Visa
Work permit in Argentina
Argentina's migrant worker residence is a one-year, renewable temporary residence for foreign employees hired by an Argentine employer registered with the tax authority and DNM. It sets no salary test; pay follows the collective agreement. You file in RaDEX from inside Argentina.
- Official names
- Residencia temporaria como trabajador migrante (Ley 25.871, art. 23 inc. a); Decreto 616/2010; Registro Único de Requirentes de Extranjeros (DNM)
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. Checked 17 October 2026.
Who it’s for
- The migrant worker residence is for foreign nationals who enter Argentina to do lawful, paid work as employees, hired under an employment relationship (relación de dependencia). It is tied to an Argentine employer, so the page describes no route for self-employed work.
- It is the temporary residence in article 23, item a) of the migration law, regulated by Decreto 616/2010, which defers to the UN convention on migrant workers for its definitions.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026.
Money tests
- The DNM page sets no income or savings test for the worker. The pay in the pre-employment contract must follow the collective bargaining agreement that applies to the job.
- Argentina's national minimum wage for full-time monthly employees is ARS 391,200 from 1 October 2026, rising to ARS 398,800 on 1 November and ARS 406,400 on 1 December. It is a wage floor for employers, not a test you must prove.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Consejo Nacional del Empleo. Checked 17 October 2026.
Documents
- You need a valid passport, an Argentine criminal record certificate (pulled in through the online platform for applicants over 16), a certificate of no convictions from each country where you lived over a year in the last three, proof of address and proof of regular entry.
- A pre-employment contract signed by both sides sets out your tasks, hours, contract length, work address, pay and the employer's tax number (CUIT). Signatures are certified by a notary or a DNM agent when you file, and a power of attorney is needed if someone else represents the employer.
- The employer must also supply its registration certificate from the tax authority (ARCA), proof it is entered in DNM's register of employers who hire foreigners, and an early-registration notice (alta temprana) within 30 calendar days of starting the application.
- Foreign documents need an apostille or Argentine consular legalisation and a Spanish translation by a national public translator, legalised by the translators' association.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. Checked 17 October 2026.
Timing
- The procedure is semi-in-person: you file online in DNM's RaDEX system, upload the documents, pay the fees, and get an email with an in-person appointment. You must be inside Argentina after a regular entry. The page gives no processing time.
- A preferential appointment costs an extra 50 fee units (ARS 50,000). Employers registered with DNM can also pay for urgent processing of a residence at 100 fee units (ARS 100,000).
- While the file is pending, DNM may grant a 'precarious residence' of up to 90 days, renewable, that lets you stay, leave and re-enter, work and study.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026.
Fees
- An application costs 100 fee units for non-Mercosur nationals, which is ARS 100,000 at ARS 1,000 a unit; an extension costs the same. A residence started at a consulate costs 600 consular units, and a consular unit was set at US$1 in 2000.
- The worker page says the only payments are those made through the online platform, and lists no amounts.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional. Checked 17 October 2026.
How long it lasts and renewal
- The residence is granted for one year and can be extended; the page does not describe how the extension works.
- DNM's overview says temporary residence lasts up to three years depending on the category. The migration law as changed in 2025 lets the authorities cancel a temporary residence after six months or more abroad, unless DNM sees the absence as useful to Argentina or has authorised it.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026.
Path to permanent residence
- DNM says temporary residents can apply for permanent residence after 2 continuous years (Mercosur nationals) or 3 years (everyone else), having spent at least half the granted period in Argentina with no absence of 6 or more consecutive months.
- The 2025 decree rewrote the permanent-residence article to ask for sufficient means to live in Argentina and no criminal record that could justify refusal. Months on a precarious residence do not count as roots for this.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026.
Tax
- A private summary says foreign employees assigned to Argentina for less than five years are non-residents, taxed on Argentine-source income only, and become residents if the assignment exceeds five years. The Income Tax Law lists foreign nationals present for documented work reasons for no more than five years as not resident.
- Employees pay 17% in social security contributions: 11% retirement, 3% PAMI and 3% health insurance. Contributions are charged up to a monthly maximum base, which is ARS 4,769,631.49 from 1 October 2026. We did not find an official page for the employer's share.
- The personal income tax scale for 2025 runs from 5% to 35%.
