Argentina Reopening to Canadian Travellers: What You Need to Know

Argentina has reopened to tourism as of November 1, 2021, immediately after reaching their goal of 50% of the population being fully vaccinated.

Chile has also removed their quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated, negative-tested arrivals as of November 1, meaning that the entire region of Patagonia is open to us once again.

Now may be a great time to plan a winter getaway to the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, which are are ideally hiked in the southern summer when weather is at its warmest.

Argentina Travel Restrictions

Argentina has opened their borders in quite a lax fashion, with no rules for which countries can and cannot visit – everyone can enter based on their personal vaccination and testing status.

How Can Canadians Enter Argentina?

All Canadians are allowed to enter Argentina through all ports of entry, including sea, land, and air. As of October 2021, when departing Canada by air, travellers are required to present proof of vaccination.

All of Argentina’s allowed ports of entry are detailed on the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

By all methods of entry, travellers must fulfill all of the following criteria prior to boarding for entry without quarantine:

• Present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure.
• Be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to entry.
  • Children who are ineligible for vaccination in their home country are exempt.
• Complete a sworn declaration prior to entry.
• Have health insurance.

There appears to be no dollar requirement for the COVID-19 insurance, as long as the traveller has a plan.

Furthermore, Argentina allows any combination of vaccines that a traveller’s country of origin recognizes.

Testing & Quarantine Upon Arrival

For all foreign arrivals, there is no mandatory test or quarantine.

Testing & Quarantine Upon Return

As of April 1, 2022, a negative test is no longer required prior to travelling back to Canada.

If you need to find a test in in Argentina, tests in Argentina seem fairly easy to locate; the testing sites Turismocity and Stamboulian are recommended by foreign governments. Prices are all fairly affordable, with PCR tests falling in the range of AR$4,500 (~$52).

Alternatively, consider purchasing a Switch Health RT-LAMP or antigen test kit for an easy remote testing option via telehealth video link.

Current Health Requirements in Argentina

Health and safety requirements across Argentina are quite similar to our own here in Canada.

There are no rules against inter-city travel and most venues, including cultural sites, museums, and restaurants, are open again with full capacity.

That being said, nightclubs will only be open with 50% capacity, and in the capital of Buenos Aires, bars and nightclubs will only be open until 3am.

Furthermore, gatherings and shows of more than 1,000 people will also be limited to a 50% capacity limit.

Masks are required everywhere indoors and on all public transportation. Every jurisdiction can have their own laws about mask requirements, so take note if you’re travelling around the country.

It was only recently that the mask requirement was removed when outdoors, and this could come back if COVID-19 rates increase.

How to Get to Argentina

With Aeroplan points, any routing to Argentina will pass the 4,501-mile mark on the “Between North and South America” chart, making it 60,000 points one-way in business class.

And as much as it pains us to admit this, Air Canada business class will likely be your most luxurious option for the southbound journey. Air Canada flies their comfortable 787 Dreamliner to the capital of Buenos Aires from Toronto, with a stop in Santiago.

If you wanted, you could even spend 5,000 points for a stopover in Santiago before continuing onto Buenos Aires on Air Canada’s fifth-freedom flight.

In addition, United flies their Dreamliner from Houston to Buenos Aires, although award space may be difficult to come by.

You could also take a layover in Panama with Copa Airlines or a layover in Bogotá with Avianca, although you’re likely to find recliner seats and a lower standard of service on both airlines. 

Over in the Oneworld alliance, American Airlines flies to Buenos Aires from New York JFK, Dallas, and Miami.

All of these routes would cost 75,000 British Airways Avios or 57,500 American AAdvantage miles one-way in business class, with no fuel surcharges.

Deals can be had everywhere these days – the above is an American Airlines Web Special that’s priced below the standard award rate, the only caveat being that no changes are allowed (but free cancellations are).

Conclusion

Argentina is currently open to all Canadian travellers, provided you are fully vaccinated (which you have to be in order to depart from Canada, anyway) and present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within the last 72 hours of departure.

Other than masks being required indoors, there are very few COVID-19 limits in Argentina. There are no restrictions on inter-city travel, and you can even hop over to Chile or Brazil afterwards.

As always, you can refer to our Travel During COVID-19 Resource for Canadians for the most up-to-date information on travelling in the pandemic era.