Argentine criminal record certificate from the US: RNR, fees and fingerprints

Argentina’s criminal record certificate (certificado de antecedentes penales) is issued by the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia (RNR), part of the Ministry of Justice. Consulates do not issue it: in the New York consulate’s words, the consulate “asiste tomando las huellas dactilares y remitiéndolas al organismo emisor” (helps by taking fingerprints and sending them to the issuing agency). From the US there are two routes: fully online if you have a DNI, are 18 or older and hold one of the Argentine keys (Mi Argentina with validated identity, Banelco, ARCA tax key or Social Security key), or online plus fingerprinting at the consulate for your area, which charges a USD 30 fee on top of the RNR payment in pesos. The Los Angeles consulate is not processing them until further notice (page updated June 24, 2025). Facts checked October 3, 2026.

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Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Issued byRegistro Nacional de Reincidencia (Ministry of Justice)
RNR payment (Argentine pesos)$1000 (5 business days) · $2400 (24 hours; business day, 8:00-18:00) · $4800 (6 hours; business day, 8:00-12:00) · $8500 (1 hour, express; business day, 8:00-17:00)
Consular fee (if you go to a consulate)USD 30: Embassy in Washington, consulates in New York, Houston, Chicago and Atlanta
Timing with fingerprinting24 business hours after the consular appointment (New York and Chicago)
Minimum age16; ages 16-17 with a parent or guardian
ApostilleNew York: USD 35 to handle it; only within 90 calendar days of issue
Los AngelesNot processing these certificates “hasta nuevo aviso” (until further notice)

The peso amounts are the ones the RNR page publishes; we do not convert them to dollars because the value depends on the exchange rate on the day you pay.

Route 1: fully online with the RNR

The Registro Nacional de Reincidencia page first asks whether you have an Argentine DNI and your age. For DNI holders aged 18 or over it lists four options that let you do it online without leaving home:

  • a Mi Argentina account with validated identity (“con identidad validada”), plus an email address in your name where the RNR sends the certificate;
  • a Banelco card in your name (the page notes: “Solo tarjetas emitidas por institución bancaria de la República Argentina” — only cards issued by an Argentine bank);
  • an ARCA tax key (clave fiscal, formerly AFIP) at security level 2 or higher;
  • a Social Security key (clave de la Seguridad Social, ANSES).

With any of them you pick the speed (5 business days, or 24 hours, 6 hours or express if you request it on a business day within the hours the RNR sets), pay, and once the period runs from the time the payment clears you receive an email with a link to download the certificate. The Embassy in Washington sums it up the same way: with a DNI, a tax key and a means of payment in Argentina you can do it directly online and receive it by email.

Route 2: online request plus fingerprints at the consulate

If you have none of those keys or no means of payment in Argentina, if you have no DNI, or if you need the article 51 phrase (see below), the Embassy in Washington says the request starts online and is completed with in-person fingerprinting at the consular office.

Step by step

  1. Fill in the RNR request. The New York consulate explains that without Mi Argentina, Banelco, a tax key or a Social Security key you choose the fifth option, then “No, quiero hacerlo personalmente” and then the button “Conocé los requisitos y saca turno”; that lets you pay by credit card from abroad.
  2. Complete the fields carefully. According to the New York and Chicago consulates: in DOCUMENTO, the valid DNI or passport you will show at the consulate; one first name or surname per field; in DOMICILIO, your address inside the consulate’s district, without the ZIP in the CP field; in PARA SER PRESENTADO ANTE, the body that asked you for the certificate.
  3. Print the request (“Solicitud de averiguación de antecedentes penales”).
  4. Pay the RNR. The New York consulate says payment is made on BAPRO’s online platform by international VISA, MasterCard or American Express credit card, “desde cualquier lugar del mundo” (from anywhere in the world), and that the cardholder can be a different person. That payment “no tiene relación alguna con el Consulado ni el arancel consular” (has nothing to do with the consulate or the consular fee). Print the receipt and check it carries the same code as the request.
  5. Book the appointment. Each office books by email (see the table below). New York states that people without an appointment will not be seen.
  6. Attend with the original ID you entered on the request, the printed request form unsigned, and the printed payment receipt. Your fingerprints are taken and you pay the consular fee.
  7. Download the certificate from the RNR website once it is available.

