Applying For Argentine Citizenship (Argentine Spouse)

[ciudadania101]

Just went to pick up my wife's salary certificate from her company for the juzgado.

Cost: Round trip Subte: $5

Total cost so far: $25 pesos

 

[arlean]

El_Expadriado "I have been trying to get mine since 2006."

That's discouraging. I knew your citizenship was in process but I didn't realize it had been that long. Have you any idea why, other than things being lost? Have you been denied, or is it that they just aren't approving it? Are they telling you now what is the holdup? Thanks for your input.

 

[el_expatriado]

El_Expadriado "I have been trying to get mine since 2006."

That's discouraging. I knew your citizenship was in process but I didn't realize it had been that long. Have you any idea why, other than things being lost? Have you been denied, or is it that they just aren't approving it? Are they telling you now what is the holdup? Thanks for your input.

First was because they lost everything and I never thought to make copies. So now everything I submit is duplicate and I have them stamp received on every single paper I give them and have my own file. I have to do this because the next time they lose the file, I have proof of all the papers I submitted.

Now it seems each time I give them something, they come back and ask for something new. Also, I had to do several things various times. I had to go to like 3 different divisions of the police here. And when they didn't reply within several months to the judge, they then had to repeat the request, etc. So everything just keeps taking more time.

When I thought I was OK for all the security, police records, then they wanted an accountant certificate. So I got that and once I thought I was done now they want my FBI file. After I submit that who knows what they will come back with next. It seems like every time I submit something they want something new.

 

[arlean]

It is kind of hard to get adjusted to these countries and their way of doing things. One of my family members had temporary residence in Uruguay. They normally gave permanent automatically at that time, after a certain time period (a year maybe) but he had someone representing him who kept after them at immigrations about his file.They lost the file and blah blah blah.

He had gone back to the states planning to ship belongings when his representative notified him that the permanent residency was complete (had to do with duty charges if you don't get permanent so he was waiting for permanent before shipping,) Finally he returned to Uruguay and went to immigrations himself. They wanted a certain letter from the Embassy which the Embassy told him they would not do it because they were always sending people to them and it was just a run-around.

He went back and confronted the immigration person and said "I know what you are doing so cut it out and tell me what's going on." Turned out they just were not going to give it to him because he was not considered living there--he had gone back to the States. The rules had changed and they weren't about to tell him. It seems to me related to telling someone you'll be there tomorrow to fix the (whatever) when in fact you never intend to do it but you don't want to tell them no. My relative had expended so much money and time only to find this out, he was so angry he dropped the whole thing.

But this is why I asked you if you knew the reason. 'Course in your case it could be just inefficiency or incompetence. I'm really sorry. Sometimes this stuff is playing with your life but they don't even consider that. And of course that's Uruguay--but I sometimes think it's the cultural mindset. But from 2006--that's a lonnnng time!

 

[Crema Americana]

I don't know how Argentinians put up with the bureaucratic nightmare and all the run-arounds... I guess they just take their frustrations out on the road, in bars, and at soccer matches.

 

[ciudadania101]

Went back today to the juzgado with my wife.

They wanted to see her to make sure that I was actually married to an Argentine and wasn't just using her documents. Fair enough.

We had to show them her salary certificate which was legalized from her bank. The last three pay slips. Our marriage certificate. Her DNI.

Everything had to be photocopied. They kept the photocopies after stamping them and gave us back the original.

My wife had to sign a paper that said something along the lines of: "This lady claims to be "so-and-so" with the DNI number "so-and-so", she claims to be the wife of the applicant. We have received the photocopies of her DNI, salary certificate, pay slips and marriage certificate. We have seen the originals and returned them." My wife just had to sign this piece of paper.

Then this lady told us, again as fast as she could and in as many legal terms as she could, that I have to go back in 15 days to ask for the status. She said it will take them at least 15 days to check the status of our marriage, to make sure my wife's DNI is real, to make sure she really works where she got the certificate and to make sure that the bank she claimed to receive her salary at really has her account.

So basically they will take 15 days to confirm that the legalized documents (salary certificate and the pay slips) and the government issued documents (DNI and marriage certificate) are in fact real. Double the work. No department in this country trusts the legalization and documents issued by another department. A lot of bureaucracy and a lot of wasted time.

But I guess that's the way they do things here.

They also told us that they will ask for my reports from all the police departments and RENAPER (I think) and the lady talking to us said that it will take minimum of 2 months to get these reports but it can take "much much longer"--her words.

