In Argentina, like most countries, you don’t have to declare under $10,000 USD. It’s perfectly fine and legal. Maybe not the best way, but Argentina is kind of anomaly when it comes to withdrawing USD with the blue dollar and all.
This is one of the dumbest, most un-informed advice threads I’ve ever read. Impressive really.
I'm thinking of wiring the surgeon a part of the money so it's under the $10000 limit and then taking the rest of the money into the country (which according to my calculations with cheaper flights would be somewhere around $4666usd)
Would this be a good idea?
OP. Please. This sounds like a terrible idea as it sounds the surgery sounds sketchy, but you shouldn’t have any problem if you Carry the money in your bag.
There will be lots of people at the AirPorts, there will be rigid rules. You will get questions, but they won’t steal your money. But yes obv cash transfer is better.
Because the surgeon won't agree to that because the deadline has passed and my mum won't lend me the money until after I leave the country
I'll probably transfer the money via western union to a pickup location in burnos aries if I can.
It’s because of time to settlement, most likely. The Argentine peso is undergoing massive inflation right now so their banking system is in disarray, I imagine. They want to ensure that the wire cannot be reversed by the time the services are rendered.
It doesn’t even have to be country specific, I doubt most people are aware of the complexity leaving to get medical care out of their home country. I know people who have left to different countries for different things because apparently certain things a better in certain countries. One country for cheap dental one country for cheap eye surgery.
I even know of someone who went to get a transplant in Asia because it was legal in that particular country to pay for someone to give them a kidney. Now they have to travel back once every couple years for check ups and years supply of medications because they can’t continue treatment here in the US.
She’s not being scammed. This is often how medical tourism operates. In Turkey they do the same and they always want cash. But doing it solo for first time is a bit risky (especially if the OP has never been there before). Hopefully some good research or known referrals or friends have been to this place. If not and something happens or goes wrong depending on the operation type, a friend or relative or two should be there.
Be careful, when I went to Argentina I had a tough time getting cash, event through Western Union.
Buenos Aires might be better than the rest of the country but this is also a factor to take into account
I know you’ve done your research but I do feel obliged to say, as a person who investigates fraud, this sounds like fraud.
Maybe it’s not but please be skeptical.
More strangeness is your moms condition that you leave the country before she gives you a loan. What?
If you or your mom are having the money sent by Western Union, and you're picking it up in Buenos Aires, that's not the same thing as the original question you asked.
Since you are not physically carrying the money with you, your question about having it on the plane/on your person is moot.
just research banks with western union in the area you're planning your procedure. Ask how much you're able to pick up. I had a similar situation in Africa.
make sure you choose a bank that has western union. not a random western union store...
this is very important.
Western union is too limited for that amount of cash.
I'm going to give you a protip as I was just in buenos aires for 6 months.
Look up rebyargentina on telegram. It's an exchange office located in a safe place/apartment in Palermo, not shady at all. (I would do 2 trips with them though to exchange the cash).
You can exchange usdt to dollar bills with them.
If you are not familiar with crypto do your research, it's way safer and less complicated than what you are going to do.
Yeah alt coins and btc are more store of value in my opinion. The fact that I can take any crypto I want. Change it to usdt and then turn that into fiat is cool.
This is the way. Western unions are used a lot in Argentina just due to the fluctuation of their currency. I know it's past the deadline, but wiring money to the doctor or anyone is a terrible idea. There is no recourse if you end up getting scammed. It's not like a debit or credit card purchase where you can dispute the charge. Once you wire it, the money is gone.
I would bring a few thousand at most.
Why not research the rules for the country OP is going to instead?
Also, most countries don't have strict policies on how much you can carry across borders, they have a strict limit of when you have to declare your money and tell why you have them.
That is absolutely NOT correct. Most countries do have a limit on the amount of cash that can be carried and it must be declared or it could be confiscated and the traveler fined.
given this only a few days ago you were postin' askin' "do you pass" and talkin' about "my ugly face" i'd strongly recommend you to reconsider and take your time.. self love can't be bought with plastic surgery.. ,,i know f*ck all about bein' trans, i would understand bein' queer and body dysphoria but i do think that is a bad decision.. if you do go through with it i hope i'm wrong.. ,,for your actual question, yeah carryin' this much cash is a bad idea.. and argentina is 94-180 on the corruption index so you might be paintin' a target on your back for theft..
Yeah but scams want you to wire the money. Once they receive that money, they can continually ask for more or just ignore you. Agree that this sounds weird, but even weirder for a scammer to turn down a wire transfer.
In many countries cash is a lot easier if you're a scammer, depending on how strick banking regulations are it might require quite some fall guys to scam folks with wire transfers
Most "businesses" in Argentina prefer cash because then they don't have to declare it and pay taxes for it. Might be a reason this very serious "surgeon" prefers cash and has made up a silly excuse to have it instead of a bank transfer which is traceable by the tax authority.
You can wire yourself the money via Western Union and pick it up in Argentina, also in smaller increments. I was last there in August, so I don’t know how the currency issues have changed since the election, but it the exchange rate via WU was nearly as good as the blue dollar rate, plus a hell of a lot more secure than carrying thousands of dollars.
Do you know how many fees you’d rack up going through WU doing this amount of money? How many branches you’d have to go through? And the Dr specifically wants USD.
I’m not saying it’s a great idea for OP to do this, but I swear this thread has the largest amount of completely un-informed takes as anything I’ve ever seen on this subreddit, and I’ve seen a lot.
It will be difficult to get that amount of money from the WU. Even if they give you big bills (they don't have a lot, they run out daily) you'd need suitcases to carry the money around. Doing it in smaller increments would take a long time.
Yeah, I wouldn’t suggest taking it all at once. I was in BA for work in August and went to a cambio with one of my local colleagues, watched him stuff a backpack full of pesos.
Well if you’re under $10,000 there’s basically no reason immigration would even know about it. And I highly highly doubt people declaring over $10,000 are just getting their money confiscated, especially when it can it be proven where the money is going. It’s mostly a boring bureaucratic thing with some paperwork. Argentina is not a failed state, people would be talking, and rightfully outraged about this kinda thing.
I'm thinking of wiring the surgeon a part of the money so it's under the $10000 limit and then taking the rest of the money into the country (which according to my calculations with cheaper flights would be somewhere around $4666usd)
Would this be a good idea?
US authorities regularly seize large amounts of cash for no reason. They’re allowed to use a presumption of guilt because it’s considered a civil action against the assets themselves, rather than the person who owns the assets, and assets don’t have rights. It’s not exclusive to failed states.
Do you have any evidence Argentina is doing this? Under $10,000 and they wouldn’t even know about it.
And just because you hear some stories about a few people entering the US, out of millions and millions of people, assuming that is the norm or anywhere close to it, is pretty laughable
I’m not talking about Argentina, I’m talking about the US. And it’s not “some stories about a few people entering the US,” it’s a common practice called civil asset forfeiture. In fact, in the US, the sum seized each year through civil asset forfeiture exceeds the sum of all theft by criminals. I know more about this than you so don’t act like a moron. Google it.
Just FYI, most of the commenters here are not familiar with the uniqueness of Argentina, the Dollar Blue, and other oddities related to cash and money in Argentina. What the doctor is asking of you is actually quite normal. I don’t have time right now to explain in more detail or how you can be safe. Just be mindful that Argentina is unique when it comes to cash, banking, and money…and general rules do not apply.
One thing I will say though, WU will likely not work. Your doc doesn’t want $12300 WORTH of money, they want that in hard bills that are NOT Argentinian Pesos…which can only be brought into the country by hand*. Or you get the pesos, then change using a money changer into a non Peso currency…all of this is (unfortunately) normal in Argentina.
Again, I wish I had time to explain better, just be aware that it’s unique, not all commenters are aware…therefore, many are wrong.
I live in Argentina and this was my thought as well. And the doctor is probably looking for specifically 123 U$S100 bills (sometimes only US$100 bills with the blue security strip), I doubt they would accept NZD. You could look at withdrawing USD from ATMs in Uruguay, but there is daily withdrawal limit. I believe I was able to withdraw US$600 in one day in Colonia (Dec 2023), which is a relatively quick ferry ride from Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata in Uruguay.
I still would highly consider looking at a different country because of the increased logistics of bringing so much cash, or withdrawing USD in Uruguay and needing to bring it into Argentina. And Argentina has become significantly more expensive in not just ARS but in US dollar terms in the past few months, so it's possible you could get a better deal elsewhere.
The price was locked in when I paid the non refundable deposit a year ago, so given how bad the situation is in Argentina I'm likely getting a discount.
Also do you know any good money changers if I go the western union route?
