Argentina tightens immigration rules in 2025: stricter entry and deportation

The Argentine government has announced changes to its immigration regime, aiming to restore order, security and fairness in access to the resources of the Argentine state.

From now on, no foreigner with a criminal record will be allowed to enter the country, and anyone who commits an offence on Argentine soil - regardless of the severity of the sentence - will be deported. That means even crimes carrying penalties of under five years, which previously were not grounds for refusing entry or ordering deportation, will now count.

To keep the public health system sustainable, temporary, short-term and undocumented residents will also be required to pay for medical services, and travellers will need health insurance to enter Argentina.

Among the other measures, national universities will be allowed - at their own discretion - to charge tuition fees to temporary residents. Free primary and secondary education, however, remains guaranteed for all residents, who may continue to study on the same terms as Argentine citizens under Article 20 of the Constitution.

The requirements for obtaining citizenship are also being tightened. It will now be available only to those who have lived in the country continuously for at least two years or have made a significant investment in the Argentine economy. Permanent residency will require proof of stable income and a clean criminal record.

Announcing the measures, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said: "We want to keep welcoming those who come to build a free and prosperous country, but we must also be able to welcome those willing to cooperate within the law, and be firm in expelling those who break the rules of our state."

Lisandro Catalán, deputy head of the Ministry of the Interior, added that "over the past 20 years more than a million immigrants have entered the country illegally," noting that "under the current rules any convicted person can enter, and even if they commit a crime on our territory, they are not expelled."

"Our country will remain open to migrants, but with clear laws and an immigration system that puts the development and well-being of all Argentines first," Catalán stressed.

2026 update. On 30 June 2026 Argentina's National Electoral Chamber (Cámara Nacional Electoral), ruling on a single applicant's case, declared Decree 366/2025 void and returned the citizenship decision to a federal court under Law 346. The government has said it will appeal, and the Supreme Court has not had the final word yet. The citizenship by investment programme never got off the ground. The current procedure is covered on our Argentine citizenship page.

What happened next: decree 366/2025 and the courts

The measures described in this article were issued as presidential decree 366/2025, published on 29 May 2025. The decree rewrote the citizenship law: only legal residence counted, two years without a single departure, and applications went to the migration service instead of a court. The courts disagreed:

In 2026 the rules run on two tracks. The government treats the decree as valid, while the courts accept applications under law 346. Until the Supreme Court rules, the route depends on the specific case.

What applies to foreigners now

• Healthcare. Since 2025 foreigners with temporary or transit status, or without legal status, pay for planned care in national public hospitals; emergency care remains free. The Ministry of Health approved the payment procedure in 2026. Health insurance is a condition of entry.
• Criminal record. For residence a police certificate is required from every country where you lived more than a year in the last three years, plus an Argentine one.
• Absences. Under the decree the migration service may cancel residence if a temporary resident spent 6 months or more abroad, or a permanent resident a year or more without permission.
• Universities. The decree allowed national universities to charge temporary residents at their discretion, while school education stayed free for all.

What it means for people moving

1. Get residence straight away. Then you qualify both under the decree, where legal status matters, and under law 346, where the court looks at actual life in the country.
2. Avoid long trips in the first two years and keep proof of life in Argentina: lease, bills, tax registration.
3. Budget for insurance for the whole period until you have permanent status.
4. Do not trust offers of citizenship by investment with a guaranteed timeline: there is no regulation or filing portal yet.

Rules for some nationalities: examples with Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian passports

• No visa is needed for short trips to Argentina, and the tourist stamp gives time to apply for residence.
• Documents from your country must be apostilled in advance and translated by an Argentine sworn translator.
• A child born in Argentina still gets citizenship at birth; the decree did not change this rule. But the same decree called birth tourism an abuse, so parents need their own legal status.
• Russian citizens must notify the Interior Ministry of residence abroad and a second citizenship within 60 days.

Further reading

• Argentine citizenship - routes, timelines and court practice in 2026.
• Argentine residence - grounds, thresholds and documents.
• Argentine citizenship by investment - what was announced and what does not work yet.
• Argentina digital nomad visa - 180-day status with an extension.

We will go through how the rules apply to your situation in the chat.

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