2008 Update to 'Blacks in Buenos Aires' Post

We wanted to let everyone know about a great discussion that is going on in the comments of a 2005 blog post about Blacks in Buenos Aires. Initially the comments were focused on Black History in Argentina, but lately the comments have been a discussion on how receptive Argentina is to a Black person today.

People from all over the world, including several African Americans, have added great comments lately and I wanted to share some of those with the group. After that I want to ask some questions to the readers of this blog, especially the Argentine nationals. Let's keep the discussion going, this topic is important for some people who are thinking about either visiting or relocating in Argentina.

An Anonymous Reader contributed the following which seems to sum up many of the comments on the Black experience in Argentina.

"...I'm a black woman from London. I have desires to visit lots of countries in the world where it is perceived black people aren't welcomed. This didn't stop me because I have a right to travel, educate myself to people's customs, and let them see a very proud black woman. Even better if they get to speak to me and find out that their stereotypes don't exist in me. Anyway, the fact is since being here two days, I am the walking attraction and haven't had anyone say anything to me negative or positive."

Blacks in Argentina seem to notice that they are being noticed quite a bit more than normal. But most report that they feel they are curious glances, and not loaded with bad intent.

Another reader cited this National Geographic article, Skin Deep, by Elliot Neal Hester in the comments. I read this article and think it's great, and exactly on point with the issues raised in our blog post and comments so worth sharing with anyone interested in the topic. Hester's experience in BA included lots of being noticed. But when he had a rare interaction with one of the Argentines staring at him, it turned out sweet and innocent.

Argentina is such a great place to see that I hope no one feels so unwelcome that they cannot experience it for themselves. I think the comments in our earlier blog post and Hester's article generally support the notion that Argentina is a welcome place for Black skinned people, but also very inexperienced with seeing Black people which explains why many Argentines will stare.

For those of you who are expats in Argentina, or those who are Argentine nationals, what do you think about this? Do you think Argentina welcomes Black tourists, Students, and Expats? Do you agree the stares that many Blacks report getting in Argentina are based in curiosity of something rare, and not based on negative stereotypes?

Starting a business in Argentina

EDITORS NOTE: Here is another post from our new friend Daniel K in Buenos Aires, the owner of Anuva Vinos. Having just started a business in Argentina, Daniel knows what he is talking about. This is the first post by Daniel on the subject of starting your own business in Argentina, more to come!

I believe that starting a business in Argentina, or any country really, begins when a great idea meets the inspiration to execute the legwork involved in taking the idea from concept to reality. After doing tremendous amounts of research, planning and strategizing, the business (if the initial idea was good enough) simply requires DOING the work involved. Much easier said than done.

But what would the difference be in starting a business in Argentina vs. starting a business in the U.S. or some other country?
1.Knowing the culture and language: which then effects your…
2.Business Plan.
3.Sales, Marketing, Operations, Management, Accounting, Finance, Legal.
4.Execution.

Going in order, knowing the culture and language of the place where you want to do business is absolutely crucial. This part of starting a business feeds into the rest of the aspects I have outlined above as well, and may even be the inspiration for your idea. If you really understand the culture of where you reside—for example Argentina—and can make accurate comparisons to other cultures of perhaps where you come from, you can see the opportunities in the market.

Argentina, for example, tends to be a less organized, more laid back, “traditional” culture, where Spanish is by far the predominant language. If you expect things to run the way they do in your home country, forget it. You will drown. You must be able to adapt to their way of doing things because, as previously referenced, “Es así” (that’s the way it is). So if you go into the DGEP or INV or AFIP (various governing bodies—secondary school, viticulture, and taxes, respectively) and expect that they will know how to get the appropriate forms in order for a student exchange, wine analysis or registration of a monotributista (like a sole-proprietor) be patient, because you will have to go to several different floors, offices, stand in different lines, etc. in order to get your questions answered. Also, in this instance, the importance of knowing the language on a fluent level cannot be underestimated, as government officials tend to not know English. If you have access to a large amount of capital, however, you may pay bilingual lawyers and accountants to do these tramites (paperwork) for you. But they will certainly charge you for it.

The Argentine government is also only barely arriving to the digital age. In fact, all of the government offices that I have been to still require in-person signatures and sellos (stamps or seals). Only recently have online forms and downloads become available. Expect to have to go in person, expect to have it take twice as long as you think it will, and expect to have to go back at least once because the person who attended you actually gave you the wrong information. Not out of malice, but simply a very narrow view of what they do. I find it to be tremendously similar to any other bureaucracy.

Remember also that many operations require a DNI (Documento Nacional de Identificación) which can be obtained in several ways. The easiest is to marry an Argentine, although many would argue to the contrary about the relative “ease” of this method. The Visa por Rentista can also be obtained fairly easily, but does require a lot of paperwork and patience. The basic requirement for it is proof of solvency. Many of the other forms of obtaining a long-term visa, most of which include the right to obtain a DNI, can be found at the following link, which of course, is only in Spanish—clear evidence of the need to understand the culture and speak the language. Argentina Ministry of Interior - Immigration Information

Getting a Work Visa

Today's question comes from an Irish reader who moved to Argentina on a work contract and is now in the process of getting his DNI and CUIL. He seemed very confused, so I thought I'd shed some light on his situation.

Reader's Question

I moved here 3 months ago with a company (permanent contract) and they got me a 12 month visa and are applying for my DNI (and CUIL I think) right now. It was all done through lawyers (and broken Spanish and English but thats what I gather). I have asked a few times can I apply for residency when I have my DNI, but I never get a straight answer. Do I need to renew this visa after 12 months? Is it tied to my current position? When I have the DNI, am I home free?

If You Have a Work Visa, You Have Residency

You already have residency. If you have a visa, you have residency. What you have is called "temporary residency". In fact, we both have the same visas -- temporary residency visas. The difference is that your visa is sponsored by a firm and mine is based on the "rentista" concept of an individual who can support himself within the country.

Once you get your DNI, nothing will change. The DNI is just an identity document that allows you to show people that you are a legal resident of the country. In fact, after you get your DNI, you'll note that it will have an expiration date -- it will expire on the same day your visa expires. The simple fact of obtaining a DNI does not give you carte blanche to stay in the country as long as you wish. You'll need to continue to renew your visa each year or you won't have legal status.