She said when I come back in 15 days (or in February since they don't work in January) she will explain the procedure for the edicto and other stuff that I gotta do. But I have a feeling the edicto is one of the last things that I have to do after everything else is done. Not really sure. Maybe Bajo_cero2 can clarify that one.

Anyway, that's the update.

Cost so far:

Photocopies: 1 peso
Subte there and back for 2 people: $10 pesos
Total: $25 + 1 + 10 = $36

Hope this helps.

 

[captainmcd]

I began this process in 1985 under the old law, and sadly it is still "en tramite". Perhaps I will finally be domiciled in Chacarita when completed. When I went to Migraciones in Antartida Argentina about 1990 for my DNI they told me that they had lost all of my documents that were originals that were translated and certified, at great cost to me. Since then I have given up, but I do have an old U.S. passport with an Argentine visa as "residente permanente" stamped in it, so that I do not have to pay for a visa on entry. I think I will let it go at that, but I would have liked to have citizenship and an Argentine passport. I own an apartment in Buenos Aires, and if I ever sell it, it will be taxed as a foreign owned property.

 

[ciudadania101]

I began this process in 1985 under the old law, and sadly it is still "en tramite". Perhaps I will finally be domiciled in Chacarita when completed. When I went to Migraciones in Antartida Argentina about 1990 for my DNI they told me that they had lost all of my documents that were originals that were translated and certified, at great cost to me. Since then I have given up, but I do have an old U.S. passport with an Argentine visa as "residente permanente" stamped in it, so that I do not have to pay for a visa on entry. I think I will let it go at that, but I would have liked to have citizenship and an Argentine passport. I own an apartment in Buenos Aires, and if I ever sell it, it will be taxed as a foreign owned property.

You're married to an Argentine? They haven't asked me to leave originals of anything yet. Even when I applied for my permanent visa at the Argentine embassy, they only took in the photocopies after looking at the originals. Things might be different depending on who deals with your case but so far no one has kept anything original.

Under the dictatorship stuff was way different than it is now. They were against immigration. Not sure if much has changed in the way the attitudes of people go but the law has been restored to the way it was 150 or so years ago where they wanted and needed immigrants.

 

[arlean]

Amazing--and scary--that you two guys have waited so long for citizenship. And puzzling! Especially you, captrainmcd! On another subject, I had my language test today. You were right, it wasn't much of anything. I had been told by my lawyer's assistant that the woman I had was tough. My lawyer at first told me not to worry about the language I'd have to read something. But then later he got worried and started asking me about my Spanish. Gave me some questions to be ready for. Then today the first thing they wanted to know when I arrived was "How's your Spanish?" So something must have spooked them but the woman I met with didn't ask me a single question. She wanted me to read the ad that has to go in the paper, I read about four lines when she said, "Listo." That was it. She then explained to me what had to be done with the ad. I understand it goes in for two days, we pick up the "ticket" showing it was advertised and deliver it and then the next step is up to the judge. So everything appears to be on course. Thanks for all the encouragement, folks. It helped a lot. I was still apprehensive this morning, but unnecessarily.

 

[ciudadania101]

Amazing--and scary--that you two guys have waited so long for citizenship. And puzzling! Especially you, captrainmcd! On another subject, I had my language test today. You were right, it wasn't much of anything. I had been told by my lawyer's assistant that the woman I had was tough. My lawyer at first told me not to worry about the language I'd have to read something. But then later he got worried and started asking me about my Spanish. Gave me some questions to be ready for. Then today the first thing they wanted to know when I arrived was "How's your Spanish?" So something must have spooked them but the woman I met with didn't ask me a single question. She wanted me to read the ad that has to go in the paper, I read about four lines when she said, "Listo." That was it. She then explained to me what had to be done with the ad. I understand it goes in for two days, we pick up the "ticket" showing it was advertised and deliver it and then the next step is up to the judge. So everything appears to be on course. Thanks for all the encouragement, folks. It helped a lot. I was still apprehensive this morning, but unnecessarily.

That is really great news arlean.

I do understand why some people have to keep on waiting forever to get things done here while others get theirs done fairly quickly. I have been waiting for my DNI to arrive for a long time now and have almost given up on it. But I know people who's DNI arrived within 2 months. It depends on case to case and also on how often you go back to their offices and ask for a progress report.

When they asked you about your Spanish, did you say, "absolutamente perfecto!"? EDIT: Should have put a smiley face hehe