Argentine citizenship in 2026: how to get it, what it gives and dual citizenship

In short

• There are four ways to become an Argentine citizen: by birth in the country, by option for children of Argentines born abroad, by naturalisation after two years of legal residence and, since 2025, through a significant investment.
• For most foreigners the route is naturalisation. In 2026 there are two disputed paths: Migraciones through RaDEX — since 6 October 2025, with two years of residence without a single exit — and a federal court under Law 346, as before the reform. Several courts, including the National Electoral Chamber, have held the transfer to Migraciones invalid in specific cases; the Supreme Court has not ruled yet.
• The Argentine passport ranks 16th in the Henley Passport Index 2026, with visa-free access to 169 destinations including Schengen, the UK and Japan.
• Argentina does not require you to give up your current citizenship; Russia allows a second citizenship but it must be notified to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• A child born in Argentina is Argentine at once, but the parents do not get citizenship "through the child" automatically.

What Argentine citizenship gives you

• The passport. 16th in the Henley Passport Index 2026, visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 169 destinations: the Schengen Area, the UK, Japan and most of Latin America. A visa is still required for the United States.
• Mercosur. Under the Mercosur Residence Agreement, Argentine citizens can live and work in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and associated states — Chile, Colombia, Peru and others — through a simplified procedure.
• Spain. Spain's Civil Code lets nationals of Ibero-American countries, Argentina included, apply for Spanish citizenship after two years of legal residence instead of ten.
• Rights at home. No residence terms or renewals and no risk of losing status for living abroad; free public universities and hospitals on equal terms; the right to vote. Voting is compulsory for citizens aged 18 to 70.
• Family. A citizen's spouse and children gain a ground for family-reunification residence.

All routes to citizenship compared

Marriage to an Argentine and a child born here do not give citizenship by themselves: they give residence, followed by ordinary naturalisation. Residence is covered in "Residence and permanent residence in Argentina in 2026".

A child born in Argentina and the parents

A child born in Argentina is a citizen by birth: after registration at the Registro Civil the baby gets a DNI and an Argentine passport. The 2025 reform did not change this. For the parents, the child is a ground for temporary family-reunification residence for up to three years; citizenship then follows the general naturalisation rules once they have two years of residence. The whole path is in "The baby's citizenship and the parents' residency"; Russian citizenship for the baby is in "Russian citizenship for a child born in Argentina".

Step by step: from arrival to an Argentine passport

1. Legal entry. Russian citizens need no visa for up to 90 days.
2. Residence. File in RaDEX under your category: family, income, work, study. Time on a precaria does not count.
3. Foreigner's DNI. It makes it easier to prove address, income and CUIL.
4. Two years of residence. For Migraciones, without a single exit; keep a record of trips if you choose the courts.
5. Documents. RENAPER criminal record certificate, apostilled certificates from previous countries of residence, an apostilled birth certificate with a sworn translation, proof of income.
6. Filing. In RaDEX, or before a federal judge through a lawyer; in court, edicts are also published.
7. Decision and citizen documents. After approval a carta de ciudadanía is issued, followed by a citizen's DNI and an Argentine passport.

What DNU 366/2025 changed

• Naturalisation decisions moved from judges to the National Migration Directorate.
• It requires two years of “continuous and lawful” residence before applying; the decree expressly defines continuity as no trips abroad at all during that period.
• Time on a precaria does not count.
• It created a separate route — citizenship for a “relevant investment” regardless of residence time (see below).
• A child born in Argentina is still Argentine by birth — the reform did not touch this.

The administrative route: Migraciones

• Who: over 18, holding temporary or permanent residence, applying from inside Argentina.
• Documents to start: foreigner’s DNI, a recent Argentine criminal record (Registro Nacional de Reincidencia), proof of occupation or means of support, and a CUIT or CUIL certificate. Migraciones may ask for more.
• Filing: online in RaDEX — register, fill in the form, upload documents.
• Pros: no lawyer or published edicts required, and the procedure is meant to be faster.
• Cons: the strict “no trips in two years” rule and legal uncertainty, since courts are challenging the mechanism itself. A Migraciones refusal can be appealed in court.

