Temporary protection: Argentina
🛰️ Varta monitors 9 official sources for this country — checked daily.
Legal basis: Migration Law No. 25.871, art. 23(m) (temporary residence on humanitarian grounds) + Disposición DNM No. 417/2022 of 07.03.2022 (special regime for Ukrainian citizens and their family members: 3 years, fee exemptions) • there is no single national date — refugee status has no expiry
Steps
- 1
Entry or a humanitarian visa
Option A: enter visa-free (up to 90 days) and apply for residence in Argentina. Option B: if you are still abroad — a humanitarian visa at an Argentine consulate under Disposición 417/2022 (free, for Ukrainians and family members).
📍 Border / Argentine consulate💳 Free (fees waived for Ukrainians) - 2
Appointment (turno) and filing with the DNM
The application for residencia temporaria por razones humanitarias is filed IN PERSON at the DNM (Sede Central in Buenos Aires or a provincial delegation) by prior appointment. Ukrainians receive 3-year residence; migration fees are waived (Disposición 417/2022, vulnerability criteria).
📍 DNM — Av. Antártida Argentina 1355 or delegations⏰ Before your 90 days of legal stay expire💳 Free for Ukrainians - 3
Residencia precaria while pending
After filing, the DNM issues the certificado de residencia precaria — a temporary document legalizing your stay until the decision and allowing you to work, study and travel in/out. Keep renewing it while the case is pending.
📍 DNM (issued at filing)💳 Free - 4
Get the DNI
Once residence is approved, obtain the DNI para extranjeros (ID card) via RENAPER — the DNI appointment is usually offered when your residence is processed. The DNI is needed for formal work, banking, healthcare and school.
📍 RENAPER / documentation offices⏰ After residence approval💳 Small fee (check the RENAPER tariff) - 5
Healthcare and school
Public hospitals in Argentina are free for everyone, including foreigners without a DNI — for emergency and routine care. Public schools and universities are free; children are enrolled regardless of migration status.
📍 Nearest hospital / school💳 Free - 6
After 3 years — permanent residence
After the 3-year temporary residence you can apply for residencia permanente. Argentine citizenship is available after just 2 years of continuous residence (via federal court).
📍 DNM / federal court⏰ Before the temporary residence expires💳 DNM fees (check the tariff)
Documents
Foreign passport
requiredFor visa-free entry — a valid passport (6+ months recommended) and a return/onward ticket. For residence another identity document may be accepted — the DNM assesses case by case.
Argentine criminal record certificate
requiredCertificado de antecedentes penales — obtained in Argentina online or at the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia.
Foreign criminal record certificates
requiredLegalized/apostilled and translated. If impossible to obtain from Ukraine — explain at filing: the DNM can be flexible for the humanitarian category.
Proof of address in Argentina
requiredLease, utility bill or a host declaration.
Children’s birth / marriage certificates
if availableFor Ukrainians’ family members of any nationality — prove the family link; translated into Spanish (by a traductor público).
Photos and the entry stamp
requiredThe stamp/record of legal entry confirms your border-crossing date.
Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates
Map
Document samples and how to fill them
Name in Latin letters as in the passport; date of birth DD/MM/AAAA; nacionalidad — Ucrania.
Residencia temporaria — razones humanitarias (art. 23(m), Law 25.871); cite Disposición DNM 417/2022 as a Ukrainian.
Your actual address — DNM notifications will be sent there.
Date and point of legal entry — as in the stamp/border record.
Attach the Argentine certificate (16+) and foreign ones for countries of 1+ year residence in the last 3 years; if the Ukrainian one is unobtainable — explain why in writing.
For non-Ukrainian family members — marriage/birth certificates translated by a traductor público.
❌ Arriving without a turno (appointment) — filing is by appointment only ❌ Letting your 90 legal days lapse before filing ❌ Not renewing the residencia precaria while pending ❌ Translations not done by a traductor público (sworn translator)
Contact the nearest Argentine consulate (email/website) stating you are applying under the humanitarian programme for Ukrainians.
Complete the consular visa form in Latin letters as in the passport; add photos.
Family members of any nationality also qualify — attach proof of the family link.
