The Argentine DNI card, short for Documento Nacional de Identidad, is the only legally accepted proof of identity for anyone living in Argentina, and you obtain it through RENAPER (the National Registry of Persons) by booking an appointment, giving biometric data, and paying a fee that varies by your status, age, and how quickly you need the card. Ley 17.671 says plainly that no other document, foreign or domestic, can stand in for it. You’ll need it to vote, open a bank account, sign a contract, deal with any government office, and cross most South American borders.
Who Is Required to Have One
The law reaches every person domiciled in Argentina and every Argentine national living anywhere in the world. Accredited foreign diplomats are the only exception.1InfoLEG. Ley 17671 – Texto Actualizado In practice this covers three groups:
- Native-born citizens, who receive a unique lifelong identification number at birth. Parents who register a birth without also requesting the child’s DNI are fined.
- Naturalized citizens and citizens by option, who must apply within one year of receiving citizenship.
- Foreign residents with temporary or permanent residency. Temporary residents get a card tied to the length of their visa; permanent residents get a card that works like a citizen’s.
The first DNI for a child born in Argentina is free.2Argentina.gob.ar. Tarifario de Tramites de Renaper Miss any of the legal deadlines and you pay a fine equal to the current processing fee on top of the fee itself.1InfoLEG. Ley 17671 – Texto Actualizado
What to Bring to Your Appointment
Requirements depend on who you are.
Argentine Citizens Over 14
Bring your current DNI if you have one. If it was lost or stolen and you filed a police report, bring the report. Neither is strictly required, but either speeds things up.3Argentina.gob.ar. Tramitar un Nuevo Ejemplar de DNI
Foreign Residents
You need a valid passport from your country of birth, or a national ID card if you come from a Mercosur country, plus your residency documentation (the radicación) issued by the National Directorate of Migrations. You also need a certificate of domicile proving your address in Argentina, issued by local police in the city of Buenos Aires or by civil registry offices in Buenos Aires province.
One point worth knowing before you travel: if your DNI is lost or stolen while you are outside Argentina, you cannot replace it at a consulate. Only Argentine citizens can process a DNI abroad. Foreign residents have to return to Argentina.4Embassy in Sweden. DNI Renewal
Children Under 14
A parent or legal guardian has to come along with the child and bring their own DNI. Newborns are usually registered at the civil registry office attached to the hospital where the birth took place, at the same time the birth itself is registered. A guardian who isn’t a parent needs a court order or custody document with the judge’s seal and signature.3Argentina.gob.ar. Tramitar un Nuevo Ejemplar de DNI
How the Application Works
Three steps: book, appear, receive.
Book an appointment (a turno) through the Mi Argentina app or the RENAPER website.5Argentina.gob.ar. Turnos Online Many local civil registry offices in your jurisdiction accept walk-ins, but the RENAPER Documentation Centers in major cities require an appointment.3Argentina.gob.ar. Tramitar un Nuevo Ejemplar de DNI
At the appointment, staff take your fingerprints, a facial photograph, and a digital signature, all linked to the lifelong identification number tied to you.6The World Bank. Argentina ID Case Study – The Evolution of Identification
The finished card is produced centrally and shipped to your registered address by Correo Argentino. You, or anyone over 18 living at the address, can accept delivery by showing the receipt from your appointment. You can track shipping through RENAPER’s online portal, and if no one is home when the carrier arrives you can collect the card at the processing office with the same receipt.3Argentina.gob.ar. Tramitar un Nuevo Ejemplar de DNI
Fees
DNI fees move with inflation. The 2026 RENAPER schedule sets them as follows.2Argentina.gob.ar. Tarifario de Tramites de Renaper
For Argentine citizens, the first DNI for anyone from birth through age 18 is free. A first DNI issued after naturalization or nationality by option is ARS $10,000. Standard updates and new copies (the 5-to-8-year update, the 14-year update, an address change, a data correction, an adoption update) cost ARS $10,000. A gender identity rectification under Ley 26.743 is free the first time, then charged at the standard rate for any later change.
