The Argentine passport and the US: a 10-year visa, the Visa Waiver Program and the E-2

The Argentine passport and the US: the short version

In short: to travel to the US an Argentine citizen needs a B1/B2 visa valid for up to 10 years. Argentina has been outside the Visa Waiver Program since 2002, and its return is under discussion with no date set. The E-2 investor visa is available under the treaty, but for those who obtained citizenship by investment only after three years of residence in Argentina.

The main practical benefit of an Argentine passport for US travel is where you can apply. Since September 2025 the State Department has required non-immigrant visa applications to be filed in the country of citizenship or residence. Russian citizens have been assigned the embassies in Astana and Warsaw, where appointment waits are long and the requirements for proving ties are stricter. An Argentine citizen applies at the US embassy in Buenos Aires as a national of the country.

The second benefit is the visa's validity. Under the reciprocity schedule, B1/B2 visas for Argentine citizens are issued for 10 years with multiple entries. A family that has obtained the visa once can travel to the US for years without further interviews while the visa remains valid.

The B1/B2 visa: how to get it

In short: the DS-160 form, a $185 fee, an appointment and an interview at the US embassy in Buenos Aires. Since October 2025 the interview waiver applies almost exclusively to renewals within 12 months of the previous visa's expiry.

The procedure is standard. The applicant completes the DS-160 form online, pays the $185 application fee and books an interview. The US embassy in Buenos Aires is the only place in Argentina that accepts non-immigrant visa applications. At the interview the consular officer checks the purpose of travel, ties to the place of residence and funds.

From 1 October 2025 the State Department narrowed the cases in which no interview is held. As a rule, a B1/B2 visa is renewed without an interview if the previous visa was issued for the full validity period, the applicant was at least 18 at the time, and no more than 12 months have passed since the previous visa expired. First-time applicants, including children, are interviewed in person.

What the consular officer considers for a citizen with two passports

The DS-160 form lists all of the applicant's citizenships. The consular officer sees that the applicant is a citizen of Argentina and, for example, of Russia, and assesses their ties to the country where they live, work and pay taxes. If the family lives in Russia but applies in Buenos Aires as Argentine citizens, the officer may ask questions about residence. So evidence of ties is prepared in advance: employment, business, property, family and travel history.

The Visa Waiver Program: joined, left, may return

In short: Argentina took part in the US Visa Waiver Program from 1996 to 2002. In July 2025 the two countries began the process of its return, but no decision has been made, and in 2026 the US ambassador spoke of a timeline of more than a year.

Argentina was removed from the programme on 21 February 2002 after the economic crisis, when visa refusals and overstays rose. To return, the country has to meet US requirements on document security, sharing of criminal data and the visa refusal rate: the refusal rate for non-immigrant visas must be below 3%.

On 28 July 2025 the US Secretary of Homeland Security and the President of Argentina signed a statement of intent to bring Argentina back into the programme. In 2026 Argentina's security minister named early 2027 as the target, while in August 2026 the US ambassador said it would not happen in three months, six months or a year. No specific date can be relied on.

If Argentina returns, its citizens will need only an ESTA electronic authorisation for trips of up to 90 days for tourism and business meetings. This will also apply to naturalised citizens, including those who obtained citizenship by investment, provided they hold a biometric Argentine passport.

The E-2 investor visa and the E-1 trade visa

In short: Argentina has had a treaty with the US covering E-1 and E-2 visas since 20 December 1854. But since 2022 US law has required those who obtained citizenship by investment to live in the treaty country continuously for three years before their first application.

The E-2 visa lets a national of a treaty country live in the US and run a business in which they have invested substantial capital. The E-1 visa is intended for trade between the US and the treaty country. Both visas can be renewed for as long as the business operates. Argentina was one of the first countries on the treaty list: the agreement dates from the nineteenth century.

In December 2022 the US amended its immigration law: an applicant who obtained citizenship of a treaty country through a financial investment and has not previously held an E visa must have lived in that country continuously for at least three years before applying. The rule was designed to stop citizenship by investment programmes being used as a shortcut to the E-2. It affects investors in Argentina, Turkey, Grenada and other countries with such programmes.

Who the E-2 via Argentina suits

The route to an E-2 through Argentina is realistic for a family prepared to live in Argentina for three years. The consular officer assesses domicile in the round: housing, a bank account, tax residence, time spent in the country and business. There is no restriction for children born in Argentina: they are citizens by birth. For a family that does not plan to live in Argentina, the E-2 through an Argentine passport does not work. On residence permits and life in the country, see our article Argentina residence permit.

All routes to the US on an Argentine passport

In short: for travel, a B1/B2 visa; for business, an E-2 after three years of living in Argentina or an EB-5, which does not depend on citizenship; for transit, a C visa.

An Argentine passport is convenient for travel and for long-term visas in the future, but it does not offer a fast track to living in the US. For a family that needs to live in the US now, the option is the EB-5 investment programme: an investment from $800,000 in a project in a targeted area leads to a green card, and the applicant's citizenship has no bearing on it. In that case the Argentine passport is useful for travel until the green card is issued.

Transit through the US

The US makes no exception for transit. An Argentine citizen connecting at an American airport must hold a visa even if they do not leave the transit area. With a valid B1/B2 visa, no separate transit visa is needed. For trips without a US visa, routes connecting in Europe, Mexico or Panama are more convenient.

