Argentina

ARG

Argentina offers one of the world's fastest naturalisation timelines at just two years of residency, and Buenos Aires remains a world-class city at a fraction of the cost of comparable European capitals. Economic volatility has historically been a concern, but the country's cultural richness and affordability continue to attract expatriates.

Naturalisation: 2 years
Tax system: Residence Based
Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS)
Dual citizenship: Allowed
Capital: Buenos Aires
Region: americas
Population: 45,600,000
Cost-of-living: 24 /100

→ If you hold a Argentina passport, see the Argentina nationality guide

Passport Rank

#18

Visa-Free

145

destinations

Visa-free travel

A Argentina passport has visa-free access to 145 destinations. See the full Argentina passport breakdown →

Passports that enter Argentina without a prior visa (88)

Visa-free, visa on arrival, or on an eTA.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Czech Republic+70 more

Community-sourced (passport-index, synced 2026-08-18) — verify with the embassy before travel.

5 approved English test centres in Argentina →

Immigrating to Canada from Argentina

Current IRCC processing times for Argentina nationals, by application type.

Visitor visa (outside Canada)	21 days
Super visa	No processing time available
Study permit	No processing time available
Work permit	No processing time available
Sponsor a dependent child	No processing time available
Adopted child (citizenship)	Not enough data
Government-assisted refugees	Not enough data
Privately sponsored refugees	sponsor: Not enough data / refugee: Not enough data

Your application may take longer than the times shown here. They’re not a maximum or a guarantee.

As of 2026-10-07 (IRCC). See all Canada processing times →

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — “Check processing times”. This is a copy of the version available at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html. Reproduced under the Government of Canada’s non-commercial reproduction terms; not endorsed by or affiliated with IRCC.

Sources & last verified

Government of Canada — non-commercial reproduction (canada.ca Terms and conditions)

Official source

Country Details

Capital: Buenos Aires
Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS)
Languages: Spanish
Population: 45,600,000
Tax System: Residence Based
Dual Citizenship: Allowed
Naturalisation: 2 years
Schengen / EU: No
Climate: Subtropical / Temperate / Desert
English Proficiency Rank: #26
GDP per capita: $14,898
Life expectancy: 77.54 yrs
Population growth: 0.34%/yr

GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population growth: World Bank (2025).

Indices

Cost of Living

Safety

Healthcare

Quality of Life

137

Tax Summary

Tax System: Residence Based
Territorial Taxation: No — worldwide income taxed for residents
Naturalisation: 2 years of legal residency
Dual Citizenship: Allowed

Cost of Living by City

← scroll the table →

Monthly cost of living per major city in USD: rent, groceries, utilities, transit pass
City	Rent 1BR centre	Rent outside	Groceries	Utilities	Transit pass
Buenos Aires	$550	$380	$200	$60	$15
Córdoba	$380	$260	$180	$55	$12

Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.

Climate

Buenos Aires

24°J

23°F

20°M

17°A

13°M

10°J

11°A

13°S

17°O

20°N

23°D

Rainfall range: 60–110 mm/month · Daylight 10h (winter) to 15h (summer)

Córdoba

23°J

22°F

20°M

16°A

12°M

9°J

11°A

13°S

17°O

20°N

22°D

Rainfall range: 15–90 mm/month · Daylight 10h (winter) to 14h (summer)

Visa Categories & Immigration Authority

Major Visa Categories

Visitor
Student
Worker
Mercosur Residence
Rentista
Pensionado
Investor
Family
Permanent Residence

Authority: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM)
Official Portal: www.argentina.gob.ar/migraciones
Phone: +54 11 4317-0234
Email: inmigraciones@migraciones.gov.ar

Naturalisation Details

Residence Years: 2
Language Test: No
Civic Test: Yes
Oath Required: Yes
Dual Allowed: Yes
Fee: $0
Processing: ~18 months

Real Estate

Avg price/sqm (capital): $2,200
Transaction taxes: 3%

Foreign buyers: Foreigners may purchase property freely. Transactions typically quoted in USD cash (blue-chip swap or MEP dollar common). Buenos Aires Palermo/Recoleta USD $1,500-3,000/sqm. No transfer tax at national level; Buenos Aires city stamp duty ~2.5%; ITABI ~3.6%. Significant currency-control risk for repatriation.

