How to get a work visa for Argentina

Work visas are necessary to carry out a professional activity or, if you are aged between 18 and 30 years and from one of these countries, you can apply for a Working Holiday Visa. More information below.

Work visa

Anyone working in Argentina for three months or more requires a temporary work visa, which will allow you to carry out professional activity there. In some cases, this visa is valid up to one year and can be extended via the National Immigration Office whereas, in others, it is valid for however long the entry authorisation from the immigration office stipulates. Prior to applying for the work visa, however, all expats who are not from MERCOSUR states need to obtain a residence permit (permiso de ingreso), which is usually handled by your Argentine to-be employer, an immigration lawyer, or your branch office in Argentina. They will apply for the permit on your behalf and once you have it, you'll be able to make an appointment to apply for a working visa. These are the three steps required in order to get your visa:

Step one: application for a residence permit

Your to-be employer in Argentina initiates the procedure by requesting legal authorisations to hire a foreign worker from the DNM (Dirección Nacional de Migrations). If the DNM approves the request, a residence permit will be issued and sent to the applicant. The visa application is subject to an employment contract which must be signed by the employer in Argentina in the presence of a notary, then signed by the candidate in the presence of an overseas Argentine consulate.

If the candidate is working under a foreign work contract in Argentina, the contract must first be translated into Spanish, signed and certified by the chamber of commerce. The work contract must also include information about the candidate, such as the period of employment, details of the company in Argentina, names of all dependents accompanying the visa holder and evidence of affiliation to a social security fund. The company will send then the file to the Argentine consulate in your home country.

Step two: visa application

Once the residence permit has been issued and sent by the DNM, the candidate must apply for a work visa at the Argentinian consulate in his/her country of residence. The work visa application checklist includes the following:

• Residence permit (sent by the DNM)
• A valid passport
• Three passport-sized photos
• A certificate of good conduct and an affidavit stating that you don't have an international police record
• Your employment contract signed by your future employer OR a notarized certification for your intra-company transfer
• Your birth certificate and marriage certificate and divorce decree (if applicable)
• An official certified copy of your degree certificate or professional credentials.

Note that fees apply both for the work visa and the residence permit, which varies from country to country, so check the amount with your local Argentinian consulate.

Once steps one and two have been completed, your work visa will be issued in a few days.

Step three: getting a DNI (Documento Nacional de identidad):

Once in Argentina, it is necessary to apply in person for a DNI (Documento nacional de identidad) at the National Registry of People in Buenos Aires (Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil). The application procedure is fast, but fees apply. Spouses, parents, and children under 18 can apply for a visa as dependents and must submit the same paperwork as the applicant they will be accompanying, with the exception of work-related documents. Finally, it is necessary to register with the Argentine social security fund (ANSES) and apply for a CUIL (Código Unico de Identificación Laboral), which is equivalent to a social security number.

Working Holiday Visa (WHV)

Each year, Argentina hosts thousands of students looking for professional experience in Latin America. This is possible thanks to the Working Holiday Visa (WHV), which is available to citizens of Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Sweden, and allows them to work in Argentina for a one-year period.

You must be between 18 and 30 years old when you apply for a WHV, be in possession of a valid passport and undergo a medical examination in order to obtain a certificate stating that you are safe and healthy. You will also have to produce an extract from your criminal records of less than three months, proving you have no criminal history. Procedures are free of charge, however, you must have a sum of at least 20,400 pesos, in order to cater for your needs throughout your stay. You must also have a return ticket to your home country or another country.

The visa application has to be made up to three months prior to your date of departure and once obtained, your visa must be validated in Argentina within three months. It will then allow you to travel in and out of Argentina as many times as you like within a one-year period and work for several companies at a time.

Note that your application will not be considered if you have already benefited from this type of visa in Argentina, but you can apply if you have benefited from a WHV in another country.

Get up-to-date and accurate information from the official website of The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Argentina.

We hope you found this article useful! For more articles on life as an expat in Argentina, visit our website.

Useful links:

ANSES - Administracion Nacional de la Seguridad Social
Dirección Nacional de Migrations
Argentinian embassy in the USA
Argentinian embassy in the UK
Argentinian embassy in Australia