Sources: Poder Ejecutivo Nacional, Ministerio de Capital Humano, Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA). Checked 17 October 2026.
Your passport
If you hold a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport
What differs for each passport, from the same sources. A line that says there is no difference means the sources we read name none.
United States passport
- US citizens enter without a visa as tourists (three months per the Houston consulate) and file the residence application from inside Argentina. The United States has been in the Apostille Convention since 15 October 1981.
- US citizens abroad generally file a US return on worldwide income; the 2026 foreign earned income exclusion is up to US$132,900 per person. No US social security agreement covers Argentina, and the IRS treaty list does not include it.
Sources: Consulate General of Argentina in Houston, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Internal Revenue Service, US Social Security Administration. Checked 17 October 2026.
Canada passport
- Canadians enter without a visa as tourists (up to 90 days per the Montreal consulate). Canada has been in the Apostille Convention since 11 January 2024; the RCMP's fingerprint-based check releases conviction information for visa or work purposes, and Global Affairs Canada authenticates paper originals only.
- Under the 1993 Canada-Argentina convention, employment pay is taxable only in Canada if you are in Argentina no more than 183 days in 12 months, your employer is not Argentine and no Argentine permanent establishment bears the pay. A social security agreement signed on 13 August 2021 is not in force.
Sources: Consulate General of Argentina in Montreal, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (rcmp.ca), Global Affairs Canada, Department of Finance Canada, Ministerio de Capital Humano, Employment and Social Development Canada (Government of Canada). Checked 17 October 2026.
Australia passport
- Australians aged 18 to 30 with a tertiary qualification or two years of university study can use the Work and Holiday visa instead: up to 12 months, not renewable, with up to 6 months of work per employer. You show funds on a current bank statement at a daily rate the Sydney page sets; to be safe, have more than USD 100 a day.
- Australia has been in the Apostille Convention since 16 March 1995. The AFP National Police Check lists working or applying for a visa overseas among its purposes, and its page does not mention an apostille. An Australia-Argentina tax agreement has been in force since 30 December 1999, and no social security agreement links the two countries.
Sources: Consulate General of Argentina in Sydney, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Australian Federal Police (afp.gov.au), Australian Treasury, Department of Social Services. Checked 17 October 2026.
New Zealand passport
- New Zealanders can use the Work and Holiday programme: the foreign ministry words the age range as 18 to 35, with 1,000 places a year and up to 12 months that cannot be extended. You show a minimum of funds for the initial stay in bank or card statements; to be safe, have more than USD 2,600. The consular fee is USD 150.
- New Zealand has been in the Apostille Convention since 22 November 2001, and the Ministry of Justice sends you to the Department of Internal Affairs for an apostille on your criminal record. Inland Revenue's treaty lists do not include Argentina, and no social security agreement links the two countries.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Ministry of Justice (New Zealand), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 17 October 2026.
Other visas
Other visas in Argentina.
The country
More on Argentina.
Questions about Work permit in Argentina.
Who can apply for Argentina's migrant worker residence?
Foreign nationals hired as employees by an Argentine employer for lawful, paid work. The employer must be registered with the tax authority (ARCA) and in DNM's register of employers who hire foreigners. The page describes no route for self-employed work.
What contract does Argentina's migrant worker residence need?
A pre-employment contract signed by both sides, with your tasks, hours, contract length, work address, pay and the employer's CUIT. Pay must follow the applicable collective agreement. Signatures are certified by a notary or a DNM agent when you file.
Can you apply for Argentina's migrant worker residence from abroad?
The DNM page says you must be physically inside Argentina after a regular entry; you file online in RaDEX and then attend an appointment. It gives no processing time. DNM may grant a 90-day precarious residence while the file is pending.
How much does Argentina's migrant worker residence cost?
For non-Mercosur nationals the application is 100 fee units, which is ARS 100,000 at ARS 1,000 a unit. An extension costs the same. A preferential appointment adds about ARS 50,000. To be safe, have more than ARS 51,000. Peso fees change with the unit value.
How long does Argentina's migrant worker residence last?
One year, and it can be extended; the DNM page does not describe the extension steps. After 3 continuous years, non-Mercosur residents can ask for permanent residence if they spent half the period in Argentina. The 2025 decree added a sufficient-means test.
How is a foreign employee taxed in Argentina on a work residence?
