Argentine passport

Argentine passports are issued to citizens of Argentina by the National Registry for People (ReNaPer). They were issued exclusively by the Argentine Federal Police up to 2011. Their primary use is to facilitate international travel.
Argentine passports are valid for travel all over the world, but some countries require a visa. For traveling within South America (except the Guyanas, Suriname, and european depencies), Argentines do not need to use a passport, as they may use their National Identity Document (DNI).
On June 15, 2012, the Argentine Interior Ministry announced the immediate introduction of biometric passports. The new passports have unique numbers (alphanumerical combinations, with 3 letters and 6 numbers), a significant change from the previous policy, where passport numbers were the national ID number of the holders (with an N after it). Since December 2012, all new Argentine passports are biometric passports.
As of 11 January 2022, Argentine citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 170 countries and territories, ranking the Argentine passport 19th in terms of travel freedom. The Argentine passport is the 2nd most powerful passport in Latin America after the Chilean passport and is the 4th most powerful overall in the Americas, according to the Henley Passport Index.
Additionally, an "Exceptional passport for foreigners" can be issued in Argentina to non-citizens who cannot obtain their national passport. This exceptional passport is identical to those issued to Argentine nationals, without any discernible differences in its appearance or features.This unique provision ensures that foreign residents in Argentina who face difficulties in obtaining their home country's passport have a valid travel document that is on par with the regular Argentine passport.
Bureaucracy
In accordance with Presidential Decree 2015–66, in order to get an Argentine passport, a person must go to the nearest civil registry office and present his/her national identity document, birth certificate and a proof of marital status (unless single). If the person is an Argentine citizen by naturalisation rather than by birth, a citizenship certificate (carta de ciudadanía) must also be presented. Citizens under the age of 18 may get a passport only with parental authorization. Argentines living outside the country must follow the same procedure at an Argentine embassy or consulate.
The regular passport price is 15,000 ARS. Applicants usually receive their passports via postal mail within 15 days. There is an express service (48–96 hours) for 30,000 ARS, a 24-hour passport for 45,000 ARS, and an ultrafast passport for 75,000 ARS at airports (6 hours), with the possibility of getting a passport, if there are any proofs (as a printed ticket) of an international flight for that same day.
Since January 2011, Argentine passports are valid for 10 years. Beforehand, they were valid only for 5-year periods.
Passports are not issued to persons who are under arrest because of criminal offenses, or to those labeled 'dangerous' as per the South American Police Agreement of 1920.
Regular passport
In accordance with Mercosur regulations, it is blue-covered, with the legend MERCOSUR written on its top, followed by the country's
name in Spanish (REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA), the national coat of arms and the word PASAPORTE (Passport). A biometric passport has the e-passport symbol at the bottom.
It has a data page with a machine-readable zone and a digital photograph of the passport holder. All the information is written in Spanish and English.
Photograph
Type of document (P for Passport)
Country code (ARG)
Passport number
Surname
Given names
Nationality
Date of Birth
DNI number (known officially in English as “personal number”)
Gender
Place of birth (Province and country code)
Issuing date
Expiration date
Signature
Fingerprint
The previous version also included:
Passport copy (i.e., the number of passports the bearer had before the current one)
Marital status
Police-registry Number
A map of South America appears on the back of Argentine passports, showing the country's location within the continent, with the Falkland Islands and the Argentine Antarctic Claim (Antártida Argentina).
Passport message
Passports of many countries contain a message addressed to authorities of other countries identifying the bearer as a citizen of the issuing country, requesting that he or she be allowed to enter and pass through the other country, and requesting that, when necessary, he or she be given assistance consistent with international norms. In Argentine passports, the message is in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French. The message is:
In Spanish:
En nombre del Gobierno de la República Argentina, la autoridad que expide el presente pasaporte ruega y solicita a todos aquellos a quienes puede concernir, dejen pasar libremente a su titular y prestarle la asistencia y protección necesaria.
In English:
The Government of the República Argentina hereby requests all whom it may concern, to permit the bearer to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need, to give all lawful aid and protection.
In Portuguese:
Em nome do Governo da República Argentina, a autoridade que concede o presente passaporte roga e solicita às autoridades competentes, deixar passar livremente o titular e prestar-lhe toda a assistência e proteção necessária.
In French:
Au nom du Gouvernement de la République Argentine, l'autorité qui délivre le présent passeport demande à tous ceux qui pourraient être concernés, de laisser passer librement son titulaire et lui prêter l'assistance et la protection nécessaire.
Visa requirements
As of May 2023, Argentine citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 169 countries and territories, according to the Henley Passport Index.
For journeys within South America (except the Guyanas), Argentines do not need to use a passport, as they may use their National Identity Document (DNI).
Other types of passport
The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issues diplomatic passports (blue-covered) to Argentine diplomats accredited overseas and their eligible dependents, and to citizens who reside in Argentina and travel abroad for diplomatic work. The ministry also issues official passports (blue-covered) to government employees assigned overseas, either permanently or temporarily, and their eligible dependents, and to members of Congress who travel abroad on official affairs.
Under special circumstances, if a woman is stateless but married to an Argentine citizen, the federal police will issue a Pasaporte de Esposa de Argentino (Argentine wife's passport) in order to leave the country. The same applies for persons under the age of 18 who were adopted by Argentine parents.
See also
Documento Nacional de Identidad (Argentina)
List of passports
Visa requirements for Argentine citizens
Visa policy of Argentina
References
External links
Documentación Personal - Policía Federal Argentina
Decreto PEN Nº 2015/66 - Reglamento de Documentos de Identidad y de Viaje
Images of a well-travelled 1965 Argentine passport from www.passportland.com
Argentina
Government of Argentina
Mercosur passports