Can I get residency in Argentina if my partner is Argentine?

Short answer: yes, but simply having an Argentine boyfriend or girlfriend is not enough. If your partner is Argentine, you may qualify for temporary residency in Argentina through family reunification if you are married or can prove a legally recognized unión convivencial, Argentina’s formal recognition of a stable cohabiting relationship. This distinction matters more than it may seem. You will hear Argentines use words like pareja, novio, novia, concubino and concubina almost interchangeably in everyday conversation. For immigration purposes, however, those terms are not interchangeable.  And there is another important change to know before reading older guides online: since Argentina changed its immigration rules in May 2025, being married to or in a qualifying partnership with an Argentine no longer automatically puts you into the old permanent-residency framework. Family reunification is now a temporary residency category, generally granted for up to three years when the family member is Argentine. So, yes, your relationship can be the basis for residency. But the legal form of that relationship matters.

Who qualifies?

You may qualify if you are a foreign national and your partner is an Argentine citizen, whether Argentine by birth, naturalization or option, and you can establish one of the family relationships recognized for immigration purposes. For couples, there are two main situations:

1. You are married. A valid marriage provides the family link required for the application.

2. You have a registered unión convivencial. Argentine immigration rules recognize a registered unión convivencial with an Argentine citizen with effects analogous to marriage for immigration purposes.

What does not automatically qualify you is simply being in a relationship.

What is an unión convivencial, exactly?

Foreign clients often hear “civil union” as the English translation and assume they already know what that means. Be careful with that translation. An Argentine unión convivencial is not simply the Argentine version of a UK civil partnership or every type of U.S. civil union. Here is the practical difference:

In the United States, civil unions are creatures of state law. Their effects vary by jurisdiction, but they can include property, inheritance, employment and other marriage-like rights. In the UK, a civil partnership is much closer to marriage as a legal institution. Civil partners have important inheritance and tax rights, including rights under intestacy rules when one partner dies without a will. Argentina is different. Registering an unión convivencial does not create a marital property regime. Unless the couple signs a separate cohabitation agreement, property generally remains in the patrimony of the person who acquired it. The law does create some protections and obligations between partners, particularly regarding household expenses, certain debts, the family home and possible economic compensation after separation. It also does not give your partner automatic inheritance rights. If one partner dies, the surviving conviviente does not inherit simply because the unión convivencial existed. Inheritance can be provided through a will, subject to Argentina’s rules protecting forced heirs such as children or parents. That is an important difference from marriage. So if someone tells you, “You need a civil union for immigration,” do not assume you are signing up for the same legal consequences you would associate with a civil partnership in London or a civil union in a U.S. state. You are not getting married by another name.

Requirements and documents

For a partner-based family reunification application, you will generally need to prove three things: who you are, who your Argentine partner is, and that the relationship qualifies legally. A typical application may include:

• your valid passport;
• your Argentine partner’s DNI;
• a marriage certificate or registered unión convivencial;
• proof of domicile in Argentina;
• proof of regular entry or current immigration status;
• Argentine criminal-record requirements;
• foreign criminal-record certificates, when applicable; and
• apostilles, legalizations and Spanish translations for foreign documents.

If you are applying through an unión convivencial, remember that living together and having a legally registered union are not the same thing. Sharing an address, lease or bills can help show that the relationship is genuine, but they do not automatically replace the formal registration required for this immigration route. Foreign documents usually need to be apostilled or legalized, and documents in another language generally need an official Spanish translation. Migraciones may also request additional evidence of the relationship or cohabitation. In practice, it is useful to keep documents that reflect your actual life together, such as a shared address, lease, bills or travel history. You do not need to build a scrapbook for the government. You do need your documents and your story to make sense together.

