There is no river and no bridge at Bernardo de Irigoyen: this is a dry border. The town, in the east of Argentina’s Misiones province, runs straight into Dionísio Cerqueira, in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, and in many places the line between the two countries is a street. For Argentines driving to the Santa Catarina beaches it is one of the ways out. Operating hours and entry rules change and should be confirmed before you travel.
What a dry border means
The fact that the towns are joined does not mean you can travel on without formalities. Residents move between the two sides in daily life, but anyone continuing into the interior of Brazil or Argentina has to go to the control post and have their exit and entry recorded. Driving on without doing so can cause problems later, at a road check or when you try to leave the country.
On the Brazilian side the town of Barracão, in the state of Paraná, also adjoins these two.
Who uses this crossing
- Argentine families travelling in summer to the beaches of Santa Catarina.
- Brazilians from western Santa Catarina and south-western Paraná visiting Misiones.
- Residents and traders of the border towns.
Bernardo de Irigoyen is reached on Ruta Nacional 14.
Procedure and delays
The order is the usual one: exit immigration for one country, entry immigration for the other, and customs control of the vehicle and luggage. Each passenger shows their own valid travel document. Whoever drives answers for the vehicle papers and for the insurance required by the destination country.
There is no fixed waiting time. Traffic grows at the start of January, at the mid-month changeovers, on the February return and on long weekends. Outside those dates the crossing is usually quieter.
What to check before leaving
- Operating hours and the state of the crossing, with the national migration authority of Argentina or of Brazil.
- Requirements for each passenger’s nationality. The general points are in our guide to documents to enter Brazil.
- Authorisations for minors, if children are travelling.
Getting there without driving
The alternatives are a long-distance bus, if a service runs to your destination, or a private transfer for your group, with stops on request. Whether the route is available, and on what conditions, is confirmed at booking, and we do not promise a crossing time. See more under transfers to Brazil.