Argentinian driver's license

The laws / regulations for foreigners acquiring an argentinian driver's license have changed. Foreigners can now get a driver's license without the dreaded DNI. Last week I took a chance and I decided to tackle the process of getting my driver's license.

Here is the process:

Go to Avenida Colonel Roca 5200, Lugano, with your passport with the current visa stamp and a certificado de domicilio which you can get from your local police station for a fee of $10 pesos. Lugano is located about 35 minutes from the center of the city. A cab ride will cost about 32 pesos or you can take Subte A from Catedral to Virrey, which is the last stop, then take the tram that will take you to the front of the Registry of motor vechiles. The subte and tram will cost you $1.45 pesos.

Once you enter the Registry, walk past the crowds, go directly to the back of the building and go up to the second floor. There some very nice people will look at your passport and certificado de domicilio and walk you through the process.

The process is interesting. They will send you back downstairs to door number one and there they will take your photo, then on to door number two for a hearing test, door three is the eye exam, four is a psychological exam, five is a physical exam. Once you pass the various exams you must register for a six hour class. This is the only requirement, because you have to take a written exam which consists of 30 multiple choice questions. Although I could have taken the free class at the registry, I decided to pay $99 pesos and take the class on a Saturday afternoon at one of the aproved sites. Here is a list of the approved sites. I used the school at Cabildo 3300. Make sure they give you the certificate stating you took the class:

[url]http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/obr_publicas/lic_conducir/academias.php?menu_id=15595[/url]

After this class I reviewed the questions on the buenos aires gov site. There are about 450 questions and it appears they pick the 30 questions from this data base. On this site they do not tell you which of the three possible answers is the correct one. Here is the site:

[url]http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/obr_publicas/lic_conducir/preguntas_b.pdf[/url]

The actual test is computer based. Very easy if one studies for a few hours. They give you 45 minutes to respond to the 30 multiple choice questions. It took me 10 minutes to take the exam and I was told I answered all the questions correctly. To pass the test one needs to get no more than 9 questions wrong. Within five minutes of taking the test they handed me my argentinian driver's license. By the way the cost of the license is $12.50 pesos.

If you decide to get your license I would recommend you take the six hour class, study the questions on the gov site before you go to the registry, this way you can take the exam the same day you do the paperwork. The registry is open from 8:AM to 7:PM. Although the process seems cumbersome, I found the process to be relatively easy and the people at the registry to be very helpful. One more thing, don't do this unless you can read spanish. However, they did tell me before I sat down to take the exam, if I didn't understand some of the words I could ask for help.

Suerte

Thanks for the information Facundo,

I was actually about to try to find out how to go about this. You have saved me and I am sure many others alot of time and grief.

Thanks again,

Bad.

And if I am not mistaken, you are saying, there is no actual driving test, just a computerized multiple choice exam?

[QUOTE=Badboy13]Thanks for the information Facundo,

I was actually about to try to find out how to go about this. You have saved me and I am sure many others alot of time and grief.

Thanks again,

Bad.

And if I am not mistaken, you are saying, there is no actual driving test, just a computerized multiple choice exam?[/QUOTE]Bad, you are correct, no driving test.

Sidney-

"Legally", US drivers licenses are only valid within the Provincia and Capital Federal of Buenos Aires. So "legally", to rent a car in any other area of Argentina you are supposed to have an international drivers license (obtainable from AAA in the USA) or an Argentine license. In practice, this is not enforced at all, I rented a car in Ushuaia with only a Passport and NO drivers license whatsoever, if you have a credit card they will rent you a car.

Suerte,

Dirk Diggler

Hi Facundo,

Many thanks for your info.

I have an additional question for you,

Did they ask you to show your american driver's license?

If this is the case, is this the reason for not taking the driving test?

Many thanks,

Diego

[QUOTE=Diegoccs]Hi Facundo,

Many thanks for your info.

I have an additional question for you,

Did they ask you to show your american driver's license?

If this is the case, is this the reason for not taking the driving test?

Many thanks,

Diego[/QUOTE]Diego, yes, I had to show my driver's license. I believe, If you don't have a driver's license then you must take the driving test. The test appears to be very easy. It's about a five minute test consisting of parallel parking, driving backwards for about 80 meters, etc. The problem with not having an american or an european driving license is that you would be seen as a new driver and you would be limited to driving only outside Capital Federal. All new drivers, "pricipantes", can only drive outside the city limits for the first 6 months.

Suerte.

