Newcomer guide
Mail and packages
How a Buenos Aires address is written, how Correo Argentino works, what happens when a parcel arrives from abroad and which couriers operate here. The duty-free allowance changed recently, so the guide links to the live ARCA page rather than a fixed figure. Correo Argentino is a state company on correoargentino.com.ar, not a government subdomain.
How a Buenos Aires address works
An address here is street, number, floor and apartment, plus the CPA, the eight-digit postal code. The CPA's first letter marks the province, so CABA addresses start with C. Correo Argentino, the state postal company, runs the only official CPA lookup, and it explains how to write the address block so mail arrives. Use the lookup for your exact street and number rather than a generic code.
- Note your full address with floor and apartment
- Look up your exact CPA on the Correo Argentino tool
- Write the address block the way the official guide shows
Correo Argentino
Correo Argentino is the state postal service and the designated operator for international mail. You track national and international shipments on its site, and its Puerta a Puerta FAQ explains how receiving a parcel from abroad works. The company itself warns about phishing scams that use its name to charge fake release fees, so confirm any payment demand on the official site before paying anything.
- Track any shipment on the Correo Argentino site
- Read the Puerta a Puerta FAQ before receiving a foreign parcel
- Beware of fake release-fee messages, verify on the official site
International parcels and customs
International parcels arrive through the system ARCA runs, the former AFIP. The rules changed mid-2026, so the duty-free allowance and the courier small-parcels cap are on the live ARCA page, not a fixed figure here. There is a per-person, per-year limit on courier small parcels. Read the ARCA hub and the consumer explainer before you order, so you know what you will owe and whether your parcel clears.
- Check the current duty-free allowance on the ARCA page before ordering
- Note the per-year courier small-parcel cap
- Expect to pay duty on parcels above the allowance
The duty-free figure and courier caps changed in 2026. Confirm the current numbers on the ARCA page the day you order, because quoting an older figure would mislead you.
Private couriers
For faster international parcels, the global couriers all operate in Argentina, plus OCA, a local private courier. Each has its own tracking and its own delivery windows. Use them when speed matters more than price, and compare their declared delivery times before you ship.
- Compare declared delivery times across couriers
- Use the courier's own tracking once it ships
Next steps
Most things you need arrive second hand, from neighbours.