Before you start

A smartphone (for SUBE recharge, BA Taxi, Cabify/DiDi/Uber and route apps like Google Maps / Moovit)
Some cash in pesos — you load SUBE with cash at kioscos, and DiDi/Uber rides are often paid in cash
A valid home-country national driver's licence (kept current) if you intend to drive
A DNI and proof of a CABA address — effectively required to obtain an Argentine licence

Step-by-step

1
Get a SUBE card and ride the Subte, buses and trains
Buy a SUBE card at a kiosco, lottery agency, Correo Argentino or subte/train station — one card works on the Subte, all colectivos and the commuter trains. Load it with cash at thousands of kiosco/SUBE points, or top up online via the Carga SUBE app or homebanking. Register the card on argentina.gob.ar/sube (it links to your DNI) so you can recover the balance if it's lost and keep the cheaper registered-card fare. Fares are tiny, and frequent riders get discounts after 20+ monthly trips.
In personWho: YouSame day — buy and load in minutesCard a few US$ + fares under US$0.50/ride
2
Use taxis and ride-hailing apps
Black-and-yellow taxis are plentiful and metered (the 'bandera'); a surcharge applies overnight. For app rides, Cabify is fully legal nationwide and accepts foreign cards in-app; DiDi and Uber are extremely popular but Uber in particular operates in a legal grey area, and a 2026 CABA court ruling now requires app drivers to hold professional licences and passenger insurance. DiDi and Uber often expect cash. For licensed taxis with up-front pricing use the city's official BA Taxi app, and prefer ordering a car rather than hailing on the street late at night.
Mobile appWho: YouOn demandMetered; app rides typically cheaper than/equal to street taxis
3
Drive short-term on your foreign licence + an International Driving Permit
As a tourist you may drive on your valid home national licence accompanied by an International Driving Permit (IDP) for the duration of your visa-stamped stay (commonly 90-180 days); temporary residents are generally allowed roughly one year from entry before they must switch to an Argentine licence. Always carry the physical home licence, the IDP and your passport together — the IDP is only a translation, never a standalone licence. Get the IDP in your home country before you travel, as it can't be issued for you locally.
In personWho: You (obtain IDP in home country)Valid for your stamped stay (~90-180 days as a tourist; ~1 year for temporary residents)IDP fee paid at home (varies by country)
4
Get the Argentine Licencia Nacional de Conducir (once you have a DNI)
With a DNI showing a CABA address, start online via your miBA account, then pay and print the CENAT national traffic-record certificate and complete the road-safety course (charla/curso de educacion vial). Book an appointment at one of CABA's licence centres (central seat at Av. Coronel Roca 5252), pay the BUI licence fee, and pass the psychophysical exam (sight, hearing, psychological and medical), the multiple-choice theory test and the on-street practical test. Holding a foreign licence can spare you 'principiante' status if you provide a Certificado de Legalidad, but plan to sit the exams — full test exemptions depend on reciprocity and aren't guaranteed.
In personWho: You (resident with DNI)Allow 2-4 weeks end-to-end (course + appointment + exams)Roughly US$35-60 equivalent (BUI licence fee + CENAT certificate)
5
Optional: owning a car (seguro, VTV, patente)
If you do buy a car, mandatory civil-liability insurance (seguro obligatorio) must be in force at all times, and vehicles must pass the VTV technical inspection — in CABA from the 4th year of registration or every ~64,000 km, booked online via the city government. You'll also owe the annual 'patente' road tax (calculated on the car's fiscal value, paid in installments) and must keep the cedula (title) in the car. Between fast traffic, scarce/paid street parking and this paperwork, most newcomers conclude a car isn't worth it in central Buenos Aires.
OnlineWho: You (car owner)Ongoing — insurance and patente annual; VTV periodicSeguro + patente + VTV fees (vary by vehicle value)

Documents you’ll need

Passport or DNI (needed to buy/register a SUBE card and to drive)
Valid home-country national driver's licence + International Driving Permit (IDP) for short-term driving
DNI with a CABA address + active miBA account (to apply for the Argentine licence)
Paid CENAT traffic-record certificate and completed road-safety course (for the licence application)

Things most newcomers don’t know

Don't bother getting a car or licence at first — Buenos Aires public transport is genuinely excellent and a fraction of what driving costs.

The Subte, colectivos and trains all run off one SUBE card reaching almost everywhere, while a car means traffic, paid parking, insurance, VTV and patente. Most expats simply never drive here.

Source: Argentina.gob.ar (SUBE), 2026

An IDP is not optional paperwork — you must carry it alongside your home licence, even if your licence is in English.

Argentine police expect the licence, the IDP and your passport together; the IDP is the official translation of your licence and you cannot obtain one inside Argentina, so you must get it at home before moving.

Source: International Driving Permit guides, 2025-2026

You effectively can't get an Argentine licence until you're a resident with a DNI and a CABA address.

CABA's process requires a DNI with a local domicile and an active miBA account to even start online; tourists on a passport can't complete it, which is why short-term visitors rely on the home-licence-plus-IDP route instead.

Source: buenosaires.gob.ar — licencia de conducir / extranjeros, 2026

Prefer Cabify (or the official BA Taxi app) over Uber when you want zero hassle — and order a car instead of hailing late at night.

Cabify is fully legal across Argentina and takes foreign cards in-app, whereas Uber sits in a legal grey area (a 2026 CABA ruling tightened driver rules) and DiDi/Uber often want cash. Booking through an app or radio taxi is safer than a random street hail after dark.

Source: Argentina.travel; Infobae (2026 CABA court ruling on apps)

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to load your SUBE card with a card at a kiosco — most kiosco/SUBE points are cash-only; use the Carga SUBE app or an automatic terminal if you want to pay digitally.
Letting your SUBE balance go negative or assuming an unregistered card can be recovered — register it to your DNI so a lost card's balance (and cheaper fare) isn't gone for good.
Driving without your physical home licence AND the IDP AND your passport — having only one of the three (or relying on a digital copy) can mean a fine at a checkpoint.
Assuming your foreign licence converts automatically with no exams — CABA generally still requires the safety course, psychophysical exam and theory/practical tests; reciprocity exemptions are limited and not guaranteed.

Make it your personal checklist

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