How To Get A Dni / Permanent Residency?

[TomAtAlki]

Does anyone feel like writing up a basic course on how to get a DNI / permanent residency (and are they the same?). My wife and I are coming down more and staying longer so it's time we join the club. We are on social security from the USA. I assume that would be enough income but any current information would really be appreciated.

Thanks, Tom

 

[jackbower]

the path to residency is slightly different for everyone, depending on which type of residency you apply for. I would suggest looking at the official website first just to get a better idea of things.

http://www.migracion...v.ar/accesible/

Sorry if that doesnt help you very much.

 

[ElQueso]

This may be an unpopular statement, but if you can afford a lawyer it's the best way to go in my opinion. My wife has gone through the process for four of her brothers and two of her sisters without a lawyer, but I paid a lawyer for both hers and mine to begin with. A lot of people have done it without a lawyer, but when I watched the frustration with which my wife did the process for her family, I shudder to even think of it. And they were all MercoSur residents.

Lawyers can be expensive, but the guy I used was the most reasonable. The good thing about using a lawyer that specializes in this is that the lawyer should have contacts in immigrations that he or she have developed over time (mine brought gifts, candy, etc, every so often when he visited, for example).

Immigration officials and clerks aren't often terribly helpful - if you have three problems in your paperwork, for example, chances are very good that you'll only find out about them one at a time, in three separate visits and a lot of frustration. With our lawyer, my wife and I had no problems and he even took us to get our fingerprints done at the local police station (not a big deal, but we didn't wait at all) and has an office in Miami through which he even handled all FBI antecedent requests and everything. Accompanied us every time to immigrations and talked on our behalf, etc.

My opinion...

 

[steveinbsas]

I suggest you contact patriciafromuruguay (a member of this site). She helped my get my residency and DNI and has helped several other expats from this site. I don't know how much lawyers charge to help with residency, but she charges $200 per person to go to migraciones with you (to act as a translator). She was able to answer questions and overcome objections I could not have dealt with. She will not charge extra if you have to return to migracions for any reason.


The most important issue you will face is if you have enough income from your Social Security to qualify for the visa pensionado.

Just multiply the amount you receive in dollars by the official exchange rate.

The last rate I heard for the visa rentista was $8800 pesos per month.

The income requirement for the visa pensionado used to be unspecified and a lower level than for the visa pensionado was considered acceptable.

Migraciones may be looking for the same income level now for both types of residency.

If you can combine your Social Security incomes when you apply you will certainly exceed the current amount and
you will be granted temporary residency.

On the third renewal you can apply for permanent residency.

Or you can apply for citizenship, but that will require paying a lawyer much, much more (since you don't already have the DNIs).

I recently received a PM from a member of the forum who indicated the latest rate was $6500 USD per person.

There really isn't anything a "lawyer" can do for you at migraciones that Patricia can't...except charge you much, much more.

You have to order your own documents and that's not something an Argentine lawyer can do for you. The FBI report requires the most effort and takes the longest amount of time to get. You must also (easily) get the Argentine police report yourselves.

The Social Security Office at the US Embassy in BA can certify you income and you can have that document legalized in BA.

You can make the required photo copies of your passport at any place that makes photocopias. You can get the required photos at any Kodak kiosko, and finding a translator for all of the documents is easy because all of the ones who translate document from English to Spanish speak English. There are probably several within walking distance of your apartment.

PS: I don't think the fact that you own an apartment in BA makes any difference in being approved for temporary residency.

I will send you Patricia's email.

Nice to know you are finally coming to Argentina to live.

 

[Alicia karr]

I second having a lawyer. I used Mariano Monteverde (15-5108-0817) he speaks English and has helped me every step of the way. I in my last year of temporary residency and will become permanent next year. His inside connections made a big difference. Everything went very smoothly.

 

[steveinbsas]

I second having a lawyer. I used Mariano Monteverde (15-5108-0817) he speaks English and has helped me every step of the way. I in my last year of temporary residency and will become permanent next year. His inside connections made a big difference. Everything went very smoothly.

If you can confirm that you income level is acceptable I think you will sail though the process.

If it isn't, a lawyer might be a good idea.

Then we will see if migraciones is corrupt and it's just another South American scam (at least in some cases).

There were question about my income when I applied and when I renewed the first time.

Patricia dealt with them with a smile and a one sentence answer both times.

 

[TomAtAlki]

Thank you Steve. One question, do you get your DNI with your temp residency or are they 2 separate processes?

 

[jackbower]

Thank you Steve. One question, do you get your DNI with your temp residency or are they 2 separate processes?

for me it was two seperate processes in different buildings on the same day. then you have to wait a couple months for the dni to arrive in the mail. just to clarify, i didnt use a lawyer and i found it to be a very simple process. i went twice to migraciones, the first time just to verify that all my paperwork was correct before my appointment date and the second time was on my appointment date. it was much more painless than i had expected. good luck.

 

[Rich One]

I did mine myself, its not that bad IF you speak Spanish, If the choices are to go with Patricia for $200 bucks or a lawyer for US$6600 I would go with Patricia... :wub: Ask La Coqueta if she paid that MUCH for the lawyer?

 

[ElQueso]

Steve, you have a good point about using a gestor/facilitator (I'm assuming that's who your contact is). There is nothing wrong with using anyone who can get you through the process as inexpensively (not necessaily cheaply) as possible.

The things I see about using the lawyer are when legal things actually have to be dealt with (as Steve mentioned). I almost had to go see an immigration judge because of a youthful indiscretion when I was at university in the early 80s (I was at UT Austin, the Longhorns, and I stole a street sign for a street called "Longhorn Blvd" then later that night got stopped for a missing tail light and actually arrested). I got deferred adjudication which meant that it should have been expunged from my record, but it showed up on my FBI report almost 30 years later! And immigrations is only supposed to look at the last 5 years. Between the two agencies in two different countries I almost had to go to court to explain - my process had been stopped completely. What my lawyer told me was that the judge would want a gift of some sort (he suggested a $1000 peso gift certificate from Falabella might do the trick, when the peso-dollar was around 4-1). He ended up dissuading the judge from holding up my process, but it took months of him going to court and filing papers and arguing. He didn't charge me a dime extra.

It all depends on what happens during the process whether a lawyer is required or not.

Approximately 4 years ago, when I started the process, my lawyer charged me $600 USD, half up front, half on award of my residency (and it was straight to permanent because I was married to a MercoSur resident who got her residency before me). It cost a friend of mine $1000 USD about two years ago. He was about half the cost of other lawyers we went to go see at the time.

I believe the number $6600 USD which Steve mentioned was for the process to get citizenship without residency, a completely different set of requirements and frustrations and a lawyer is absolutely necessary for that, from what I've read.