An Argentine passport (, ) is an identity document issued to nationals of Argentina for the purpose of international travel. An Argentine passport is, besides the Argentine ID card and the Argentine Emergency Travel Document (called "Pasaporte de Emergencia de Lectura Mecánica"), the only other officially recognised document that Argentine authorities will routinely accept as proof of identity from Argentine citizens.
Besides serving as proof of identity and presumption of Argentine nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Argentine consular officials abroad (or other Mercosur members in the case that an Argentine consular facility is absent). Argentine passports are valid for ten years (for people aged 18 and older) or five years (for people under the age of 18) and share the standardised layout and navy blue design with other Mercosur passports. Every Argentine citizen is also a citizen of the Mercosur. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the Mercosur, Andean Community and Chile (with the exception of Guayana and Suriname).
As of 2026, the passport is issued in a revised design introduced under Disposición 54/2026, a revised version of the Argentine passport was introduced, with updated design and security features. The new version entered into force on 1 February 2026 and includes a polycarbonate data page and 34 pages. This also affected the Argentine identity card.
History The first Argentine pasaport comes from the Policía Federal Argentina (PFA). Following the federalization of Buenos Aires in 1880, the city became notable in national aspects of government. The Policía Federal was formally established by statute in 1944, entering into operation under its new statute on 1 January 1945. The statute expressly authorized the Policía Federal to issue passports.https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/decreto-33265-1944-316071/texto The Policía Federal's authority to issue passports was subsequently incorporated into its Organic Law of 1958, which listed the issuance of passports among on its statutory powers.https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/20983/texto In 1966, Decree 2015 established a detailed Reglamento de Documentos de Identidad y de Viaje. It provided that, except for diplomatic and official passports, Argentine passports were granted by the Policía Federal throughout the national territory. The regulations also established a National Passport Registry maintained by the Policía Federal. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/norma-104599/texto In 2011, the responsibility for issuing ordinary passports was transferred to the Dirección Nacional del Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER). Decree 261/2011 approved a new passport-issuance regulation, repealed the 1966 Policía Federal regulation, and provided that passports previously issued by the Policía Federal would remain valid until their expiration.https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/179846/texto Nowadays, RENAPER remains responsible for the issuance of ordinary Argentine passports under the current regulatory framework. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/179846/actualizacion
Issuance 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.
It can be ordinary or provisional, or in special cases, diplomatic or service-related.
Since January 2011, Argentine passport are valid for 10 years. Beforehand, they were valid only for 5-year periods.
Argentine citizens are generally entitled to a regular passport for Argentines, except in circumstances including an outstanding judicial arrest/capture order or being declared in absentia in a criminal proceeding, certain judicially imposed restrictions on freedom of movement, or a judicial prohibition on passport issuance or leaving the country. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/179846/actualizacion
Time of processing Processing time for an Argentine "Regular" passport is usually 15 days, but one can be issued in 96 hours by using the Express service if paying ARS 150.000. Or from 2 to 6 hours, if ARS 250.000.
Physical appearance
Argentine passports have, since 2004, followed the standard Mercosur passport design, with navy blue cover and the Phrygian cap emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. On 12 June 2012, Argentina unveiled a new passport design to be issued from that year. The changes included a new bicontinental map on the back cover according to the disposición 3656/2018. The new passport contains new security features and graphics. For example, a large depiction of the worldmap and the map of the country is visible under UV light.
As of 2021, under the Disposición 904 / 2021, the specifications of the passport were updated and consolidated, under the RENAPER system, with slight changes.
The words MERCOSUR and REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA (Spanish for "Argentine Republic") are inscribed above the coat of arms. The words Pasaporte (Spanish for "Passport") appear below.
Argentine passports are normally 34 pages long; They cannot be extended. Identity Information Page
The first two pages of an Argentine passport are security laminated and the second page includes the following data: It has a data page with a machine-readable zone and a digital photograph of the passport Photo of passport owner Type of document (P = passport) Code for issuing country (ARG = Argentina)holder. Surname Name at birth Given names Date of birth Sex Nationality Argentina (In the Exceptional Passport for Foreigners any other) Place of birth Date of issue Date of expiry Authority that issued the passport DNI number (known officially in English as “personal number”) Owner's signature (_______) 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 The passport includes a map depicting Argentina and the territories that Argentina claims in the South Atlantic and Antarctica.
