Apostilles and sworn translations for Irish, UK, US, Canadian and Australian documents

Migraciones asks two things of foreign documents. First, an apostille or a legalisation by the Argentine consulate in the country that issued them. Second, if they are not in Spanish, a sworn Spanish translation legalised in Argentina.

The rule

The Migraciones route pages set these rules.

• Foreign documents must carry an apostille (Hague Convention) or legalisation by the Argentine consulate in the issuing country.
• A document in another language needs a Spanish translation by a Traductor Público Nacional, legalised by the Colegio de Traductores.
• Documents issued by foreign consulates inside Argentina need legalisation by the Argentine foreign ministry (except Mercosur).
• You must show the originals, and Migraciones may ask for more documents.

An apostille is the authentication of a document under the Hague Convention. A Traductor Público Nacional (sworn public translator) is a translator registered in Argentina.

Which documents usually need this

• A police certificate from each country you lived in for more than 1 year during the last 3 years. See police certificates.
• Your route evidence. For rentista, proof that your income comes from assets you own. For pensionado, a certificate from the body that pays your pension. For family, a legalised marriage or birth certificate.
• Birth certificates, which the route pages list only for minors and for claims based on parentage. They do not list one for adult rentista, pensionado, work or student applicants.

Documents from Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia are usually in English. Any document that is not in Spanish needs the sworn translation.

Irish, UK, US, Canadian and Australian documents

We have not yet researched how each of these countries issues police certificates or apostilles. We will not guess at the offices, fees or times. Here is what holds for all five:

• The apostille or consular legalisation is done in the country that issued the document. Plan to finish it before you travel.
• To find who issues apostilles, start from the government website of the country that issued the document. Rely on the government's own pages.
• If an apostille is not available for a document, the alternative the rules name is legalisation by the Argentine consulate in that country.
• A translation certified at home does not meet the rule unless a Traductor Público Nacional made it and the translators' college in Argentina legalised it.

Step-by-step pages for each country are not here because we have not checked them.

Sworn translation in Argentina

In Buenos Aires City, translations are legalised by the translators' college, the Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (CTPCBA). The figures below are for Buenos Aires City.

Legalisation fees per document:

• Simple, on paper or digital: ARS 33,000 (about USD 21 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026).
• Urgent, on paper: ARS 38,000 (about USD 25 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026).
• Urgent, digital: ARS 48,000 (about USD 31 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026).

The translator's own fee comes on top. One translator, citing the college's minimum rates, quoted about ARS 60,800 (about USD 39 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) per page for personal documents. Fees vary, so ask for a quote first.

Turnaround after payment:

• Simple digital: 48 business hours.
• Urgent digital: about 3 hours.
• Simple on paper: 24 business hours.

Digital legalisation needs the translator's digital signature and a single PDF of source plus translation.

We have not confirmed whether Migraciones accepts a digitally legalised translation at the appointment in place of paper. Ask your translator, and bring every original.

A sensible order

1. Gather your documents at home. Order police certificates last, so they are as recent as possible.
2. Get each one apostilled, or legalised by the Argentine consulate, in the country that issued it.
3. Travel to Argentina.
4. Have each document that is not in Spanish translated by a Traductor Público Nacional, and get the translation legalised.
5. Upload scans or photos when you file online, and bring the originals to your appointment.

What to do next

Read police certificates: which countries and how fresh. If you have not chosen a route yet, the Route Finder shows the routes you may fit and the documents each one needs.