Citizenship Application in Argentina: real experience from chats

Investment-based citizenship pathways (e.g., $500k in business or $1M in bonds) are rumored but are not currently codified into law. Residency (DNI) processes remain active, but citizenship is currently subject to extreme legal delays and high uncertainty.

Citizenship is an individual legal act usually requiring adulthood. While parents obtaining citizenship can grant their children permanent residency, the children generally must wait until they are 18 to apply for citizenship themselves, unless born in Argentina.

Key changes included: 1. Transfer of citizenship authority from federal judges to the National Directorate of Migration (DNM). 2. Stricter interpretation of the 2-year continuous residency requirement, demanding legal and uninterrupted stay without leaving the country. 3. Introduction of citizenship by investment (from 500,000 USD). 4. Reduction of 'precaria' residency validity from 180 to 90 days, no longer counting towards citizenship. 5. Stricter Permanent Residency (PMM) requirements, no longer automatically granted for parents of Argentine-born children. However, on June 30, 2026, the Electoral Chamber (Argentina's highest electoral court) declared significant parts of DNU 366/2025 null and void. The court ruled that citizenship matters, being related to electoral rights, cannot be regulated by presidential decree, citing Article 99.3 of the Constitution. Consequently: - Citizenship authority reverted to federal judges. - The strict '2 years without leaving the country' residency requirement for citizenship is no longer in effect; previous flexible judicial practice applies. - Citizenship by investment is legally suspended. - Provisions related to PMM (Permanent Residency), particularly the stricter rules for parents of Argentine-born children, were part of the migration law and were not affected by this specific annulment, thus remaining in force. The overall landscape for citizenship and residency remains dynamic with ongoing legal interpretation.

The Milei decree requires a 2-year residency with a DNI before applying through the migration service, which is experiencing significant delays. Alternative legal routes through courts based on older rules are possible but require legal counsel and are time-consuming, with sporadic successes. Obtaining citizenship is not a predictable process at this time.

No exit from the country is allowed during this period, even for emergencies. The practical application of this law is yet to be fully seen.

Holding a legal residency (DNI/residency permit) is a mandatory requirement. There are no official legal requirements for Spanish language proficiency, though judicial practice has sometimes involved language testing in specific cases. The process is heavily influenced by court rulings.

Citizenship application requires prior residency status (DNI/Residencia). Proposed investment schemes for citizenship are speculative and currently have no legal basis.