Only permanent residents use Argentina's public health system on the same terms as Argentines. Everyone else should expect to show insurance or pay before scheduled care in some public hospitals.
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Only permanent residents use Argentina's public health system on the same terms as Argentines. If you are a tourist, a temporary resident or waiting on a precaria (temporary residence certificate), plan to have health cover that pays for scheduled care, because some public hospitals now ask for insurance or payment first.
Decree 366/2025 rewrote the health rules in the migration law. Three points matter to you.
Courts have struck down the citizenship part of the decree in individual cases. As reported, those rulings concern citizenship only. When last reported, the migration and health rules were still being applied.
A Ministry of Health rule, Resolución 1066/2026 (Ministerio de Salud), put the decree into practice in hospitals run by the national government. It covers 5 hospitals: Posadas, Carrillo, Bonaparte, Sommer and the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Psicofísica del Sur.
Who it applies to: Every foreigner without permanent residence. That includes temporary residents and people on a precaria.
Before scheduled care, you must either show insurance that covers the service or pay 100% of the quoted price.
Some places billed foreigners before the national rule. Where billing already applies: Salta, Mendoza, Santa Cruz and Jujuy since 2024; Buenos Aires City since March 2025; all with emergency exceptions.
Each place sets its own test for who pays.
Published tariffs give a sense of scale. They date from early 2025, so prices today may be different.
The decree says emergency care cannot be refused. Whether a bill follows is less clear.
Reports on Buenos Aires City say emergencies stay free there. Mendoza published an emergency-room tariff. Summaries of the national rule differ: one says emergencies are exempt, another says they are treated first and may be billed afterwards.
So the rule is unclear. Assume a bill may follow, and carry cover that pays for emergencies as well as scheduled care.
The decree also asks people entering Argentina to declare that they hold health insurance. That declaration only becomes enforceable once it is regulated.
So you may be asked for proof of insurance when you arrive. Carry it.
Until you hold permanent residence, have cover that pays for scheduled care in Argentina. Your options are these.
Signing up locally may be harder before you have an ID card. One forum report: A parent could not enrol children in a health plan that required a DNI. Ask each plan whether it accepts a passport or a precaria before you rely on it.
This page shows the date it was last checked.
Compare prices and what to ask in Private health plans compared. If you are still choosing how to move, the Route Finder shows the routes you may fit.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, talk to a lawyer
Each route page sets out the test, what you need and what it costs.
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