Restrictions with Your Working Visa

I didn't know whether or not the work visa was tied to a company, so I asked the people over at ARCA to clarify this. The answer is, yes, the visa is tied to your company. In fact, the permit is actually given to the company, giving them permission to bring a worker in from outside the country. If you leave your job or are fired, you're obligated to leave the country. If you want to change jobs, you'll need to leave the country and your new company will need to start the process all over again.

When you get a work visa, the company is actually taking on the responsibility that you will not become an indigent person and become a burden for the government. That's why the working visa is a petition submitted by the company you're working for. Even though you already had your working visa approved, the problem is that it will expire in 9 months. At this point, you will need to renew your visa. Your firm should do this for you if they want to keep you on as a worker.

Getting a Permanent Visa

There is one glimmer of hope, however. When you go to make the third renewal, your visa lawyer can petition for a permanent visa to be granted instead of a working visa and then you'll avoid the whole visa rigamarole from then on out. Its the equivalent of a "green card" that gives you the right to come and go as you please and live in the country indefinitely. I'm in the middle of doing my second renewal this month and I'll be doing my third renewal around this time next year, so I'll let everyone know how the process works a year from now.

What's The World's Most Valuable Passport?

According to a study by Henley & Partners, citizens of Finland, Denmark, and the United States have the world's most valuable passports. They can travel to 130 countries without a visa. The worst passport you can have is from Afghanistan, whose citizens can travel to just 12 countries without obtaining a visa. Wow!

Argentina ranks fairly high on the list, with an Argentine passport giving you the ability to travel to 101 countries visa-free. Argentina beats out most of Latin America, such as Brazil, Uruguay, and Mexico as well as much of Eastern Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia. Only Western European passports and a few OECD countries such as Australia and Canada allow visa-free travel to more countries than Argentina.

This is another reason why I'm going to apply for my Argentine citizenship after I've lived here for 5 years. An Argentine passport actually lets you go to a few places visa-free that you can't go to as a U.S. citizen, such as Brazil. With the number of enemies that the U.S. is making in the world, I wouldn't be surprised if a few more countries decided to retaliate by making U.S. citizens apply for a visa. With only a few exceptions, Argentina has pretty good relationships with the rest of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself being able to travel to some places as an Argentine citizen easier than as an American citizen.

Getting Your Residency Visa

This reader was originally trying to get a visa as an investor. As he states, the government does not allow people to get visas anymore simply by showing a purchase of property. Instead, investors must show a plan to start a business, employ workers, etc.

Reader's Question

The resident's visa "with buying property" door has been closed - you are now required to show a 3 year business plan which has to be approved! And it could be turned down at any time.

Help me! I need a solution. Can you still operate in Argentina if you have a "Rentista" Visa?

Getting Your Visa

When I first contacted ARCA, they told me that I would be very foolish to apply for the investor visa for exactly the reasons you just pointed out. The visa calls for someone to invest $100,000 pesos of capital in a business here in Argentina. Immediately most people think about buying an apartment and just putting it under a corporate name. Wrong! They've caught on to that. Even if you plan on buying a property as an investment, they still won't consider that a productive business and will deny your application.

Despite the fact that I was starting a real IT business here and would be employing workers, I was still recommended not to apply for this visa. Quite simply, it is an arbitrary process. The authorities can deny you for any reason. If they don't like your business for some reason, they can just say no. This is why I was recommended to apply for the rentista vias.

Unlike the investor visa, the rentista visa has very simple rules. If you can bring in $2500 pesos per month into the country by means of an investment abroad, you get the visa. The investment could be anything -- a business, a stock, a bond, real estate, it doesn't matter. If you can show you have income that's not tied to a salary, you get the visa.

The only downside is that a rentista visa is a temporary visa that has to be renewed. However, on the third renewal, you get your permanent residency. The investor visa lets you get permanent residency right away. Then again, it is a LOT more expensive to apply for. You'll have to pay two lawyers here in Argentina -- ARCA for preparing your visa, and a corporate lawyer to handle all the paperwork for your company. You'll also have to prepare your complete business plan in Spanish, make sure it conforms to the way the government wants it, blah blah blah. At the end of all this, they can still deny you. That's why its just a lot more trouble than its worth to go with this visa. Just get your rentista visa, make sure you renew it, and in three years, it'll be permanent.

Getting A DNI Without A Visa

A reader wanted to know whether it was possible to obtain a DNI without a visa. I'll answer that question today.

Reader's Question

I am an USA citizen purchasing a condo in Buenos Aires in April. I hope to visit once a year for 1 or 2 months. I see the benefit in having a DNI but don't think I qualify for any of the temporary residency visas. I would be visiting with a tourist visa. I have my CDI for the purchase of the condo.

My question is can one get a DNI without the residency?

Getting Your DNI

You cannot get a DNI without getting your residency. The fact is, the DNI is the identity document that is given to all Argentines. If you don't have a residency visa, you don't have the legal right to live in the country. So, you won't be able to get a DNI.

However, just about everyone can qualify for a residency visa in Argentina. If you don't think you qualify for any of the visas, you're probably not thinking hard enough. Most people can reorganize their situation somewhat so that they can qualify for a residency visa. It may take a few months to do so, but it can be done.

In your situation, it would make good sense to get a residency visa and I'll tell you why. If you're going to be in Argentina each year for a few months, what you can do is renew your visa/DNI each time you are here in Argentina. After three years, you'll be given a permanent visa (the Argentine equivalent of a green card) and then, for the rest of your life, you'll be able to come and go as you please here in Argentina without the need to bother with visas, etc. So, your idea to get a DNI is a good one. You just need to reorganize your situation to qualify for one of the visas.

Staying Connected or Letting Go?

There was a really interesting comment made a few days ago about "letting go" and just forgetting about the politics in one's previous country. It was a very interesting take on things and I wanted to take the opposing position.

Reader's Comment

One of my majors in college (I had 2) was Political Science. I use to be really interested in government, the inter workings of it all... Now, I really don't care what happens in the USA with politics. I don't follow it, I don't watch the news about it and you know what? I really don't care. Actually it's refreshing not to know or really care what is going on with the politics in the USA.

Expat Participation in Politics

One of the things I plan to do before the next presidential election is to register at the U.S. Embassy here in Buenos Aires to vote. I do still follow politics in the USA and even though I'm not living there, I still feel a strong connection with the country. Now, granted, I haven't been living here in Argentina as long as the reader who made this post, but I don't think my views will change.