How to prepare for the interview

In short: within a few minutes the consular officer assesses the purpose of the trip and ties to the place of residence. Documents on employment, business, housing and family are prepared in advance, and answers are short and precise.

A B1/B2 visa interview is brief, and the officer decides on the basis of the form and the answers. US law presumes that every applicant intends to stay in the country until they show otherwise. So the applicant's main task is to show they have reasons to return: a job, a business, family, property, children's schooling.

• Purpose of the trip. Specific: business meetings with named companies, a holiday with an itinerary, treatment at a clinic.
• Employment and income. A letter from the employer or business documents, tax returns, bank statements.
• Ties to the place of residence. Documents on housing, family and children's schooling.
• Travel history. Previous visas and trips to the US, Europe and other countries without overstays.
• Consistency with the form. Answers at the interview match the DS-160, including all citizenships and places of residence.

For a citizen with two passports, it is important to explain why they are applying in Argentina if they live in another country. A direct answer - "I am an Argentine citizen, applying on the basis of citizenship" - is enough if the other documents confirm ties to the place where they live.

Study, work and medical treatment in the US

In short: study requires an F-1 student visa, work requires a work visa sponsored by an employer, and B2 covers medical treatment. An Argentine passport gives no advantage for these visas other than the place of application.

An F-1 student visa is obtained after admission to an American university or school. The applicant's citizenship does not affect the requirements, but an Argentine citizen can apply in Buenos Aires. Work visas H-1B, L-1 and O-1 depend on the employer and qualifications, not on the passport: the H-1B has an annual cap and a lottery, the L-1 is for intra-company transfers within an international company, and the O-1 is for people with extraordinary achievements.

A B2 visa covers medical treatment in the US: the consular officer checks the clinic's invitation, the treatment plan and the funds to pay for it. Since 2020 the State Department has treated travel to give birth for the purpose of obtaining US citizenship for the child as grounds for refusing a B visa. Families interested in birthright citizenship for a child should look at countries where this route is lawfully open, such as Argentina: more in our article giving birth in Argentina and the child's citizenship.

Canada and Mexico

In short: an Argentine citizen with a valid US visa enters Canada on an eTA electronic authorisation. Mexico is open visa-free for up to six months.

Canada has introduced a simplified procedure for nationals of a number of visa-required countries: a traveller who holds a valid US non-immigrant visa or has held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years applies for an eTA online instead of a visa. Argentina is on this list. For a family that has a B1/B2 visa, Canada becomes accessible almost automatically.

Mexico admits Argentine citizens visa-free for up to six months. For a business serving the North American market it is a convenient base: direct flights to the US and Canada, a large market and visa-free access. The full list of countries is in our article visa-free countries for the Argentine passport.

For Russian citizens

In short: a Russian citizen applies for a US visa in Astana or Warsaw. With an Argentine passport they apply in Buenos Aires, but the consular officer takes both citizenships and the country of residence into account.

The US embassy in Moscow does not offer routine non-immigrant visa services, and the State Department has assigned Russian citizens to Astana and Warsaw. Appointments there are limited, and consular officers scrutinise the applicant's ties to their place of residence. A Russian citizen who has acquired Argentine citizenship can apply in Buenos Aires as an Argentine citizen. The wait for an appointment is shorter, but the scrutiny remains: both citizenships are listed on the form, and the officer assesses where the family lives and what ties it has.

A Russian citizen who has lived in a third country for a long time - the UAE, Turkey, Europe - can also apply where they live. BRIDGES discusses the choice of application location with the family before booking, so as not to lose the fee and time. On other countries, see our article Argentine citizenship for Russians.

The US: the Argentine passport and other passports

In short: in Latin America, only Chile has visa-free entry to the US. Passports of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Turkey, Vanuatu and the Caribbean states all require a visa.

None of the citizenship by investment programmes gives visa-free entry to the US: not the Caribbean states, not Vanuatu, not Turkey and not Argentina. Visa-free entry to the US comes with passports of EU countries, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and a number of other states where citizenship by investment is unavailable or almost unavailable. So for the US the Argentine passport does not lose out to other programmes, and it wins on visa validity and the place of application.

Comparisons of programmes for other destinations are in our articles Argentina or the Caribbean and Argentina or Turkey. The exact amount for your family composition is shown in the Argentine citizenship cost calculation.

Where people go wrong with US travel

In short: they expect visa-free travel on an Argentine passport, count on an E-2 straight after citizenship and apply in the wrong country.

1. They expect an ESTA on an Argentine passport. Argentina is outside the programme; a B1/B2 visa is required.
2. They count on an E-2 straight after citizenship. An investor must live in Argentina for three years.
3. They apply in a third country without living there. The fee is non-refundable and the chances are lower.
4. They do not declare their second citizenship. The DS-160 lists all citizenships.
5. They transit through the US without a visa. A visa is required even for a connection.

What to check before the trip

In short: the purpose of the trip, the place of application, passport validity, evidence of ties and the transit rules.

• Purpose of the trip: tourism, business meetings, a business in the US, relocation.
• Where to apply: Buenos Aires or the country of residence.
• Documents on employment, business, housing and family in the country of residence.
• Whether the Argentine passport is valid for the whole trip.
• A flight route without connections in the US if you do not yet have a visa.

What else the passport offers is covered in our articles the Argentine passport and what Argentine citizenship gives you. The programme terms are on the Argentina citizenship programme page. How we handle an application from due diligence to passport is described on the Argentina programme support page.