My step-by-step process with timeline and experience entering Argentina on a 1-year digital nomad visa.
In 2024, I visited Argentina first time with my partner as a part of our “search for a better life” quest, as we were looking for a place to call home after 5 stressful years we spent in Bali.
I was lucky to visit Buenos Aires and Mendoza, and stayed in the country about 2-2.5 months total.
We were certain we wanted to come back and started looking into options. For me, the best long-term visa option was the Digital Nomad visa.
So fast forward one year later, in 2025, I went through the whole process and am happy to share my experience with anyone who’s in the process of planning a trip to Argentina.
Context: I was applying from Indonesia (Bali) without using any agents. I am self-employed (US-based LLC) and I didn’t try to “cheat” the system in any way – I submitted all the documents I had and did my best complying with requirements.
TL;DR
- Timeline: Applied June 4th, 2025 – Approved July, 4th – Visa Issued July 5th. *
- Cost: 120 USD application fee + 80 USD consular fee when the application is approved
- Difficulty: Easy
- Passport control: no questions asked
*To be fair, I think the only reason it took the whole month from application to approval is that the embassy in Indonesia simply wasn’t replying to me for almost 3 weeks; it took 4 emails to get them to check my files.
I am going through the extension process right now, so I am updating this post as I go!
Table of Contents
Argentina Digital Nomad Visa At A Glance
- Online you can request it for 6 months.
- Income requirement is not written anywhere, but recommended about 2000-2500 USD/month.
- You can apply if your country is from the list of visa-free countries to enter Argentina (so USA, UK, Canada, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Australia are welcome to apply)
- Once in the country you can extend in person for another 6 months, so total of 1 year.
- It allows you to work online, join courses, and legally reside in Argentina
- It is not a residency and doesn’t count towards citizenship years. With this visa you won’t be able to open bank accounts, use Mercado Libre, and you don’t pay taxes in Argentina.
- Easy to get and relatively inexpensive (200 USD for 6 months)
- Cost of rent in Buenos Aires is from 800 USD to 1300 USD on average.
PART 1: Online Application For Digital Nomad Visa (6 months)
I pretty much followed this guide and the official website of the immigration to submit my application. If neither is enough for you, I have made screenshots and my comments for every single step; keep reading.
I had to use built-in Google Translate sometimes to understand what the page said, as I am not that fluent in Spanish.
Documents
I’ve prepared:
- Cover letter in Spanish and English (in one PDF) with the Spanish version being the first. Very detailed on how I earn money, how much, and explaining my LLC setup and why I want to get the visa. It ended up being 2 pages. I printed, added a date and signed it, then scanned it. No, I don’t speak perfect Spanish, so I used Google Translate and ChatGPT here and there and honestly added a sentence saying that I don’t speak Spanish well and used translation tools to help me with writing the letter.
- Passport scan of the bio page
- CV in Spanish + English in one PDF
- Photo (like for passport). I took them at a local shop and asked them for a digital file. Easy.
- Bank statements from my PayPal and Business accounts, combined in 1 PDF. Additionally, after I submitted all the documents, the local embassy asked for:
You must send us proof of economic solvency. Note issued by the bank in which you are the holder of an account (here (in my case they meant Indonesia, country of application) or in another country) detailing for how long have you been the holder of said account, the existing balance at the time of issuing the note, as well as specifying that the account is not inhibited
My bank letter didn’t include all of that. I explained that it was the only option and they accepted it. I got the letter online from my virtual banking account, so check with your bank. I know that PayPal doesn’t have anything close that could work.
So to avoid additional questions, just prepare this proof of ecomonic solvency ahead of time.
- Proof of current activity and employment. Since I am self-employed, I explained that setup in my cover letter and attached proof of my company formation and the certificate of good standing that in US you can get online on your state site usually for free.
Now, I have an LLC in US, but I am not a US citizen, to be clear.
I also don’t have a huge business and some clients pay through PayPal, so I explained that in my cover letter and had ready statements from all my finance tools. However, what they are more interested in is an actual bank statement with current balance and it has to be from a proper bank.
