In 2022, the authorities in Argentina legalized the possibility for foreign freelancers to work within the South American country. To live and work legally, they need to apply for a “nómadas digitales” transient residency. This document provides its holder with a number of advantages:
- Discounted accommodation in hotels;
- Discounts on airfares;
- Discounts when paying for services in coworking spaces;
- Access to the national healthcare system.
Buenos Aires ranks among the top 5 cities in the world for working online. Every month, approximately 2,300 holders of the digital nomad visa arrive at this location.
Applicants for this type of transient residency are not required to prove their income level with specific figures; the main requirement is that it must be regular.
The Argentine Embassy in Moscow (located at 72 Bolshaya Ordynka Street) issues the entry permit to the South American country for freelancers.
Specifics of the Freelance Visa
The “nómadas digitales” transient residency is exclusively aimed at foreigners working remotely (or those involved in developing startups). The document is issued to applicants who do not require a tourist visa to enter the country. The digital nomad visa is valid for 180 days with the possibility of extending it once for the same period. Under these conditions, remote workers cannot expect to obtain permanent residency in Argentina. To acquire citizenship through naturalization, one must live in the country with legal residency for at least 2 years. A freelancer’s temporary residency is granted for only 360 days.
Freelancers need to be aware that the freelance visa in Argentina is classified as a non-immigrant residency. This type of document does not allow a digital nomad to live and work in the South American country along with family members. For Russians preferring to work remotely, these are not the only downsides.
Formally, the holder of a digital nomad visa cannot expect to receive a DNI (an identity card). Without this card, there may be difficulties in opening an account in a local bank and accessing the national electronic payment system (MercadoPago). For the self-employed without a DNI, finding affordable housing in Argentina becomes more challenging. Self-employed individuals are not allowed to have dependents from among their relatives.
Foreigners may enter Argentina as tourists and then apply for the “nómadas digitales” transient residency.
Taxes for Freelancers
Holders of the digital nomad visa are not taxed on income earned outside Argentina. Additionally, self-employed foreigners do not pay fiscal fees as prescribed by national legislation.
Cost of the Visa
The fee for processing the nomad visa to Argentina is 200 euros (80 euros for the consular fee and 120 euros for the migration fee).
The costs for applicants arranging the “nómadas digitales” transient residency after entering the South American country as tourists will amount to 30,000 pesos (15,000 pesos for foreigners arriving from Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Venezuela).
For your convenience, we’ve presented these expenses in the form of a table below.
| Fees, duties and other expenses for obtaining a visa | Cost |
| Consular fee | 120 € |
| Migration fee | 80 € |
| Visa processing («nómadas digitales») | about 1400 € |
| Visa extension in a year | about 190 € |
| Total | 1790 € |
Required Documents
To obtain the “nómadas digitales” transient residency, a self-employed individual must provide:
- An application form;
- Civil passport;
- Resume (to confirm professional skills and work experience);
- A work agreement with an employer registered outside the South American country (confirmation of remote work);
- A 3.5 x 4.5 cm color photo (1 copy);
- Rental agreement;
- Receipt for the fee payment;
- Statements confirming income from employers (bank account statement).
Documents must be submitted in digital format (previously translated into Spanish with a special note by a professional translator).
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For visa extension at the migration office, additional documents required include: a certificate of no criminal record (for the period of stay in Argentina), documents proving income from freelance activities, and evidence of continuous residence in the South American country for at least 3 months since the issuance of the residency.
Recent Changes in Visa Issues with Argentina
As Argentina offers a competitive package of services for remote workers, freelancers from around the world come to live and work in the country.
Statistics on the popularity of Digital Nomad Visa in Argentina
According to public data from Google Trends there is a stable demand for temporary accommodation , the number of searches related to becoming a “digital nomad” increased by 50% in 2024.
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