The Argentine government announced on Wednesday (14) that it will publish a decree in the Official Gazette changing the country's migration policies. The text, whose full text is not yet available, should include a requirement for health insurance for foreign tourists.
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Manuel Adorni, spokesman for the Casa Rosada, made the announcement in a speech without the right to questions from the press. The office of President Javier Milei subsequently issued a statement reinforcing the points listed by Adorni.
The “immigration reform” designed by the current Argentine government aims, for example, to prohibit the entry of foreigners with a criminal record. It is not clear, however, how this verification would occur.
Another point addressed is related to the authorization for public universities to charge tuition fees to foreign students.
Due to the university's autonomy regime, the decision will be up to each institution. Argentina currently receives a large number of university students from other countries, such as Brazilians, who are seeking courses such as Medicine.
Health Insurance in Argentina
Regarding health care, the government announcement states that foreigners will have to pay for public health care. Upon entering the country, via airports, ports or land border crossings, Argentina may require travelers to have health insurance.
Once again, it is not clear whether this insurance will be required in twin border cities, such as the crossing between Puerto Iguazú and Foz do Iguaçu.
The doubt arises due to the Border Traffic (TVF) regime, which should, at least in theory, facilitate travel between Brazil and Argentina.
In addition, there are a large number of tourists who are in Foz do Iguaçu and decide to just take a few-hour trip to Puerto Iguazú. In these cases, charging for health insurance could make it impossible for travelers to cross the border.
According to Javier Milei's government, foreigners from countries such as Paraguay and Bolivia practice “health tourism”, traveling to Argentina as tourists to seek care in public clinics and hospitals.
(Editor's note: In provinces such as Corrientes, Formosa, Jujuy and Salta, local authorities claim that Paraguayans and Bolivians are overloading the health systems. There is no demand from Brazilians and Uruguayans for public health in Argentina)
What does the government statement say?
Due to the possible impacts on border tourism, the H2FOZ separated some of the excerpts from the statement issued by the Argentine government.
"[…] from now on, no convicted foreigner will be allowed to enter the country, and anyone who commits a crime in our territory, regardless of the sentence, will be deported. This means that offenses with sentences of less than five years, which were not grounds for denial of entry or deportation, will now be taken into account.”
"Additionally, temporary, transitory and irregular residents will be required to pay for health services and also have health insurance upon entering Argentina.”
It is worth remembering that the text of the Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) of the Argentine government is not yet available. Furthermore, the measure may be subject to a total or partial veto during its passage through the country's Congress.
To read the full statement from the Argentine government, in Spanish, click here.
