Argentina at a Glance

Argentina: Visa, Job-Hunting, Pensions

Only 5% of the Argentine workforce are employed in agriculture.

About ten years ago, many of you might not have considered working in Argentina the best career move. Today, however, Argentina’s economy is getting back on track. Read on for the InterNations dossier covering contemporary conditions for foreigners working in Argentina.

Work Visa

If you are not a foreign resident from a MERCOSUR country, you require a special visa and work permit. Most expatriates need a visa of temporary residence that qualifies as a working visa for migrant workers or scientists and specialized personnel. The latter also includes managers and technical or administrative staff.

The application process can be started at the Argentine Embassy in your country of origin or in Argentina, via your future employer.

Both applications will be handled by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (National Immigration Office). It is recommended to let your employer apply for your permiso de ingreso (entry permit) at the DNM , which we describe in more detail in our article on moving to Argentina.

Visa Application

If you decide to take matters into your own hands, you have to book a consular appointment and bring along the following paperwork:

passport
two completed visa application forms
three passport pictures
original work contract signed by your employer and certified by a notary public in Argentina
original birth certificate
original marriage certificate
original of final divorce decree
certificate of criminal records
affidavit of international criminal records

This list may not apply to every single case and does not contain all details, either. For more information on your visa situation, please contact the nearest Argentine Embassy or Consulate.

Job-Hunting

To obtain a work visa for Argentina, you must have a job lined up for you. The work visa is tied to your contract with a company. If you are not sent on an intra-company transfer or an expat assignment, you should go job-hunting first. The job search process from abroad definitely requires proficiency in the Spanish language.

Whereas many businesspeople in Argentina do speak English, it is not necessarily the official language of business. For business meetings or contract negotiations, taking along an official interpreter may be helpful. To improve your prospects, though, you should brush up your Spanish first.

Job Search Resources

As in other countries, you can find qualified positions in the classifieds of major broadsheet newspapers. The biggest players on Argentina’s print market are La Nación and Clarín. Several foreign-language papers could be of interest too. The Buenos Aires Herald is an English-language daily, and the Argentinisches Tageblatt is a niche weekly catering to the German community.

Contacting your own country’s chamber of commerce in Argentina as well as the Argentine CoC at home may get you access to their job markets. It also gives you the opportunity to network at business events focusing on trade and commerce between the two nations. Many international recruiting agencies are active in Argentina, too.

National Pension Plans

Most people in Argentina choose between paying into a social scheme for their retirement years or an individual account. In 2011, at least 11% of their covered monthly earnings (there is a maximum cut-off point) had to be paid into a social insurance funds. They profit from their funds when retiring at age 60 (women) or 65 (men), provided that they have paid contributions for at least 30 years.

Expatriate Pensions

Expatriates may contribute to a national pension plan in their own country. Please get in touch with the social security administration at home to find out how your move to Argentina affects this. Often, the regulations distinguish between intra-company assignments and other forms of employment abroad.

Expats on intra-company transfers may have to keep paying into the national pensions funds at home. Self-made expats with other forms of work contracts sometimes stay covered by their country’s social security scheme.

Social Security Agreements

Even if your country’s social security scheme covers you, you may have to pay social security contributions in Argentina. Send an enquiry to the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Pensions to see if you may have these contributions refunded upon leaving the country.

Argentina has social security agreements with Brazil, Chile, Greece, Italy, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay. Expats from these countries are exempted from social security payments to the Argentine pensions fund if covered by comparable systems at home.