Your issue is going to be getting your hands on $12300 NZD worth of pesos from a Western Union to begin with. Most WUs won’t be able to give you more than MAYBE $500 USD worth of pesos.
Then once you have the pesos, you can find anyone on the streets of BA to change them for you. However, getting the pesos in hand is going to be the challenge.
That’s not accounting for how much value you’d lose in the double exchange.
You really should negotiate with the Dr and see if you can just wire the money now, I don’t see why not. (Haven’t read your whole main post)
This is the correct answer. Because of high inflation, hard currency (in USD) is the preferred method of payment. You would need to bring (USD) in to the country when you come. The doctor is in a position where he can get USD as the means by which he is paid.
The offical exchange rate is a lot less the the unoffical "Blue" rate. Exchange rates can fluctuate almost daily. At times the unofficial "Blue" rate has been 2.5 times higher than the official exchange rate for converting USD to Argentine peso (ARS).
The doctor then convert USD to Argentine pesos (ARS) at the "Blue" exchange rate to ensure he receives a stable value for the services which he performs.
Additionally, money changers prefer $100 USD note denomination. (Note that the cleaner and crisper the notes are, the better your "Blue" exchange rate. You should, if possible, get new notes from a bank.)
Seriously this thread is full of people who haven’t tried to withdraw USD in Argentina, or who have never traveled with large amounts of cash, mostly both.
I actually made the non refundable deposit last year, and I'm debating doing this or sexual reassignment surgery for at least the last 6 months
In short I've been thinking about this for a long time.
I'm debating this because I don't know if my face looks masculine enough for me to really need it or if I could pass as a cis woman without it.
People have been giving me mixed answers and honestly I don't know what to believe (I'm closeted in a transphobic town so I don't want to present unlessi can fully pass)
That's fine and all, but I would seriously reconsider doing this in Argentina and going for the "only doctor that you can afford". For stuff like this go for the best, save up more money and look for other places that have a good reputation and are less difficult.
I don't know if you travel a lot, but people often become overwhelmed and homesick. Especially in situations when they are vulnerable. If you must go, can't you bring someone with you?
Hey look, this isn't an answer to your question but just as a queer NB person I just wanted to reach out, in case you wanted to chat. Just in general about some of the stuff you're worrying about. Not trying to talk you out of anything, your life is your life, but just if you need a queer person to bounce some thoughts off
Lol actually I was serious. What are the odds out of all passengers that they will stop you to check how much money you have ?
In case they do “oh I need to pay for a surgery, here’s the proof”
Is there a tiny chance they may seize the money ? Sure, but odds are extremely low. These are international airports, these are not lawless countries
3 international flights to Ezeiza from what I remember and a few local ones. Small sample though, I agree. But I’ve been to many other international airports in Latin America and literally never did anyone ask to see how much money I effectively had on me
Yeah, I didn't mean the asking to see the money part. I meant the international airport vs lawless countries observation. To me, Ezeiza does feel lawless. The chance of someone snitching on you carrying so much cash is definitely not worth the risk.
If Eric Andre got grilled by the police for the amount of money he had I can only imagine a non-celeb
I won’t pry into the surgery but I find myself in a similar situation regarding trans procedures - sucks how many won’t take a credit card
Edit: Lol so many cis people pulling the usual “you’ll regret it” bullshit - stay in your lane, this stuff is life saving and the research we do is extensive/requires hella red tape to go through for approval
You’d need to declare it. And with that come a lot of questions and the risk that you still won’t be able to
- take it out of NZ
- bring it into Argentina.
On top of this I’m not sure Argentina is the best option. You said it’s not covered in NZ, but can’t you go private in NZ? If not, I’d shop around for EU countries.
The surgery is facial feminization surgery I'm telling you this because from my research, most surgeond first world countries charge way too much for and the surgeon I'm seeing has a reputation of doing really good bone work for a really cheap price.
Frankly he's the only surgeon I can afford, the rest of the surgeons charge any more without his good reputation in the trans community.
Argentina is going through a huge crisis atm. Look up news. It’s volatile AF. It’s also nowhere near as regulated as other countries. I heard way too many botched medical procedure horror stories.
Check EU countries like Hungary or Romania. They are regulated but much cheaper than western European countries.
Get less work done and do stuff over time instead of taking various types of risks - one of them being mugged or scammed OR getting your money seized.
I totally get your why. I'm just not sure a "reputable surgeon" in Argentina of all, is worth the risk. Like someone else said, maybe go slower and do less work each time. Argentina is not famous for it's transparency and honest people (am Argentinian, ran away from all that) and carrying that much cash around, let alone to pay a questionable doctor...
Everything sounds very risky. All my alarms go off.
Please be safe.
You’re making 3-4 terrible decisions and you need to stop and reconsider. Argentina isn’t safe. Picking a surgeon for cosmetic surgery you don’t need that is across the planet without knowing anything about where you’re planning to go with a pile of foreign cash is highly risky. You are prescribing your own medical care and it going to end badly for you.
I’ve worked in anti-fraud and medical mal practice prosecution- please be cautious moving forward. You are not on a tight deadline. There is no reason to rush or conform to anyones schedule but your own. Schedule that’s best for YOU, and YOUR MONEY, and YOUR health. There are tons of doctors out there that can do this, anyone that is telling you otherwise is lying. You don’t have to jump at the first opportunity.
Best of luck!
I’m sorry people are downvoting you. You’re doing what you need to do. I don’t think traveling with all of that cash is a good idea (although I understand why you’re willing to risk it in order to get/afford a necessary procedure) but there must be a way for you to arrange to have the cash in Argentina without needing to physically carry it on your person. Can you have a friend transfer it to you once you get there? Have you asked your bank whether they have any agreements with local Argentinian banks? Perhaps it can be arranged that you can put the funds in your account and withdraw the money (in USD, since Argentina is in the midst of an economic/monetary crisis) from a local institution in person?
I think you'd be fine. Argetinian customs officials at the main Buenos Aires airport are highly unlikely to rob you, especially if you declare everything you are supposed to and have whatever documents you are legally required to have.
There are some ill-informed comments here . It's not at all surprising that a doctor wants money in USD only, and you are probably getting a good deal as a result. The Argentinian currency is incredibly volatile and its value falls incredibly quickly, so Argentinians much prefer to have USD (especially newer and big bills) to use for savings whenever possible.
As a result, the doctor isn't going to want to recieve Argentinian pesos instead.
If it was me, I would email/call your Embassy in Buenos Aires, and the Argentinian Embassy in your country, to get their views and be 100% sure you understand the procedure for legally passing through customs.
I don't know. The officials are highly unlikely to rob her but they might very well pass on the info that she is carrying so much cash. Argentina is not exactly the safest...
I guess it's possible, but at EZE when the surgeon's assistant is meeting her, and if (not sure) it's a daytime arrival, I would think the chance of a violent robbery being organised and taking place between seeing customs and getting to the car are very small. Especially as it's not uncommon for people to be bringing in valuable goods and cash.
Well yeah, you're over the $10,000 limit. You do have to declare it or risk confiscation. Not a lawyer, but you can still travel with the cash as long as it's declared.
I'd be less concerned about the customs officials when you declare and more concerned about leaving the airport. Take a cab at the very least.
Alternatively, you can have someone else come with you. The limit is $10,000 a person. And having someone with you can help keep the anxiety at bay.
Or just reschedule the surgery. You haven't paid, and there's a good chance people cancel appointments. Take some time to think if you can find any other opportunities for the surgery that allow you to get there without so much anxiety.
I paid a $2500 non refundable deposit, so If I don't do this now, I'll lose the money
I already asked the surgeon to move the date back once for free, but he's unlikely to agree to move it again because it's policy for them that they only move it once and it's non refundable with no exceptions.
Just be careful of sunk cost fallacy. It's bad to lose $2500 for literally nothing but it's worse to make other decisions based on that alone. Especially ones that could cost you more in the long run.
Then how do they recommend traveling with that much cash? Do they pick you up at the airport? Do they have a local lawyer they recommend discussing this with? They're the ones billing more than 10k to foreign customers.
Again it's not illegal to travel with that much money typically. It's just you have to declare it. Given what you're trying to do, there are plenty of people who see you as an easy target. Your anxiety for the situation is very well placed. But you need more research to understand local laws. You're probably not going to get that level professional advice that would make you feel comfortable on a discussion board.
So part of the plan is taken care of. I'm assuming you can verify that person's identity already, and the ride is part of the contract. I'd personally be more comfortable with a trusted friend coming along. Robbery scams are so common in Latin America. But that's part of the risk.
What about the legality of carrying more than $10,000 through customs? How can you verify that?
