Argentine citizenship by descent is available to anyone born abroad with at least one Argentine-born parent, claimed through a legal right called the “option” (opción de nacionalidad) under Law 346 of 1869 and Article 75 of the Constitution.1United Nations. Legislative Series – Laws Concerning Nationality2Congreso de la Nación Argentina. National Constitution – Section 75 There is no age limit, no residency requirement, and no need to renounce another passport. The result is native Argentine citizenship, not naturalization, and once granted it cannot be renounced.
Who Qualifies
Argentine law recognizes children born abroad to Argentine-born parents as eligible for citizenship of origin by option. If your mother or father was born on Argentine soil, you qualify regardless of where you live or how old you are. People who obtain citizenship this way are classified as native Argentines rather than naturalized citizens, which matters because native nationality carries stronger constitutional protections.
Grandchildren do not qualify directly. The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs is explicit: “You may not get the Argentine citizenship straight from your grandparents.”3Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto. How to apply for the Argentine Nationality The way around this is a two-step chain: your parent (the child of your Argentine-born grandparent) claims citizenship by option first, and once your parent holds Argentine citizenship, you can then claim through them. Two applications, two timelines, but the same final status.
If your Argentine ancestor is more distant than a grandparent and no living intermediate relative can complete the chain, standard naturalization is the remaining option. That route requires two continuous years of residency in Argentina and produces naturalized status, which does not carry the same irrevocability protections as native citizenship.3Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto. How to apply for the Argentine Nationality
How the Process Differs by Age
The procedure splits into two tracks based on how old the applicant is.
Minors Under 18
For a child under 18 with an Argentine-born parent, the parent registers the child at the local Argentine consulate using the child’s foreign birth certificate. The consulate handles the case administratively. The parent signs the Acta de Opción on the child’s behalf, and the child’s fingerprints and photograph are taken at the appointment.4Consulate General and Promotion Center in Los Angeles. Nacionalidad argentina – Section: Como se desarrolla el acto el dia del turno The DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad) is then issued through the consular office.5Argentina.gob.ar. Tramitar el DNI con la opcion de nacionalidad argentina
Adults 18 and Over
Adults have historically needed to establish parentage before an Argentine federal judge, either by appearing in Argentina or acting through counsel. Procedures for nationality by option are governed by Decree 1601/2004, and the regulatory picture shifted again with Decree 366/2025, which moved certain nationality processes online through the Immigration Department (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones).6Rights Mapping and Analysis Platform. Nationality/Citizenship/Naturalization Law Because this is actively evolving, confirm current requirements with the Argentine consulate that has jurisdiction over your address before assembling paperwork.
When Your Parent Is Argentine by Option
If your Argentine parent was not born in Argentina but obtained citizenship by option themselves (because your grandparent was the native-born Argentine), you still qualify — but not through a consulate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that children of Argentines by option “must opt for the Argentine nationality via a local attorney before a Federal Court in Argentina.”3Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto. How to apply for the Argentine Nationality
This means retaining a licensed Argentine attorney, filing a petition with a federal court, and going through judicial review. Expect roughly one to two years. No Argentine residency is required, because this remains a form of citizenship by option rather than naturalization. You can travel to Argentina for the proceedings or grant power of attorney to your lawyer.
Documents You Will Need
Building an unbroken paper trail from you to your Argentine-born ancestor is where most of the work sits. Every link in that chain needs an official record.
- Your long-form birth certificate showing both parents’ names and nationalities
- Your Argentine parent’s or ancestor’s birth certificate from the Argentine Civil Registry (Registro Civil)
- Marriage certificates for each generation, if names changed or a link needs to be established
- Death certificates for any deceased ancestor in the chain
- Your parent’s Argentine DNI or passport, original if available
Every document issued outside Argentina must carry an Apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention. Both Argentina and the United States are signatories, so no separate consular legalization is needed between the two countries.7Consulate General and Promotion Center in New York. Hague Apostille on United States Public Documents In the U.S., Apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State office of the state where the document was created, usually for a small fee up to around $25 per document.
Every non-Spanish document then needs a translation by a registered Public Translator (Traductor Público) in Argentina, with the translator’s signature legalized by the Colegio de Traductores Públicos. A general translation service will not be accepted. Budget several hundred dollars for translation and legalization of a full document set.
Argentine civil registry records should be requested with current digital signatures or official stamps. Older records may sit with a specific provincial registry, and response times vary by province.
Fees and Timelines
Consular Route
Schedule the appointment through the consular portal that covers your address. At the appointment you submit the document package, sign the Acta de Opción, and provide fingerprints and a photograph. At the Los Angeles consulate, the fee is $80 for the Acta de Nacionalidad plus $15 for the DNI; other consulates may charge differently.4Consulate General and Promotion Center in Los Angeles. Nacionalidad argentina – Section: Como se desarrolla el acto el dia del turno The DNI generally reaches the consulate within six to eight weeks.8Consulate General in Atlanta. Argentine nationality by option Once the DNI is issued, you can apply for an Argentine passport.
Federal Court Route
After a successful court decree, you obtain the DNI from RENAPER (the National Registry of Persons). The domestic fee for a DNI issued with a nationality option is 10,000 Argentine pesos.9Argentina.gob.ar. Tarifario de tramites de RENAPER Attorney fees, court costs, and travel push the judicial route well above the consular one in total cost, and the timeline runs one to two years.
What Argentine Citizenship Means Once You Have It
Dual Citizenship
Argentina permits dual nationality. Claiming Argentine citizenship does not require you to renounce your existing citizenship, and holding another passport does not affect your Argentine status. Argentina has signed bilateral nationality agreements with several countries, including Spain, Italy, Norway, and Sweden.
Irrevocability
Argentine citizenship, once granted, is permanent. Argentine law provides no procedure for voluntary renunciation, and the Constitution treats nationality as inalienable. The government cannot strip it from you, and you cannot give it back. For most applicants this is a benefit; if you might one day want to shed the nationality, know that there is no mechanism for doing so.
Tax Residency
Argentine income tax follows residency, not citizenship. Under Section 119 of the Income Tax Law, Argentine citizens lose tax resident status when they obtain permanent residence in another country or stay abroad uninterruptedly for twelve months or more.10OECD. Argentina – Information on residency for tax purposes Living permanently in the United States and holding an Argentine passport by descent generally does not, on its own, make you an Argentine tax resident.
Voting
Voting is mandatory for Argentine citizens aged 18 to 70 who reside in the country, with fines and a three-year bar from public office for non-compliance. Citizens living abroad may register at a consulate but are generally not penalized for not voting from outside Argentina. Compulsory military service ended in 1994 and has not been reinstated, so new citizens face no conscription obligations.