I still find myself reading the New York Times online to keep updated about what's going on in the USA. I'm probably better informed about what's happening in the USA than most of the people living there. I'm curious as to what makes an expat lose interest in his country of birth. Living in the southwest United States, I spoke many times with Mexican professionals who were living in the U.S. and most of them still voted and kept abreast of politics in Mexico.

Crossing the Threshold

The reader has mentioned to me in the past that he probably will never return to the United States. I haven't yet crossed that mental threshold. I'm happy with Argentina for now (and for the immediate future, as I just signed a 2-year lease), but I haven't made the decision never to return to the USA. Who knows, someday in the future I may go back. I wonder whether there is a difference between expats who have made the decision to stay for good versus expats who maybe just want to spend a few years abroad.

Right now, I'm not sure which category I fit into yet. However, I do still feel a strong connection with the USA and I like to be informed about what's going on there. I still get very upset when bad things happen in the U.S. and during Katrina, back in late August, I had CNN running the entire time I was at work. I felt a lot of trauma by what was going on there... the same thing I felt on September 11th.

It was a different kind of trauma than what you feel when a disaster happens in another country. You feel more connected, more hurt by it. I haven't reached the point yet where I can see a disaster happen in the USA and feel the same thing for a disaster that happens in Pakistan. The U.S. still feels "close" to me and I'm still concerned about what happens there, much more so than some other random country.

I wonder how other expats feel about this issue. Do you still feel a closeness with your country of birth or do you feel you're able to ignore it to some extent?

Living 'DNI'-less

Life can be tricky in Argentina without a DNI. I've said it over and over again on many different posts. When you're here without a DNI, people just assume there's something wrong with you. Everything becomes a hassle and an explanation. Everyone wants to know why you don't have a DNI. The fact is, if you don't have a DNI, Argentines assume you don't have the right to be here. Now, one particular reader has tried to contradict me on this issue, so I want to share that comment as well as another comment I just got today.

First Reader's Comment

I know Expatriado is a big fan of the DNI, however,we did rent a house, buy a car, open a bank account and get health insurance without a DNI. We did get them as we intended to stay here awhile, but the only real tangible advantage is the discount for travel in Argentina.

Second Reader's Comment

I've been here almost 2 years now, and EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SAID ABOUT LIVING HERE WITHOUT A DNI IS TRUE TO THE LETTER. The problem is, I found this out the hard way (actually living it and now trying to go through the process of obtaining one after the fact, so to speak).

I'm here legally now for 2 years. When I started the [residency] process, I assumed it also involved my getting DNI, but when I finished, and asked about the DNI, I was informed that that was a TOTALLY DIFFERENT PROCESS THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH WHICH WOULD NOT BE MADE ANY EASIER JUST BECAUSE I HAVE MY TEMPORARY RESIDENCY NOW.

What You Can Do

Your best bet is to contact ARCA and ask them to intervene on your behalf. They can check on your status with Migrations and then request the DNI for you if your visa is valid. However, if you have a temporary residency permit, check that it isn't expired. You never mentioned whether you made sure to renew it each year. The expiration date is printed there in your visa page on your passport. The temporary residencies are for one year and need to be renewed every year until you file a petition for permanent residency.

If you haven't renewed your residency, you may be overstaying your visa and might not have legal status. This is something you should look into right away. Countries don't like it when people overstay their visas and they can use that as a reason to deny you a renewal. So, you should check on your DNI and visa situation right away.

You are right about the DNI situation -- it is totally different than your residency. I recommend ARCA a lot on this blog and some readers give me a hard time about it since they charge more than other visa lawyers out there. But the fact is -- if the other lawyers don't get your DNI, don't get your CUIL, and don't renew your visa for you each year, you're not getting good service.

Every year, a month or two before my visa is up, I get a friendly phone call from ARCA asking me to stop by their office and drop off my passport. A week later they have my new visa for me. It's like clockwork. I'm convinced that the one thing every long-term expat needs is a good visa / immigration attorney to keep you legal and keep you on the government's good side. Remember, we are all guests in Argentina and they can ask us to leave at any time. So, it is important that we make sure to have our immigration situation squared away.

Beginning Your Move to Argentina

Even though I've covered these topics before in this blog, I still get many questions about what to do when you decide to move to Argentina at the very beginning. Hint: Read some of my very old posts from a year ago, they're very helpful in this regard. However, since I just received a few e-mails with questions about this, I'll go ahead and do a "summary" post to cover as much as I can in a short amount of space.

Reader's Question

We are hoping sometime in the next 3-4 yrs to move to Buenos Aires, still being shy of minimum retirement by 3 yrs, but financially able to do so.

Could you advise what would be the proper first steps to put in place our plan to move and live there permanently, but still being citizens of the US?

I know this is a broad question, but I can't get responses from the Argentine consulate here in the US to answer the phone or e-mail. I'm sure they don't have any motivations to allow more norteamericanos to move there, but we are serious, my wife has family there and we have visited 3 times in the past 5 yrs.

Thanks for any little info you can afford me, and who to contact for moving a car and furniture in a container from the US to Buenos Aires....prohibitive monetarily or possibly reasonable?

Step 1: Get Your Visa Early

You are smart to try and start-up with your visa right away. However, speaking with the consulate is like talking to a wall. The people working in the overseas consulates are totally uncaring and usually only work on visa matters maybe 2-3 hours a day for a few days each week. Don't expect them to help you because they have no interest in doing so. They are paper pushers and it seems like a big chore for them to talk to Americans on the phone and try to help you with your visa.

The better option is to bypass the consulate entirely. Give a call to the nice folks at ARCA and ask them to do your visa for you. Unlike the consulate, ARCA is a private law firm that you hire to represent you before the Department of Migrations. They will file a visa petition for you directly with the Buenos Aires office of the Dept. of Migrations.

They prepare all your paperwork and complete all the filings on your behalf and can obtain your visa very rapidly. They will send you a permit that you take with you to the consulate that shows you have been pre-approved for a visa by the authorities in Buenos Aires. The consulate cannot deny your visa after you have this permit. You simply give them the permit and they put the visa in your passport and the process is finished -- without you having to waste time and energy dealing with these lazy workers at the consulate.

Step 2: Sell Everything You Own

My recommendation is not to bring your car and certainly not to bring any furniture. The fact is, you can furnish an entire apartment here in Buenos Aires (if you need a recommendation for an architect / interior designer, let me know) for what it might cost to remodel a 1-2 rooms in the United States. Don't even think about bringing your stuff here. For the cost of shipping alone, you can furnish half your house here with new things from the best furniture designers.