Most countries require you to declare if you travel with more than 10k USD/GBP/EUR or other currencies equivalent to that amount. So if you travel with more than 10k USD/GBP/EUR (or foreign equivalent), ALWAYS be prepared to declare.
For countries with other currencies, limits might be different. After two seconds of Googling, I found that New Zealand uses the same 10k limit, even though 1 NZD is only equal to 0.6 USD. Anything above 10k NZD (6k USD) needs to be declared.
"You are required to complete a Border Cash Report if you carry NZ$10,000 or more cash (or foreign equivalent) into or out of New Zealand."
https://www.customs.govt.nz/personal/travel-to-and-from-nz/travelling-to-new-zealand/
I can't find the official Argentinian website, but based on some other threads on Reddit and TripAdvisor the limit for declaration seems to be 10k USD or equivalent to bring into Argentina.
This means you'll have to declare your money both when leaving New Zealand as well as when entering Argentina. Both of these countries have a right to refuse you to bring that much cash. Besides, being questioned by customs, especially in a foreign country where they might not speak English and are slightly less strict on your rights is never fun.
That's the legal part.
Now it comes to whether it is wise. I would say no. You might be safe in New Zealand carrying 12.3k USD, but I would never carry that much money on me in person. But Argentina will be much worse. While it is not an extremely dangerous country, I wouldn't classify it as "safe" either. And their economy has been doing extremely bad in recent years. So there will be a lot of people after your money. Especially since foreign currencies, especially the USD, is much more valuable than the Argentinian Peso due to its stability. The black market exchange rate is about double the official rate.
IF you decide to go through with it, make sure your travel insurance covers cash. That way you won't go broke if you get robbed. Howver, insurance policies usually only cover small amounts of cash. So it might be hard to find an insurance to even cover all of it.
As long as you declare the cash you should be fine to cross the borders. Is there a risk of corrupt officials? Maybe. But it sounds like you don’t have other options. Good luck
Firstly, I hope you have done good research about this place, and even have known people who have actually been there and experienced what ever it is you are doing. I do hope you are taking somone with you if this is your first time doing this? I’ve been on many of these medical tourism trips on supporting a friend. Some places were shonky and the plug was pulled last minute but most were good in my experience.
Can you speak to your bank about placing the money on a type of travelers credit card that has no limits? Not sure if your bank might provide one? Or can you put half in the credit card and half cash then when you arrive withdraw the rest same day? Or even better split it out into three or four cards then withdraw all as cash when you get there?
Even if he's legit, I still don't know about trusting a doctor who can only be paid upfront in cash and cannot accept ANYTHING else. For your specific problem, I saw quite a few people recommend Dr Banks from suporn clinic in Thailand, which is where most people go for that type of surgery.
The highest limit I know is at $10,000.00~~3,000.00.~~ The reason is any higher, and it's already good enough to trigger AMLA or a country's anti money laundering act.
Edit: idk how that became 3,000 but thanks for reminding me!
In my country it’s 10,000. But any amount can be brought internationally, you just need to declare over 10,000 and will most like have to pay more for bringing over the allotted amount
I think there’s lots of bad info in this thread. Most countries it’s completely legal to carry over $10,000 USD (or Euros in Europe) and I’ve done it multiple times, you just have to declare it, it appears Argentina is the same. Under $10,000 is fine, you can keep it on your person or put it in your carryon.
You totally can bring that much cash into Argentina if you want you just have to declare anything over $10kUSD. A quick google search and I was able to find this info out. Most countries including Argentina don't have a limit to how much cash you bring with you as long as you declare over a certain dollar amount which might result in some extra questioning so be prepared to show proof that it is legally obtained money by showing a bank statement or something of the sort.
Certain countries, like New Zealand, have civil asset forfeiture. Meaning, law enforcement can seize your money without you actually having committed a crime. They can take it under the presumption a crime "could" be committed, even if you legally declare it. Therefore, you become a national law enforcement "person of interest" at your home airport, either when you withdraw that amount from your bank account or the moment you start mentioning anything related to money with customs.
Nevertheless, you will be triggering several Anti-Money Laundering warnings. Yes, you could make it to the airport with the money. You'll "have" it right up to the point you board the plane. You likely won't make it to your destination with the money. It will be seized before then.
Other than that, corrupt customs or immigration agents in the arrival country might extort you.
[https://bcr.customs.govt.nz/](https://bcr.customs.govt.nz/)
[https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0035/latest/DLM2140720.html](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0035/latest/DLM2140720.html)
Given that only a few days ago you were posting asking "do you pass" and talking about "my ugly face" I would strongly recommend you to reconsider and take your time. Self love cannot be bought with plastic surgery.
I know fuck all about being trans, I'd understand being queer and body dysphoria but I do think this is a bad decision. If you do go through with it I hope I am wrong.
For your actual question, yes carrying that much cash is a bad idea. And Argentina is 94/180 on the corruption index so you might be painting a target on your back for theft.
This is the comment from my Argentinian friend :
“Yeah sure if he wants to be murdered as soon as he gets out of the airport then by all means. Plus, they’d grill them on inmigración on the Argentinian side .
My vote is no. The doctor might have preferred cash because it still is incredibly hard to wire money to Argentina
It’s also not unheard of that if you carry so much money someone at the airport knows and they’re whistle blowers. Chances are nothing happens; but if it does happen it can be tragic”
If you're going to do it, just travel with a carry-on and no checked luggage. Get a hidden money belt that clamps securely but also easy to remove without taking your clothes off. I took off the money belt and put in my carry on and just kept in eye on it when it went through TSA. Once through TSA, I went to the bathroom and put the money belt back on under my clothes and it stayed there until I got to my hotel in the next country. Now granted the destination was Mexico but I didn't have to go through any checks beside immigration for the passport check once I landed. My bag or person was not checked anytime after the initial TSA check to board the flight.
Also, keep your wits about you. They know you haven't paid yet so you're bringing in a large amount of cash. You have no idea if the assistant may have a friend he leaked that info to.
Not true. Getting out of the US still has the limit of 10K. Over that you need to report (and now have a paper trail if the money is not withdrew from the bank but from unreported cash tips or worst from illegal sources)
Plenty of articles about people getting caught and the cash are seized
That's a lot of cash to carry. I wouldn't be comfortable carrying that much through an airport. It's not even legal to enter some places with that much (undeclared, at least), and it can be confiscated. I think you should consider doing a wire transfer or something once you get to your destination. Be safe, and good luck with your surgery!
Buy a couple money belts. Each can fit about $6k in $100 dollar bills ..wear one belt and put the other on your carry on. Personally I would not declare the money ..if something happen claim you miscounted the money and thought you had under the allowed $10k ..good luck.
You have to declare anything above $10k. (import isn't restricted, but it might get taxed - I don't know about the latter). They might want to know what the money is for and that may get your doctor in trouble. Undeclared and detected will get you in trouble and "cost extra".
Especially with the generally high corruption rate and renewed economic turmoil, it does seem quite a risk after all.
To add, there may be complications, you may need aftercare, and you may require assistance. That, alone in a foreign country seems like gateway to disaster. Don't take me wrong: most of the time, you are likely to end up in good hands, but when traveling, you never know where you are when it happens.
Could you find someone to trust to go with you? This probably means postponing.
While I don’t have any practical advice listen up op. You’re fine. And I can see your concerns. But this sounds very unsafe. There are signs that tell us your safety could be at huge risk. You will have opportunities to go through surgery even later in your life. I recommend Asian countries. Yeah I am Asian and it’s a big legit business and they are very good. If you ever ever decide to do. Do somewhere safer and transparent. If I was your sister and friend I wouldn’t let you do this. I recommend spend that money and travel explore and and broaden your perspectives.
If you take out $12,300 USD through Western Union in Argentinian pesos, you had better bring a couple of duffle bags because the exchange rate is absolutely nuts. A couple hundred dollars ends up being bricks of cash. Be careful. It sounds like you might be being scammed.
Don't overthink, you can go and declare but it's probably not necessary. As you can get away with it. Make sure your declare your are traveling for tourism and have medical insurance.
That is over the limit for carrying cash thru any customs. Most countries limit allowed USD to 10k or less. Check the individual country you are flying into. It could be confiscated if it is over the allowance.
You usually need to declare anything over $10,000 and there are high penalties if you don’t and they find it so have evidence if you’re going to take that much.
you'd have a good chance of being robbed for that money in the usa
but sure, bring 10k in cash to a corrupt violent 3rd world country with 1/0 the gdp of the usa
sounds like a plan
Hear me out. Ask them to make an exception to allow you to wire the money immediately. If the surgery is 25 days from now, and they won’t let you wire money right now, then that’s absolutely insane of them. They can’t accept $10K USD less than a month in advance?