International Schools

← scroll the table →

International schools by city, curriculum, and annual tuition
School	City	Curriculum	Tuition (USD/yr)
Lincoln International Academy (The American School)	Buenos Aires	US + IB	$18,000–$28,000
Asociacion Escuelas Lincoln	Buenos Aires	IB	$16,000–$25,000

Daily Life Logistics

Internet

100 Mbps median

40% fibre coverage

eSIM: Claro AR, Personal (Telecom), Movistar AR

Driving

IDP not required

Local licence required after 12 months

Exchange eligible: Mercosur licences accepted directly; most foreign licences + IDP valid for 12 months; then local licence required

Pet Relocation

Quarantine: none

Rabies titre not required

EU pet passport: not accepted

Safety

GPI Rank

#77

Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)

Common Risks

⚠motochorro (motorcycle robbery) in Buenos Aires
⚠express kidnapping targeting dollar-exchange visitors
⚠ATM card skimming at standalone machines
⚠bag snatching on Subte

Examples of areas to avoid: La Boca beyond El Caminito tourist area, Constitución station area late night, Barrio 31 periphery after dark

LGBTQ+ Legal Status

Same-Sex Marriage: Legal
Civil Partnerships: Recognised
Anti-Discrimination Law: Yes
ILGA Rank: #13

Religious Life

Halal Food: Limited
Kosher Food: Widely available
Prayer Facilities: Common

Sample Citizenship Test Questions

Q1. In what year did Argentina become the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage?

Answer: 2010

Source: Ministerio del Interior Argentina

Q2. Argentine citizenship, once granted, is irrevocable under Argentine law. True or false?

Answer: True

Source: Ley 346 / Argentine Nationality Law

Regulators & official sources

Bodies that regulate immigration advice in Argentina, and the official sources indexed for it by Visa Atlas. Descriptions are verbatim; each links to its source.

Colegio Público de la Abogacía de la Capital Federal

CPACF

Bar association that registers and regulates lawyers practising in the City of Buenos Aires, including those advising on immigration and residence matters.

Colegio Público de la Abogacía de la Capital Federal

Sources & last verified

Index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-20.

Official source

Related Guides

Exit tax: countries that charge you to leave

Country-by-country reference of departure taxes, deemed-disposition rules, and wealth-locking regimes that trigger when tax residency ends.

Related on The Citizenship Desk

Move here

Life logistics

Reference tables

Visa Programs

Argentina Rentista Residency Visa

Argentina ARG

Passive Income

Est. processing

~3mo

Min. Income

$2,000/mo

Citizenship

Verified 2026-06-01

Argentina Pensionado (Retiree) Visa

Argentina ARG

Retirement

Est. processing

~2mo

Min. Income

$2,000/mo

Citizenship

Verified 2026-06-01

Cities in Argentina

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is South America's most European capital by feel — wide boulevards, sidewalk cafés, tango halls, and Beaux-Arts and Art Deco architecture — at a fraction of Madrid or Barcelona prices. The city draws retirees and financially independent foreigners chiefly through the Rentista visa, which grants residency to applicants who can document stable passive income such as pensions, investments, or rental income, without requiring local employment. Argentina also offers one of the fastest naturalisation timelines anywhere: two years of continuous legal residence. The defining fact of daily life is currency volatility. The peso has cycled through repeated high-inflation periods and shifting exchange controls over the past decade, and although restrictions have eased recently, the practical effect persists: rents in the furnished, expat-facing market are quoted and paid in US dollars, and residents budget in USD rather than track peso figures that go stale within weeks. Day-to-day peso costs — groceries, transit, domestic help, dining out — remain genuinely low by international standards even after adjusting for the exchange rate, the core of the city's affordability pitch. Buenos Aires has also become a real remote-work base for digital nomads despite Argentina having no dedicated nomad visa; most renew on tourist stays or pursue the Rentista route instead.

Hospitals

Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Argentina ARG

CardiologyOncologyNeurologyTransplantation+2

4 languages15k intl. patients/yr

Citizenship by Descent

Argentine Citizenship by Descent (Opción de Nacionalidad) & Ancestry-Based Naturalization

Argentina

Est. Cost

$300– $4,500

Processing

8–30mo

Verified 2026-07-07

Sources & last verified

Last verified 2026-04-20