Step 3: Rent a Furnished Apartment Here

After you arrive in Buenos Aires, I suggest you rent a furnished apartment here for a month or two while you figure out what section of the city you want to live in. Then you can go ahead and look for a place to buy. There are plenty of furnished apartments in the city that you can rent for a month or two. I recommend using ApartmentsBA.com, but if you're on a limited budget there are others that are cheaper. I have a few posts about these issues.

Step 4: Buy Your Place Here

The next step is to find and buy an apartment here. I can give you a referral if you need someone to help you find a place. Keep in mind you won't be able to get a mortgage, so you'll need to come up with 100% of the cash required.

Step 5: Enjoy Argentina

And that's it! You're done! Give yourself a big pat on the back for choosing such a great place to live. Your retirement money will certainly go a lot further here in Argentina than it would have in the United States.

Dual Citizenship and the Hayworth Bill

I received a question today from a reader who is doing an article on dual citizenship and the Hayworth Bill. I'd like to take this opportunity to respond.

Reader's Question

I am writing an article about the Hayworth bill, a piece of legislation before congress that would criminalize activities associated with dual citizenship--voting in a foreign election for example. I wonder if you could tell me how you became a dual citizen, why it matters to you, and why you would support or oppose a "ban" on dual citizenship.

What is Citizenship?

Let me first clarify something -- I'm not a dual citizen. I'm a U.S. citizen and Argentina resident. However, my desire is to become a dual citizen some day in the future. Argentina requires most immigrants to live here for five years before giving them the opportunity to become citizens. I do expect to apply for citizenship at that time.

What is a citizen and what does it mean to be a citizen? A citizen is a person who owes allegiance to a nation and is entitled to its protection. There is a give and take involved.

Historically, nations have provided individuals with a system of laws, ways to peaceably settle disputes, and they protect individuals and their property from outsiders who would wish them harm. In return, the nation taxes the individual and reserves the right to draft the individual into military service when the nation is threatened.

Dual Nationality and State Oppression

Some people, especially government types, think dual nationality is a paradox -- an individual can't be loyal to two nations. So, they seek to discourage or penalize dual nationals. They want the person to choose between one country or another -- to "take sides" as if there was an argument. What if we don't want to swear our allegiance blindly? Could it be possible that sometimes your country is right and other times it is wrong? Must we all swear undying oaths of fealty to our government and the political ruling class?

I say the answer is no. I believe in the sovereignty of individuals who are free to make their own choices. My government, however, by virtue of my nationality, has complete power over my life. Think I'm being dramatic?

• The government places restrictions on what kind of business you may conduct and who you can do business with.
• The government can, at any time, place restrictions on what countries you are allowed to travel to.
• The government can hold you captive within the United States and revoke your ability to travel internationally. Historically this was only reserved for people awaiting trial. Now its also done for people who owe back child support. Who knows how this could be expanded in the future?
• The government can draft you into fighting in a war that you do not agree with at any time.
• The government can imprison you and can, under the guise of capital punishment, murder you when it feels you are no longer useful.

A dual citizen, on the other hand, can decide to sever a relationship with one of his countries if it decides not to treat him fairly.

The Hayworth Bill

JD Hayworth is a bigot and his view of America is completely anglocentric. Not only does the bill try to criminalize things such as voting in a foreign election, he proposes the complete denial of residency visas to Mexican citizens. What a wonderful way to discourage illegal immigration from Mexico -- by denying visas all the law-abiding Mexicans who suffered through all the bureaucracy, the humiliating consular interviews, the years of waiting, paid the expenses, and did things the right way! What an idiot.

Qualifying for the Financier / "Rentista" Visa

When I applied for the rentista visa, I was told by the folks over at ARCA that it was the easiest and quickest visa to obtain. Here's a question by a reader regarding this visa and my answer:

Reader's Question

You mention the rentista visa. Which state did you incorporate? Nevada? Do you then have the corporation wire the $1k per month to your account in an Argentine bank? Was that the basis of your obtaining a Rentista Visa? Also, am I correct in assuming the income has to be passive (like rental income, investments or simply money your US corp makes that doesn't require your actual labor)? Thanks.

About the Rentista Visa

First off, it doesn't matter what state you are incorporated in. It doesn't matter what form of business you're using either. You could have an S-corp, C-corp, LLC, partnership, whatever. The only thing you need to get a rentista visa is a letter from a CPA that simply says you have income over $1000 per month from investments.

In this case, as the shareholder of a business, your business is your investment. The income has to be dividends or distributions of profit, however. It can't be salary. For those of us that own our own business, it really doesn't matter much. You can tell your accountant how you want to be paid -- either in salary, distributions or a mix of the two.

At first you might think this precludes income that requires your labor, but that's not the case. Let's suppose you're a consultant who earns $60/hr. Instead of having your clients pay you personally, have them issue a check to your company. From your company, then pay yourself distributions of profit of over $1000 USD per month. That allows you to take income that would have been associated with labor (which doesn't qualify for the rentista visa) and turn it into business profits, which most certainly do qualify.

U.S. Tax Consequences

If you plan on applying for the expatriate tax exemption, make sure you only take the minimum amount of profit this way. Business profits don't qualify for expatriate tax relief -- only salary does. Talk to your accountant, but the best setup is probably to take a little bit of your income as profits to keep your rentista status and take the rest as salary so that you can get it exempted under the expatriate tax rules.

Bringing Your Gun, Pets, Furniture, Car, etc. to Argentina

This is a follow-up to yesterday's question about gun ownership in Argentina.

Reader's Question

As regards gun ownership in Argentina, do you know of laws/regulations applicable to foreigners bringing guns in to Argentina ? I own a handgun and would like to bring it with me when I relocate to BA in the next few months. I assume, after reading your comments, that I would have to acquire a DNI, and then meet the other qualifications prior to owning a handgun in BA. Any light you can shed would be appreciated. Thanks!

Work With A Professional

My best advice to anyone considering bringing in items like your gun, pets, furniture, a car, etc. to Argentina is to get the advice of a professional. Bringing things to Argentina is very different than bringing things to the United States. This is not a free-trade country.

As a foreigner with a residency visa, you are entitled to bring certain things into the country without paying the staggering 50% customs tax. The one thing I do know is that you will need to get professionals working on your side if you want any hope of taking advantage of these laws.