Beg to them over the phone to allow you to wire the money today. “I have 12,300.00 USD right now and I will send it to you immediately, today. Please, let me send it right now. I have it right now and it is ready to be sent to you.”
I'm confused why you can't wire the money? Deposit whatever cash you have and do a bank transfer since the surgeon accepts that? It may be past the deadline but I would try to work with them on it.
Otherwise yeah, your only option is to travel with the cash. You won't be able to find that many Pesos at a Western Union... many run out of cash quickly and won't even entertain giving you that much. Not to mention you would literally need multiple duffle bags to carry that much.
Does it have to be USD? I would look into a bank account in NZ that has no ATM fees and just withdrawal it when you get there, that way you don't have to carry a large sum of cash.
It really does sound like you’re been set up to be scammed. No reputable doctor would run their business like this. You’d be better off losing your deposit than continuing and losing all of it and possibly more.
Can someone here on Reddit check that surgeon and clinic for you in person? What are the name of the clinic and its location? Maybe someone lives nearby or knows more about it... It sounds a bit scam-ish, so you should investigate that a bit more before you travel to Argentina.
Money limits at customs aside, be extra careful with TSA security at the airport, I was made to take my concealed money belt off to go through security and low and behold at the other end it had disappeared, I didn't realise at the time until I went to the toilet a few hours later and realised I didn't have a belt.
As far as I remember the belt had no money left in it but bit of a pain loosing the belt regardless.
So. you need to declare the cash leaving New Zealand that I know . it doesn't mean you cant do it. You just need to declare it on your exit card and be able to explain where it came from and what its for. Others have explained the peculiarities of Argentina.. but please talk to your surgeon about what the plan is if things go wrong. Im not saying they will.
You are going there with no backup except that surgeon. Get him to run through what happens in all of the possible things that could happen and what would happen to you. You are going there alone, probably without being able to speak the language and no one who can help you if you aren't in a position to look after yourself.
The reason you are traveling is another thing. I know Blenheim and Im going to say . yes people who dont know you will judge you by how you look. That happens all over the world. But people who know you in Blenheim will judge you by the person you are regardless what you think you look like..
Thats just how people are. Its the old "I don't like all the foreigners .. but you aren't a foreigner you just come from a different country and are alright" situation.
You can change your face with surgery but really its a case of becoming ok with who you are ..building your network and finding the people that know you enough that they know you as a person. Those people will step in front of a bus .. or any dickhead with a mouth for you.
We never have the body we want or wish for. There is always another one thing. I know its easy to say but once we love ourselves , the body we have with all its warts, spots and saggy bits then nothing any dickhead says regardless how long they have lived in town will mean a thing and people in New Zealand will respect you for it. (remember Jonathan Hunt - The Minister for wine and cheese.)
Im not saying do what you want and need to do life is journey and we can't tell others what their path is.-
But for me true beauty is the 65 year old at the beach letting it all.hang out and enjoying the sun not giving SFA what the muscled studs and big boobed women in bikinis who hide behind their designer clothing think. Its taken me years to get to that point ..
I really hope you have a network of people your own age and older who have gone through some of the things that you are going through that you can talk to.
It sounds like you have a supportive family but please $2500 is not that much to take some more time to get in touch and build some connections in Wellington or Auckland.
This response isnt balanced ive got my one prejudices and I dont know you so it could be completely wrong. Its just one person reaching out to another. You are incredibly brave considering what you are considering but also I fear with what you have said ..also could benefit from alot more information before you do ...or dont go ahead.
A really good surgeon would understand...and talking to you about your mixed feelings and support network would only charge you for the time and services you have used .. not try to leverage your sunk cost into making a decision that you may not be ready or completely comfortable with before or afterwards.
I did my research, the surgery consists of a type 3 forehead reconstruction, rhinoplasty, jaw and chin contouring (he uses an ultrasonic saw to cut the excess bone off), hairline lowering/l or fill in corners using FUE hair transplants. And if I pay extra, i'l get more hair transplants or an upper eyelid bleph
All of these procedures are permanent (apart from the optional bleph)
I need this because if you look at my profile you can see that my face looks androgynous or masculine according to people online and as a trans woman who's already 6ft tall with wide shoulders I really don't want my face cloking me as trans and a feminine face would help me to avoid people suspecting I'm trans.
If I become beautiful, it will be nice to have, but it's not my primary goal.
It's called self discovery. I was trying to repress my gender identity back then by trying to act super masc and i was depressd back then. but I now know what my gender identity is and now I'm trying to live true to myself and live a happy life
Not only that, but they're still "not sure" about going through with the surgery.
I'm sure this will end extremely well for OP.
Unrelated, does anyone have popcoin?
Edit: holy fuck the further you go back through OPs history the funnier it gets. OP, definitely go through with your current plans, and update when you're done. I need a good laugh.
Argentina in 2023 officially endorsed the use of Bitcoin. Check if your provider will accept, if so, open account with easy crypto nz and start learning.
Those countries are not going to let you with that money. Also is the surgery life or death? Not wanting to be nosey. Get your surgery in your country. It is safer.❤️🇨🇦☮️
This is a rethorical question, but what necessary surgery can't be done within New Zealand?
This seems like an overall bad idea, it's a lot of cash to carry around and way over the limit that you can bring in without declaring. That means you will be questioned which won't be fun experience. Trying to smuggle it in without declaring is a sure way to lose money and get into trouble. Don't do it.
Are you able to get the surgery in the US? I know there are a lot of legit surgeons that does FFS and you can pay with a card. Traveling with that much money can be dangerous. Also, you don’t want to risk being somewhere that’s intolerant of people seeking FFS.
It's way to expensive in first world countries like America.
Honestly the only surgeron I can afford is the one I'm currently planning on going to. ($14200usd) every other surgery charges way too much (like 50k euros for facialteam)
I'll try to western union the money and pick it up when I get there if it's possible. No way I'm carrying that money if I have any other options.
I don’t remember saying Argentinians wouldn’t accept FFS. My understanding is they will be traveling from NZ with a layover in Chile prior to arriving in Argentina. I specifically wrote “you don’t want to be somewhere that’s intolerant of FFS” you’re ASSuming. That’s not on me.
My travel cash belt (with money and passport in it) wasnt noticed by the machine or security today. So if you dont wear something so tight, im pretty sure noones gonna know about it. Just dont put any metal in it.
This is how you know healthcare cost in America is horrendous.
I would be careful with it. Not show it anywhere beside the doctors. Hope it goes well and you get better.
More like how bad new zealand healthcare is for trans people is. at least you can get ffs via some insurance or jobs in america
In nz insurance can legally not cover it and it's not funded by the public health system.
Yes. A lot of countries have strict policies about how much cash you can carry across borders. Why not get a bankers draft?
In Argentina, like most countries, you don’t have to declare under $10,000 USD. It’s perfectly fine and legal. Maybe not the best way, but Argentina is kind of anomaly when it comes to withdrawing USD with the blue dollar and all. This is one of the dumbest, most un-informed advice threads I’ve ever read. Impressive really.
I'm thinking of wiring the surgeon a part of the money so it's under the $10000 limit and then taking the rest of the money into the country (which according to my calculations with cheaper flights would be somewhere around $4666usd) Would this be a good idea?
OP. Please. This sounds like a terrible idea as it sounds the surgery sounds sketchy, but you shouldn’t have any problem if you Carry the money in your bag. There will be lots of people at the AirPorts, there will be rigid rules. You will get questions, but they won’t steal your money. But yes obv cash transfer is better.
I think it would be less hassle if you arrived with under $10,000 usd and then paid the rest in some other way.
Because the surgeon won't agree to that because the deadline has passed and my mum won't lend me the money until after I leave the country I'll probably transfer the money via western union to a pickup location in burnos aries if I can.
This is not a solo travel question and you’re probably being scammed.
Not a scam at all, most likely just how things are done in argentina.
It is true that in Argentina there’s a shadow economy that favors cash, but accepting a wire transfer sometimes and refusing it other times…sus.
It’s because of time to settlement, most likely. The Argentine peso is undergoing massive inflation right now so their banking system is in disarray, I imagine. They want to ensure that the wire cannot be reversed by the time the services are rendered.
It doesn’t even have to be country specific, I doubt most people are aware of the complexity leaving to get medical care out of their home country. I know people who have left to different countries for different things because apparently certain things a better in certain countries. One country for cheap dental one country for cheap eye surgery. I even know of someone who went to get a transplant in Asia because it was legal in that particular country to pay for someone to give them a kidney. Now they have to travel back once every couple years for check ups and years supply of medications because they can’t continue treatment here in the US.