For foreign residents, the first identification costs ARS $20,000, and updates and new copies (5-to-8-year, 14-year, address change, category change, extension) cost the same ARS $20,000.
Faster Processing
Standard cards arrive in the mail within a few weeks. Three expedited tiers exist at designated locations:
- DNI Exprés, delivered within 96 business hours: ARS $26,000
- DNI 24 Horas, picked up at the same office within 24 business hours: ARS $41,000
- DNI al Instante, picked up in 2 to 6 hours: ARS $57,000
The same-day “DNI al instante” service runs at only two RENAPER Documentation Centers, both in Buenos Aires: the Buquebus terminal at Avenida Antártida Argentina 821, and RENAPER’s central office at Avenida Roque Sáenz Peña 689. You still need an appointment, and the finished card is collected at the central office.7Argentina.gob.ar. DNI al Instante Expedited tiers are open only to Argentine citizens; foreign residents can’t use them.
A replacement issued because RENAPER made an error is free, as long as you flag the problem within 90 days of getting the defective card.2Argentina.gob.ar. Tarifario de Tramites de Renaper
Mandatory Childhood Updates
Two updates during childhood are compulsory. Miss them and you pay a fine.
The first update happens between the child’s fifth and eighth birthdays. RENAPER captures a signature, a fresh photograph, and a new fingerprint to replace the infant records. There is a one-year grace period after the eighth birthday. Past that, you owe the standard fee plus a matching fine.8Embassy in Lebanon. First DNI Update
The second update comes at 14, when the card converts to the adult format.9Argentina.gob.ar. Actualizar el DNI Entre los 5 y los 8 Anos The same late penalty applies if you miss the deadline.
When You Need a New Card
Change of Address
Your DNI must show your current home address. Electoral rolls are organized by address and voting is compulsory, so a move means a new card. Argentine citizens living abroad who want to vote from outside the country in national elections have to record the foreign address on their DNI.10Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. DNI – Change of Address
Change of Name or Gender
Under Ley 26.743, any person over 18 can change their recorded sex and first name on all official documents, including the DNI, without a court order and without any medical procedure. The civil registry handles it, and the first change is free. The new DNI keeps the same identification number, and no reference to the change or to the law itself appears on the new card or birth certificate.2Argentina.gob.ar. Tarifario de Tramites de Renaper
Lost or Stolen
File a police report, and make sure it specifically mentions that the lost document is an Argentine identity card. Bring the report to your appointment. RENAPER can issue a replacement even without one. The card itself costs the standard fee (ARS $10,000 for citizens, ARS $20,000 for foreign residents), and the expedited tiers are available if you need it fast.3Argentina.gob.ar. Tramitar un Nuevo Ejemplar de DNI
What Late Renewal Costs
Ley 17.671 sets the penalty for missing a legal DNI deadline at one standard processing fee, charged at the rate in effect when you finally show up.1InfoLEG. Ley 17671 – Texto Actualizado It applies to parents who don’t request a newborn’s DNI at birth registration, to anyone over 16 who hasn’t obtained a document within a year of that birthday, to naturalized citizens who wait more than a year after receiving citizenship, and to foreign residents who delay after establishing residency. At consulates abroad, the late fee is charged separately and runs around USD $15.11Embassy in Singapore. Passport and DNI Renewal
The Digital DNI
Once your physical card exists, you can activate a digital version in the Mi Argentina mobile app. It shows the same data and photograph as the plastic card and has legal validity for most domestic purposes. Treat it as a backup; some institutions and border crossings still ask for the original.
Traveling With Your DNI
The card doubles as a travel document within South America. Argentine citizens can enter Mercosur member countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and several associated states (Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) on the DNI alone for short tourist stays, under reciprocal agreements between Mercosur nations and associated states. Foreign residents who hold an Argentine DNI should still travel with their passport, because those agreements turn on nationality, not residency.