I also know for a fact that if you try to bring things into the country without a visa, they'll be quarantined and held in customs indefinitely until your residency visa is processed. In the meantime, you'll be racking up storage charges and with every day that goes by, the possibility that something gets stolen or broken increases. This is one of the reasons I got my visa and DNI a full year before I actually moved to Argentina -- so there wouldn't be any possibility of problems or delays.

If you haven't already, contact ARCA and let them know your situation. They can handle your visa and DNI and they'll refer you to reputable companies here in Buenos Aires that can import your belongings (including pets, guns, cars, etc.) without problems. Don't just put your stuff on a ship or in a suitcase and hope for the best. There is customs paperwork that needs to be done here if you ever want to see your stuff again. You can't just bring a gun into the country, since it'll have to go through whatever import procedure has been established so that the serial number can be registered in the national database. Good luck!

Visas & Annoyances

Today's question comes from a reader who wants to know whether he really needs to get a visa or not, based on his situation. I think this parallels a few other readers as well, so I'll go ahead and address this for today's article.

Reader's Question

I am a self employed consultant living in Miami Beach. I have worked out an arrangement with my clients here that will allow me to live in BA, and do my work for them via the net, get paid US dollars, and hopefully, live forever happy. Do I have to go through the huge visa rigamorole with DNIs etc., or can I get a student visa (or tourist), see how things work, and then apply for the DNI down the road? I am told I could just ferry over to Uruguay every 3 months, get stamped up, and on I go my merry way for another 3 months. Thanks for any advice!

Yes, You Need a Visa

The fact is, if you intend to be here for a long period of time, you need to get a visa. A tourist or business visa (given at the airport when you enter the country) is valid for only 90 days. It may be renewed for another 90 days, letting you stay in the country for a maximum of 180 days per year.

If you attempt the Uruguay method, you may be denied return entry if a consular official looks and actually counts the number of stamps in your passport to determine the number of days you've been in the country. Maybe its not likely, but do you really want to risk it?

Benefits of Having the Visa

Imagine living in the U.S. without a social security number. Everything you try to do would be a hassle. You couldn't get a bank account, you couldn't obtain utilities in your own name, you couldn't prove you had the legal right to reside in the country. Same situation when you're staying in Argentina without a visa and without a DNI.

Before I had my DNI, it was a pain to do everything. Blockbuster didn't even want to let me rent videos here! Ridiculous! Without a DNI it is a hassle to go through daily life, having to explain to everyone this big story about why you don't have a DNI and trying to convince everyone to break their normal procedure and use some other identification to allow you to buy whatever service you are trying to buy.

If you think its a hassle to go through the visa process, just wait until you try to live here without documents. That would be the real hassle. I'd also like to point out that if you don't like to deal with hassles for the visa and DNI, just contact ARCA to do the process for you. It's quite simple. You send them the documents, they get you the visa, guaranteed or your money back. It doesn't get easier than that.

It took me about 2 weeks to get the various documents I needed and one day to fly out to Los Angeles to get the consulate to put the visa stamp in my passport. In your case, you live in Miami and they have a consulate right there in Miami, so you don't even need to travel. It doesn't get easier than that. I think you'd have to be some kind of masochist to actually skip the visa / DNI process and try living here without them. Just think about it this way... you're investing a few hours of your time now to avoid daily hassles once you are here and the risk of being denied re-entry into the country. It's a good investment.

Getting Married in Argentina

Today's reader question concerns international marriage. This is a legal question, so I will preface my response with the disclaimer that I am not a lawyer and that my response here is not intended to be legal advice. I am only writing about what I know through my conversations with people here.

Reader's Question

I have been dating an argentine woman for the past couple of years and am considering getting married in Buenos Aires. I plan to live in Argentina for half the year at this time. Can a prenuptual agreement serve for both USA and Argentina countries?

Am I automaticly legaly married in both countries or just Argentina? I dont have to deal with DNI and all the requied paperwork to become a dual citizen do I?

About Argentine Marriage

First of all, prenuptial agreements do not exist in Argentina. When I first heard this, I thought it was pretty strange. Likewise, the Argentines I was speaking to thought it was strange that we had such a thing in the U.S. However, the rules about marriage and divorce in Argentina are clearly spelled out in the civil law.

When you are married in Argentina, from that point forward, the husband and wife share all assets. If you were to divorce, all assets would be divided 50/50. However, any property you had before getting married is yours alone. So, if you can document that you owned some property, a company, or some investment before you married, it will be yours after a divorce.

In a conversation a while ago, I was told about a famous actress here (I believe it was Susana Giménez) who was married several times. In one of her recent divorces, it turns out that she made her husband sign a pre-nuptual agreement. The court ruled that the agreement was not valid and disregarded it, dividing her money with her husband.

The Dangers of International Marriage

There are a number of international treaties on marriage, adoption, child custody, divorce, etc. Anyone contemplating an international marriage should speak with a lawyer to see what laws exist between the countries of each partner -- if any. Forget the prenup issue for a moment and think about other even more important issues, such as child custody.

I was watching a 60 Minutes episode a year or two ago about an American woman who had married a Saudi man. They fell in love, married, and had children in the U.S. When the kids were just entering their teens, they moved back to Saudi Arabia. Eventually they divorced. The mother had no way to retrieve her kids. Even though she had a child custody order from a court in the U.S., it was not going to be enforced in Saudi Arabia, where the men have all the rights.

The woman snuck in to Saudi Arabia, took back her kids, and quickly fled to the U.S. Embassy. She was then thrown out by the officials at the embassy who didn't want to get involved. Eventually she repeated the procedure when her husband's family went on vacation to some other country and got just one of her kids back.

The point is, there are a lot more issues than just prenups to worry about when you get married to someone who may have a different legal system than you do. You must find out how the marriage and divorce laws will work.

Implications for Business Partnerships

The reason I know all this about Argentine marriage is that I entered into a partnership with someone from Argentina. In the U.S., you can have your partner's spouse sign a "post-nuptial agreement" so that in the event they divorce, your partner's share is not divided up with his or her spouse. This is important because you don't want your business to be taking on unwanted disgruntled ex-spouses as partners merely due to the changing marital status of the partners in the business.

In Argentina this is not possible. So, if you take on an Argentine partner in a business, you are potentially taking on their spouse as well. What's the solution for this? Your Argentine partner must prove that the money he or she used to invest in the business came from the assets he or she had before marrying.

