Crossing the border from Chile to Argentina: Nervousness, preparations and a bit of cake
Border crossings are always exciting – especially when you’re traveling with a Unimog like us and the papers aren’t quite up to standard. Our plan was to travel from Chile to Argentina, and to be honest, we were a little nervous.
The challenge: extending the TIP and residence permit
Why the excitement? Well, we had received an extension of our TIP (Temporary Import Permit) for the Unimog in Chile – but we had to hand in the original. Now we only had a copy and a digital confirmation of the extension.
Our visas had also been extended for another three months, and here too there was only a paper printout that we had put with our passports. If you want to know how the visa extension works, here is the link to a step-by-step guide.
An early start for our border crossing to Chile Argentina: Off to the Paso Cardenal Antonio Samoré
As it’s the vacation season in Chile, we wanted to make sure we didn’t spend ages queuing at the border. So we left our beautiful campsite by the lake early in the morning and made our way to Paso Cardenal Antonio Samoré – a beautiful crossing point between Chile and Argentina. When we entered Chile, Nils had been very helpful. This time we were on our own.
Departure from Chile: everything on one docket
Leaving Chile was actually easier than I thought. You are given a routing slip on which all the stations are noted, which you go through in order.
Of course, our somewhat unusual documents – the extensions of our visas and the TIP – initially caused a few questioning looks from the officer in charge. But after a brief consultation with her supervisor, who knew exactly how to deal with this, the exit stamp was issued.
36 kilometers of no man's land and the Argentine border control
With the exit stamp in our passports, we were able to continue our journey. It was about 36 kilometers through the so-called no man’s land to the Argentinian border control. Once again, there was a routing slip that clearly listed the individual stations. Apart from one small faux pas – we got into the wrong queue – everything went really well here.
The best thing about crossing the border into Chile Argentina: The Unimog was immediately given the right to stay for 8 months. A real bonus, because it means we can continue our journey with peace of mind!
Finally arrived: Pitch in Villa La Angostura
After all the bureaucratic back and forth, all we needed was a nice parking space. Our first attempt failed – the tall trees made us turn back carefully with the Unimog.
But the second pitch was a hit: right on the lake, idyllic, quiet – and exactly what we needed after this exciting day.