Complete the residence and DNI process at the DNM/RENAPER in Argentina.
❌ Confusing the humanitarian visa with a tourist one — the humanitarian visa leads straight to 3-year residence ❌ Paying fees Ukrainians are exempt from ❌ Not completing the DNI process after arrival
Benefits
State cash benefits for Ukrainians
There is no dedicated cash aid for Ukrainians. General ANSES programmes (e.g. the AUH child allowance) require a period of legal residence with a DNI — check with ANSES.
How to apply: ANSES (after obtaining the DNI)
Free public healthcare
Public hospitals serve everyone regardless of status or DNI. For routine care the precaria/DNI is useful.
How to apply: Visit the nearest public hospital
Free education
All children regardless of status; public universities are free for resident foreigners too.
How to apply: Enrol directly at the school
UNHCR and partner assistance
People in need of international protection; counselling and support are free.
How to apply: Via help.unhcr.org/argentina
Wise — transfers without hidden fees
A multi-currency account and transfers between Ukraine and Europe at the real exchange rate. Handy for receiving salary and sending money to family.
Open a Wise accountThe price for you does not change; the commission supports our free guides.
Where to apply
DNM — Sede Central (headquarters)
DNM — Anexo (annex office)
DNM delegations in the provinces
Contacts
What happens after protection ends
After 3 years of humanitarian temporary residence — residencia permanente. Argentine citizenship is among the world’s most accessible: you can apply via federal court after just 2 years of continuous residence (Constitution art. 20, Law 346); the Argentine passport gives visa-free access to most countries. Alternative routes: residence via work, study or family.
What happens when protection ends
These are options for the future — you will need to choose ONE, and not now.
These routes are available outside temporary protection — work, study, family, business, etc.
The description below is a general scheme, similar across countries. Check exact requirements, fees and timelines via the official link in each card — they differ by country and change over time.
💼 Temporary residence (work)
Those with a valid employment contract in this country.
Passport; employment contract; proof of residence. Authority: DNM — Sede Central (headquarters).
- Foreign passport
- Employment contract
- Proof of residence
- Health insurance (optional)
DNM — Sede Central (headquarters)
The employer or the applicant files; the immigration authority decides.
Before the current status or permit expires.
- Collect the card/decision
- Register address and social number
Renewable together with the contract.
Processed per national rules; often before entry.
🎓 Study — Argentina
Enrolment at an accredited institution.
Acceptance letter; proof of funds; housing; insurance.
- Foreign passport
- Acceptance letter
- Proof of funds
- Health insurance (optional)
DNM — Sede Central (headquarters)
Apply via the institution or the immigration authority.
Before the semester starts.
- Register at the institution and locally
Yearly with continued studies.
Processed per national rules; often before entry.
👨👩👧👦 Family reunification — Argentina
Spouse, children or relatives of a resident or citizen.
Marriage/birth certificates; housing; sponsor income.
- Foreign passport
- Marriage/birth certificate
- Sponsor income proof
- Proof of residence
DNM — Sede Central (headquarters)
The sponsor or family files; documents need apostille and translation.
Before the current status expires.
- Collect the family member card
Renewable; a path to permanent residence.
Processed per national rules; often before entry.
🏢 Self-employment/business — Argentina
Company or self-employment registration; business plan or contracts.
Registration documents; tax number; funds; housing.
- Foreign passport
- Company/self-employment registration
- Business plan or contracts (optional)
- Proof of residence
DNM — Sede Central (headquarters)
Register the business, then apply for residence as an entrepreneur.
Before the current status expires.
- Tax registration and bank account
Tied to the company activity.
Processed per national rules; often before entry.
🏠 Permanent residence — Argentina
Usually after 5 years of continuous legal residence.
Stable income; housing; integration/language per national rules.
- Foreign passport
- Income proof
- Proof of residence
- Language/integration certificate (optional)
DNM — Sede Central (headquarters)
Apply once the required residence period is met.
After the required residence period is met.
- Obtain permanent resident status
Permanent status; card replaced periodically.
Temporary protection time often counts towards the period (per national rules).
