Duty Free at Ezeiza Airport (EZE): Shops, Allowances & Arrivals Free Shop

Updated: July 28, 2026

As of 2026, travellers arriving by air at Ezeiza (EZE) get a USD 500 luggage allowance plus a separate USD 500 to spend at the arrivals free shop. That second figure is the Argentine quirk worth understanding before you land, because it doubles what you can bring in duty-free.

What is the duty-free allowance at Ezeiza?

Argentina calls it the franquicia. Arriving by air or sea, each person may bring in up to USD 500 of goods in their luggage without paying import charges. On top of that, you may spend another USD 500 at the airport arrivals free shop. Combined, that is USD 1,000 per person on a single trip.

The allowance is personal and non-transferable. You can use it only once per calendar month, and it does not accumulate if you skip a month. There is one exception: members of the same family group, meaning a spouse or civil partner plus unmarried children under 16, may pool their individual allowances together.

Go over the limit and you pay a single flat duty of 50% on the value of the excess. So if you land with USD 700 of goods in your bags against a USD 500 luggage limit, the 50% charge applies only to the USD 200 above the line, not the whole amount.

How does the arrivals free shop actually work?

Here is the part that surprises first-time visitors. Argentina is one of the few countries where you can shop duty-free after you land, not just before you fly out. The arrivals free shop (free shop de llegada) sits in the International Arrivals hall, before Customs and in front of the baggage carousels.

You walk off the plane, buy your perfume or whisky right there, and it counts against the extra USD 500 arrivals allowance rather than the USD 500 already sitting in your suitcase. Many travellers find liquor in particular is priced better at the arrivals shop than at departures. It is also a way to dodge the pre-departure liquid restrictions entirely, since you are not carrying the bottle through a connection.

Planning ahead helps. The operator offers a Reserve & Collect service: pre-select items online, then pick them up at a collection point when you travel. Those purchases still count toward your allowance, so keep the receipt. For the wider airport layout, see the terminals guide and the dedicated arrivals page.

Air, sea, or land: how much can you bring in?

The allowance depends on how you enter the country. Arriving overland or by river gives you a smaller luggage limit and, in most cases, no arrivals free-shop allowance at all. Puerto Iguazú is the standout exception.

A regulatory note for 2026: Decree 438/2026, published on 10 June 2026, opened free shops at land border crossings for the first time (tobacco excluded). It does not change the air-arrival numbers at Ezeiza, which stay at 500 plus 500. The USD 500 luggage figure itself has been stable since December 2018, when it rose from USD 300.

What are the rules for minors and families?

Children under 16 get half the adult allowance. That works out to USD 250 for arrivals by air or sea, and USD 150 by land or river. Because a family group can pool allowances, a couple travelling with two young children could combine a meaningful sum, though the once-a-month and non-transferable rules still apply to each person.

Where are the duty-free shops at Ezeiza?

Ezeiza reorganised after the new Departures Terminal opened on 14 April 2023, a 50,000-square-metre building spread over four floors. The former Terminal A became the International Arrivals terminal; the former Terminal C now handles domestic arrivals.

• Departures: the duty-free shop is airside, past passport control and security. You reach it after immigration, inside the new Departures Terminal.
• Arrivals: the free shop is in the International Arrivals building, before Customs and facing baggage claim.

The shops run under the Duty Free Argentina brand, operated by Interbaires S.A., part of the Avolta group (formerly Dufry). Marketing copy mentions up to five shops, though the exact current count is not clearly published. Both the departures and arrivals stores are stated to be open 24 hours; treat that as the operator's own claim and check at the counter if timing matters. Categories span fragrance, cosmetics, spirits, wine, tobacco, chocolate, sunglasses, watches, jewellery, electronics, and souvenirs.

Should you pay in dollars or pesos in 2026?

This is where old advice has gone stale. Prices at Ezeiza are displayed in US dollars. You can pay in dollars, or in pesos converted at the shop's official rate. For years, savvy travellers insisted on paying in dollars because the peso's official rate was far worse than the informal "blue" rate.

That gap has closed. Argentina lifted its currency controls in April 2025, and through 2026 the official, MEP, and blue rates sit within roughly 2 to 5% of each other. The peso floats at an order of magnitude around 1,500 per dollar in mid-2026, but that number drifts, so treat it as approximate. The practical result: choosing dollars over pesos now moves the total only slightly. Cards are charged at the USD price. If you have leftover pesos you cannot change back before departure, spending them at the shop is a sensible use. The store also accepts euros, Uruguayan and Chilean pesos, Brazilian reais, and major cards. For a fuller breakdown, read how to pay in Argentina.

Is Ezeiza duty-free actually worth it?

Mixed, and it pays to be selective. Traveller consensus points one way on each category. Spirits and whisky are usually a decent buy, often cheaper than Argentine street retail. Perfume and cosmetics are hit or miss and frequently not much below high-street prices. Electronics are not recommended. Several visitors describe the shops as offering few genuine bargains overall, better for gifts than big savings.

Current product prices are hard to pin down for 2026, and older forum figures are unreliable, so verify at the shelf. If you are heading straight into the city afterward, sort your EZE airport transfers before you shop, so a heavy bag of bottles is not a problem on arrival.

Can you carry duty-free liquids onto a connecting flight?

Yes, but with strict conditions. Duty-free liquids over 100 ml can stay in your carry-on for an onward connection only if the retailer seals them in a security tamper-evident bag (STEB) with the receipt visible inside, bought within the last 48 hours. Keep the bag unsealed until your final destination. At transfer security, present it separately; officers may open and re-seal it. Ordinary carry-on liquids stay capped at 100 ml per container in a one-litre clear bag.

One important trap: connecting through the United States. TSA often makes you re-screen and move liquids into checked baggage, which risks confiscation of that sealed bottle. Check the rules for your specific transfer hub before buying large liquid items at Ezeiza. And if a source mentions a sales cut-off time before departure, buy your alcohol early or on arrival rather than at the last minute.