Immigration & Work Permits

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The process of sponsoring a foreign worker in Argentina requires an appropriate visa and an entry permit for the employee. In most cases of corporate immigration, a temporary residence visa is obtained. Prior to that, the employer must take the necessary steps to register with the relevant authorities to have permission to employ foreign workers.

Procedure:

1.  Registering company with sponsorship authorities

The first step is to ensure the company have the permits the hire foreign nationals. The company incorporated in Argentina must enroll in the National Immigrant Sponsors Registrar (Registro Nacional Único de Requirentes Extranjeros, RNURE).

Registration with the National Registry will permit local companies to employ non-MERCOSUR foreign staff for different visas and an identification number for the sponsored employee.

Once the company has enrolled with the registrar, they must ensure all foreign employee related data must be updated, and all changes to the employment of expatriates must be notified to the registry office with 15 days of occurrences. Immigration authorities also may undertake random inspections to verify immigration compliance.

Documents required by employer:

• Document with legal address of the company
• Completed proof of legal status of registration with the corresponding Argentine authorities
• Statute or Social Contract legally registered with the General Inspection of Justice (Inspección General de Justicia, IGJ)
• Attested legal documentation for any relevant documentation registered with the IGJ
• Proof of registration with the tax system with the Federal Public Revenue Administration (Adminstracion Federal de Ingresos Publicos, AFIP)
• ID card and a photocopy of the company representative performing procedure along with any required proof of authorizing power
• Accredited designation of an applicant as a delegate of the organization

2. Document procurement and legalization

The necessary documents must be legalized and procured by the employee, who is the applicant for the visa and entry permit. Different cases and visas will require different documents, though in general the required documents will be similar. These documents must then be provided to the employer in Argentina.

Documents required by employee:

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Police clearance certificate
• Domicile certificates in Argentina
• Copy of corporate tax document
• Copy of corporate registration certificate of company
• All documents must be translated to Spanish and legalized with an apostille from the Argentine Sworn Translators Association

Time: 2 – 4 weeks

3. Obtaining an entry permit

The employer applies for an entry permit (Permiso de Ingreso) for each employee that is to be hired. This is done through the Argentine Immigration Department (Direccion Nacional de Migraciones, DNM), where the employee’s application and supporting documents are provided by the employer to the Department. The Department will be reviewed by the immigration authorities and will be issued if there are no objections raised.

Documents required by employee:

• Entry permit application
• All supporting documents provided by employee in Step 2

Time: Approximately 30 days depending on location

4. Temporary residence visa application

Before the permit is approved, it will be sent to the closest Argentina consulate in the employee’s country of residence, where he/she will be apply for the residence visa. The application may also be filed in-country, which will take less time.

An application for a temporary residence visa is submitted to the DNM, where the employee must appear personally at the local Argentine consulate for an interview. Once the employee is cleared, he/she will be provided with the entry permit and residence visa.

All workers travelling to Argentina must pay a reciprocity fee of $US100 before entering Argentina. This is paid to the DNM online, and is equivalent to a multiple-entry fee. Different countries may require different fees to be paid.

Documents required by employee:

• Valid ordinary passport with at least 6 months validity
• Return flight ticket
• Evidence of sufficient funds for stay in Argentina if required
• Document as proof of stay at an address
• Receipt for the reciprocity fee

Time:

5 – 15 days for consulate interview process

20 – 30 days for overall processing

Please contact us for a quote.

5. Travel to Argentina

Once the visa has been approved and the entry permit acquired, the employee may travel to Argentina to commence work. Typically, final approval for the temporary residence permit may take up to three months. In these cases, an interim permit (residencia precariat) is granted to the employee, permitting them to legally work in Argentina as well as leaving and re-entering while the visa is being approved.

6. Application for the Work Identification Number

Once the worker arrives in Argentina, the employee applies for a work identification number (Código Único de Identificación Laboral, CUIL) so they can be enrolled on a local payroll. It also serves as an individual tax identification number for employers to withhold income taxes of the employee.

The CUIL may be applied for by the employee or employer at various locations, including online through the National Social Security Administration (Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social, ANSES), in person at an ANSES office, or by telephone.

Documents required by employee:

• DNI or driving license if a permanent resident
• Proof of address, including name of applicant
• Entry permit issued by the Argentine consulate
• National Population and Migration Certificate (Certificado Nacional de Población y Migraciones)

Time: 24- 48 hours

7. Application for a National Identity Card

The employee must apply for a National identity Card (Documento Nacional de Identidad, DNI), which functions similar to a social security number. The worker will use this as a national identity document, and will be required for renting and purchasing property, creating a bank account and entering into contractual agreements.

To obtain the DNI, the employee must register with the local population office (Registro Nacional de las Personas) within 90 days of arrival in Argentina. Each family member must obtain a DNI if they travel to Argentina as well.

Once the DNI is approved, the employee may continue to work legally in Argentina under the employer.

Documents required by employee:

• Proof of address
• Certificate of residence issued by the DNM
• Original birth certificate, legalized in the country of origin or have a Hague apostille stamp attached if employee is from a Hague Convention signatory country.

Time: 2 – 3 months

Please contact us for a quote.

Use the Shield GEO Employer of Record Solution

Once you get in touch with us, one of our consultants will take all the work off your hands, co-ordinate with our local partners to get all the required permits organised, provide the processing time, costs, document-checklist and keep you informed through the process. Contact us to know more.