Argentine citizenship can be obtained by applicants from abroad who have fulfilled the conditions for the period of stay in the country (in the absence of grounds for its cancellation), and also meet other legal requirements. Argentina’s migration policy is quite loyal, the naturalization period is short compared to many countries, and the law of the land also applies, which allows the children of foreigners to immediately become citizens upon birth on Argentine territory. The procedure for granting status is regulated by the Law “On Citizenship”.

Obtaining an Argentine passport opens up the opportunity to live in a country that ranks second in terms of economic indicators in South America and is actively increasing its influence in the world market. Using an Argentine identity card, you can travel visa-free to many countries, including those in the EU, and also legalize your stay in Spain in a simplified manner.

Benefits of an Argentine passport

An Argentine passport gives a person the following benefits:

  • visa-free travel to 162 countries, including Latin American countries;
  • the right to receive social benefits and other forms of support from the government;
  • participation in the political election process with the nomination of one’s candidacy;
  • holding government positions.

What is needed to obtain Argentine citizen status?

A foreigner who intends to become a citizen of Argentina must meet the following conditions:

  • be over 18 years of age;
  • have lived legally in the state for at least 2 years (unless there are reasons for immediate assignment of status);
  • confirm the availability of means of subsistence.

The residence period requirement is waived in the following circumstances:

  • service in the Argentine army or participation in hostilities in defense of the state;
  • creating a new industry or introducing a useful invention;
  • conducting commercial activities or constructing a railway in any of the provinces;
  • ownership of real estate as part of colonies that exist or will be created both on the national and provincial territories;
  • marriage to a citizen of Argentina;
  • assistance in the settlement of national territories within or beyond current borders;
  • work as a teaching staff in education or any industry.

Legal ways to obtain an Argentine passport

The main ways to obtain Argentine citizenship in 2023 are by choice or naturalization. The law does not provide for investment programs under which one could buy a passport for investments in commercial projects or real estate, but the state values ​​the contribution of migrants to the development of the economic sector and the education sector. Therefore, in the case of conducting business, introducing innovative projects, teaching, it is possible to apply for citizenship without fulfilling the conditions for the period of residence.

Optionally

By default, Argentine citizens are recognized as persons who were born:

  • in the country, regardless of their origin and the citizenship of their parents (with the exception of children of diplomats and foreign ministers);
  • on the territory of embassies, on board Argentine warships;
  • from Argentines abroad and chose, at their personal request, a passport of the republic;
  • in the territories that were formerly part of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata before their liberation, and express a desire to be part of the Argentine nation;
  • in neutral seas under the flag of Argentina.

The first document that records the citizenship of a newborn is a birth certificate – it is requested directly from the clinic. If desired, you can immediately issue an internal passport for your child in the form of an ID card or a foreign passport for traveling abroad.

By naturalization

Persons who have legally resided in Argentina for a period of time established by law and meet other requirements are naturalized and, as a result, can obtain a passport. Initially, a foreigner must come to the country with a visa on one of the grounds (getting an education, working, doing business), if such a border crossing regime has been established with the state of his citizenship, and apply for a residence permit for the same purpose for which the visa was requested. Argentina has fairly simple requirements for naturalizing individuals. For example, the state does not require the integration of a foreigner into local society through knowledge of the Spanish language, laws, culture, and history. Persons who have family ties with citizens are exempt from fulfilling the conditions for the period of residence. An exception applies to spouses of Argentine citizens and foreign parents whose child was born in the republic.

How to obtain Argentine citizenship

Obtaining Argentine citizenship occurs according to the following algorithm – a foreigner enters the country with or without a visa depending on the country of his citizenship, obtains temporary residence, fulfills the conditions for the period of residence and submits a request for assignment of status. Each stage is described in more detail below.

Registration of a residence permit

To begin the procedure for obtaining a residence permit, you should create an account on the website of the Migration Directorate (DNM), and then wait for information about further actions and a visit to the immigration office. The dossier must be accompanied by:

  • ID card with a border crossing stamp;
  • a certificate of good conduct from the country of origin or residence (available from the National Migration Directorate at the time of submitting the request);
  • proof of residence in Argentina.