BTY, up until this past February, the written test consisted of 10 multiple choice questions and the exam was scored by a human being on the spot. I think 99% of the test takers passed. As I understand it, you had to answer many of the questions wrong to flunk the test. Also, the new regulations were adopted, incluiding a point system to try and stem the high death rates and injuries from reckless driving.

Facundo: nice, precise report. Really appreciate the details. Another question for you.

Apparently you were able to skip the long line of locals because of your foreigner status. Was it your imprsession you could go to the second floor even if you had a US Passport and the DNI or resident statuss? A few of us have the DNI. I might be interested in getting a DL if I can use the same system you wrote about.

I have read articles about the locals waiting hours and still failing the test because they did not study or they did not understand how to use the computer under the new system.

[QUOTE=Thomaso276]Facundo: nice, precise report. Really appreciate the details. Another question for you.

Apparently you were able to skip the long line of locals because of your foreigner status. Was it your imprsession you could go to the second floor even if you had a US Passport and the DNI or resident statuss? A few of us have the DNI. I might be interested in getting a DL if I can use the same system you wrote about.

I have read articles about the locals waiting hours and still failing the test because they did not study or they did not understand how to use the computer under the new system.[/QUOTE]Thomaso, DNI or no DNI, go directly to the second floor. The test is difficult only if one doesn't study the materials and the questions on the internet site I mentioned. In addition, I believe, the test is easy because it is easy to eliminate one of the possible three answers they provide for each question. One of the three possible answers is absurd or off the wall. The test taker actually has a fifty percent chance of picking the correct one from the two remaining. However, I also understand, 40 % of the test takers flunk the test.

Suerte.

BTW, the psychologist that conducted the psychological exam hit on me. She asked me for my phone number. Too bad she wasn't a beauty. I passed on the offer. I told her I was in pareja (couple)

[QUOTE=Facundo; 374543]The laws / regulations for foreigners acquiring an argentinian driver's license have changed. Foreigners can now get a driver's license without the dreaded DNI. Last week I took a chance and I decided to tackle the process of getting my driver's license.

Here is the process:

Go to Avenida Colonel Roca 5200, Lugano, with your passport with the current visa stamp and a certificado de domicilio which you can get from your local police station for a fee of $10 pesos. Lugano is located about 35 minutes from the center of the city. A cab ride will cost about 32 pesos or you can take Subte A from Catedral to Virrey, which is the last stop, then take the tram that will take you to the front of the Registry of motor vechiles. The subte and tram will cost you $1. 45 pesos.

Once you enter the Registry, walk past the crowds, go directly to the back of the building and go up to the second floor. There some very nice people will look at your passport and certificado de domicilio and walk you through the process.

The process is interesting. They will send you back downstairs to door number one and there they will take your photo, then on to door number two for a hearing test, door three is the eye exam, four is a psychological exam, five is a physical exam. Once you pass the various exams you must register for a six hour class. This is the only requirement, because you have to take a written exam which consists of 30 multiple choice questions. Although I could have taken the free class at the registry, I decided to pay $99 pesos and take the class on a Saturday afternoon at one of the aproved sites. Here is a list of the approved sites. I used the school at Cabildo 3300. Make sure they give you the certificate stating you took the class:

[url]http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/obr_publicas/lic_conducir/academias.php?menu_id=15595[/url]

After this class I reviewed the questions on the buenos aires gov site. There are about 450 questions and it appears they pick the 30 questions from this data base. On this site they do not tell you which of the three possible answers is the correct one. Here is the site:

[url]http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/obr_publicas/lic_conducir/preguntas_b.pdf[/url]

The actual test is computer based. Very easy if one studies for a few hours. They give you 45 minutes to respond to the 30 multiple choice questions. It took me 10 minutes to take the exam and I was told I answered all the questions correctly. To pass the test one needs to get no more than 9 questions wrong. Within five minutes of taking the test they handed me my argentinian driver's license. By the way the cost of the license is $12. 50 pesos.

If you decide to get your license I would recommend you take the six hour class, study the questions on the gov site before you go to the registry, this way you can take the exam the same day you do the paperwork. The registry is open from 8:AM to 7:PM. Although the process seems cumbersome, I found the process to be relatively easy and the people at the registry to be very helpful. One more thing, don't do this unless you can read spanish. However, they did tell me before I sat down to take the exam, if I didn't understand some of the words I could ask for help.

Suerte[/QUOTE]Does this procedure still hold good?

For how long was / is your license valid? What type of visa did you have?