For example I enter Argentina on Jan 1st 2021, and do not leave the country for more than 6 months each year, then I can apply for the citizenship on Jan 1st 2023?
But for my tourist visa I can only stay inside the country visa-free for 90 days. Can I just stay in Argentina uninterupptedly without applying for temporary visa without any problem? And what if I leave the country for a month after staying for 120 days in Argentina? Will they question why I overstay for 30 days with my tourist visa?
And being able to get citizenship after staying for 2 years sounds too good to be true lol While getting pr needs 3 years of residency and all the difficulties for extending the temporary visa every year. So why bother to do all these while getting citizenship is even easier? I am really curious. Is there other considerations that I have missed?
From Wikipedia page:
The current laws governing citizenship (Ley 346, Ley 23.059, and Decreto 3.213/84) set forth very simple requirements:
- be 18 years old or older;
- have been living in Argentina for 2 years; and
- apply for citizenship before a federal judge.
Citizenship can be denied if applicants:
- have been in jail for more than 3 years in the last 5 years;
- are under criminal prosecution;
- have an illegitimate source of income. To work without a legal permit is considered an illegitimate source of income for most of the chamber of appeals.
As the citizenship law has existed essentially unchanged since 1869 (with modifications by laws 16.801, 20.835, 24.533 and 24951), there are many precedents based on which the Supreme Court is able to resolve almost any immigration-related problem. Citizenship has been granted to immigrants who were not legally resident, worked without a legal permit, or entered the country illegally and, in exceptional cases, even to immigrants with criminal records.
In 2011 the Federal Chamber of Paraná established that nobody can be considered an illegal alien in Argentina, since the concept of legality applies only to actions violating criminal laws. The violation of the immigration law is a simple administrative issue that can be remedied by applying for residency or citizenship.
The continuous 2-year residency requirement means that applicants need to make Argentina their home. However, since applicants enjoy the same civil rights as Argentines, including the right to travel, they may leave the country.
For historical reasons, federal courts are still reluctant to recognize the rights of "irregular" immigrants. They usually request the following requirements related to the abolished law 21.795:
- Legal residency
- Legal work
- Spanish-language ability
- Birth certificate apostilled and translated by public notary
- Certificate of a clean criminal record from home country
- Certificate of a clean criminal record in Argentina
- CUIT or CUIL number
You can check the laws mentioned in the page.