Argentina
Location: South America
Broadcast Regulators
Visas & Permits
Visas & Work Permits
Western crews entering as tourist or business travellers can visit visa-free for stays of up to 90 days.
Although some crews choose to enter as tourists, work visas are recommended when working on larger film productions, filming in national parks or staying over the 90 day period.
Work visas are applied for at a local Argentine consulate, with an invitation letter from an Argentine production company that is registered with RENURE. The original letter needs to be sent with all the required stamps granted by local notaries. Once the letter is received, it can take up to a month to process.
Please contact a local embassy, consulate or representative for more information. Alternatively, there are specialist companies that provide visa and immigration support to the media industry, and may be able to assist.
Film Location Permits
Buenos Aires shoots that require traffic control take about a week to permit. Downtown streets can only be closed off on the weekend. Simple b-roll shoots, with only a basic camera/tripod set-up (and without any talent, lights or street control required), can usually be done without any permits.
Drone filming, filming restricted government buildings, historic locations or national parks require special permits.
Customs
For productions looking to bring in film equipment, Argentina is not an ATA carnet country.
Crews looking to bring in their own equipment will need advance customs clearance, which can be tricky and very expensive. Alternatively, this can be done through either a local production service company or customs broker.
When to Film
When to Film
The Argentine climate varies considerably, depending on the time of year, latitude, proximity to the sea and the altitude. The principal climates are warm, temperate, arid and cold.
In Buenos Aires, summer runs from December to March, autumn runs from March to May, winter runs from May to August, and spring runs from August to November.
Argentina is a predominately Christian country, so those holidays are observed.
Public Holidays
Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Argentina.
Costs & VAT
Argentina offers good value for money, compared to costs in the US and Western Europe. However, projects that shoot outside of Buenos Aires may add considerably to the cost of filming, as crew and equipment may need to be brought in.
The standard VAT rate in Argentina, at the time of writing, is set at 21%.
Funding & Tax Incentives
Funding
DOCTV Latinoamérica
Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA) (National Institute of Cinema & Audiovisual Arts)
Tax Incentives
At the time of writing, this country does not have any filming incentives. However, up-to-date information on global filming incentives may be found on the Entertainment Partners' Production Incentives Map.
Treaty Documents
At the time of writing, the UK does not have a trade agreement with this country. However, up-to-date information about UK trade agreements can be found on the GOV.UK website.