Depending on the basis, the applicant should prepare additional documents. For example, migrant workers are required to have a work contract signed by the parties and the employer’s CUIT number; an applicant for a residence permit for treatment is required to have a medical history signed by the director of a medical institution. A temporary residence permit is issued for 2 years, and therefore does not require renewal until citizenship is requested.

Collection and preparation of documents

The dossier for acquiring status through naturalization includes:

  • passport or other current identification document;
  • birth certificate;
  • certificate of authenticity of personal data;
  • certificate of place of residence;
  • evidence of receiving a stable income (work record book, salary receipts).

Birth certificate and passport are provided in the form of copies and require international legalization and/or apostille.

Applying for citizenship

The responsible authorities for receiving the request are the National Chamber of Federal Civil and Commercial Appeals in Buenos Aires or the national civil and federal commercial courts in the regions. Application for citizenship is carried out through the specified authorities. The decision is made by judges within 90 days by analyzing the dossier and requesting additional information about the applicant from intelligence, migration departments or other institutions. Checking the status of a citizenship case is not available, but once the request is processed, a letter is sent to the foreigner and a decree is published within two days in a local newspaper related to the person’s province of residence.

Terms and cost of obtaining Argentine citizenship

The duration of the process of considering an application for a residence permit is not established by law, but the applicant can check the stage of processing the request of the case on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the naturalization process, a foreigner will not have to renew his resident card and apply for Argentine permanent residence . Thus, the period for obtaining Argentine citizenship, taking into account the waiting for processing of applications, is a little more than 2 years.

Verification of an application for citizenship status is free, but for a foreigner there are costs for legalization and obtaining an apostille for documents, and payment for legal services, if necessary. During naturalization, a person will need to pay a fee of 6,000 USD, and in general, Argentine citizenship is more expensive when taking into account the costs of living in the country.

How to get an Argentine passport

Argentines are issued two identification documents – a plastic ID card with a photo for use within the country and a passport for traveling abroad, which looks like a book with a blue cover.

An Argentinean internal passport can be requested from the civil registry office or the Renaper Documentation Center by making an appointment. The applicant must prepare all available birth documents in order to receive an ID card. The procedure is free of charge.

An Argentine Citizen’s International Passport can also be obtained from the Renaper Documentation Centers or Registrar’s Offices by presenting a current identification document. The process of completing an application for a document takes 15 minutes, and the cost is 4000 USD. If you submit a request in shopping centers, ports, river terminals, you must add 100 USD to the indicated price. The passport is valid for 10 years when issued to adults and 5 years for children under 18 years of age.

Argentine dual citizenship

According to the law, citizens can have multiple passports, but their status will depend on the existence of a special agreement between Argentina and another country. The republic signed an agreement on mutual recognition of the rights and obligations of citizens with the governments of:

  • Spain;
  • Chile;
  • Italy;
  • Sweden;
  • Norway;
  • El Salvador;
  • Colombia;
  • Ecuador;
  • Honduras;
  • Nicaragua;
  • Panama.

Accordingly, having a passport of one of these countries and receiving an Argentinean one, a person becomes the owner of dual citizenship, this means that his identity documents are recognized in both states, and the rule of interchangeability of duties is applied. If the applicant has a passport of some other country, then when applying for an Argentine one, he does not need to give up his current one, but in this situation we are talking about acquiring a second citizenship. In this case, a person in each state is recognized only as a citizen. The Argentine authorities do not notify the applicant’s country of nationality that he has been granted status.

Refusal and revocation of Argentine citizenship

Reasons for rejecting an application for Argentine citizenship may include:

  • the person does not meet one of the stipulated requirements;
  • submitting an incomplete dossier, providing false information about the identity of the applicant to mislead the authorities;
  • the applicant’s criminal history;
  • the presence of a threat from the applicant to national security and public order.

Suspension of a citizen’s political rights is possible if he is naturalized in foreign countries, receives positions, honors from a foreign government without the permission of the parliament (National Congress of Argentina), commits fraudulent acts, or has a criminal record for crimes that carry a shameful sentence or the death penalty. This information is transmitted to the National Register of Persons and the National Electoral Chamber, which then makes a subsequent decision to revoke the status. Illegal stay of a foreigner on the territory of the state threatens with deportation, which will become an obstacle to the legalization of stay in the future. To avoid denial of citizenship and other unpleasant consequences, it is worth studying the current legislation and strictly following its norms.

Obtaining Argentine Citizenship