Argentina Citizenship Application Overview
Argentine citizenship application overview
1) The Argentine citizenship application is filed at Federal Courts where the client is domiciled and it takes from nine to twelve months approximately.
2) The Argentine law only requires that the applicant must be older than 18 years of age and that he/she has lived in Argentina for at least two years (except if you are married to an Argentine citizen or have Argentine children. In these cases you are waived the two years residency requirement).
3) To apply for the Argentine citizenship you will need the following documents:
– Birth certificate (with apostille, translated and legalized)
– Argentine DNI (in some cases it can be dispensed)
– Address certificate (addressed to the federal courts and with no more than three days). Please know that the judge will send the police to your address to corroborate you live there.
– Background check from the country you are originally from (with apostille, translated and legalized)
– Salary receipts or Pension receipts or Accountant Income Certification with your income.
All the documents must have an apostille or be legalized by the Argentine Consulate in your country. All documents in a language other than Spanish must also be translated by a public translator in Argentina and legalized.
4) The process starts by having a court house assigned to your application. Once it is assigned we go there and hand in all the documents aforementioned. Once the court has all documentation and it is approved, the judge will issue nine court orders with information requests to several agencies, two of which are to get your fingerprints taken and one is a publication in a newspaper stating that you have started this process.
5) The judge will ask you to take a Spanish language test. The level required is lower-intermediate.
6) Once all nine court orders aforementioned are replied and the Spanish test is approved, the judge will rule giving you the Argentine citizenship.
7) At last the judge will summon you to court to take an oath of loyalty to our country and will give you the Citizenship Certificate
8) With the Citizenship Certificate you can apply for an Argentine DNI and passport.
9) Your physical presence will be required at least four times–at the beginning of the process, when you need to get your fingerprints taken and when you are summoned to court to take the oath.
It is possible that your presence will be required at some other times, for instance for the Spanish language test.
10) Argentina will not require that you renounce your citizenship of birth BUT your country of origin may have some rules making you lose your citizenship of birth if you acquire a second one.
11) Spouses of Argentine citizens can NOT apply for Argentine citizenship through consular processing. They must do it in Argentina in Court.
If your situation doesn’t comply exactly with all the requirements – let us know the facts of your case. There is a chance to ask the federal courts to make an exception, based on current case law, which is more lax and more flexible in favor of the petitioners.
—————————————–
Dr. Celano is a corporate immigration lawyer, founder and managing partner of
“Celano & Associates”, a young and dynamic law firm based in Buenos Aires (Argentina), that for over a decade has been representing emerging, midsize and multinational companies with Argentine immigration matters. Celano & Associates undertakes not only immigration processing and compliance matters, but also immigration litigation. Mr. Celano is licensed to practice law in Buenos Aires Capital and with the Argentine Supreme Court. He is also a registered attorney at the Argentine Immigrations Department.
How long should you stay in Argentina during this 2 years and how long can you travel out of country during this time?
You need to be in Argentina at least six months of each year.
Within the 2 years of living in Argentina – how much actual time in Argentina is required? I have read elsewhere that the minimum requirement is 6months per year! We were hoping to be in Argentina for approx 10months a year. Would we still qualify to apply for citizenship after 2 years if we spent 2 months a year outside of Argentina?
Thanks
Ian Taylor
Yes, Ian, if you qualify for residency (which you probably do) and obtain temporary residency, you are required to be in the country for at least six months of each year. We don’t handle the process here at Four Flags Journal but we do know a very good attorney. Sadly I can’t say that for all attorneys here. If you need a recommendation, just let us know.
Hey, I am going to Argentina for a year-long high-school exchange (I saved the money myself!) in a year. I will have just turned 17 when I arrive in Argentina and I intend to stay forever! I have a lot of questions…
As a dual Armenian-American citizen would I be able to get citizenship or would I need an Argentine sponsor? Both the USA and Armenia allow me to have multiple nationalities.
As a student with a student visa, would I be able to apply for citizenship before I graduate from university?