The page ends with a 2-line machine readable zone, according to ICAO standard 9303. The country code is not ARG as is the standard country code for Argentina (according to ISO 3166-1 alpha-3), but A. This is the only country/citizen code which does not consist of 3 letters. The MRZ also includes a version number (YYMM).
As of Resolución RENAPER Nº 542/2014, the first security laminate was included on the passport, who has expessed, cited impovements of it "by virtue of improvements adopted in passport lamination techniques".
Between 2017 and 2019, the so-called security laminefeature was added – a number of holographic security elements, including a bright, prominent hologram in the upper right corner (the so-called Holographic Shadow Picture), a holographic copy of the machine-readable zone, holographic microprinting, and kinematic elements.
In 2019, due to the Dispocición 2930/2019, a newer leaf on Passports were added. This didn't apply to diplomatic and official passports.
As of February 2026, according to provision 54/2026, the revised version of the passport began to be issued, adapting to the most recent measures of the ICAO standard. This version features a redesign of the photo page, which is now printed on polycarbonate, and 34 pages instead of the previous 32. In addition, the address field is added, which was not present in previous issuances.
Following page
The following page (page 5) have a remarks page, this parts can be used for instance if: They were children of native Argentine citizens who, having been born abroad, opted for citizenship of origin (Article 1, Inciso 2, Law No. 346 and its amendments). They were born in the legations or on warships of the Argentine Republic (Article 1, Inciso 3, Law No. 346 and its amendments). They were born in neutral seas, under the Argentine flag (Article 1, Inciso 5, Law No. 346 and its amendments).
Languages The data page/information page is printed in Spanish, English. There are also parts described in French and Portuguese (see below). Required documents to apply for a passport in Argentina Individuals applying for an adult passport in Argentina need to adhere to specific document requirements. The following outlines the necessary documents for those aged 18 and above:
Valid DNI Card: A current, valid DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad) card is required. Previous Passport (Recommended but Not Mandatory): While it is recommended, presenting a previous passport is not obligatory. For Individuals with restricted capacity: Judicial Testimony of Guardianship or Authorization: In the case of people with restricted capacity, a judicial testimony designating the guardian(s) or authorization must be provided. If no designated guardian is available, the accompanying person(s) should present the corresponding judicial authorization. DNI of Guardian(s) or Authorized Person: The DNI of the person(s) designated as guardians or authorized judicially must be presented. Express Consent from Legal Guardian: The explicit consent of the legal guardian, indicating that their authority is not restricted, is required. If restricted, judicial authorization is necessary. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/servicio/tramitar-el-pasaporte
RFID chip with biometric certificate
Since 1 November 2012, Argentine passports have had a contactless smartcard (proximity card) chip and 13.56 MHz loop antenna embedded into the front cover page, in accordance with ICAO standards. The chip and antenna are not easily visually recognisable, but their presence is indicated using the ICAO biometric passport symbol at the bottom of the front cover. It carries all the data printed in the passport, including a JPEG file of the photo, protected by a digital signature.
In addition the passport has the following historical milestones: Previously the ten fingerprints were taken physically with ink, but later were digitally by the ReNaper. The previously nine-digit, all-numeric, sequentially assigned serial number was replaced with a new alphanumeric pseudorandomly assigned higher-entropy serial number, to increase the entropy of the serial number from the previous 35 digits to 45 bits. This improves the cryptographic key strength of the Basic Access Control mechanism of the RFID chip by 10 bits, which makes a brute force attack approximately 1000 times more expensive. The Argentine passport initially has had a validity of five years for all ages. Then by 2 May 2011 the validity of the passport was ten years for adults, five years for minors. Later it was changed for 10 years for everyone and then it was reverted to the previous. Previously, any citizen from any country could get the "Regular passport" for "Argentines". But in 2019 due to the new guidelines it is now required to be a naturalized citizen. However it is important to know that the "Exceptional passport for foreigners" has the same the design as for the "Regular passport for Argentines".
Different spellings of the same name within the same document Names of Cyrillic origin (such as Russian): In Argentine passport, names which originally appeared in non-Latin scripts are transliterated in keeping with international standards such as ISO 9, to give a standard and accurate representation in the Latin alphabet. For example: Ж → Ž Ч → Č Ш → Š Щ → Šč Ю → Û Я → Â