Tax-free shopping
Foreign tourists can get VAT back on goods made in Argentina, bought in shops with the 'TAX FREE' logo. Hotels can also leave out the 21% VAT on rooms for non-resident tourists who pay from abroad.
- VAT rate
- 21%
- Minimum purchase
- Purchases over ARS 70.
- Time limit
- The refund cheque is valid for six months from its date.
- Where to get it approved
- When you leave Argentina, at an airport, port or border crossing with customs staff (Ezeiza, Aeroparque, Buquebus terminal and others), using a self-service kiosk or app first.
Step by step
- In the shop, show your passport and ask for the 'Cheque de reintegro' and a type B invoice ('factura B'). Only goods made in Argentina qualify; imported items go on a separate invoice.
- On departure, validate at a self-service terminal (app or kiosk). Green: approved. Red, or no terminal: go to the customs desk with the goods, cheque, invoice and passport.
- Get the refund in cash at the refund desk, on a credit card issued abroad, or by transfer to your home. From 5 October 2026 you get 13% of the price (VAT included) up to ARS 570,000 and 14% above that.
- Hotels: show your foreign passport and your entry record from Migraciones and pay with a card issued abroad or an international transfer; the 21% VAT on the room (and breakfast if included) is then left off the bill.
Official sources: arca.gob.ar, arca.gob.ar, infobae.com, siap.blogdelcontador.com.ar, argentina.travel
Lost passport
If your passport is lost or stolen, here is what to do.
If you are a citizen of another country
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in this city. Your foreign ministry’s website lists its address.
If you are a Turkish citizen
- Book an appointment with the Turkish mission in this city at konsolosluk.gov.tr and go in person.
- If you need to get home, ask for a temporary passport. It is free, valid for one trip to Türkiye or to the country you live in, and usually valid for one month.
- Bring your Turkish ID card (if it is lost too, a photo document such as a driving licence), a biometric photo 50 x 60 mm taken in the last six months, and your ticket home.
- For a lost passport you do not need a police report.
- The temporary passport ends with that trip. Apply for a new passport in Türkiye or at the mission in the country you live in.
Turkish mission here
Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Buenos Aires
11 de Septiembre 1382, C1426BKN Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Call: +54 11 4788-3239
Out of hours: +54 9 11 6920 5706
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, konsolosluk.gov.tr (Passport: lost passport, temporary passport).
Show the waiter
Sentences in Spanish to show the waiter or the driver.
La cuenta, por favor.
Una mesa para dos, por favor.
¿Tienen platos vegetarianos?
Soy alérgico (alérgica) a los frutos secos y a los cacahuetes.
¿Tienen platos sin gluten?
¿Me puede traer agua del grifo, por favor?
Perdone, ¿dónde están los servicios, por favor?
Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor.
Checked against phrasebooks. Tell us if a sentence sounds wrong.