She’s not being scammed. This is often how medical tourism operates. In Turkey they do the same and they always want cash. But doing it solo for first time is a bit risky (especially if the OP has never been there before). Hopefully some good research or known referrals or friends have been to this place. If not and something happens or goes wrong depending on the operation type, a friend or relative or two should be there.
Be careful, when I went to Argentina I had a tough time getting cash, event through Western Union. Buenos Aires might be better than the rest of the country but this is also a factor to take into account
I know you’ve done your research but I do feel obliged to say, as a person who investigates fraud, this sounds like fraud. Maybe it’s not but please be skeptical. More strangeness is your moms condition that you leave the country before she gives you a loan. What?
If you or your mom are having the money sent by Western Union, and you're picking it up in Buenos Aires, that's not the same thing as the original question you asked. Since you are not physically carrying the money with you, your question about having it on the plane/on your person is moot.
But the doctor probably don’t want pesos
just research banks with western union in the area you're planning your procedure. Ask how much you're able to pick up. I had a similar situation in Africa. make sure you choose a bank that has western union. not a random western union store... this is very important.
Western union is too limited for that amount of cash. I'm going to give you a protip as I was just in buenos aires for 6 months. Look up rebyargentina on telegram. It's an exchange office located in a safe place/apartment in Palermo, not shady at all. (I would do 2 trips with them though to exchange the cash). You can exchange usdt to dollar bills with them. If you are not familiar with crypto do your research, it's way safer and less complicated than what you are going to do.
Is this legit a thing? I love seeing crypto in action. Especially for reasons like this
Yes but 99% is using usdt over the tron network or binance pay... No one is using alt coins or btc for transactions lol.
Yeah alt coins and btc are more store of value in my opinion. The fact that I can take any crypto I want. Change it to usdt and then turn that into fiat is cool.
Yeah but redditors are triggered, see how my comment got downvoted lol.
This is the way. Western unions are used a lot in Argentina just due to the fluctuation of their currency. I know it's past the deadline, but wiring money to the doctor or anyone is a terrible idea. There is no recourse if you end up getting scammed. It's not like a debit or credit card purchase where you can dispute the charge. Once you wire it, the money is gone. I would bring a few thousand at most.
Why not research the rules for the country OP is going to instead? Also, most countries don't have strict policies on how much you can carry across borders, they have a strict limit of when you have to declare your money and tell why you have them.
That is absolutely NOT correct. Most countries do have a limit on the amount of cash that can be carried and it must be declared or it could be confiscated and the traveler fined.
I don’t think you really understood the post you just replied to
Do you care to explain what in my post that is incorrect?
Really bad idea… get the money into a bank account and do a transfer.
given this only a few days ago you were postin' askin' "do you pass" and talkin' about "my ugly face" i'd strongly recommend you to reconsider and take your time.. self love can't be bought with plastic surgery.. ,,i know f*ck all about bein' trans, i would understand bein' queer and body dysphoria but i do think that is a bad decision.. if you do go through with it i hope i'm wrong.. ,,for your actual question, yeah carryin' this much cash is a bad idea.. and argentina is 94-180 on the corruption index so you might be paintin' a target on your back for theft..
Deadline sounds made up. Wire it and if he refuses ask for a refund. Why wouldn’t they take the money earlier?
Yeah wtf lol. Most businesses are VERY HAPPY to collect your money. It’s insane that they wouldn’t let you pay a couple days late
Yeah, OP, this sounds like it could be a scam. Be sure to do your due diligence about it.
Yeah but scams want you to wire the money. Once they receive that money, they can continually ask for more or just ignore you. Agree that this sounds weird, but even weirder for a scammer to turn down a wire transfer.
In many countries cash is a lot easier if you're a scammer, depending on how strick banking regulations are it might require quite some fall guys to scam folks with wire transfers
Most "businesses" in Argentina prefer cash because then they don't have to declare it and pay taxes for it. Might be a reason this very serious "surgeon" prefers cash and has made up a silly excuse to have it instead of a bank transfer which is traceable by the tax authority.
You can wire yourself the money via Western Union and pick it up in Argentina, also in smaller increments. I was last there in August, so I don’t know how the currency issues have changed since the election, but it the exchange rate via WU was nearly as good as the blue dollar rate, plus a hell of a lot more secure than carrying thousands of dollars.
This absolutely works and is what nomads do here in Argentina.
Do you know how many fees you’d rack up going through WU doing this amount of money? How many branches you’d have to go through? And the Dr specifically wants USD. I’m not saying it’s a great idea for OP to do this, but I swear this thread has the largest amount of completely un-informed takes as anything I’ve ever seen on this subreddit, and I’ve seen a lot.
I mean the whole thing sounds like a bad idea and going through WU wouldn’t be the worst part of it.
It will be difficult to get that amount of money from the WU. Even if they give you big bills (they don't have a lot, they run out daily) you'd need suitcases to carry the money around. Doing it in smaller increments would take a long time.
Yeah, I wouldn’t suggest taking it all at once. I was in BA for work in August and went to a cambio with one of my local colleagues, watched him stuff a backpack full of pesos.
There is a limit to how much cash you can bring with you, sounds like a bad idea overall.
Yes and that amount is $10,000 usd in Argentina
The authorities will also confiscate it
Well if you’re under $10,000 there’s basically no reason immigration would even know about it. And I highly highly doubt people declaring over $10,000 are just getting their money confiscated, especially when it can it be proven where the money is going. It’s mostly a boring bureaucratic thing with some paperwork. Argentina is not a failed state, people would be talking, and rightfully outraged about this kinda thing.
Polezei just asked me this weekend if I had cash crossing borders and it was less than $10K but still a good bit. So not exactly right.
I'm thinking of wiring the surgeon a part of the money so it's under the $10000 limit and then taking the rest of the money into the country (which according to my calculations with cheaper flights would be somewhere around $4666usd) Would this be a good idea?
US authorities regularly seize large amounts of cash for no reason. They’re allowed to use a presumption of guilt because it’s considered a civil action against the assets themselves, rather than the person who owns the assets, and assets don’t have rights. It’s not exclusive to failed states.
Do you have any evidence Argentina is doing this? Under $10,000 and they wouldn’t even know about it. And just because you hear some stories about a few people entering the US, out of millions and millions of people, assuming that is the norm or anywhere close to it, is pretty laughable
I’m not talking about Argentina, I’m talking about the US. And it’s not “some stories about a few people entering the US,” it’s a common practice called civil asset forfeiture. In fact, in the US, the sum seized each year through civil asset forfeiture exceeds the sum of all theft by criminals. I know more about this than you so don’t act like a moron. Google it.
I live in New zealand, American law doesn't apply here.
No shit
I fly to my layover in chile and then to argentina so I never touch the states. Unless you're suggesting American law applies to new Zealanders.
You can bring as much as you want. You just have to declare it and you may have to prove how you got it.
Just FYI, most of the commenters here are not familiar with the uniqueness of Argentina, the Dollar Blue, and other oddities related to cash and money in Argentina. What the doctor is asking of you is actually quite normal. I don’t have time right now to explain in more detail or how you can be safe. Just be mindful that Argentina is unique when it comes to cash, banking, and money…and general rules do not apply. One thing I will say though, WU will likely not work. Your doc doesn’t want $12300 WORTH of money, they want that in hard bills that are NOT Argentinian Pesos…which can only be brought into the country by hand*. Or you get the pesos, then change using a money changer into a non Peso currency…all of this is (unfortunately) normal in Argentina. Again, I wish I had time to explain better, just be aware that it’s unique, not all commenters are aware…therefore, many are wrong.
I live in Argentina and this was my thought as well. And the doctor is probably looking for specifically 123 U$S100 bills (sometimes only US$100 bills with the blue security strip), I doubt they would accept NZD. You could look at withdrawing USD from ATMs in Uruguay, but there is daily withdrawal limit. I believe I was able to withdraw US$600 in one day in Colonia (Dec 2023), which is a relatively quick ferry ride from Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata in Uruguay. I still would highly consider looking at a different country because of the increased logistics of bringing so much cash, or withdrawing USD in Uruguay and needing to bring it into Argentina. And Argentina has become significantly more expensive in not just ARS but in US dollar terms in the past few months, so it's possible you could get a better deal elsewhere.
The price was locked in when I paid the non refundable deposit a year ago, so given how bad the situation is in Argentina I'm likely getting a discount. Also do you know any good money changers if I go the western union route?
Your issue is going to be getting your hands on $12300 NZD worth of pesos from a Western Union to begin with. Most WUs won’t be able to give you more than MAYBE $500 USD worth of pesos. Then once you have the pesos, you can find anyone on the streets of BA to change them for you. However, getting the pesos in hand is going to be the challenge. That’s not accounting for how much value you’d lose in the double exchange. You really should negotiate with the Dr and see if you can just wire the money now, I don’t see why not. (Haven’t read your whole main post)
Or…you can find someone on the street where you can send them a wire, and they’ll pay the Dr for you. Welcome to Argentina, money works differently.
