called La Luna --- definitely worth a stop for lunch if you have time!
Pics of the boat and restaurant on our blog - we enjoyed it so much that we've just booked for Antarctica in 2012

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...ng_cape_h.html

Oops - La Luna pics on this link

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...ke_distri.html

Thanks Huentetu! Its always great to get local info!

And Elizabeth_S....Thanks for the tip. I have come across your blog in the past and love your pics and writing style. I think that trip reports are the greatest way to find the unusual things to do and see while traveling abroad.