In this scenario, the ownership of the business will be exclusive to one spouse and not include the other. Profits generated by the business, however, will be shared between the couple. So, if the business generates $1 million and the couple divorces, those profits would be split. This, however, is not your concern as a partner in the business. The underlying ownership in the business would not be split you could continue forward without fear that the disgruntled spouse would be making a claim on future profits of the business nor could he or she try to influence the operation of the company.

Dual Citizenship

Getting married to a national of one country does not automatically make you a dual citizen of the other. I know this for a fact for the U.S. and I'm pretty sure it is the case in Argentina as well. Typically you must live in the country for a number of years before you can be nationalized. That means the choice of where you and your Argentine wife live will probably determine who gets the dual citizenship.

In Argentina, you should contact ARCA, so that they can process your DNI and get your Argentina residency permit after you marry. In the U.S., I don't have a referral, but there are plenty of law firms out there that will process a residency visa for your wife.

Good luck and best wishes!

Dual Citizenship

Today I received two comments from readers about dual citizenship that I wanted to share. I've done a little research about this issue myself, so I will point out a few of the misconceptions that many people have about dual citizenship and then discuss the pros/cons a little.

First Reader's Comment

Not sure if you knew, but you do make some risk by obtaining citizenship and their passport. The main one is that while you are in Argentina, the U.S. can't do anything for you. If you are jailed, the U.S. consular officers do not have the right to see you, check up on you, and make sure that everything is going OK.

You also, I believe, forfeit the right of the U.S. government to sue on your behalf (I believe). For example if they decided to snatch up your business and house and give you nothing for it, the U.S. government can't intervene on your behalf.

It is doubtful like any of this stuff would happen to you, but we are, after all in Argentina -- home of a lot of corruption and many dictatorships. Just throwing it out there to say that there are tradeoffs for a worry free trip to Cuba.

Second Reader's Comment

You shouldn't be advising people on your blog to get citizenship from Argentina. If the US finds out about that, they'll lose their American citizenship. Not very patriotic of you, asking people to betray their country.

My Response

First off, I want to say that there's a lot to address here. I'm going to deal with the facts first and then I'll get into the issue of patriotism. I'm not sure if this reader first reader is correct about U.S. consular officers being denied access to a dual citizen. Maybe someone has a reference about that. This is one of those things that might be true or perhaps not. Who knows? I'd like to see a reference first.

Common Misconceptions About Dual Citizens

• The U.S. recognizes dual citizens. Although the U.S. did not recognize dual citizens at one time, this hasn't been the case for many years now.
• Acquiring a foreign citizenship does not mean you will lose your U.S. citizenship. The only way to lose your U.S. citizenship is to actually go before a foreign consular official and renounce it. No one can take it from you without your consent.

Common Misconceptions About U.S. Intervention Abroad

The reader mentioned that the U.S. wouldn't be able to "sue on your behalf" if a foreign government snatched up your business and house. Let me first say that unless you're a big campaign contributor to a number of different politicians, the U.S. isn't going to do anything if you fall victim to the actions of a foreign government. No one is going to make an international incident if one American has a dispute in a foreign country. Forget it. The U.S. government does not get involved in settling the disputes of its citizens abroad.

Additionally, the only services a consular official can provide when you are jailed are to refer you to a lawyer as well as communicate messages to and from your family. They won't intervene in your case, they won't provide you with any kind of legal services, and they certainly won't pay for your defense.

Two Schools of Thought

I suppose there are really two schools of thought on this issue. Some people are looking for their government to protect them. Other people, such as myself, are looking to protect themselves from their government. I'd much rather have a second citizenship and have the ability to protect myself from a government run amock than not have one and hope that my government might be more willing to protect me in some hypothetical situation.

Reasons For A Second Citizenship

Anyone who doesn't recognize the need for a second citizenship either doesn't desire to have more control over their life or just isn't thinking hard enough. The reader pointed out that Argentina is corrupt and has had military dictatorships in the past. That's all true. That's why it would be a good idea for people from Argentina to get a second citizenship of their own. One of my co-workers just got her Italian citizenship and her European Union passport. If she is ever affected by another economic crisis or if the country has another military dictatorship, she'll have the option of leaving for Europe.

The same is true with a second citizenship from a country other than the U.S. Looking back at the last half century or so, I can think of a lot of people who, if they had a second citizenship, might have had reason to make permanent use of it:

• Any young person drafted into military service
• Former active duty military who are being "backdoor drafted"
• The 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and jailed in prison camps (the so-called "War Relocation Camps") during World War II
• Muslims who are being disappeared as "material witnesses" without trial
• Anyone falsely accused of a crime
• Any business person with an unreconcilable dispute with the government

These are all extreme cases, of course. We all hope that none of these situations would ever happen to us. However, that's why you buy insurance -- for protection against the possibility of something happening. In fact, if there ever comes a time when a person needs to use their second citizenship, it may be for something totally unanticipated.

If terrorists ever start detonating "dirty bombs" in U.S. cities, I can tell you that I wouldn't stick around for that. I wouldn't be able to live in a place and know that I could be hit with killer radiation at any moment. I can deal with the threat of plane or train bombings, but if they ever start with nuclear devices, that's when I check out of the USA for good.

The same goes with the whole Social Security and economic issue. If there's an economic crisis in the U.S., I want to have a place I can go to get away from all of that. I know it sounds funny to say that someone might go to Argentina to escape an economic crisis in the U.S., but I think there is a real possibility of a total economic meltdown in the U.S. sometime within my lifetime. There are serious structural problems with the U.S. economy that no one is addressing.

Other Reasons For A Second Citizenship

There are plenty of other reasons to have a second citizenship that aren't so dramatic:

• As I hinted at in the previous article, the U.S. places travel restrictions on its citizens. I believe, ideologically, that they don't have the moral right to do this.
• There are countries require U.S. citizens to have a visa to travel there that don't have the same restrictions to travelers from Argentina.
• There are banks, investment companies and mutual funds outside the U.S. that, due to the way they interpret U.S. law, won't do business with U.S. citizens, including expatriates not residing in the U.S.

Dual Citizenship & Patriotism

I hope this article cleared some things up about dual citizenship and why expats might want to consider it. As the second reader pointed out, there seems to me to be a stigma of being unpatriotic associated with acquiring a second citizenship, but I don't think that should be the case. All the reasons I listed for getting a second citizenship are to protect oneself from a government run amok. Of course there are the secondary convenience reasons as well. However, the key point here is that you can love your country without loving the government.