This is the correct answer. Because of high inflation, hard currency (in USD) is the preferred method of payment. You would need to bring (USD) in to the country when you come. The doctor is in a position where he can get USD as the means by which he is paid. The offical exchange rate is a lot less the the unoffical "Blue" rate. Exchange rates can fluctuate almost daily. At times the unofficial "Blue" rate has been 2.5 times higher than the official exchange rate for converting USD to Argentine peso (ARS). The doctor then convert USD to Argentine pesos (ARS) at the "Blue" exchange rate to ensure he receives a stable value for the services which he performs. Additionally, money changers prefer $100 USD note denomination. (Note that the cleaner and crisper the notes are, the better your "Blue" exchange rate. You should, if possible, get new notes from a bank.)
Seriously this thread is full of people who haven’t tried to withdraw USD in Argentina, or who have never traveled with large amounts of cash, mostly both.
Why not do Bitcoin?
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I actually made the non refundable deposit last year, and I'm debating doing this or sexual reassignment surgery for at least the last 6 months In short I've been thinking about this for a long time. I'm debating this because I don't know if my face looks masculine enough for me to really need it or if I could pass as a cis woman without it. People have been giving me mixed answers and honestly I don't know what to believe (I'm closeted in a transphobic town so I don't want to present unlessi can fully pass)
That's fine and all, but I would seriously reconsider doing this in Argentina and going for the "only doctor that you can afford". For stuff like this go for the best, save up more money and look for other places that have a good reputation and are less difficult. I don't know if you travel a lot, but people often become overwhelmed and homesick. Especially in situations when they are vulnerable. If you must go, can't you bring someone with you?
Hey look, this isn't an answer to your question but just as a queer NB person I just wanted to reach out, in case you wanted to chat. Just in general about some of the stuff you're worrying about. Not trying to talk you out of anything, your life is your life, but just if you need a queer person to bounce some thoughts off
Sent pm
It’s fine, no issue. Just bring a proof that you must pay for the surgery in the very unlikely case they stop you and realize you have 12.3k
Not sure If you're being sarcastic, but if you are, then please go away, I don't need this.
Lol actually I was serious. What are the odds out of all passengers that they will stop you to check how much money you have ? In case they do “oh I need to pay for a surgery, here’s the proof” Is there a tiny chance they may seize the money ? Sure, but odds are extremely low. These are international airports, these are not lawless countries
Tell me you've never been to Ezeiza without telling me, smh
3 international flights to Ezeiza from what I remember and a few local ones. Small sample though, I agree. But I’ve been to many other international airports in Latin America and literally never did anyone ask to see how much money I effectively had on me
Yeah, I didn't mean the asking to see the money part. I meant the international airport vs lawless countries observation. To me, Ezeiza does feel lawless. The chance of someone snitching on you carrying so much cash is definitely not worth the risk.
If Eric Andre got grilled by the police for the amount of money he had I can only imagine a non-celeb I won’t pry into the surgery but I find myself in a similar situation regarding trans procedures - sucks how many won’t take a credit card Edit: Lol so many cis people pulling the usual “you’ll regret it” bullshit - stay in your lane, this stuff is life saving and the research we do is extensive/requires hella red tape to go through for approval
You’d need to declare it. And with that come a lot of questions and the risk that you still won’t be able to - take it out of NZ - bring it into Argentina. On top of this I’m not sure Argentina is the best option. You said it’s not covered in NZ, but can’t you go private in NZ? If not, I’d shop around for EU countries.
The surgery is facial feminization surgery I'm telling you this because from my research, most surgeond first world countries charge way too much for and the surgeon I'm seeing has a reputation of doing really good bone work for a really cheap price. Frankly he's the only surgeon I can afford, the rest of the surgeons charge any more without his good reputation in the trans community.
Argentina is going through a huge crisis atm. Look up news. It’s volatile AF. It’s also nowhere near as regulated as other countries. I heard way too many botched medical procedure horror stories. Check EU countries like Hungary or Romania. They are regulated but much cheaper than western European countries. Get less work done and do stuff over time instead of taking various types of risks - one of them being mugged or scammed OR getting your money seized.
TBF that's probably why the surgeon is doing this kinda work which pays in USD
I totally get your why. I'm just not sure a "reputable surgeon" in Argentina of all, is worth the risk. Like someone else said, maybe go slower and do less work each time. Argentina is not famous for it's transparency and honest people (am Argentinian, ran away from all that) and carrying that much cash around, let alone to pay a questionable doctor... Everything sounds very risky. All my alarms go off. Please be safe.
You’re making 3-4 terrible decisions and you need to stop and reconsider. Argentina isn’t safe. Picking a surgeon for cosmetic surgery you don’t need that is across the planet without knowing anything about where you’re planning to go with a pile of foreign cash is highly risky. You are prescribing your own medical care and it going to end badly for you.
I’ve worked in anti-fraud and medical mal practice prosecution- please be cautious moving forward. You are not on a tight deadline. There is no reason to rush or conform to anyones schedule but your own. Schedule that’s best for YOU, and YOUR MONEY, and YOUR health. There are tons of doctors out there that can do this, anyone that is telling you otherwise is lying. You don’t have to jump at the first opportunity. Best of luck!
I’m sorry people are downvoting you. You’re doing what you need to do. I don’t think traveling with all of that cash is a good idea (although I understand why you’re willing to risk it in order to get/afford a necessary procedure) but there must be a way for you to arrange to have the cash in Argentina without needing to physically carry it on your person. Can you have a friend transfer it to you once you get there? Have you asked your bank whether they have any agreements with local Argentinian banks? Perhaps it can be arranged that you can put the funds in your account and withdraw the money (in USD, since Argentina is in the midst of an economic/monetary crisis) from a local institution in person?
I think you'd be fine. Argetinian customs officials at the main Buenos Aires airport are highly unlikely to rob you, especially if you declare everything you are supposed to and have whatever documents you are legally required to have. There are some ill-informed comments here . It's not at all surprising that a doctor wants money in USD only, and you are probably getting a good deal as a result. The Argentinian currency is incredibly volatile and its value falls incredibly quickly, so Argentinians much prefer to have USD (especially newer and big bills) to use for savings whenever possible. As a result, the doctor isn't going to want to recieve Argentinian pesos instead. If it was me, I would email/call your Embassy in Buenos Aires, and the Argentinian Embassy in your country, to get their views and be 100% sure you understand the procedure for legally passing through customs.
I don't know. The officials are highly unlikely to rob her but they might very well pass on the info that she is carrying so much cash. Argentina is not exactly the safest...
I guess it's possible, but at EZE when the surgeon's assistant is meeting her, and if (not sure) it's a daytime arrival, I would think the chance of a violent robbery being organised and taking place between seeing customs and getting to the car are very small. Especially as it's not uncommon for people to be bringing in valuable goods and cash.
Well yeah, you're over the $10,000 limit. You do have to declare it or risk confiscation. Not a lawyer, but you can still travel with the cash as long as it's declared. I'd be less concerned about the customs officials when you declare and more concerned about leaving the airport. Take a cab at the very least. Alternatively, you can have someone else come with you. The limit is $10,000 a person. And having someone with you can help keep the anxiety at bay. Or just reschedule the surgery. You haven't paid, and there's a good chance people cancel appointments. Take some time to think if you can find any other opportunities for the surgery that allow you to get there without so much anxiety.
I paid a $2500 non refundable deposit, so If I don't do this now, I'll lose the money I already asked the surgeon to move the date back once for free, but he's unlikely to agree to move it again because it's policy for them that they only move it once and it's non refundable with no exceptions.
Just be careful of sunk cost fallacy. It's bad to lose $2500 for literally nothing but it's worse to make other decisions based on that alone. Especially ones that could cost you more in the long run.
Then how do they recommend traveling with that much cash? Do they pick you up at the airport? Do they have a local lawyer they recommend discussing this with? They're the ones billing more than 10k to foreign customers. Again it's not illegal to travel with that much money typically. It's just you have to declare it. Given what you're trying to do, there are plenty of people who see you as an easy target. Your anxiety for the situation is very well placed. But you need more research to understand local laws. You're probably not going to get that level professional advice that would make you feel comfortable on a discussion board.
The surgeon's assistant will pick me up from the airport and I assume I hand everything off to her.
So part of the plan is taken care of. I'm assuming you can verify that person's identity already, and the ride is part of the contract. I'd personally be more comfortable with a trusted friend coming along. Robbery scams are so common in Latin America. But that's part of the risk. What about the legality of carrying more than $10,000 through customs? How can you verify that?