You can start moving money on a monthly basis to one bank account that sends you proper monthly statements and where you can request a bank account confirmation letter with saldo (even if digital, it was accepted in my case). I would do 3-6 months in advance.
As I knew I will extend my visa once in Argentina, I took with me also these two documents that you DON’T need if you will only stay the initially approved 180 days:
- Criminal records from my citizenship country + apostile
- Criminal records from the country I lived in the past 3 years + apostile
If you live in the same country, then only bring one 🙂
Create Your Account with Radex
Simply following the steps of the official site will get your there 🙂
First, you need to create an account with Radex – the digital platform of the National Directorate of Migration (DNM) for online applications and payments.
Recommended browsers for smooth process are Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Microsoft Edge. I use Chrome because it automatically translates pages.
When you click this Step 1 on the left, you will be invited to fill out your personal information. Double and triple check your email because you will get your password by email!
Look for the email from DNM or search “Credencial”. The email will have a link to sign in, too:
If you are signing in through radex use the Step 2:
Once you in, you need to pay for your visa.
Payment #1 (Application Fee)
Certain cards will just not let the payment go through. I tried with the ZenBusiness Business Debit card (US-based Thread Bank), but it didn’t work. Revolut worked just fine.
When you logged in into the Step 2, proceed to payment (realizar pago)
On the payment portal and click Electronic Processing fee, since we are applying online, that’s what we need.
You will see the cost in USD or EUR. If you’re applying from Europe, you will see 120 EUR.
However, when proceeding to payment, you will see the total to pay in pesos, like this:
And you will be charged according to the current exchange rate based on pesos, so I was actually charged more than stated: not 120 USD, but 129.19 USD – you can see a transaction from Tasa Y Arancel De Tramita in your bank statement.
Back to the Radex platform you will use the number from your payment slip to confirm your payment. Wait a little bit. I was panicking that my code didn’t work, but it just needed about an hour to get updated in the system, I guess.
Once payment is confirmed, your order status will change to Completed.
and you can go ahead with submitting the documents (finally). Click Finalize Order.
Submitting Application
Application itself is super easy, you just fill out your data and upload documents. That’s it
Make sure to check everything, as you won’t be able to edit anything once you send the documents:
Confirmation of submitted application (you will see it in Spanish)
Follow Up With Local Embassy
When emailing the embassy in the country of application, it can be useful to follow this form:
Subject line: Digital Nomad Visa Application for YOUR FIRST & LAST NAME (Passport No. #####)
In the email body, first add this:
- Full name
- Type and number of ID and Passport
- Birthday
- Nationality
- Planned date of trip
- TIE pre-application number
Then your questions.
Not everything went smoothly, and I had to email local embassy in Jakarta (as I was applying from Bali) and that’s where things get really slow as they were absolutely in no rush replying and it took them about 3 weeks to come back not with an answer to my questions but with a “where are you from” question. Anyway, it was sorted, but plan on things like that to hijack your timeline.
Also inportant to say, that these officers are likely to speak English, while in Argentina officers are mostly speaking Spanish only.
Important: the first step is when your application is screened by the embassy of the country you’re applying from.
The officers DO NOT have access to the whole pack of the documents you’ve just carefully submitted so they will ask the same questions again. Be proactive and simply send them the same documents you just submitted. In my case, it sped up the process and 5 days later I already had my visa letter.
“First of all, thank you for resubmitting some of the documents. Since the TIE is a remote visa application it is processed initially by the National Directorate of Immigration and we do not have access to all of the documents presented beforehand.” – Consular Section, Embassy of the Argentine Republic
Payment #2 (Consular Fee)
You will receive the instructions on how to pay the consular fee (80 USD) by email from the embassy once they formally accept and screen your application.
In my case (Indonesia), they sent me a paybill that I could pay using online banking (only if I have local Indonesian bank account which I did) or I could go to that specific bank and pay cash.
Once you do this, you should send them the proof of the payment and ask what are your next steps. Most likely they will inform you, that Your application was approved today by this Consular Section and was transferred to the National Directorate of Immigrations (DNM) for its final review. We should have an answer in about 5 working days.
After this, the matter is no longer in the hands of your local embassy.
