Argentinian citizenship is available three ways: by birth on Argentine soil, by descent from a native-born Argentine parent, or by naturalization after two years of legal residence in the country. The residency requirement drops to zero for applicants who fit one of several statutory exceptions, most commonly marriage to an Argentine citizen. In May 2025, Decree 366/2025 moved naturalization out of the federal courts and into an online process run by the National Directorate of Migration, so the way you apply today looks very different from what older guides describe.1Rights Mapping and Analysis Platform. Argentina Nationality/Citizenship/Naturalization Law
If You Were Born in Argentina
Anyone born on Argentine territory is an Argentine citizen automatically, whatever the parents’ nationality or immigration status. Law No. 346, in force since 1869, makes the right nearly absolute. The single exception is children born to foreign diplomats accredited to Argentina. The same law extends citizenship to anyone born on an Argentine warship, in an Argentine diplomatic facility abroad, or at sea under the Argentine flag.2United Nations. Act No. 346 of 8 October 1869 Concerning Argentine Citizenship
In practice, this means a tourist, temporary worker, or undocumented immigrant who gives birth in Argentina has a child with full citizenship. The hospital registers the birth, the child is entitled to a Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI), and none of it depends on the parents ever regularizing their own status.
If You Have an Argentine Parent
Children born outside Argentina to at least one native-born Argentine parent can claim citizenship through a procedure called “option.” The word matters: citizenship by descent is not automatic. You (or your parents on your behalf if you are a minor) have to affirmatively choose it.2United Nations. Act No. 346 of 8 October 1869 Concerning Argentine Citizenship
For a child under 18, both parents must appear in person at the nearest Argentine consulate with the child’s apostilled birth certificate, proof that the Argentine parent was born in Argentina, and identity documents for both parents. The consulate registers the nationality and eventually issues the child a DNI. Consular fees run about $135 USD.3Consulate General in Atlanta. Argentine Nationality by Option Adults over 18 file on their own, either at a consulate or before a federal judge in Argentina, using the same core documents to prove parentage.
One boundary matters here. The transmitting parent must be native-born, meaning born on Argentine soil. If your Argentine parent became Argentine through naturalization, this route is closed to you.
Naturalization: The Two-Year Rule
Foreign nationals over 18 who have lived continuously in Argentina for at least two years can apply for citizenship. That two-year floor is unusually short and reflects the constitutional invitation to “all men of the world who wish to dwell on Argentine soil.”4FAOLEX. Constitution of the Argentine Nation
Law No. 346 waives the two-year wait entirely if you fit any of the following categories:2United Nations. Act No. 346 of 8 October 1869 Concerning Argentine Citizenship
- Married to an Argentine citizen in any of the provinces
- Held public office honorably under the national or provincial government
- Served in the armed forces or in military defense of the nation
- Established a new industry or introduced a useful invention
- Work as a teacher in any branch of education or industry
- Operate or build a railroad in any province
- Own property in a settlement on national or provincial territory
Several of these exceptions read as they were drafted in 1869. Marriage to an Argentine citizen is by far the most commonly used today. Having an Argentine-born child, despite what some guides suggest, is not on this list.
Beyond residency, you need a basic grasp of Spanish, and the evaluation is informal: a short conversation with staff to confirm you can communicate conversationally. You also need a clean criminal record and a lawful source of income. An active criminal prosecution, a prison sentence over three years in the past five, or an inability to show legitimate earnings can each defeat an application.
How to Apply After the 2025 Reform
For more than 150 years, naturalization was a judicial process. You filed at a federal court, appeared before a judge, published newspaper notices, and eventually took the oath in a hearing. Decree 366/2025, issued in May 2025, replaced that with an administrative process run by the National Directorate of Migration (DNM).1Rights Mapping and Analysis Platform. Argentina Nationality/Citizenship/Naturalization Law
Applications now start online through the RaDEX system on the migration authority’s website. You must be physically present in Argentina when you file. The federal courts no longer handle the initial review; a bureaucratic file replaces the judicial one, and the immigration authority evaluates whether you meet the requirements.
Because the reform is recent, processing times, the format of the oath, and the shape of the administrative appeals path are still settling. Check the DNM website directly for the current step-by-step before you file.
Documents You Will Need
The document package is broadly the same whether you are applying under the transition rules or under the new online procedure.
- Your DNI, which you receive when you obtain legal residency and which is the baseline ID for any official process
- Your original or certified birth certificate from your home country, bearing a Hague Apostille or equivalent legalization; consulates commonly require it to have been issued within the last six months3Consulate General in Atlanta. Argentine Nationality by Option
- Certified Spanish translations of any non-Spanish document, done by a traductor público registered in Argentina; translations completed abroad are generally not accepted
- A criminal background certificate from the Argentine Registro Nacional de Reincidencia, requestable online
- A police clearance or equivalent from every country you have lived in, apostilled and translated
- Proof of legitimate income, such as an employment contract, pay stubs, or Monotributo tax registration
The Argentine background certificate costs between 1,000 and 8,500 pesos depending on speed; the one-hour option is the most expensive and the five-business-day option the cheapest.5Argentina.gob.ar. Certificado de Antecedentes Penales These certificates have a short validity window, so order them close to filing. Foreign documents take much longer to apostille and translate, so start those first and leave the Argentine background check for last.
Keeping Your Other Citizenship
Argentina does not require you to give up your existing nationality when you naturalize. Argentine citizenship is compatible with holding other passports, and the government confirms this position through its consular offices.6Consulado General y Centro de Promoción en Miami. How to Obtain Argentine Citizenship by Descent If you are American, Canadian, European, or hold any other nationality, you keep it.
The reverse is also true, and it surprises people. Argentine law treats citizenship as something you cannot voluntarily abandon. Once you are Argentine, the state considers the bond permanent. You can acquire further citizenships, but you cannot formally renounce your Argentine one. If your home country restricts dual nationality, keep in mind that from the Argentine side the tie stays on paper regardless of what you do abroad.
The Tax Side Most New Citizens Miss
Argentina taxes residents on worldwide income, not just Argentine-source earnings. Foreign bank accounts, overseas investments, real estate held abroad, and income earned outside Argentina all become reportable and potentially taxable once you are a tax resident.
Argentina also imposes a wealth tax, Bienes Personales, on the total value of a resident’s worldwide assets above a threshold that adjusts periodically. Rates are progressive, starting at 0.5% and rising with the value of your holdings. For anyone with meaningful assets outside the country, this tax can be a real surprise.
The United States and Argentina do not have an income tax treaty, so dual U.S.-Argentine citizens cannot use treaty provisions to avoid double taxation on the same income.7Internal Revenue Service. United States Income Tax Treaties – A to Z U.S. citizens who naturalize in Argentina remain subject to U.S. worldwide taxation as well, potentially owing both governments on the same earnings. Foreign tax credits can offset part of the burden, but the interaction is complicated enough that professional tax advice becomes a real cost of dual citizenship.
When Applications Are Denied
Most naturalization applications are approved, but denials do happen. The usual grounds are an active criminal prosecution, a prison sentence over three years within the past five years, or a failure to show legitimate income. Incomplete documentation will also stall an application, though that is normally fixable by resubmitting.
Under the old judicial system, a federal court of appeals could review a denial, and courts generally deferred to the trial judge’s factual findings. The appeals path under the new administrative framework is not yet fully tested. If you are denied under the DNM process, expect to work through administrative appeals inside the immigration authority first, and treat judicial review as a later step.