Visas for Argentina

Visa procedures for expats moving to Argentina are relatively simple, unless you have arrived and only decide to stay permanently after the fact, then be prepared to jump through some hefty hoops!

Visitors’ Visas

The countries listed below are part of the visa waiver programme; once you land in the country a 90 day tourist visa will be stamped into your passport. You should make sure that you have at least 6 months to run in your passport and one clear page on which to stamp the visa.

United States, Canada, UK, European Community Members, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, South Africa, Switzerland, Scandinavian Countries, Latin American Countries.

All other foreign nationals are required to apply for a tourist visa from their Argentine Consulate or Embassy in advance of travel to the country. It is advisable to allow 30 days for this process.

Tourist visas in Argentina last for 90 days, after which it is possible to apply for an extension for a further 90 days, in-country (total of 180 days per tourist visa). To continue to live in Argentina legally expats will then need to exit the country before the extension elapses and return to get a new 90 day tourist visa. It is then possible to get another 90 day in-country extension (total 180 days). However, after this second circuit, expats are no longer allowed to apply for in-country extensions; thus they will need to exit and return within the first 90 day period. 

Currently there is no minimum stay period that an expat must be outside Argentina, so to renew your visa you can go out of the country and back in the same day. People tend to go to Uruguay or Chile.

Alternatively, people often let their tourist visa expire and pay the fine when they depart.

The cost for tourist visa renewal is 300 pesos (around 80 US$) Should a visitor overstay his/her visa period, a fine of 300 pesos will be levied on departure from the country.

Permanent and Residence Visas

If the intention is to reside permanently in Argentina, there are 7 categories of visa available for application. Once you have been approved for this visa you will be issued with a permanent resident’s visa – these are usually valid for one year.

Applying for any of these visas in Argentina is a very long process, involving much paperwork and several trips to the Immigration Department. Although the applications can be made locally, you will be required to turn up at the central Immigration Department in the capital, Buenos Aries, for an interview regarding your application.

Foreign expat employees of large corporations will have their visas dealt with by their companies, who will use a local relocation agent, which makes everything very simple.

If you are an independent expat, there are a whole lot more headaches. For this reason many expats remain for some time on tourist visas; some even overstay their visas by as much as three years and merely pay the fine on departure from the country, although this is not advisable.

A permanent or residence visa is necessary in order to apply for a credit card (although for most foreigners use of a passport is sufficient), a phone line, television service or opening a bank account. It also effectively means you are an Argentine citizen and you are entitled to work.

Each family member, including dependent children, will have to apply for a separate visa.

When you can prove that you have lived in Argentina for two consecutive years, you will be eligible to apply for a DNI Documento Nacional de Identidad  (National Identity card). 

Visa types:

• Investor

To qualify for this visa you need to prove a direct investment in Argentina of at least $102,000 pesos (US$40,000). This could be agricultural land producing an income or purchase of a property as your main residence. Buying a holiday home for personal use does not qualify. NB: the qualifying figure may change at short notice.

• Contracted Personnel

This visa is designed for local companies who are searching for employees outside the country. It is not for foreigners already living in Argentina as they would be deemed to be competing with Argentinians in the job market. Once you have a contract to work in Argentina, you can apply for this visa with very little trouble.

If you are self-employed, you can incorporate a local Argentine company and create a "Managing Director" position that requires the appointment of a foreign citizen (i.e. you). Your company will then issue you an appointment letter which can be used to apply for a visa.

• Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs or businesspeople who wish to live in Argentina in this category will have to provide commercial references, and proof of their business experience as well as gaining an endorsement from the Argentine Consulate.

• Representatives of Foreign Companies

If you own a company abroad and can show proof of ownership, you can obtain a visa that will allow you to live in Argentina. Proof of the company's good standing ie the company articles should be provided. These also need to be certified by the Argentinian Consulate and Chamber of Commerce.

• Financier

This is quite a flexible visa. The applicant must only prove that he or she has a guaranteed income of 2,600 pesos monthly (900 US$) and that this income can be transferred to an Argentine bank. This income can include annuities, income from trusts, income from a business you own, etc. You must simply prove that the income will continue once you relocate to Argentina.

• Pensioner

If you are receiving payments from your country's state pension system, or you have a private pension you might qualify under a pensioner Visa. You need only prove that the monthly income totals a minimum of 2,100 pesos (700 US$) and that the money can be paid on a monthly basis to Argentina.

• Student

To apply for a student visa you must first enrol in an educational institute approved by the Immigration Department; once you have a confirmation of enrolment, you can put in for your student visa. The visa expires at the end of the course and cannot be renewed past that date. This is not an appropriate solution for clients looking for permanent residency.

NB: There is one other possibility - if you are a foreigner, and you have a child born to you while living in Argentina, permanent residency is pretty much guaranteed, and is a simple process.

Paperwork!

Residency application requires huge amounts of paperwork! Very often you will get all this together only to be told by the Immigration department that there is something missing! You may even find that in between starting the process and going in person to the Immigration Office, the laws will have changed again. You will also have to accept that all this is going to cost you money!

Paperwork needed:

• Police report… from your home country. It should not be more than six months old when you start the application process. This is just to prove that you have no criminal record. It has to be ‘apostilled’ in your country of resident. Once back in Argentina the document has to be translated into Spanish by a court approved translator. That means it has to have a court stamp on it to legalise it.

You will also need an Argentinian police report. This requires applying to the main police station where you live, filling in a form, providing a photograph, a copy of your passport, having your fingerprints taken and then paying some money. The report will usually be ready the same day.

• Original Birth Certificate. Apostilled in your home country, translated and legalised in Argentina. Note that Argentinian women do not lose their maiden names when they get married and their DNIs are in their maiden names, thus the same name as their birth certificates. For foreigners the reverse is usually true. You may be asked to go to your embassy or consulate to get a letter stating that you are who you say you are since the name on your passport if you are married, will be different to that on your birth certificate!

• Photocopy of passport. Every single page, including the blank ones, and the visa stamps. The copy has to be notarised by a local lawyer, then translated and legalised.

• Original Marriage certificate, divorce certificate if appropriate and any other relevant documents, such as change of name deeds, will all have to be apostilled in your own country and then translated and legalised in Argentina.

• Passport photos: You will need two for your visa, but it is advisable to carry at least half a dozen with you.

You could well be asked for several copies of all the above - you may find that Immigration do not want them, but if you don’t have them you will probably be asked to produce them! A visa agent will usually ask for half a dozen copies of all the paperwork as above.
 

Using an agent to get an Argentinean visa

There are agencies and facilitators (usually lawyers) who can assist you with the process for a small (or sometimes not so small) fee. They advise you, tell you what paperwork you need and will accompany you with a translator, if required, to the Immigration Department. It is rare to find anyone in the Immigration office who speaks English, so a translator is advisable unless you have a good command of Spanish yourself. Your agent, however, cannot deal with Immigration without you being present.

Once your application has been accepted, expect to wait for up to a year and a half to get your visa!