What Argentina's certificate of Spanish as a second language is, how the exam works, the next dates, and when you might want it. Residence does not require it.
The CELU (Spanish certificate) is Argentina's certificate of Spanish as a second language. According to its own site, it is the only Spanish exam officially recognised by Argentina's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You do not need it to apply for residence.
From the February 2026 sitting, the CELU certifies 3 levels: Básico, Intermedio and Avanzado.
A 2025 guide, written before that change, compares the levels with the European scale (CEFR):
These are approximate. Check the CELU site for how levels are awarded now.
According to the same 2025 guide, it is a single exam with a written part and an oral part.
The next sitting listed on the CELU site when we checked:
We did not find the 2026 fee for taking the exam in Argentina. A 2025 guide gave the fee in Europe as EUR 120. Check the CELU site before you register.
For residence: no. The 2025 decree that rewrote the migration rules contains no language test or integration requirement. Its only language provision is a right to an interpreter in expulsion proceedings.
For citizenship: unclear in practice. No Spanish test or civics exam appears in the citizenship law as amended, in its regulating decree, or in the starting requirements Migraciones lists. Some federal courts have asked applicants for Spanish ability, relying on an older law that has since been repealed. We could not verify what happens in practice now, but a judge may expect you to communicate in Spanish. If you plan to apply, ask an independent lawyer what to expect in your case. No source we found says a court requires a certificate.
For university. Does the University of Buenos Aires require C1-level Spanish from applicants from non-Spanish-speaking countries? Yes, according to a July 2026 report. We found nothing on which certificates it accepts as proof. Ask the university before you sit any exam.
For work and daily life. No source we found makes the CELU a requirement. Day to day, what matters is whether you can follow a form, a contract or an appointment in Spanish. A driving-test site, for example, reports that licence exams are in Spanish only.
UBA's language laboratory runs its own intermediate certificate, the CEI (Certificado de Español Intermedio). We found no statement on how it compares with the CELU.
To prepare, see where to study and what it costs. If you are thinking about citizenship, read the naturalisation route first.
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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