The judicial route: Law 346

• You apply to the federal judge with electoral jurisdiction where you live, usually through a lawyer.
• Courts traditionally require two years of residence but have not read it as “no trips at all” — short trips usually were not a problem. How a court will treat your case now is a question for your lawyer.
• Typical file: DNI and residence, criminal records from Argentina and your country of origin, an apostilled birth certificate with a sworn translation, proof of income, witnesses or other evidence of life in the country.
• The court orders edicts to be published — under Art. 11 of Law 346, for two days in a newspaper where you actually live.
• Timing depends on the court: from a few months to two years or more.

DNU 366/2025 timeline: the courts and the authorities

In Argentina court rulings bind only the parties to the case. Until the Supreme Court rules, practice will remain uneven. Each event in this timeline, with its official source, is in our News section; we add new rulings there as they come out.

How to choose a route now

• You already have two years with no trips, plus residence and DNI — filing with Migraciones may be faster, but factor in the risk of challenges.
• You left the country even once — you do not meet the Migraciones rule; we assess the judicial route.
• You met the old-law requirements before 29.05.2025 — the judicial route has strong arguments (Esquel ruling).
• Your case is already filed with Migraciones — don’t abandon it; discuss with a lawyer whether to go to court in parallel or instead.
• Waiting for the Supreme Court makes little sense: certificates expire and there is no deadline for a ruling.

Counting residence time and what breaks it

• The clock runs from when you hold residence, not a precaria. For parents of an Argentine child this is usually the approval date of temporary family reunification residence.
• For Migraciones, any trip — even a weekend in Uruguay — resets the two years.
• Six months or more abroad may lead to cancellation of the temporary residence itself.
• Before applying, check how Argentine citizenship fits with your current one: Argentina does not require you to renounce it, but Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, for example, do not recognise dual citizenship. For Russian citizenship for your child, see this article.

Dual citizenship: Russia and Argentina

• Argentina does not require naturalising foreigners to give up their previous citizenship.
• Russia allows a second citizenship, but under the 2023 citizenship law (138-FZ) it must be notified to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 60 days — of receiving the document if you are in Russia, or of entering Russia if you received it abroad. Notification is made in person, through Gosuslugi or by a representative with a power of attorney. Parents notify on behalf of a child who is an Argentine citizen.
• Penalties: a fine for late notification (art. 19.8.3 of the Administrative Code) and criminal liability for deliberate concealment (art. 330.2 of the Criminal Code). The rules change, so check the current version before entering Russia.
• Other countries differ: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, for example, do not recognise dual citizenship, so their nationals should weigh the consequences before applying.

What it costs

• Certificates and documents: the RENAPER criminal record certificate, apostilled certificates from previous countries of residence and sworn translations, at official and Translators' College rates.
• Migraciones: a separate naturalisation fee is not published in the general migration fee table; RaDEX shows the current amount when you file.
• Courts: add the publication of edicts in a newspaper and, usually, a lawyer's fee, which depends on the case and is agreed in advance.
• Investment: from USD 350,000 non-refundable for the main applicant, plus amounts for family members and the due-diligence check.

The real "price" of naturalisation is time and discipline rather than money: two years with residence and, for Migraciones, no exits.

The golden passport: citizenship by investment

DNU 366/2025 allowed naturalisation for a “relevant investment” with no residence requirement. On October 2, 2026 the Economy Minister announced the parameters: a non-refundable Treasury contribution from USD 350,000 or USD 800,000 in a special bond; USD 100,000 each for a spouse and children aged 18–25, USD 25,000 for each child under 18. Applications are promised for Q4 2026, with source-of-funds checks. The amounts are not yet set in a dedicated regulation, and the legal basis is disputed. Details and a waiting list are on our Citizenship by investment page. Don’t pay for “pre-registration”: there is no official portal yet.

Can you renounce or lose Argentine citizenship?

Law 346 provides no procedure for renouncing Argentine citizenship, and the courts have traditionally treated citizenship by birth as inalienable — an Argentine by birth stays Argentine for life, even living abroad. The law also contains no general grounds for losing citizenship for moving away or holding another nationality. A naturalisation decision based on false information or forged documents can be challenged like any administrative or court decision, so file only genuine certificates.

Common mistakes

• Counting precaria time toward residence.
• Taking a “couple of days” trip abroad during the two years and finding out at the refusal.
• Filing with an outdated criminal record or untranslated foreign documents.
• Expecting citizenship “through the child” automatically — it doesn’t exist.
• Choosing a route based on someone else’s case: court rulings are individual.

How we help

We count your residence time and trips, collect and translate documents and find an independent lawyer for the judicial route — see Legal support; the family’s full route is in Birth in Argentina: step by step.