The process

1. Determine whether your relationship already qualifies

If you are married, the analysis is usually straightforward. If you are not married, the first question is whether you already meet the requirements for an unión convivencial. If you have only been dating for six months, calling each other concubinos does not solve the problem. If you have genuinely been living together for two years or more, registering the relationship may be possible, subject to the rules of the jurisdiction where you live. The mechanics of registering an unión convivencial vary by jurisdiction. In Buenos Aires City, for example, the Civil Registry requires evidence concerning the relationship and witnesses, and the registration has an evidentiary purpose.

2. Review foreign documents before filing

This is one of the places where people lose time. Check which criminal certificates you actually need, whether your marriage or civil-status documents need an apostille, and whether translations will be required. If your relationship was formalized outside Argentina through a civil partnership, domestic partnership, PACS, civil union or another foreign institution, do not assume the name alone makes it equivalent to an Argentine unión convivencial. The foreign status and its recognition in Argentina should be reviewed first.

3. Start the residence application through RaDEX

Residency applications are initiated through Argentina’s RaDEX online system. You register, complete the application, pay the applicable government fees and upload the supporting documentation. If the application is ready to proceed, Migraciones sends instructions for the corresponding in-person appointment.

4. Attend the immigration appointment

The case then moves into the verification stage. This is not purely an online residency. Migraciones may review original documents, confirm identity and ask for corrections or additional evidence where necessary.

5. Expect a relationship verification interview

This is the part many couples do not expect. Partner-based applications can involve an interview through the social area of Migraciones to verify the relationship and cohabitation. You should be prepared for both partners to participate if requested. The purpose is not to see whether you remember your partner’s favorite pizza topping. It is to understand whether there is a real relationship and shared life behind the document being used as the basis for family reunification. That can mean discussing things such as:

• how and when the relationship started;
• how long you have lived together;
• your current home;
• your day-to-day life;
• how expenses are organized;
• travel or periods spent apart;
• each other’s families;
• your plans in Argentina.

Migraciones has historically used social reports to evaluate cohabitation, affective ties and the existence of a shared life in family-reunification cases, and partner applicants continue to encounter this type of interview in practice. For a genuine couple, this should not be treated like an exam. Do not memorize matching answers. Be accurate and be consistent.

6. Migraciones resolves the application

If the application is approved, a person qualifying through an Argentine family member can currently receive temporary residence for up to three years. This status allows you to live in Argentina and forms the basis for obtaining an Argentine DNI. Depending on the stage of the application, you may also receive a residencia precaria while the case is pending. The precaria allows the holder to remain, work and study while the residency application is being processed, although under the current rules time held only under a precaria does not count as residence for permanent-residency or naturalization purposes.

How long does it take?

There are really two different timelines.

If you still need an unión convivencial

The key number is two years. That does not mean you register the union and then wait two years. It means the qualifying cohabitation must already exist before the union can generally be recognized under the Civil and Commercial Code. If you have been living together for the required period, registration can then be addressed according to the rules of your jurisdiction.

If your relationship already qualifies

The immigration timeline depends on:

• how quickly foreign documents can be obtained;
• apostilles and translations;
• RaDEX processing;
• appointment availability;
• whether Migraciones requests additional documents;
• whether a social interview is required; and
• the complexity of the particular file.

Migraciones does not publish a reliable fixed end-to-end processing time for every family-reunification case. RaDEX may generate the next procedural step relatively quickly once the upload is complete, but that should not be confused with final approval. A preferential appointment can accelerate the appointment date, but Migraciones specifically states that it does not accelerate the substantive decision on the residency itself. For planning purposes, do not organize an international move around the assumption that the final residence will be issued on a particular date.

Common problems

“We have been together for years, so I qualify”

Maybe, but the duration of the romantic relationship and the duration of legally relevant cohabitation are not necessarily the same thing. Two people may have dated for four years but only started living together six months ago. For an unión convivencial, that distinction matters.

Confusing a boyfriend or girlfriend with a legal partner

Being someone’s novio, novia or pareja does not create an immigration category. The legal relationship still needs to be established.

Confusing a certificate of cohabitation with an unión convivencial

The names sound similar. The documents are not always interchangeable. Before filing with Migraciones, confirm exactly what was registered and what legal effect the document has.