Opportunities: housing, jobs, grants
4 verified programmes: housing support, job portals, business grants, free courses — with direct official links and verification dates. Available with Varta.
Forms & samples (PDF)
FAQ
Do I need to do anything to keep my protection after the current period?
It starts online, but it does not end online. You file the request through RaDEX, the remote filing system of the National Directorate of Migration (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, DNM). You cannot simply walk into a Migraciones office without having filed through RaDEX first: "Debés iniciar tu trámite únicamente mediante el Sistema de Radicación a Distancia Ra.D.Ex." After you file, DNM emails you an appointment (cita) at your nearest office — you must attend it; the in-person step is a mandatory part of the procedure. You do not need an agent: DNM states plainly that its procedures are personal and simple and require no gestor. DEADLINE. A renewal request for temporary residence must be filed within the 60 days BEFORE the expiry date shown on your document (residence certificate / DNI). There is no single shared date: the three-year humanitarian residences under Disposición 417/2022 (Art. 23(m) of Law 25.871) were issued from March 2022 onward, so each person has their own. As of September 2026 some people's term has already passed — check your own date, not someone else's. WHAT TO ASK FOR. With three years of temporary residence behind you and a still-valid status, a Ukrainian (a national of a non-Mercosur country) can ask not for a renewal but for a change of category — permanent residence by arraigo. DNM's conditions: three years of temporary residence for non-Mercosur nationals; proof of sufficient economic means to subsist in the country; actual presence in the country of at least 50% of the term granted, and no absence from Argentina of six consecutive months or more. If you do not meet these, the general route remains — request a prórroga of the temporary residence within the same 60-day window; whether the humanitarian category under Disposición 417/2022 itself is extended a second time is not published separately by DNM, so ask DNM directly. IF YOU DO NOTHING. For 30 days after expiry the request will still be accepted, but with a 50% surcharge on the fee. After that, "caducará la facultad de peticionar la renovación de la residencia" — the right to request renewal lapses: you are left without legal status and must find a new ground for residence from scratch. SEPARATELY. Leaving Argentina for six consecutive months or more is in itself a ground for cancelling temporary residence (Art. 62(e) of Law 25.871 as amended by Decree 366/2025). Sources: DNM, "Preguntas Frecuentes — Residencias" (argentina.gob.ar/migraciones/preguntas-frecuentes-residencias); DNM, "Radicaciones Residencia Permanente" (argentina.gob.ar/servicio/radicaciones-residencia-permanente); Disposición DNM 417/2022; Law 25.871 as currently in force (Decree 366/2025). Source: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/migraciones/preguntas-frecuentes-residencias (checked 03.09.2026).
Do Ukrainians need a visa for Argentina?
No — up to 90 days visa-free (tourism); you need a valid passport and preferably a return/onward ticket. The DNM can extend the stay by another 90 days. For protection purposes the simplest path is to enter visa-free and apply for humanitarian residence in Argentina.
Is the humanitarian programme for Ukrainians still in force?
Disposición 417/2022 has no end date, and as of 16.08.2026 no official revocation has been found. Humanitarian residence under art. 23(m) of Law 25.871 remains a permanent mechanism in any case — even outside the special Ukrainian regime.
When can I work?
Right after filing for residence: the certificado de residencia precaria lets you work and study legally until the decision. After approval and the DNI you work on the same basis as residents.
I have a non-biometric passport or missing documents. Is that a problem?
Mostly no. Disposición 417/2022 explicitly acknowledges Ukrainians’ "restrictions and difficulties" in obtaining documents, so the DNM assesses cases flexibly. A non-biometric passport does not bar entry or residence; renew your passport at the Ukrainian Embassy in Buenos Aires if needed.
What about healthcare and school for children?
Public hospitals are free for everyone, even without a DNI. Public schools are free and enrol children regardless of status; public universities are free for resident foreigners too.
- Argentina.gob.ar — Residencia temporaria por razones humanitarias ✓
- InfoLEG — Disposición DNM 417/2022 (повний текст) ✓
- DNM — Sede Central (адреси та години) ✓
- Cancillería — Argentina concede visado temporario por razones humanitarias ✓
- UNHCR Help Argentina
This information is for reference only and is not legal advice.