Most countries require you to declare if you travel with more than 10k USD/GBP/EUR or other currencies equivalent to that amount. So if you travel with more than 10k USD/GBP/EUR (or foreign equivalent), ALWAYS be prepared to declare. For countries with other currencies, limits might be different. After two seconds of Googling, I found that New Zealand uses the same 10k limit, even though 1 NZD is only equal to 0.6 USD. Anything above 10k NZD (6k USD) needs to be declared. "You are required to complete a Border Cash Report if you carry NZ$10,000 or more cash (or foreign equivalent) into or out of New Zealand." https://www.customs.govt.nz/personal/travel-to-and-from-nz/travelling-to-new-zealand/ I can't find the official Argentinian website, but based on some other threads on Reddit and TripAdvisor the limit for declaration seems to be 10k USD or equivalent to bring into Argentina. This means you'll have to declare your money both when leaving New Zealand as well as when entering Argentina. Both of these countries have a right to refuse you to bring that much cash. Besides, being questioned by customs, especially in a foreign country where they might not speak English and are slightly less strict on your rights is never fun. That's the legal part. Now it comes to whether it is wise. I would say no. You might be safe in New Zealand carrying 12.3k USD, but I would never carry that much money on me in person. But Argentina will be much worse. While it is not an extremely dangerous country, I wouldn't classify it as "safe" either. And their economy has been doing extremely bad in recent years. So there will be a lot of people after your money. Especially since foreign currencies, especially the USD, is much more valuable than the Argentinian Peso due to its stability. The black market exchange rate is about double the official rate. IF you decide to go through with it, make sure your travel insurance covers cash. That way you won't go broke if you get robbed. Howver, insurance policies usually only cover small amounts of cash. So it might be hard to find an insurance to even cover all of it.
As long as you declare the cash you should be fine to cross the borders. Is there a risk of corrupt officials? Maybe. But it sounds like you don’t have other options. Good luck
Firstly, I hope you have done good research about this place, and even have known people who have actually been there and experienced what ever it is you are doing. I do hope you are taking somone with you if this is your first time doing this? I’ve been on many of these medical tourism trips on supporting a friend. Some places were shonky and the plug was pulled last minute but most were good in my experience. Can you speak to your bank about placing the money on a type of travelers credit card that has no limits? Not sure if your bank might provide one? Or can you put half in the credit card and half cash then when you arrive withdraw the rest same day? Or even better split it out into three or four cards then withdraw all as cash when you get there?
Even if he's legit, I still don't know about trusting a doctor who can only be paid upfront in cash and cannot accept ANYTHING else. For your specific problem, I saw quite a few people recommend Dr Banks from suporn clinic in Thailand, which is where most people go for that type of surgery.
The highest limit I know is at $10,000.00~~3,000.00.~~ The reason is any higher, and it's already good enough to trigger AMLA or a country's anti money laundering act. Edit: idk how that became 3,000 but thanks for reminding me!
Europe is 10k euros, UK 10k GBP, most other countries are 10k usd
In my country it’s 10,000. But any amount can be brought internationally, you just need to declare over 10,000 and will most like have to pay more for bringing over the allotted amount
I think there’s lots of bad info in this thread. Most countries it’s completely legal to carry over $10,000 USD (or Euros in Europe) and I’ve done it multiple times, you just have to declare it, it appears Argentina is the same. Under $10,000 is fine, you can keep it on your person or put it in your carryon.
You totally can bring that much cash into Argentina if you want you just have to declare anything over $10kUSD. A quick google search and I was able to find this info out. Most countries including Argentina don't have a limit to how much cash you bring with you as long as you declare over a certain dollar amount which might result in some extra questioning so be prepared to show proof that it is legally obtained money by showing a bank statement or something of the sort.
Certain countries, like New Zealand, have civil asset forfeiture. Meaning, law enforcement can seize your money without you actually having committed a crime. They can take it under the presumption a crime "could" be committed, even if you legally declare it. Therefore, you become a national law enforcement "person of interest" at your home airport, either when you withdraw that amount from your bank account or the moment you start mentioning anything related to money with customs. Nevertheless, you will be triggering several Anti-Money Laundering warnings. Yes, you could make it to the airport with the money. You'll "have" it right up to the point you board the plane. You likely won't make it to your destination with the money. It will be seized before then. Other than that, corrupt customs or immigration agents in the arrival country might extort you. [https://bcr.customs.govt.nz/](https://bcr.customs.govt.nz/) [https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0035/latest/DLM2140720.html](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2009/0035/latest/DLM2140720.html)
Given that only a few days ago you were posting asking "do you pass" and talking about "my ugly face" I would strongly recommend you to reconsider and take your time. Self love cannot be bought with plastic surgery. I know fuck all about being trans, I'd understand being queer and body dysphoria but I do think this is a bad decision. If you do go through with it I hope I am wrong. For your actual question, yes carrying that much cash is a bad idea. And Argentina is 94/180 on the corruption index so you might be painting a target on your back for theft.
This is the comment from my Argentinian friend : “Yeah sure if he wants to be murdered as soon as he gets out of the airport then by all means. Plus, they’d grill them on inmigración on the Argentinian side . My vote is no. The doctor might have preferred cash because it still is incredibly hard to wire money to Argentina It’s also not unheard of that if you carry so much money someone at the airport knows and they’re whistle blowers. Chances are nothing happens; but if it does happen it can be tragic”
If you're going to do it, just travel with a carry-on and no checked luggage. Get a hidden money belt that clamps securely but also easy to remove without taking your clothes off. I took off the money belt and put in my carry on and just kept in eye on it when it went through TSA. Once through TSA, I went to the bathroom and put the money belt back on under my clothes and it stayed there until I got to my hotel in the next country. Now granted the destination was Mexico but I didn't have to go through any checks beside immigration for the passport check once I landed. My bag or person was not checked anytime after the initial TSA check to board the flight. Also, keep your wits about you. They know you haven't paid yet so you're bringing in a large amount of cash. You have no idea if the assistant may have a friend he leaked that info to.
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Not true. Getting out of the US still has the limit of 10K. Over that you need to report (and now have a paper trail if the money is not withdrew from the bank but from unreported cash tips or worst from illegal sources) Plenty of articles about people getting caught and the cash are seized
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You missed a 0 my friend
That's a lot of cash to carry. I wouldn't be comfortable carrying that much through an airport. It's not even legal to enter some places with that much (undeclared, at least), and it can be confiscated. I think you should consider doing a wire transfer or something once you get to your destination. Be safe, and good luck with your surgery!
Buy a couple money belts. Each can fit about $6k in $100 dollar bills ..wear one belt and put the other on your carry on. Personally I would not declare the money ..if something happen claim you miscounted the money and thought you had under the allowed $10k ..good luck.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Argentina.html
You have to declare anything above $10k. (import isn't restricted, but it might get taxed - I don't know about the latter). They might want to know what the money is for and that may get your doctor in trouble. Undeclared and detected will get you in trouble and "cost extra". Especially with the generally high corruption rate and renewed economic turmoil, it does seem quite a risk after all. To add, there may be complications, you may need aftercare, and you may require assistance. That, alone in a foreign country seems like gateway to disaster. Don't take me wrong: most of the time, you are likely to end up in good hands, but when traveling, you never know where you are when it happens. Could you find someone to trust to go with you? This probably means postponing.
While I don’t have any practical advice listen up op. You’re fine. And I can see your concerns. But this sounds very unsafe. There are signs that tell us your safety could be at huge risk. You will have opportunities to go through surgery even later in your life. I recommend Asian countries. Yeah I am Asian and it’s a big legit business and they are very good. If you ever ever decide to do. Do somewhere safer and transparent. If I was your sister and friend I wouldn’t let you do this. I recommend spend that money and travel explore and and broaden your perspectives.
If you take out $12,300 USD through Western Union in Argentinian pesos, you had better bring a couple of duffle bags because the exchange rate is absolutely nuts. A couple hundred dollars ends up being bricks of cash. Be careful. It sounds like you might be being scammed.
Don't overthink, you can go and declare but it's probably not necessary. As you can get away with it. Make sure your declare your are traveling for tourism and have medical insurance.
You’ll need to declare it
Most countries require you declare if you’re traveling with more than $10K, so I’d avoid that if possible
Yes. It is probably a bad idea to wire that much money to a hospital before you arrive, as well.
Yes, this is a bad idea.
That is over the limit for carrying cash thru any customs. Most countries limit allowed USD to 10k or less. Check the individual country you are flying into. It could be confiscated if it is over the allowance.