How each office books

OfficeHow to bookOrder of stepsConsular fee and payment
Embassy in Washington (consular section)Email consular@embassyofargentina.us, stating your state of residence and attaching the payment receipt and the request receiptRequest and payment first; then the appointmentUSD 30
New YorkEmail cnyor-tramites@mrecic.gov.arPrinted request first; then the appointmentUSD 30, by debit card or money order payable to “Consulate General of Argentina in New York”; no checks or cash
HoustonEmail visashouston@mrecic.gov.ar, subject “turno antecedentes penales”Appointment first; then the form and paymentUSD 30, by credit or debit card
ChicagoEmail legalizacioneschicago@mrecic.gob.ar, subject “Antecedentes penales”Appointment first; request and payment before you goUSD 30, by credit or debit card
AtlantaBy email, sending the request and payment receiptRequest and payment first; then the appointmentUSD 30, paid “en el banco que se le indicará” (at the bank you are told)
Los AngelesNot processing these certificates until further notice——

Update dates on those pages: Washington 25/06/2025, New York 04/11/2025, Houston 29/01/2026, Chicago 12/11/2025, Atlanta 25/09/2024, Los Angeles 24/06/2025. Each consulate serves only people who live in its district; to find yours, see the Argentine consulates in the US directory.

The article 51 phrase for US immigration

This is the detail that matters most if you need the certificate for an immigration filing. The New York consulate says that if the certificate must be presented to the immigration authorities of the United States and Canada, the field must include the expression “con excepción al art. 51 del Código Penal argentino”. Its example: “PARA SER PRESENTADO ANTE: migraciones de E.E.U.U., con excepción al art. 51 del Código Penal argentino”. The Chicago and Atlanta consulates publish the same instruction. The Embassy in Washington adds that if you need that phrase on the certificate, the request goes through fingerprinting at the consulate, not the fully online route.

If you need the certificate for a US immigration case, ask a lawyer exactly which document is being requested: see find pro bono legal help.

Timing, validity and apostille

  • With fingerprinting: the certificate “estará disponible a las 24hs (hábiles) de realizado el trámite en el Consulado” (available 24 business hours after the consular appointment) — New York; Chicago says the same. The Embassy in Washington says it will be available according to the amount paid in pesos.
  • Online: the period of the speed you chose runs from when the payment clears, according to the RNR page. The Atlanta consulate publishes an older (2024) version with three speeds; the current RNR page checked October 3, 2026 also lists the 1-hour option.
  • Validity: the RNR FAQ says the legal validity is 5 business days from issue, but tells applicants to check with the place where they will present it, and that the certificate can be downloaded for 90 calendar days.
  • Apostille: the Atlanta consulate says the certificate must be apostilled to be valid in the United States. The New York consulate charges USD 35 to handle the apostille, added to the USD 30 fee, and its apostille page says these certificates “sólo pueden apostillarse dentro de los 90 días corridos desde su expedición” (can only be apostilled within 90 calendar days of issue; page updated September 2, 2026). See how to apostille Argentine documents from the US.

Applicants aged 16 and 17

The Embassy in Washington and the New York consulate say no certificates are issued to anyone under 16. A 16- or 17-year-old who is not emancipated must attend with a parent or guardian, who shows a DNI or passport and proves the relationship with the minor’s birth record (partida). New York adds that the adult signs their authorization on the request form. If you need the partida, see Argentine birth certificate from the US.

Your US immigration status

The consulates’ requirement lists ask for an ID (valid DNI or passport), the RNR request and the payment receipt; none of the pages checked asks for US immigration documents. The Embassy in Washington notes that foreign nationals can also apply: those from Mercosur or associated countries with their ID card, identity document, passport or nationality certificate, and others with a valid passport.

Don’t confuse it with other records

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Fees, timing and each consulate’s services can change. Verify directly with the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia and the Argentine consulate for your area. Not legal advice.