What process would I need to undergo to work while holding a student visa?
During the summer breaks between university I want to stay in the country and work. I won’t really be able to go back to the USA for the summers because my mom is moving back to Armenia. (I was born in Philadelphia)
When I have my Argentine citizenship, would I ever risk losing it if I were to leave the country for too long (more than 2 years) I have this pipe dream of studying in France for a little while.
———————————————-
In general, would you say that Argentinians are comfortable with people from Eastern Europe? There’s a bit of racism/xenophobia where I live against Armenians and Russians, especially now because of Putin…
Is there resentment against Americans? I’m not assuming this of Argentinians, I’m sure most are lovely people but I was just curious.
What is life like for doctors in Argentina? Do they have a good standard of living? In America for example, doctors used to be considered very wealthy but now they have started to make less money relative to other professions.
In light of travel restrictions placed on Argentine citizens by Trump, should I expect any reciprocal restrictions from the Arg government against Americans?
Thank you so much, I know this is a lot!
Well you do have a lot of questions! You sound very very thorough. You said you are an Armenian-American citizen. If you have U.S. citizenship then you can obtain Argentina citizenship. If you go to the university you may need to have a student visa unless you have a job by then that provides income. But in any event, you can apply for citizenship here after you are in the country for two years. And you can visit outside as long as you are here at least six months. I am an Argentina-U.S. citizenship and I am under no travel restrictions. Argentina does not care if you have other nationalities, it’s okay with them. I don’t see any problem in getting your citizenship before you graduate. By the you should be able to provide an income that you can use to apply. You till not lose your Argentina citizenship if you leave the country–unless that should change. You never can tell when things will change but I don’t expect it to change. In all honesty I have run into anti-American sentiment. Only on a couple of occasions. I really like the Argentina people. Most of the problems with discrimination in the U.S. in my opinion is owing to the media. I really don’t see it here but we don’t know what the future holds which is why you are very smart to hold multiple passports. You have options. I do think you’d do fine in Argentina. If you have more questions let us know and we’ll do our best to help you.
Hello, the article states that “except if you are married to an Argentine citizen or have Argentine children. In these cases you are waived the two years residency requirement).”
But then the answers in the comments state that a person (married to an Argentinean) must live in Argentina for 2 years before you can start the citizenship process. So which is correct?
Basically, I have Argentine citizenship. My husband is American. He has not lived in Argentina for 2 years. Can he apply for citizenship or must he live and wait 2 years?
Thank you.
Is he living in Argentina. If he is trying to get citizenship from the U.S. that’s questionable. A child of a person born in Argentina can get citizenship from the U.S. supposedly, although people are reporting those citizenships just not happening. Not being denied but not coming through. Thanks for the heads up about the contradiction though and that’s a good question. But if he is trying to get citizenship without being in Argentina, I’m not sure. I suggest that you contact the Argentina embassy nearest you. They should be able to clarify for you. It is possible a Spanish speaker will need to contact them for you. I got my citizenship partly through the Miami Embassy and, although located in Miami, Florida, no one spoke English. Good luck!
Dear All,
Im living in Argentina since December 2015 , married to an Argentine Citizen, with a permenant residence, and recently had my son born here in Buenos Aires . Can i start my application for the citizenship now ?
And if yes what would be the requierments ?
Thank you very much.
Best Regards.
You say your husband is an Argentina citizen and you have permanent residence? As soon as you have lived in Argentina for two years you can start the citizenship process and it will take about 10 months to complete the paperwork and get your citizenship. It is possible you can begin it now because your child is Argentina. I’d suggest you contact Imigraciones for instructions. Or if you want an attorney to handle it for you, we suggest Gabriel Celano in Buenos Aires. He handled our citizenship and they are fantastic.
Thanks a lot, how many years until you can receive your passport ?
You are eligible for citizenship in Argentina two years from when you arrive in
Argentina. The procedure from resident to citizenship takes ten months more or less after
you apply, the passport perhaps 3 months later.