Argentine Passports

Whether you’re an Argentine national living in your home country or abroad, it is beneficial that you own an Argentine passport. All Argentine citizens are entitled to have a passport for international travel. If you are in Argentina, you can obtain one at any passport and identification center. If you’re living overseas, you may visit the consular section of the Argentine embassy or consulate nearest you.

With or Without Passport?

With an Argentine passport, you may visit almost every country in the world as long as you meet the additional requirements. Argentina ranks 19th on the list of countries with international travel freedom. A Henley & Partners study indicates that this Latin American country has a Henley Visa Restrictions Index of 101. This means that Argentine nationals may travel to 101 countries and territories without a visa for short-term visits. Thus, all you may need is your Argentine passport to visit some of these countries.

However, if you’re traveling to any of the Mercosur countries, you will find your passport unnecessary. Thanks to a regional trade agreement, Argentine nationals may visit the following countries using their ID card. Passports are not needed.

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Uruguay
• Venezuela

Types Available

There are two major types of Argentine passports. Pick the type that suits you.

• Ordinary passport. Every Argentine national has the right to own an ordinary passport to travel outside the country. This type is issued by any of the passport and identification center. Argentine citizens abroad can obtain one from any Argentine consular missions in their countries of residence.
• Official passport. Official passports are issued to accredited members of any diplomatic missions, high-ranking government officials, employees or members of international organizations (United Nations, Organization of American States, etc), and their family members on their official visits or missions abroad. Official passports are usually exempted from fees.

Requirements

To begin your passport application process, you need to fill out an application form, available at any of the passport and identification centers throughout the country. If living abroad, you may obtain one from the consular section of the embassy or consulate nearest you. Once all the necessary information is provided, sign the document. You also have to mark the form with your fingerprints but it has to be done at the center itself or the consulate.

Aside from the form, here are some of the documents you need to produce:

• DNI (documento nacional de identidad): If you have had an Argentine passport before, you may also use it as proof of your identity. Photocopies of passports are also acceptable.
• ID card (cedula de identidad)
• five color passport-style photos: 4cm x 4cm (1.5” x 5.5”), showing ¾ of face from the right side (right profile), no eyeglasses or any other garment, white or blue background
• application processing fee payable to the passport center or the Argentine Consulate General, if living outside the country.

For passport renewals, the same requirements have to be met. In addition, a formal letter from the Migration Authorities is required, asking for a temporary passport to be issued and indicating that the passport fees have been paid.

Additional Information

Aside from the major types of Argentine passports listed above, the government of Argentina also allows people to have special passports in extraordinary cases.

Temporary passport. If you are an Argentine national living abroad and you don’t have a DNI (documento nacional de identidad ), you may obtain a temporary passport from the Argentine embassy or consulate in your area. This is also applicable to those under removal order by Migration Authorities. A temporary passport is specifically designed for Argentine citizens with no DNI needing to travel to Argentina on the soonest possible date. Hence, this type of passport is only for 60 days from the issuance date. You can use it to travel only to Argentina. It’s not going to be accepted by any other country.

Consular passport. If your passport is lost or stolen while traveling abroad, you may apply for a consular passport at the Argentine embassy or consulate in that country. It is issued for a five-year period. Within this period, there is no need to validate or renew this passport when traveling to Argentina.

 

* During these trivial times where economies are on the decline, we must be frugal in our every undertakings, learn how to travel cheaply..