Department of Government

Health Insurance, Housing & Visas

Study Abroad Health Coverage

Georgetown University offers the Georgetown University Education Abroad Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan arranged by CMI Insurance Specialists and underwritten by ACE American Insurance Company (Policy #GLMN00175717). All non-Argentine DEVM students are required to purchase this coverage at a rate of $70 per trimester or $210 per year.

This fee is charged to the student's Georgetown Student Account (http://studentaccounts.georgetown.edu/) and needs to be paid separately from all tuition and other fees. Coverage will terminate once the insured person has returned to the U.S./Home Country. Moreover, international students, faculty and staff are not eligible for coverage in their Home Country. 

This insurance does not cover treatment in the United States if a student comes home for a visit or is medically evacuated. We strongly urge you to get additional, independent insurance to cover this eventuality. Note that the regular Georgetown health insurance plan is not voluntary and DEVM students cannot obtain this coverage.

For more information, please contact Professor Eric A. Langenbacher, Program Coordinator (langenbe@georgetown.edu).

Housing in Buenos Aires

The DEVM program does not provide formal assistance with housing or housing arrangements in Buenos Aires. We can, however, point you in the right direction. Please contact Victoria Ballerini (victoria.ballerini@unsam.edu.ar) directly to request such assistance. If you are unfamiliar with Buenos Aires or unable to visit before moving down for the academic year, we encourage you to contact students or alumni of the program to seek their guidance as they typically know where the better, and more economical, housing exists. For those wishing to do so, please email Victoria Ballerini for student contact information. 

Several non-native Spanish speakers have come to Buenos Aires several months before beginning the program to take intensive "refresher" language courses. If you are interested in such opportunities, please contact Victoria Ballerini..

Visa Procedures

Argentine authorities admit students from all Western Hempisphere countries with Tourist Visas, allowing the procedures for Student Visa (Temporary Residence for Studies Status) to be performed while already in the country. Please note that Tourist Visas are valid for three months with only one possible renewal without a previous exit. According to recent policy changes, US citizens need to pay a "reciprocity fee" upon arrival of US $ 130.00, which is valid for 10 years.

To be granted Temporary Residence status, students need to produce, besides a valid passport (original and full copy):

a) A Certificado de Antecedentes Penales (a certificate of absence of criminal records and/or criminal charges pending from the country or countries where the person had legal residence within the last five years). For US students, this needs to be produced by the FBI, not by local or state authorities, translated by an official translator and legalized by the appropriate Argentine Consulate corresponding to the students legal residence in the U.S. To inquire about the Argentine consulate for your jurisdiction you can call the Argentine Consulate in Washington, DC. The office number is: (202) 238-6433.

b) A Certificado de Antecedentes Penales by the Argentine Federal Police (produced by the Policía Federal Argentina, Azopardo 620, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires) or by the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia (Tucumán 1353, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires).

c) A Birth Certificate legalized by an Argentine Consulate or with the international legalization procedure known as the Hague Apostille. For US students, the certificate is first to be notarized by a County Clerk, then the Apostille is available at State Department), translated by an official translator and legalized by the Argentine Consulate corresponding to the legal residence.

d) A Certificado de Domicilio (a certificate stating address of residence, produced by Argentine Local Police against written proof of rent contract or other document proving actual physical residence).

e) The UNSAM letter of admission to the DEVM-MPPyGD program. UNSAM will demand, upon arrival, the original and a copy of the undergraduate diploma to complete admission procedures and extend the letter of admission. The original diploma is only to be compared with the copy and is returned immediately.

f) Two 4x4 facial pictures and a US $ 80.00 fee.

Temporary Residence Status is to be sought at the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (Avda. Antártida Argentina 1355, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires). The institution electronically schedules meetings for a set date, where documents are taken to the offices for initiating the approval process.

UNSAM Requirements

UNSAM will need you to present the following documentation upon arriving. You must have the procedure for your diploma finished in the US before arriving.

1. **Diploma: You must present your ORIGINAL undergraduate diploma certified at the Argentine Embassy in the United States before leaving and officially translated (in Argentina ).
2. Copy of Passport.
4. Passport size photo.