I think that's one key difference that separates people from the U.S. and Argentina. Most people I've talked to in Argentina love the country, but they hate the government and their politicians. No one here would call someone unpatriotic because they don't respect the government or the politicians. That's not the case in the U.S., however. Whenever someone starts getting critical of the government, Fox News and all the other talking-heads accuse them of being unpatriotic. I don't agree.

Having a second citizenship is really just a way of protecting yourself and giving yourself a lot more individual freedom. To me, individual freedom is what being American is all about. That's the ideal anyway. Although the constitution of the U.S. guarantees individual freedoms, it is not always adhered to, especially nowadays. Someone with a single citizenship always lets the government have the last word about what individual freedoms he or she really has. People with dual citizenship always have the last word -- they have the freedom to leave when they don't like what their government is up to.

"Physical Presence Test" For Argentine Visas

I received a question from a reader today about a "physical presence test" in order to renew the financier (rentista) visa.

Reader's Question

I was wondering if you knew whether you are required to stay in Argentina for a certain number of days during the year after you've been given say, a Rentista Visa. Aside from the passive income requirements for this visa, is there an actual "physical presence" like requirement, or can you come and go and simply renew it in year two. The goal is to get to permanent residence status but be free to come and go and travel in and out of Argentina...laying the foundation for permanent residency because it's where I'd like to live on and off for the rest of my life.

My Response

There is no physical presence requirement for the renewal of the financier visa. I first got my rentista visa a full year before I moved to Argentina permanently. In fact, renewal of the visa was very simple. The only requirements were that I showed my passive income would continue. I just got another notarized letter from my CPA stating that I still owned my business and that's all that was required.

I sent my documents off and my passport off to ARCA and a week or two later they returned my passport to me with the renewed visa in it. Very simple. I only need to renew it twice more. Next year, I'll renew it for one more year. The year after that, I'll renew for the third time and get a permanent visa. I'll then be able to come and go as I please for the rest of my life.

For this reason, it's best to go ahead and start the visa process as soon as possible. Since there is no physical presence requirement, just get the visa as soon as you can so that the 3 year countdown is started. Since I started one year early, I'll have only lived here 2 years when I actually get my permanent residency.

I intend to apply for citizenship and a second passport after I get my permanent residency. That's one of the reasons I'm in a hurry to get my permanent residency. It is my personal belief that no single country ought to have dominion over an individual's sovereign right to travel and migrate. As much as I respect laws of the United States, I don't believe they have the legal or moral right to control my movements.

Correction: Work Authorization

Today, I received a comment from a reader about working and starting a business in Argentina. This reader brought up an interesting point and I realized I made an error with one of my previous posts. I'd like to take the time today to apologize and offer a correction.

Reader's Comment

You mention getting a residency visa/DNI for a variety of reasons, which I can certainly understand. But you say that even with those, you are not "allowed" to work in Argentina because the government doesn't want you to take a job away from a native. (I know that this is the case in most countries.) So, how is it you can start a business if the government makes it so tough to do so? Or does the rule not apply to entrepreneurial-type activities? Or, more to the point, exactly how can an expat earn a living in BA?

Correction

I don't know from exactly where (perhaps it was from the Argentina consulate or something that I had read), but I was under the assumption that foreigners who have a "visa de rentista" (which is my class of visa and the kind of visa that most foreigners in my situation get) are not permitted to work in the country. I was mistaken. I called my visa lawyer over at ARCA and they definitively confirmed that anyone with a DNI and CUIL are legally authorized to work in Argentina. I was incorrectly operating under the impression that the rentista visa only allowed one to pursue entrepreneurial activities within the country. So, I stand corrected. I apologize for the error.

If you have a DNI and CUIL (no matter your visa), you can get a job here in Argentina, start a business, work as an independent contractor (monotributista), etc. So, this makes a DNI and CUIL even more important than I thought they were. Not only does the DNI give you the right to live here, if you want to work here legally, you need to have it.

While we're on the subject of my mistakes, let me add the disclaimer that I am not a lawyer and most certainly not a lawyer in Argentina. So, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more mistakes in this blog. I'm writing from my own layman's understanding of how things work. Please, please, please contact a lawyer in Argentina before relying on anything that's stated here. I'll be happy to provide a recommendation. And if he tells you something that contradicts my blog here, please do let me know so I can post a correction.

Saving Money With A Student Visa

A reader wrote in today about using a student visa to save money on Aerolineas Argentinas flights. In addition to saving money on flights, you'll also be able to qualify for a number of other benefits.

Reader's Question

Do you know if I can get the unrestricted airfare on Aerolineas if I have a year-long student visa? It would be hard to avoid them, as I understand they are the main carrier of Argentina.

The Benefits of a Visa

With your student visa, you'll be able to get a DNI (Argentina's national identity document) when you get here, as well as a CUIL (a tax ID number) even though you'll pay no tax here. With the DNI, you'll be able to all the local fares on Aerolineas Argentinas. With the DNI and the CUIL, you'll be able to open a bank account, rent your own apartment (should you decide not to live with a family), and even get utilities established in your name.

When that family quoted you $300 USD per month to rent a room, keep in mind that for $300 USD monthly you could easily rent your very own 1000 square foot apartment. You might even find a few roommates and further push the cost down. Even at $300 USD per month, you're still getting overcharged.

For low cost student visas, I suggest contacting ARCA, who will not only get your student visa, but also get your DNI and CUIL for you when you arrive.

The Personal Costs of Becoming an Expatriate

I talk a lot in this blog about costs in terms of dollars and cents or pesos and centavos, but rarely do I go into the personal costs of becoming an expatriate. I'm not really a "share your feelings" kind of guy, but I'll do my best here to address the reader's question.

Reader's Comment

I was wondering how your loved ones in the U.S. felt about your expatriation. Emigration is such a huge event. What sort of changes does that have on personal relationships?

A Little Background On US Emigration

First, when discussing emigration from the United States, one has to realize that there's not a lot of it going on. In fact, type us emigration into Google and the answer you get is, "Did you mean: us immigration?" A little over a month ago, I was talking to an associate from Uruguay and I told him I had a site that was for expatriates and people from the US and Europe planning to move to Argentina. He asked me whether such people actually existed. He couldn't fathom why anyone from the US would want to move to Argentina.

