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Chile to Argentina at San Sebastian: Border Crossing
This article is part of our Border Crossing Report series.
Border name: San Sebastian
Closest major cities: San Sebastian, Chile and Rio Grande, Argentina
Cost for visas: $0
Cost for vehicle: $0
Total time: 20 minutes, plus 20 minutes driving
Date crossed: Saturday January 25, 2013
The Steps
- Stop at the Chilean border building just on the other side of San Sebastian.
- Go to the immigration counter and hand in your passports and tourist cards. The official will stamp both and return your passports.
- Go to Aduana and hand in your temporary vehicle permit.
- Buy delicious empanadas from the kiosk (avoid the french fries like the plague).
- Drive 15 kilometers to the Argentinian border building.
- Hand the immigration official your passport, completed tourist card and reciprocity fee receipts (if required, see note below). The official will stamp and return everything. He will also give you a scrap of paper with a stamp and the number of people in your car written on it. Save this, you need it to exit.
- Go to aduana and hand over the vehicle title and driver’s passport.
- (For South Africans Only) Explain impatiently that South Africa is not a region, it is actually the name of a country, and that your car is not from there, just the driver, and yes he is white and sketchy looking.
- Get your vehicle permit, sign it, and get back to your car.
- Drive up to the guard and hand over your stamped scrap of paper.
RECIPROCITY FEE NOTE: Effective January 7, 2013 all US, Canadian and Australian citizen are required to pay a reciprocity fee at all Argentinian border entries, including land crossings. You must pay the fee online and bring the receipt to the border. Pay your fee online at this website.
Our Experience
After a failed attempt to find camping in Cerro Sombrero, and no suitable place to wild camp before San Sebastian, we decided to make a run for the border. Our second for the day. We arrive at the Argentinian side around 7:30pm.
The process was very easy. We walked up to the immigration counter, the official took our passports, stamped them, stamped the tourist card and kept it. Next Kobus went to the Aduana counter and turned in the vehicle permit. The official kept the permit and sent Kobus on his way. Meanwhile Jared and I took our Chilean pesos to the kiosk outside and ordered two empanadas and a pile of french fries. The empanadas were excellent. The french fries were cold and terrible.
We got back in the car and continued about 15 kilometers down the road to the Argentinian side to repeat the usual process. We handed over our passports and completed tourist cards. The official took Kobus’ passport and stamped it and the tourist card and returned.
When he saw the American passports he immediately asked for our reciprocity fee receipts. We handed them over and waited a painful ten minutes while the official tried to figure out what number to type in the computer. Finally, Jared and I had our stamp and tourist cards. The immigration official also gave us a scrap of paper with a stamp on it, which was to be our clearance to leave the border area.
While Jared and I were waiting for the immigration dude to figure things out, Kobus was already at Aduana. It took the official entirely too long to understand that Kobus was a South African citizen who lives in the US and owns a US car. Twenty questions ensued. When the lady asked “Is South Africa actually the name of the country?” I just about lost it. Patience isn’t my strong suit at 8pm after a dinner of cold french fries while trying to cross border number two for the day.
Finally she printed a vehicle permit, stamped it, had Kobus sign it, and sent us out the door. Whew. We got in the car and were stopped just before leaving by a uniformed guard. He took our stamped piece of paper and waved us through.
Best part about this border: Fast!
Worst part about this border: The french fries were cold.
Our Experience
After a failed attempt to find camping in Cerro Sombrero, and no suitable place to wild camp before San Sebastian, we decided to make a run for the border. Our second for the day. We arrive at the Argentinian side around 7:30pm.
The process was very easy. We walked up to the immigration counter. The official took our passports, stamped them, stamped the tourist card and kept it. Next Kobus went to the Aduana counter and turned in the vehicle permit. The official kept the permit and sent Kobus on his way. Meanwhile Jared and I took our Chilean pesos to the kiosk outside and ordered two empanadas and a pile of french fries. The empanadas were excellent. The french fries were cold and terrible.
We got back in the car and continued about 15 kilometers down the road to the Argentinian side. The same process as usual proceeded. We handed over our passports and completed tourist cards. The official took Kobus’ passport and stamped it and the tourist card and returned. When he saw the American passports he immediately asked for our reciprocity fee receipts. We handed them over and waited a painful ten minutes while the official tried to figure out what number to type in the computer. Finally, Jared and I had our stamp and tourist cards. The immigration official also gave us a scrap of paper with a stamp on it, which was to be our clearance to leave the border area.
While Jared and I were waiting for the immigration dude to figure things out, Kobus was already at Aduana. It took the official entirely too long to understand that Kobus was a South African citizen who lives in the US and owns a US car. Twenty questions ensued. When the lady asked “Is South Africa actually the name of the country?” I just about lost it. Patience isn’t my strong suit at 8pm after a dinner of cold french fries when trying to cross border number two for the day.
Finally she printed a vehicle permit, stamped it, had Kobus sign it, and sent us out the door. Whew. We got in the car and were stopped just before leaving by a uniformed guard. He took our stamped piece of paper and waved us through.
Best part about this border: Fast!
Worst part about this border: The french fries were cold.
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