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Moving to Argentina

Work residency: employed by a company in Argentina

Residency route · Trabajador migrante

For people hired as employees by an employer in Argentina. The employer leads this route, and we do not run it.

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The test

A real job as an employee, with an employer registered with Migraciones and the tax authority, and a signed pre-contract.

Is this you?

You have a job offer from an employer in Argentina. You would be an employee, on the employer's payroll.

The employer leads this route. It must be registered with Migraciones' register of employers who hire foreigners, called . It must also be registered with , the tax authority. It signs a pre-contract with you and registers your job. Without those steps on the employer's side, an application cannot meet the test.

We do not run this route. We do not prepare the employer's filings, and we do not file for you. If you have questions about your own case, we can put you in touch with an independent lawyer. You engage and pay the lawyer directly.

If you work remotely for clients or an employer outside Argentina, this is not your route. Read the digital nomad page. If you live on income from investments, read the rentista page. If you are a national of a Mercosur country, also read the Mercosur page: that route has no income or sponsor test.

The test

Migraciones grants this residence to an employee in a registered job. All of these must be in place:

  • The employer's registrations. .
  • A pre-contract with you. .
  • Early registration of your job. The employer files an (early registration) with ARCA within of the start of your application. The rule counts calendar days.
  • A real job. When work is the stated purpose of your stay, a job offer that is not real is a ground for refusal.

You file the application yourself, online through , from inside Argentina.

If you are still abroad, there is a second way in. The employer can ask Migraciones for a (entry permit). You then apply for a visa at the Argentine consulate that covers where you live.

What you will need

  • A job offer as an employee of an employer in Argentina.
  • From the employer: .
  • A valid passport and proof of your legal entry to Argentina.
  • Proof of your address in Argentina.
  • A police certificate from each country you lived in for more than in the last .
  • Foreign documents authenticated by .
  • For documents not in Spanish: a .
  • The Argentine criminal-record certificate. You request it inside RADEX.

How long it takes

Migraciones publishes no decision times. We have no estimate for work cases that is sourced well enough to show you.

While your application is decided, Migraciones may issue a (temporary certificate). It is valid for up to and can be renewed. It lets you stay, leave and re-enter, work and study. It does not mean your application will succeed.

Once granted, residence as an employee lasts . A renewal can be filed from before it expires.

What it costs

You pay government fees yourself, through the payment slips that RADEX generates. They go to the government, never to us. We charge nothing for this route.

  • Residence fee: . Mercosur nationals pay .
  • : .
  • Argentine criminal-record certificate: from , depending on how fast you need it.
  • Each renewal: . Mercosur nationals pay .

Translations, apostilles and police certificates cost extra. If you choose to use a lawyer, you pay the lawyer directly.

Where people go wrong

  • Filing before the employer is registered in RENURE and with ARCA.
  • A pre-contract that leaves out required items, or whose signatures are not certified by a notary or a Migraciones agent.
  • The employer's early registration with ARCA filed after the limit.
  • A job offer that is not real. When work is the stated purpose, that is a ground for refusal.
  • Starting work on a tourist stay. Tourists may not do paid work.
  • Treating remote work for a foreign employer as this route. It needs an employer in Argentina.

What it leads to

Temporary residence as an employee, granted at a time and renewable.

After of temporary residence you may apply for permanent residence by . Mercosur nationals may apply after .

The conditions for permanent residence:

  • Sufficient economic means to live in Argentina. Migraciones has published no standard for what counts.
  • Presence in Argentina for more than of the period. Two Migraciones pages word this differently, "at least" and "more than", so the exact rule is unclear.
  • No absence of or more in a row.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, talk to a lawyer

Ask the guide about this route