Just posting my experience here, may be helpful:
I went to Migraciones to get a DNI about 2 weeks ago, so the procedures i went through should still be up to date. The whole process is kind of a hassle if you're not well instructed. The most important thing to note is what steveinbsas posted above, you have to qualify (and obtain) a visa. In my case, i have a job, so i went for a work visa.
Documents i had to get myself were the following:
- NO birth certificate
- 4x4cm Photo on a white background (pretty much any photo place makes these, Fotocarnet en el acta or smthn they're called, make sure to tell them it has to be 4x4 for migraciones)
- Your passport + A copy of every page of your passport (even empty ones)
- Certificado Domicilio. A certificate of home address. You get this by visiting your local police station and paying 10$. Within 72 hours, a policeman will show up at your place and verify that you live there. He'll then give you a stamped paper.
- Certificado de Antecedentes Penales. These are your Argentine criminal records. For this you'll need your passport and a copy of the main page of your passport. You'll have to go to a place downtown (on Tucuman street, at the green subte line Tribunales) and queue for an hour or two. You'll get a number when you first get in. Your number will be called, and you'll go up to desk 1. There, you'll pay either 60$ (to pick up in 24 hrs) or 80$ (to pick up in 6 hrs), get a receipt and sit back down. You'll then be called to desk 2, where you'll present your passport and the copy. The person will ask you for the name of your parents and some general passport related questions, you'll give your fingerprints, and he'll give you a receipt. You'll go back with this receipt in either 6 or 24 hours, and pick up your Antecedentes Penales (NOTE: You don't have to queue outside again to pick up your AP, just go to the door and show your receipt and he'll let you in. This cost me 2 hours xD)
- The police record/criminal records of your home country + Apostille. These records then need to be translated to Spanish by an official BsAs translator. Once they are translated, you need to bring the original + translation to a place called 'Colegio de Traductores', where you'll pay about 50$ and they'll stamp it to verify that it's a correct/official translation.
* Once you have all these, your side is arranged. You'll need additional documents based on the type of visa you want. In my case, the work visa, i needed a copy of my company's "Permission to hire foreign workers", and an original copy of my job contract. Both of which were provided by my company.
---
You then go to Migraciones to apply for your Visa & DNI. You have to apply for a Turno on their website. When you get in, you'll go to the left side of the building first. You have to give your Passport, the 4x4 photo, and your fingerprints. They'll then give you a paper with a number. The number will be called, and you'll have to go to a desk on the right side of the building. (NOTE: There is a super large queue for the desks on the left side. However, that queue is for people from the MERCOSUR area. If you're from outside the MERCOSUR area, tell the person in charge of the queue that you're "EXTRA MERCOSUR" and he'll let you skip the queue).
Once you get called up to the desk on the right side of the building, the person helping you will ask for all the documentation. If it's all correct, he'll tell you to sit down. He'll review it for a bit, and call you back to the window. He'll ask a few questions, and tell you to sit down again. He'll call you back up, and give you 2 receipts:
Receipt 1 is for 600$, to be payed at cash desk 1. This is for the visa.
Receipt 2 is for 30$, to be payed at cash desk 2. This is for your DNI.
You'll return to 'your window' with proof of payment of both. He'll tell you to sit down a final time. When he's done he'll call you back up and present you with your 'residencia precaria' aka your temporary residence/visa. He'll also tell you that there's a backlog in the creation of the DNI's, so it'll be mailed to your house in 2 months (NOTE: mailed to your house means mailed to the address on your Certificado Domicilio you got from the police earlier. If you've moved, they'll still send it to your old address. In my case a hotel xD)
I went to Migraciones to get a DNI about 2 weeks ago, so the procedures i went through should still be up to date. The whole process is kind of a hassle if you're not well instructed. The most important thing to note is what steveinbsas posted above, you have to qualify (and obtain) a visa. In my case, i have a job, so i went for a work visa.
Documents i had to get myself were the following:
- NO birth certificate
- 4x4cm Photo on a white background (pretty much any photo place makes these, Fotocarnet en el acta or smthn they're called, make sure to tell them it has to be 4x4 for migraciones)
- Your passport + A copy of every page of your passport (even empty ones)
- Certificado Domicilio. A certificate of home address. You get this by visiting your local police station and paying 10$. Within 72 hours, a policeman will show up at your place and verify that you live there. He'll then give you a stamped paper.
- Certificado de Antecedentes Penales. These are your Argentine criminal records. For this you'll need your passport and a copy of the main page of your passport. You'll have to go to a place downtown (on Tucuman street, at the green subte line Tribunales) and queue for an hour or two. You'll get a number when you first get in. Your number will be called, and you'll go up to desk 1. There, you'll pay either 60$ (to pick up in 24 hrs) or 80$ (to pick up in 6 hrs), get a receipt and sit back down. You'll then be called to desk 2, where you'll present your passport and the copy. The person will ask you for the name of your parents and some general passport related questions, you'll give your fingerprints, and he'll give you a receipt. You'll go back with this receipt in either 6 or 24 hours, and pick up your Antecedentes Penales (NOTE: You don't have to queue outside again to pick up your AP, just go to the door and show your receipt and he'll let you in. This cost me 2 hours xD)
- The police record/criminal records of your home country + Apostille. These records then need to be translated to Spanish by an official BsAs translator. Once they are translated, you need to bring the original + translation to a place called 'Colegio de Traductores', where you'll pay about 50$ and they'll stamp it to verify that it's a correct/official translation.
* Once you have all these, your side is arranged. You'll need additional documents based on the type of visa you want. In my case, the work visa, i needed a copy of my company's "Permission to hire foreign workers", and an original copy of my job contract. Both of which were provided by my company.
---
You then go to Migraciones to apply for your Visa & DNI. You have to apply for a Turno on their website. When you get in, you'll go to the left side of the building first. You have to give your Passport, the 4x4 photo, and your fingerprints. They'll then give you a paper with a number. The number will be called, and you'll have to go to a desk on the right side of the building. (NOTE: There is a super large queue for the desks on the left side. However, that queue is for people from the MERCOSUR area. If you're from outside the MERCOSUR area, tell the person in charge of the queue that you're "EXTRA MERCOSUR" and he'll let you skip the queue).
Once you get called up to the desk on the right side of the building, the person helping you will ask for all the documentation. If it's all correct, he'll tell you to sit down. He'll review it for a bit, and call you back to the window. He'll ask a few questions, and tell you to sit down again. He'll call you back up, and give you 2 receipts:
Receipt 1 is for 600$, to be payed at cash desk 1. This is for the visa.
Receipt 2 is for 30$, to be payed at cash desk 2. This is for your DNI.
You'll return to 'your window' with proof of payment of both. He'll tell you to sit down a final time. When he's done he'll call you back up and present you with your 'residencia precaria' aka your temporary residence/visa. He'll also tell you that there's a backlog in the creation of the DNI's, so it'll be mailed to your house in 2 months (NOTE: mailed to your house means mailed to the address on your Certificado Domicilio you got from the police earlier. If you've moved, they'll still send it to your old address. In my case a hotel xD)
