(Here's a heads up so you don't arrive in Buenos Aires surprised like Clark Griswold at Wally World)

For those reading this in the states and thinking about making the trip down to Buenos Aires I should let you know that as of January 1st the Argentine Government put into place a $131 US Dollar Entry Fee for all US Citizens at the Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) [best flight tracker]. 

The Argentine Interior Department had this to say... "The payment of this "reciprocity fee" IS NOT a Visa since Argentina does not require visa to nationals of the mentioned countries when traveling for tourism or business purposes". The Argentine Government set this entry fee on equal amounts to those Argentine citizens must pay when requesting a Visa to travel to those countries." - View Chart

The countries they are referring to are Australia, Canada and the USA. The fees for Australians and Canadians is U$D100 and U$D70, respectively. For Americans, it is a one-time fee that allows us to enter the country multiple times over the period of 10 years. I'm not sure what the final terms are for Australian and Canadian Citizens. 

I just had a friend come down from the states recently and she confirmed that she had to pay the $131 US Dollar Fee going through customs. 

I also wonder if the Argentine Government plans on rolling out this fee for other countries as well. I don't know what other countries charge Argentine citizens Visa fees. Because Argentine Officials say the fee will likely apply to residents of other countries whose governments charge visa application fees to Argentines who travel to those countries. And they say the fees will likely vary country by country, depending on how much those countries charge Argentines.

Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile have already enacted entrance fees ($100, $130, and $130 respectively) for US tourists, which are reciprocal to the fees their citizens are charged to enter the States.  

I think the "Reciprocity Fee" idea is definitely understandable. It is another source of income for the government and why not reciprocate the fee. According to The Argentine Post, the fee will bring Argentina about 40 million dollars every year in revenue. Right now the fee is only charged at the EZE Airport so it will be interesting to see if Government Officials introduce this it elsewhere (at all border crossings). 

I just hope this doesn't have a negative affect on Tourism here in Argentina. Between inflation skyrocking and the ongoing recovery from the economic disaster in 2001, this country needs tourism bucks in the worst way. It seems like an interesting time to roll out this plan but hopefully it won't deter to many tourists from flying in. From what I see in the bar, there are a ton of Brazilian tourists in Argentina at the moment because their currency is strong so I hope that helps the economic condition here.  

Like I said before, it will be interesting to see how this develops.

MORE INFORMATION: 

http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/

http://argentina.usembassy.gov