In fact, the US Census estimates that the annual number of native-born US emigrants to be between 10,000 and 25,000. How many of these people are going to Argentina? According to the Argentina census of 1991 there are only 9,755 Americans residing in Argentina, a change of -12 from 1981, meaning net American emigration to Argentina is essentially zero. Of course, a lot has changed in Argentina since 1991 and my guess is that there are a lot more Americans here now.

The Personal Costs

Because of all this, when you tell someone that you're moving from the US to Argentina, most people can't fathom why. I went over my reasons for leaving in a previous post, so I won't get into that here. The reaction of my family and friends has been somewhat mixed. My father, an experienced world traveler and also the person most responsible for introducing me to the rest of the world as a child, couldn't be happier or more encouraging. Along with his wife and my brother, he will be visiting me for two weeks this November in Buenos Aires to celebrate Thanksgiving.

On the other hand, my mother is less than pleased. We were recently discussing by e-mail my problems obtaining funds for an apartment in Argentina. Her reply to me was, "Maybe this is God's way of trying to tell you that you need to live in the United States -- you could get a house here very easily!" Unlike my father, she has not planned to visit me. In fact, she hasn't travelled outside the country since my parents' divorce.

Like my mother, my girlfriend's parents have been less than enthusiastic -- going out of their way to try and convince her not to go with me. Neither of her parents own a passport and Mexican border/resort towns comprise the extent of their international travel. Based on my own first-hand observations, I've come to the conclusion that someone's attitude toward a friend or family member's decision to expatriate is proportionally related to the amount of international travel that one partakes in. The more international traveling one does, the better the attitude they'll have about someone else's decision to expatriate, perhaps even scheduling a visit.

On the other hand, if the only experience you have with other countries is from US newscasts, you're probably not going to have a very good opinion about places outside the country. The only time American news covers the outside world is when there's a war, civil unrest, or a natural disaster. Going by US newscasts, it would be easy to develop the opinion that the US is the only haven of stability in a world that's either falling apart or blowing itself to pieces.

Transitioning

I fully realize that moving to Argentina will mean leaving many things behind. I know that I will see my family and American friends much less often. In addition to leaving my country, I'm also leaving my culture, my language, and my sense of belonging. Since I've only spent a few months in Argentina, I haven't yet experienced life as a true immigrant, only an enthusiastic traveler.

Right now I'm traveling a road that many other people have traveled before and many others will travel after. I'm sure I'm having the same fears and hopes that others before me have experienced. Will I be able to learn the language and communicate? Will I be welcomed and accepted? Will I be able to forge new friendships and fit in socially? Will I enjoy my new life abroad? Will I succeed financially?

I'm sure that everyone contemplating emigration has asked themselves those questions. I don't arrive in Buenos Aires until May 15th, so I don't know yet what the answers to those questions will be. I'm certainly hoping it will be a resounding YES to all of them, though.

Blacks in Buenos Aires

A reader wrote in today wanting to know about how blacks are perceived and treated in Buenos Aires. Let me first say that you don't find many blacks in Buenos Aires. The reason for this is rooted in history. Unlike the Portuguese in Brazil, the Spanish who settled in Argentina did not bring in large numbers of African slaves to work plantations. Therefore, today, you don't see very many black people in Buenos Aires.

I must admit that as a white guy and an expat, I'm not really able to discuss the Argentine people's feelings towards blacks. Since the reader's question also deals with immigration, I asked Lorena Gallardo of Argentina Residency & Citizenship Advisors to respond to the reader. Not only is she an expert on immigration law, but she's also Argentine, so she's going to be much better equipped to answer this question than I am. The question and the response are both below.

Reader's Question

I'm a Caribbean immigrant who grew up in New York, mostly Brooklyn, but now make my home in Manhattan. I'm not a citizen here, even though I've been here since I was two years old. Lately I've been on the lookout for a place to which to expatriate myself. NYC is the only place in the U.S. I'd want to live, but it's too expensive! Paris is another such place--thoroughly cosmopolitan, but unaffordable, especially if I plan to be a "semi-retired" expat. I've been considering Buenos Aires. It's like Paris, New York and Rome mixed into one, but at a fraction of the cost!

I was just wondering what it's like for blacks in Buenos Aires. I'd read that there aren't problems socializing, but there may be problems getting employment unless one is a dancer or musician; I am neither. I do not, however, plan to be looking for work in Buenos Aires. I'm considering it as a permanent expat home because it seems that I could live well on less than $1000USD/month. Also, are there complications to getting permanent residency because my citizenship is with a Caribbean country?

Lorena's Response

Black people are not often seen in Buenos Aires. Argentina was not a country with many immigrants from Africa. But the blacks that you can see around are mostly from Brazil. The cultural relationship between Argentina and Brazil is incredibly good. Argentines love to travel to Brazil during holidays and enjoy the beautiful beaches with their warm waters, and Brazilians love traveling to Argentina as they love our winter ski-season (which does not exist in Brazil.

What I want to point out is that Argentines do not have anything against black people. They respect them. I should also let you know that women in Argentina love black men from Brazil, so you won't find racist problems here. These problems appear not with color, but mainly with "origin". For example, in Argentina they do not accept kindly people coming from Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia. These people are often treated as inferior. However, the fact is that this happens because these immigrants come to Argentina without documents and to steal jobs from Argentine citizens. You could compare this situation to the treatment the Mexicans get who illegally cross into the American southwest.

I can say that, at least for the time I have been living here, I have seen that there are between 5 and 10 different neighborhoods built by different communities: Paraguay, Uruguay, China, Japan, Israel, Greeks, etc, and each community respects the other one.

Now, about getting a job, that is something that you won't be able to do. First of all, you need a work permit and you must enter the country on a work visa in order to work here. If you do find a job, they will pay you less than to any other Argentine worker, since you would be working in the black market (and when I say less, I am talking about a very very low salary -- surely you wouldn't be able to put up and maintain yourself in Buenos Aires on such a wage).

I should also point out that as a retired person, it would be even more difficult for you to find employment. There are millions of young people without jobs that you would be competing against. So, the principal option I can see for you to live here legally the pensioner visa. Assuming you can transfer your pension or social security to a bank account here, you would be able to live quite comfortably and maintain yourself at a very good standard of living. Feel free to contact me by e-mail or contact ARCA for help with your visa.