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Hello..information on Pensionada or Rentista Visa

    Hello


    I am a Canadian expat living in Colombia for 10 years.


    Recently the Colombian visa process has become ridiculous.


    I am looking at Argentina, particularily Mendoza.


    I am interested in a Rentista or Pensionada Visa.


    The requirements seem similar to Colombia , but the devil is in the details. Thats why I need to talk personally to a visa lawyer or agent.


    I have 3 questions;


    1.Is the income requirement still 30,000 pesos a month? Ths seems ridiculously low.


    2. Is the fee for visa application ..pensionada or Rentista...$2000 , as I read on a site in the internet? And paid up front? And non refundable if rejected This seems ridiculously high price.


    3.Any references for visa agents or lawyers, particularily in Mendoza area?


    Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


    Thanks :thumbup:

  • Jump to the most helpful post

  • Elexpatriado

    Changed the title of the thread from “Hello..information on Pensionada or Rentista Viss” to “Hello..information on Pensionada or Rentista Visa”.

    I arrived on this visa last week. I obtained it in the usa before arriving. I paid a $200 application fee and only after my application was accepted did I pay a $600 fee.


    Yes, the income requirement is $2,000. I needed official translation and apostille for everything. There is a checklist of about 8 items (i can send it to you if you like, or post it here). I was asked for my banking and investment accounts as well.

    I have been here now less than a week and cost of living with blue dollar conversion is quite low.


    Also, shockingly, I applied for my DNI (residency identification card) on Monday and received it in the mail on Thursday of this week! ‘Brujaria!

    Although citibank (who I have been a business customer of for 25 years in the usa) ‘threw me out’ saying my DNI was ‘temporary’ and ‘not good enough’ to open an account! Rude and insolent. Literally showed me the door! Also, trying to register on line for ‘Mercado Libre’ (sort of amazon here) the DNI was not enough. I need a tax number as well even tho on a retirement visa you are not required to have a tax number.


    Also know that there is no such thing as a ‘pre paid debit card’ here. So with no bank account and no pre paid card you must carry a back pack full of cash around all the time. There are no options in country. I have applied for a slew of international debit cards but none of them have a provision for loading pesos onto them locally. Only bank transfers. Which, of course, cuts you out of the blue dollar advantage.


    In my opinion, because of the 100%+ inflation, the government is surpressing consumer spending as opposed to cutting government spending. To do this they limit credit and limit currency to ver small denominations (the largest - currently in circulation - note is 1,000 pesos, roughly $2). So a lunch tab of $10 equivalent takes a minimum of 5 notes. Supposedly there are 2,000 peso notes in production as of last week but I have yet to see any in circulation. Since I am not welcome in a bank, I can not ask for them.


    I have a Western Union/Netspend debit card that I obtained in th USA before arriving. In the USA I can go to a western union and present cash to be applied to the card. When I tried that here, at Western union, they literally laughed at me! ONLY CASH HERE! NO TARJETAS!


    My spanish is pretty good so I am not missing anything. Although they should start a game show here “quien habla mas rapido?”


    Overall, my experience is quite good, despite the bureaucratic exigencies, the people are mostly friendly and welcoming, the food is fantastic, the architecture wonderful, the weather better than I am used to and many things to see and do.

    I’m sure that with time and friends I will find work arounds for the banking ridiculousness.

    I don’t know Columbia (except that a friend was drugged and robbed daytime in a cafe last year) but I wholeheartedly recommend Buenos Aires. Just be prepared to be more patient than you have ever been with bureaucratic issues.

    Yes, long story short, on a retirement visa, no tax number is needed. The number on the back of the DNI is the only number I need. Now I just need to convince a bank of that.


    So the bank I went to today did not throw me out, but they didn’t give me an account either. The woman I spoke with told me I needed the tax number and a ńumero identificacion fiscal´ as well.


    So I went to the office that issues the tax document.

    file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/f0/00/F281E67E-6681-4204-894B-91C913E8E17F/IMG_4394.heic


    I went just before they closed and was lucky enough to walk right in and talk to someone. He was a nice younger guy.


    He told me I didn’t need anything else. That my visa does not require a tax number of any kind and showed me the number on the back of my DNI card. He said this is the only number you need you’re not required to have anything else.


    So I don’t know if the bank is going to accept that, but I’ll have to go back and try. May be a different bank.

    It’s funny to me, how people pretend that they’re in authority, they know what they’re doing, but in fact, they don’t.


    At this bank, there was a guard at the door and the door was kept dead bolted. Even though it’s in the first floor of a high-rise office building the doors kept locked at all times. The guard lets people in and ask them what they want.


    There’s also a machine like a kiosk right next to the guard. Before you can even enter the bank, you have to enter your DNI number into the machine which verifies it, and then issues you a ticket for your turn to be called.


    While I was waiting, which did not take too long, I was looking at my phone. The guard came over and whispered to me that it was for bidden to look at my phone in the bank! Whispered, like in a church…


    I have been here just over a week and am truly enjoying myself. I have been to a concert at Palacio San Martin, had a private tour, been to an internations meeting on puerto madero (that ended up with a group of us stying together all day and going to dinner together as well), eaten in so many good restaurants, met many new and wonderful people….


    I resolved to be patient with the inevitable bureaucracy, so I am.


    Ím sure my persistence will pay off, eventually.


    Thank you for your advice.

    Oh, btw, I was just reliably informed that the application fee for a visa was doubled this month to $40,000 ars.

    The bank is just being difficult. Try another one and definitely try for a CDI at the pages I posted earlier.

    They are bullshitting you and just being arsehats.

    mr Scott said

    es, long story short, on a retirement visa, no tax number is needed. The number on the back of the DNI is the only number I need. Now I just need to convince a bank of that.


    So the bank I went to today did not throw me out, but they didn’t give me an account either. The woman I spoke with told me I needed the tax number and a ńumero identificacion fiscal´ as well.


    i say; welcome to the country, i hope you will enjoy your visit and have a good impression of us,

    Even though I have a tax number, opening a bank account wasn't as straightforward as I thought it would be. Fortunately the bloke at BBVA went out of his way to help me. The missus told me to forget opening one at Banco Nacion and Provincia.

    Hello all


    Lots of good information here. Thanks all for contributing. Espescially the SOV link on Rentista visa


    I am just going on an exploratory trip to BA and Mendoza, although I do have a meeting with a lawyer about visa options.


    If I do apply for an Argentinian visa, it wont be for a year or 14 months (I a still living in Colombia, and will be good legally until about then)


    How can I search this thread in a years time or keep it active? Just copy the URL above, I guess?