Even though they said 5 days, I had my visa PDF sent to my email the next day.
Visa
Note that your actual visa won’t come from the same email you were in contact with from the country of application.
It will come from the immigration office in Argentina. So I had an email from Notificador Disposicion <notificador.sadex@migraciones.gov.ar> and subject DIRECCION NACIONAL DE MIGRACIONES – TRAMITACION DE INGRESO ELECTRONICA (TIE 24H).
The email was in Spanish!
A very important note is that you have to enter Argentina with your DN visa within 3 months to activate it. So apply accordingly.
Passport Control & Immigration In Argentina
I have landed at EZE airport in Buenos Aires (September 2025).
I don’t know if that’s always the case, but there was one line for passport control, foreigners and Argentine citizens all together.
The line was very long (but also the immigration area is much smaller than many airports in capitals), but it was moving along calmly and at a steady pace.
I prepared my printed visa, dispocision, my passport and my boarding passes. I didn’t have a return ticket from Argentina elsewhere.
The officer greeted me in Spanish. I handed over the papers, and she didn’t ask me a single question. Nothing. Nada.
She pointed at the camera for me to take a photo, and asked me to scan my right thumb for a fingerprint. That’s it.
Everyone was cordial and friendly, and I had no issues at all at the airport.
Welcome to Argentina!
PART 2: Extending Digital Nomad Visa (In Argentina)
If the online digital nomad visa can only be requested online from abroad (en línea), this step can only be done in person in Argentina (semipresencial) 30 days before the expiration of your current DN visa.
As soon as I got over my jetlag and came to my senses, I emailed asesoramiento@migraciones.gov.ar – this email is provided on the official government site to ask a few questions and when I should start this process, considering my current DN visa is for 6 months.
However, after two days I got an automated email “failed delivery” so I assume this email doesn’t work. I assumed it was because I attached some files, so I tried again and without files, email was delivered.
Documents You Need
- Criminal Record from the countries you’ve lived in for more than 1 year in the past 3 years. Apostiled + translated into Spanish
- Criminal Record from Argentina (you get it when you’re in Argentina already, keep reading)
- Application Form
- Proof of employment/finances
- CV (brief!!)
- Passport + copies
- Proof of domicile (in Argentina) – this is listed on the website, but I wasn’t asked to bring it in the email
- Payment for extension (I think around 20 USD)
My case was a bit complicated as my last year I didn’t have a residency anywhere and didn’t stay in one place for a whole year. So I was very nervous about the criminal records.
What I did: I had 2 criminal records, one from my country of citizenship, and one from Indonesia, where I was a resident till some point. And I also prepared a letter explaining my travels during the past year to justify why I don’t have a “fresher” record.
Translation
All documents have to be translated into Spanish in Argentina by a sworn translator + legalised.
Note: certain countries/languages DO NOT have sworn translators in Argentina so you need to make sure your language is available. For example, we were told that there are no Indonesian translators, so we had to get everything translated and legalised in Indonesia to English before we came. This is very important to research before you arrive to Argentina.
If you have a lot of paperwork, get ready to leave a chunk of money on the table, the translations aren’t cheap.
I found a translator on this website and her prices were cheaper than some other quotes in Buenos Aires. I worked with Olga Guz.
You can also ask for recommendations in one of the FB or whatsapp communities.
Email your translator the scanned documents, explain what you need them for. You will get a quote. I suggest paying in cash in USD.
Usually the turnaround is super quick (as a former translator I can say they do amazing job with translations!)
Argentine Criminal Record
You can only get it once you’re in the country and it is valid for 5 days so plan accordingly.
You can get it in a matter of few hours or if you can wait within 5 days tops. The urgency affects the price, from 1,000 ARS for 5 days to 8,500 ARS for a few hours delivery.
You need to get a turno (appointment) with Registro Nacional de Reincidencia. Usually they give it the next day or within a few days.
On the day, you bring passport + copy, signed application form, payment slip.
The certificate will be sent to your email. Easy!
To be coninued…
As I’m still far from 30 days before my expiration date, I wait. I will add how my process went later! Stay tuned and ask any questions in comments. If you have any tips, do share, let’s make things easier for other nomads!