GS_Dirtboy said:
That being said, the current time requirement for your police record is 90 days. That means that the record can't be more than 90 days old from when Immigration gets your paperwork. You'll need to time that pretty well. It's not something you can do way in advance of arriving.
The law may have changed in the last few months or it might be different for UK citizens, but when I got my work visa in late January, I was able to use an FBI background check that I had done in June 2011. I got the background check done and apostilled, then brought it with me to Argentina when I arrived in July. I did two renewals of my tourist visa (once in Chile, once in Uruguay) but never returned to the US. That is the key: at least for a US background check, it does not expire providing you have not returned to the US since you got it done.
From an email from Migraciones on January 24: "No tienen vencimiento, y son los requeridos para iniciar los trámites de residencia, salvo que regrese a su país entonces deberá tramitarlos de nuevo"
(They do not have an expiration, and they are required to begin the residency application process, unless you return to your country in which case you must get new ones.)
Even though pretty much everything I found on the internet said either 90 days or 180 days as the expiration for the background check, in practice I found that to not be true. I don't think it was me getting lucky or a particular Migraciones officer being nice; the officer consulted via email as well as two separate officers at Migraciones assured me that was the case -- and I had no problems with the process.
The Argentine background check DOES have an expiration date, which only makes sense, given you will be in the country and therefore theoretically able to commit more crimes in the meantime. Providing they are not on strike, you can get that done in as little as 6 hours, so don't worry about that step until you have all your other ducks in a row.
For translations, you do need to wait to get them translated in Argentina, as they must be done by a translator who is certified by the Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires and then, once translated, certified by the Colegio (Corrientes 1834). They will do it for you while you wait for $80 per document, if I remember the price correctly.
You also need a Certificado de Domicilio, which you have done by your local Comisaria. You go to the Comisaria, pay them $10 and give them your address. They'll stop by your house, make sure you live there, and give you your Certificado.
When I did my work visa, I didn't need to use my US Birth Certificate. I don't know if that was a fluke or not. I got it apostilled, translated, and the translation certified just in case, though, which left me feeling a lot more comfortable.
For the photos, you DONT need the blue-background / head-at-an-angle old DNI-style photo (nobody does) but rather the new white-background / head-on photo. At the photography shop they will ask you what you need, and you can just tell them the photo for the new DNI.
Also, this depends on the job you get, but in some big companies, they set you up with a bank account so they can directly transfer your salary. I work at a large consulting firm and they pay for my bank account (Cuenta Sueldo, which is different from a normal account) so they can transfer money into it; I didn't have to do anything except for sign a document. If you do decide to set up an HSBC account before you leave and that is nicer for you, you can also have them direct deposit your paycheck to that account; there is no need to open a new account. As I said, though, that is true for the big firms who use bank payroll services and most likely won't be true in a smaller company.
Good luck, and feel free to PM me with any questions. I can't assure you that the rules haven't changed since I did it in January, but I can tell you my personal experience and hope that helps!