Relying on old information about permanent residency

This is currently one of the biggest sources of confusion. Before May 2025, Argentine family-based residence rules operated differently. You will still find websites, forum posts and even older professional articles saying that marriage to an Argentine automatically leads to permanent residence. Under the current framework, family reunification is a temporary-residence category, and an Argentine family member can support a temporary residence of up to three years. Permanent residency may later become available under the rules applicable to your nationality and period of temporary residence.

Treating the social interview like a technicality

The interview exists because the relationship matters. If the addresses, dates or history presented by the couple are inconsistent with the documents in the file, Migraciones may ask questions. For genuine couples, the best preparation is simply having the documentation organized and understanding what has already been submitted.

Leaving Argentina for long periods after residency is granted

Temporary residency is not something you obtain and then ignore. Under the current rules, temporary residence can be cancelled if the resident remains outside Argentina for six months or more. If you expect to divide your time between Argentina and another country, this should be part of the planning.

FAQ

Can I get Argentine residency just because my boyfriend or girlfriend is Argentine?

Not simply because you are dating. For this family-reunification route, you generally need a legally recognized relationship, such as marriage or a qualifying registered unión convivencial.

Do we need to get married?

No. Argentina recognizes registered uniones convivenciales for immigration purposes, so marriage is not the only route available to a genuine long-term couple.

How long do we need to have lived together for an unión convivencial?

As a general rule under the Argentine Civil and Commercial Code, at least two years.

Does an unión convivencial mean we share all our property?

No. It does not create the same default property regime as marriage. Without a separate cohabitation agreement, property generally remains with the person into whose patrimony it entered, subject to specific protections established by law.

Will I automatically inherit from my Argentine partner?

No. Unmarried convivientes do not automatically inherit from each other under Argentine succession law. A partner can provide for the other through a will within the limits imposed by Argentina’s forced-heirship rules.

Is an Argentine unión convivencial the same as a UK civil partnership?

No. A UK civil partnership produces extensive marriage-like legal consequences, including inheritance rights. An Argentine unión convivencial is a more limited institution.

Is it the same as a U.S. civil union?

Not necessarily. Civil unions in the United States are governed by state law, so the rights vary significantly. Some provide property and inheritance rights that an Argentine unión convivencial does not automatically create.

Can same-sex couples use this residency route?

Yes. Argentina’s Civil and Commercial Code expressly recognizes uniones convivenciales between couples of the same or different sex.

Will we have an interview?

You should expect the relationship itself to be verified. In partner-based cases, Migraciones can refer the file for a social interview or request additional evidence concerning the relationship and cohabitation. Both partners may be asked to participate.

Does marrying an Argentine give me permanent residency immediately?

Not under the current framework. Since the May 2025 immigration reform, family reunification with an Argentine falls under temporary residency, which can be granted for up to three years.

Can I eventually become a permanent resident?

Potentially, yes. Permanent residence can later become available after qualifying temporary residence. Migraciones currently lists two years of temporary residence for MERCOSUR nationals and three years for non-MERCOSUR nationals, subject to the applicable presence and other requirements.

I am already in Argentina as a tourist. Can I apply from here?

Possibly, but this is a separate immigration question. Your ability to change from a tourist or other transitory status into a residence category can depend on your nationality, current status and the way you entered Argentina.

Living with an Argentine partner and not sure where you stand?

If you already live in Argentina with an Argentine partner, the first question is usually not “Which form do I submit?” It is whether the relationship you already have meets the legal requirements for the residency category you want to use. At Life in Argentina, we can review your current immigration status, determine whether your marriage or unión convivencial qualifies, identify the documents you will need and handle the residence application with Migraciones. If you are not married, we can also assess whether your relationship is ready to be formalized as an unión convivencial before the immigration application begins. Tell us three things: your nationality, how long you and your Argentine partner have lived together, and your current immigration status in Argentina. We can take it from there. Reviewed by the Life in Argentina legal team.