Immigration at AEP Buenos Aires Airport

This article deals with immigration at Buenos Aires Airport, specifically AEP (Aeroparque Jorge Newbery), which is where *a lot of* international flights land. However, please note there is another airport called Ezeiza (EZE).

Arrival at AEP Buenos Aires Airport

My flight from Sāo Paulo to Buenos Aires Airport was with Latam and I was excited to see the cityscape of Buenos Aires appear as we descended from the clouds.

The only downside of that Latam flight was we were deplaned on to a bus, rather than directly into the terminal building.

I know they need to keep costs low, but the building was less than 200 metres away!

Immigration at AEP Buenos Aires Airport

Deplaning by bus means there can be a tussle when the doors open at Immigration. My flight was arriving from Brazil, so there was a good mix of visitors and people returning home.

As we entered the building, immigration was right ahead of us. There are two lines – Extranjeros / Foreigners and Argentinos. People split roughly 50/50 into both lines and the Argentinos line appeared to move more quickly.

Waiting Time at Immigration at AEP Buenos Aires Airport

So how much time to clear immigration at Buenos Aires Airport? I was an Economy passenger on this flight and was about the middle of the Foreigners line. It took 45 minutes to reach an Immigration Agent. I was asked why I was visiting (for tourism) and, after some other minor checks, I was on my way.

Customs at AEP Buenos Aires Airport

Once you are through Immigration, all passengers join a new queue for Customs.  The process is fascinating. The Customs Agent presses a Randomiser Button, which decides if you will be examined more closely by Customs. The Button chose me! The red light of doom!

What happens if you are selected for a Customs Check?

Once I was selected by the Randomiser Button, I was brought to one side, and my bags were put through a scanner. This did not delay me much and after a minute or so, the Customs Agent pushed back in his chair and waved at me to skedaddle.