Argentina taxes residents on income from anywhere and non-residents only on income from Argentine sources. We did not find an official page on when a foreign employee counts as a resident. Employees also pay 17% in social security (11% retirement, 3% PAMI, 3% health insurance) up to a monthly maximum base.
Sources
Official sources we used.
Government and official pages only, each with the date we checked it.
- Visas: general guidelines (Houston consulate page), Consulate General of Argentina in Houston, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Tourists: stay and extension, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Status table: Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents (Apostille), Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Checked 17 October 2026. Entry into force: Argentina 18 February 1988, Australia 16 March 1995, Canada 11 January 2024, New Zealand 22 November 2001, United States 15 October 1981.
- US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- US international Social Security agreements, US Social Security Administration (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- United States income tax treaties, A to Z, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Visa requirements for Canadian citizens (Montreal consulate page), Consulate General of Argentina in Montreal, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Types of certified criminal record checks, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (rcmp.ca). Checked 17 October 2026. For visa, border crossing, foreign travel or work, only conviction information is released.
- Authentication of documents, Global Affairs Canada. Checked 17 October 2026. Paper originals only; page shows about 25 business days plus mailing.
- Tax treaties in force, Department of Finance Canada. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Convention between Canada and the Argentine Republic for the avoidance of double taxation (CTS 1994 No. 24), Global Affairs Canada, Treaty Information (treaty-accord.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026.
- International social security agreements in force (Argentina), Ministerio de Capital Humano, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Argentine Republic: social security agreement, Employment and Social Development Canada (Government of Canada). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Working Holiday in Argentina (Sydney consulate page), Consulate General of Argentina in Sydney, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Funds of USD 50 a day shown on a bank statement; the page gives no fee amount and no quota.
- National Police Checks, Australian Federal Police (afp.gov.au). Checked 17 October 2026. Page does not mention an apostille; fee AU$57 per application, AU$114 if fingerprints are needed.
- Income tax treaties in force, Australian Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026.
- International social security agreements (archived copy), Australian Government, Department of Social Services (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Work and Holiday Programme: New Zealand (foreign ministry page), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Funds of USD 2,500 minimum; consular fee USD 150; quota 1,000; the page words the age range as 18 to 35.
- Get your own criminal record, Ministry of Justice (New Zealand). Checked 17 October 2026. Free; 20 working days target.
- Tax treaties: double tax agreements and tax information exchange agreements, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Social security agreements, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Get a temporary residence as a migrant worker, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Page lists no fee amount and no processing time.
- Decreto 616/2010, regulation of Ley 25.871, articles 22 and 23 (original text), Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026. Original 2010 text; peso amounts in it are those of 2010.
- Resolución 4/2026: minimum, vital and mobile wage from September 2026 to April 2027, Consejo Nacional del Empleo, la Productividad y el Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil, Boletín Oficial of 2 September 2026. Checked 17 October 2026. Monthly wage ARS 391,200 from 1 October 2026; ARS 398,800 from 1 November; ARS 406,400 from 1 December; ARS 437,000 from April 2027 (five times: ARS 1,956,000; ARS 1,994,000; ARS 2,032,000; ARS 2,185,000).
- Migration fees table (Decreto 584/2024), Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Table states 1 fee unit (UMSM) = ARS 1,000 as the current value; no peso value is given for a consular unit (uc).
- Decreto de Necesidad y Urgencia 366/2025 (text), Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026. Decree dated 28 May 2025.
- Decreto 266/2000: consular fees, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional, argentina.gob.ar (Normativa). Checked 15 October 2026. Opened 15 October 2026.
- Residence categories, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Overview page; names no subcategories.
- Permanent residence: requirements and how to apply, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Page gives no fee amount and no processing time.
- Income Tax Law, ordered text of 2019 (updated text): articles 1, 116 and 123, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional, argentina.gob.ar (Normativa, Decreto 824/2019). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Salary: deductions and contributions table, Ministerio de Capital Humano, Argentina (argentina.gob.ar). Checked 17 October 2026. Employee column: retirement 11%, PAMI 3%, health insurance 3%.
- Version 47.8: new social security caps (topes previsionales), Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA), Argentina. Checked 17 October 2026. Lists maximum monthly base for July to October 2026.
- Article 94 income tax scale, 2025, Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA), Argentina. Checked 17 October 2026. Scale for 2025 runs from 5% to 35%; withholding-regime table.