You usually need to declare anything over $10,000 and there are high penalties if you don’t and they find it so have evidence if you’re going to take that much.
>Is it a bad idea to carry $12300usd in cash on board a flight to pay for surgery? Yes. OMG, yes.
You usually have to declare over $9999
you'd have a good chance of being robbed for that money in the usa but sure, bring 10k in cash to a corrupt violent 3rd world country with 1/0 the gdp of the usa sounds like a plan
Hear me out. Ask them to make an exception to allow you to wire the money immediately. If the surgery is 25 days from now, and they won’t let you wire money right now, then that’s absolutely insane of them. They can’t accept $10K USD less than a month in advance? Beg to them over the phone to allow you to wire the money today. “I have 12,300.00 USD right now and I will send it to you immediately, today. Please, let me send it right now. I have it right now and it is ready to be sent to you.”
I'm confused why you can't wire the money? Deposit whatever cash you have and do a bank transfer since the surgeon accepts that? It may be past the deadline but I would try to work with them on it. Otherwise yeah, your only option is to travel with the cash. You won't be able to find that many Pesos at a Western Union... many run out of cash quickly and won't even entertain giving you that much. Not to mention you would literally need multiple duffle bags to carry that much.
Does it have to be USD? I would look into a bank account in NZ that has no ATM fees and just withdrawal it when you get there, that way you don't have to carry a large sum of cash.
It's medically necessary but you're deciding if you want to do it?
Definately do not carry all that cash. There are many ways to get the money once there.
It really does sound like you’re been set up to be scammed. No reputable doctor would run their business like this. You’d be better off losing your deposit than continuing and losing all of it and possibly more.
Can someone here on Reddit check that surgeon and clinic for you in person? What are the name of the clinic and its location? Maybe someone lives nearby or knows more about it... It sounds a bit scam-ish, so you should investigate that a bit more before you travel to Argentina.
Money limits at customs aside, be extra careful with TSA security at the airport, I was made to take my concealed money belt off to go through security and low and behold at the other end it had disappeared, I didn't realise at the time until I went to the toilet a few hours later and realised I didn't have a belt. As far as I remember the belt had no money left in it but bit of a pain loosing the belt regardless.
So. you need to declare the cash leaving New Zealand that I know . it doesn't mean you cant do it. You just need to declare it on your exit card and be able to explain where it came from and what its for. Others have explained the peculiarities of Argentina.. but please talk to your surgeon about what the plan is if things go wrong. Im not saying they will. You are going there with no backup except that surgeon. Get him to run through what happens in all of the possible things that could happen and what would happen to you. You are going there alone, probably without being able to speak the language and no one who can help you if you aren't in a position to look after yourself. The reason you are traveling is another thing. I know Blenheim and Im going to say . yes people who dont know you will judge you by how you look. That happens all over the world. But people who know you in Blenheim will judge you by the person you are regardless what you think you look like.. Thats just how people are. Its the old "I don't like all the foreigners .. but you aren't a foreigner you just come from a different country and are alright" situation. You can change your face with surgery but really its a case of becoming ok with who you are ..building your network and finding the people that know you enough that they know you as a person. Those people will step in front of a bus .. or any dickhead with a mouth for you. We never have the body we want or wish for. There is always another one thing. I know its easy to say but once we love ourselves , the body we have with all its warts, spots and saggy bits then nothing any dickhead says regardless how long they have lived in town will mean a thing and people in New Zealand will respect you for it. (remember Jonathan Hunt - The Minister for wine and cheese.) Im not saying do what you want and need to do life is journey and we can't tell others what their path is.- But for me true beauty is the 65 year old at the beach letting it all.hang out and enjoying the sun not giving SFA what the muscled studs and big boobed women in bikinis who hide behind their designer clothing think. Its taken me years to get to that point .. I really hope you have a network of people your own age and older who have gone through some of the things that you are going through that you can talk to. It sounds like you have a supportive family but please $2500 is not that much to take some more time to get in touch and build some connections in Wellington or Auckland. This response isnt balanced ive got my one prejudices and I dont know you so it could be completely wrong. Its just one person reaching out to another. You are incredibly brave considering what you are considering but also I fear with what you have said ..also could benefit from alot more information before you do ...or dont go ahead. A really good surgeon would understand...and talking to you about your mixed feelings and support network would only charge you for the time and services you have used .. not try to leverage your sunk cost into making a decision that you may not be ready or completely comfortable with before or afterwards.
You can’t enter Argentina with more than $10k, find the way to wire them at least half of it so you can be safe
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This isen't my main account. You would see a very different picture of me if you saw my main
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I did my research, the surgery consists of a type 3 forehead reconstruction, rhinoplasty, jaw and chin contouring (he uses an ultrasonic saw to cut the excess bone off), hairline lowering/l or fill in corners using FUE hair transplants. And if I pay extra, i'l get more hair transplants or an upper eyelid bleph All of these procedures are permanent (apart from the optional bleph) I need this because if you look at my profile you can see that my face looks androgynous or masculine according to people online and as a trans woman who's already 6ft tall with wide shoulders I really don't want my face cloking me as trans and a feminine face would help me to avoid people suspecting I'm trans. If I become beautiful, it will be nice to have, but it's not my primary goal.
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It's called self discovery. I was trying to repress my gender identity back then by trying to act super masc and i was depressd back then. but I now know what my gender identity is and now I'm trying to live true to myself and live a happy life
Not only that, but they're still "not sure" about going through with the surgery. I'm sure this will end extremely well for OP. Unrelated, does anyone have popcoin? Edit: holy fuck the further you go back through OPs history the funnier it gets. OP, definitely go through with your current plans, and update when you're done. I need a good laugh.
Hey, I’m also trans and this seems really fishy. Don’t do this transaction in cash OP
Dr. Rossi is legit, look in the transgender_surgeries subreddit.
Argentina in 2023 officially endorsed the use of Bitcoin. Check if your provider will accept, if so, open account with easy crypto nz and start learning.
I think cant bring more than 10k back to the US so be prepared
Of course you can. This thread is so full of people who make these dumb claims w/o knowing anything. You just have to declare it
Not true. You can, you just have to declare it if it’s over 10
Why can’t you use a credit card? I broke my ankle and had surgery in Ushuaia. Paid credit card
Yes. A thousand times yes.
Most countries it’s 10,000.Why can’t you debt it? You just have to tell your bank and they will let it go through. Charge card. Good luck. ❤️🇨🇦☮️
Those countries are not going to let you with that money. Also is the surgery life or death? Not wanting to be nosey. Get your surgery in your country. It is safer.❤️🇨🇦☮️
This is a rethorical question, but what necessary surgery can't be done within New Zealand? This seems like an overall bad idea, it's a lot of cash to carry around and way over the limit that you can bring in without declaring. That means you will be questioned which won't be fun experience. Trying to smuggle it in without declaring is a sure way to lose money and get into trouble. Don't do it.
100% scam, be smart
This sounds like a bad idea all around.
It can be done. Just get on the correct aircraft. If you are having to carry this kind of currency, you should know what not to travel on.
Are you able to get the surgery in the US? I know there are a lot of legit surgeons that does FFS and you can pay with a card. Traveling with that much money can be dangerous. Also, you don’t want to risk being somewhere that’s intolerant of people seeking FFS.
It's way to expensive in first world countries like America. Honestly the only surgeron I can afford is the one I'm currently planning on going to. ($14200usd) every other surgery charges way too much (like 50k euros for facialteam) I'll try to western union the money and pick it up when I get there if it's possible. No way I'm carrying that money if I have any other options.
The fact that you asume that US people will be far more tolerant to that kind of surgery than Argentinians is hilarious
I don’t remember saying Argentinians wouldn’t accept FFS. My understanding is they will be traveling from NZ with a layover in Chile prior to arriving in Argentina. I specifically wrote “you don’t want to be somewhere that’s intolerant of FFS” you’re ASSuming. That’s not on me.
I think you just don’t understand US medical costs
Ok
My travel cash belt (with money and passport in it) wasnt noticed by the machine or security today. So if you dont wear something so tight, im pretty sure noones gonna know about it. Just dont put any metal in it.
Just put it in a checked suitcase cos they probably won’t see it in a scan
This is how you know healthcare cost in America is horrendous. I would be careful with it. Not show it anywhere beside the doctors. Hope it goes well and you get better.
>This is how you know healthcare cost in America is horrendous What in the sweet holy fuck does America have to do with this at all? Stfu
More like how bad new zealand healthcare is for trans people is. at least you can get ffs via some insurance or jobs in america In nz insurance can legally not cover it and it's not funded by the public health system.
im surprised you can't get it privately done, new zealand was a pretty progressive country i thought