Jus Soli — Nacimiento en territorio argentino

This route covers acquisition of Argentine citizenship by birth in Argentine territory (jus soli). Acquisition is automatic at birth.

Eligibility in brief: every person born in Argentine national territory is a native-born Argentine citizen under Art 1.1 of Ley 346 (Citizenship Law of 1869) together with Art 75 inc 12 of the National Constitution (Constitución Nacional, CN). There are no conditions — Argentine jus soli is unconditional.

Legal framework: the route operates within the constitutional framework of Art 75 inc 12 CN (which reserves the general naturalization law to Congress), Ley 346/1869, and Art 75 inc 22 CN (the federal human-rights block). Ley 346 of 1869 (the "Ley Avellaneda") is Argentina's fundamental citizenship law:

• Art 1.1 — jus soli without conditions;
• Art 1.2 — jus sanguinis (citizenship by descent) with consular registration or option;
• Art 2 — naturalization after 2 years of residence;
• Art 2 bis — meritorious exceptions (expanded by Ley 24.951/1998);
• Art 8 — loss of citizenship through voluntary acquisition of another nationality absent an applicable agreement;
• Art 9 — reacquisition.

The implementing regulation is Decreto 3213/1984.

Key legal sources: the National Constitution (CN); Ley 346 Art 1.1; Decreto 3213/1984; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child together with the 1961 Statelessness Convention as ratified by Argentina.

Detailed criteria:

• (a) Birth in Argentine national territory. The territorial definition is broad: it includes the 200-mile territorial sea, Argentine airspace, Argentine-flagged vessels on the high seas, and Argentine aircraft in international airspace.
• (b) Art 1.1 Ley 346 — jus soli without conditions, the broadest model in the region.
• (c) Narrow exception (see route AR-BTH-02): children of foreign diplomatic agents on official mission do NOT acquire Argentine citizenship at birth (Art 1 of Decreto 3213/1984, the implementing regulation of Ley 346).
• (d) Anti-statelessness safeguard (see route AR-BTH-03): a child who would otherwise be stateless is entitled to Argentine citizenship under Art 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions, ratified by Argentina through Ley 26.957/2014 (ratification dates to 2014, not 2012).

Key legal sources: the National Constitution (CN); Ley 346 Art 1.1; Decreto 3213/1984; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child together with the 1961 Statelessness Convention as ratified by Argentina.

Filing channels:

1. The Federal Court with electoral competence for the applicant's domicile (for residents within Argentina);
2. An Argentine Embassy or Consulate abroad (descent and consular-option tracks);
3. The National Directorate of Migration (DNM) for prior immigration processing.

Documentary compilation under Ley 346 (Citizenship Law of 1869) Art 11 and its regulations, where a court-track filing applies: birth certificate (apostilled and translated by a certified public translator); valid passport; certificate of domicile (ReNaPer); certificate of good conduct (Federal Police, plus the country of origin and each country of residence of 6 months or more); proof of means of living (last 12 months); and tax compliance with AFIP (the federal tax authority). The file is transmitted from the Federal Court to the National Electoral Chamber (CNE) for automatic review, followed by a final judgment and oath of allegiance, then registration with ReNaPer and issuance of the Argentine DNI (national identity document).

Operational phases for the birth route itself:

• Phase 1 — Birth registration: the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) of the relevant jurisdiction records the birth and issues the Argentine birth certificate — the formal record of jus soli acquisition under Art 1.1 Ley 346.
• Phase 2 — DNI: RENAPER processes the Argentine DNI, with a unique number assigned at birth (digital RENAPER from 2026 onward).
• Phase 3 — Narrow exception (route AR-BTH-02): children of foreign diplomatic agents do not acquire citizenship automatically — the Foreign Ministry (Cancillería) verifies the parent's diplomatic accreditation; a later option may be exercised through the descent track where there is filiation to an Argentine citizen.
• Phase 4 — Anti-statelessness (route AR-BTH-03): if the child would otherwise be stateless, the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions (ratified by Argentina through Ley 26.957/2014) and Art 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantee Argentine nationality; the DNM together with the extended refugee commission (CONARE) processes the recognition.

Investment-regime note: the RIGI (Régimen de Incentivos para Grandes Inversiones — Large Investment Incentive Regime), established by Ley 27.742/2024 (promulgated 08-07-2024) with DNU 366/2025 as its implementing decree, provides 30-year fiscal and foreign-exchange stability for investments of USD 200 million or more in strategic sectors. It does NOT create a direct citizenship-by-investment pathway (unlike, for example, Portugal's Golden Visa), but it accelerates permanent residence and thereby the path to naturalization under Ley 346 via the 2-year reduced residence track for investors.

Key legal sources: the National Constitution (CN); Ley 346 Art 1.1; Decreto 3213/1984 (the implementing regulation); and the Convention on the Rights of the Child together with the 1961 Statelessness Convention as ratified by Argentina.

Executive (operational) authorities:

• National Directorate of Migration (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, DNM), under the Ministry of the Interior (Ministerio del Interior) — following DNU 366/2025 (an emergency executive decree) it holds naturalization competence; this allocation is legally contested as potentially exceeding executive authority ("ultra vires") under Art 75 inc 12 CN, which reserves naturalization legislation to Congress.
• National Registry of Persons (Registro Nacional de las Personas, RENAPER) — issues the Argentine national identity document (DNI) and handles the late citizenship option for claims through descent.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto, the "Cancillería") — approximately 75 operational consulates handle descent registrations and administer the bilateral agreements with Italy and Spain.

Judicial authorities:

• Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación, CSJN) — its Hooft judgment, Fallos 327:5118 (2004), is the pillar of the pro-dual-nationality case law; amparo constitutional challenges against DNU 366/2025 were before the courts in 2025-2026.
• Federal Naturalization Court (Tribunal Federal de Naturalización) — held judicial competence over naturalization before DNU 366/2025.
• National Appellate Chambers (Cámaras Nacionales) — oversight of emergency decrees (DNUs) under Ley 26.122.

Specialist bodies for related birth-bucket matters:

• For special routes concerning Indigenous Peoples: the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs (Instituto Nacional de Asuntos Indígenas, INAI), the National Registry of Indigenous Communities (Registro Nacional de Comunidades Indígenas, RENACI) and the territorial survey program (Relevamiento Territorial, RETECI).
• For investment-linked special routes: the Citizenship-by-Investment Programs Agency (Agencia de Programas de Ciudadanía por Inversión), created by Decreto 524/2025.
• For Malvinas-related external cases: the Argentine Consulate in London and the Cancillería's Directorate for Malvinas and the South Atlantic (Dirección Malvinas y Atlántico Sur).

Key legal sources: the National Constitution (CN); Ley 346 Art 1.1; Decreto 3213/1984 (the implementing regulation); and the Convention on the Rights of the Child together with the 1961 Statelessness Convention as ratified by Argentina.