Proof of life for Argentine pensioners in the US: RAMECO every 6 months

If you receive an ANSES retirement pension or pension (jubilación o pensión) and live in the United States, every 6 months you must show you are alive and confirm how you collect: ANSES calls this the Ratificación del Medio de Cobro (RAMECO) and recommends doing it in January-February and July-August. It is done at the Argentine consulate for your area, which loads it into ANSES, and it is free for pension purposes (New York and Los Angeles consulates, checked October 3, 2026). Law 27,721 changed proof of life (fe de vida) in 2023, but the obligation continues for people living abroad: according to the Los Angeles consulate, ANSES Resolution 151/2023 kept it every six months.

Versión en español

Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Current nameRatificación del Medio de Cobro (RAMECO); consulates still call it a survival certificate (certificado de supervivencia)
FrequencyEvery 6 months (ANSES)
MonthsJanuary-February and July-August (ANSES recommends them; New York says only in those months)
Cost at the consulateFree for pension purposes (New York, Los Angeles); 80 dollars for other purposes (Los Angeles)
Receipt validity180 calendar days for submission (ANSES)
ANSES contact for residents abroad+54 11 4015 5825 · ResidentesExterior@anses.gob.ar (published by the New York consulate)

Proof of life still applies if you live abroad

It is worth reading this point in the official sources:

  • The Los Angeles consulate (page updated January 21, 2026) explains that Law 27,721, from July 17, 2023, changed the requirement to prove survival in order to collect, but that “la Resolución 151/2023 de ANSES, de fecha 26 de julio de 2023, determinó que para jubilados o pensionados con residencia en el exterior se mantiene la obligación de demostrar supervivencia cada seis meses” (ANSES Resolution 151/2023 of July 26, 2023 kept the obligation to prove survival every six months for retirees and pensioners living abroad).
  • The New York consulate (03/06/2026) says the document formerly called the “Certificado de supervivencia” was replaced by the “Ratificación de medios de cobro”, and that ANSES states this change of name in no way changes, for people who do not live in Argentina, their obligation to come in during January/February and July/August.
  • ANSES’s current page says it in the present tense: if you hold an ANSES benefit and live abroad, you have to do the RAMECO.

An ANSES press release of July 26, 2023 announced changes for retirees and pensioners in the SIPA system. For people living in the US, the consular pages cited and ANSES’s current page say the six-month obligation continues.

Who must do it

According to ANSES’s page, the RAMECO applies to people who:

  • have a bank registered as their attorney-in-fact to collect their benefit abroad;
  • have a registered address outside the country and have not yet named a bank abroad, whether or not they have a personal attorney-in-fact;
  • live abroad, have not updated their address with ANSES and have a payment method in Argentina;
  • ANSES presumes may be living abroad.

The New York consulate adds that people paid by the Instituto de Previsión Social of Buenos Aires Province (IPS) or other funds separate from ANSES, and people who collect in the US through the authorized banks (Nación, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Comafi, Credicoop, Itaú, Patagonia and Piano), must say so when they request the procedure.

Where and how, according to ANSES

  • At the consulate: go to the Argentine consulate in your country of residence so the procedure is loaded into ANSES; “Si el consulado no puede cargarlo, vas a tener que enviar el certificado a tu apoderado o al banco donde cobrás tu prestación” (if the consulate cannot load it, you will have to send the certificate to your attorney-in-fact or to the bank where you collect).
  • At an ANSES office, in person or through your attorney-in-fact.
  • By postal mail: if you have no attorney-in-fact, you can mail the confirmation to an ANSES office “junto a una copia legalizada de tu DNI” (with a legalized copy of your DNI).
  • Through your bank: ANSES suggests asking whether your bank offers an alternative method.

On the receipt, ANSES says it is valid for 180 calendar days for submission; that if it is issued by authorities of a Hague Convention country and carries an apostille it needs no further visa; and that if it is in another language it requires a sworn public translator, unless it includes Spanish text or is issued by social-security authorities of countries with a pension reciprocity agreement.

How each consulate does it

OfficeMethodsPublished details
New York (03/06/2026)In person; notary by mail; remote by ZoomIn person, no appointment, Monday to Friday 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:00; free, and the certificate is handed over the same day (depending on demand). Notary route: form signed before a notary in the consulate’s district, with the notary’s signature certified by the county clerk, mailed with a prepaid return envelope. Remote: request an appointment by email to cnyor-tramites@mrecic.gov.ar, only in January-February or July-August, with your DNI at hand
Los Angeles (21/01/2026)Remote by Google MeetSign up in advance on the form the consulate publishes; the interview is on a business Monday or Friday, 9 to 10 (Los Angeles time), with your DNI at hand. If the benefit is from ANSES, the consulate reports to ANSES and emails you the certificate
Embassy in Washington (11/02/2025)In person; form by mailIn person with the original DNI and proof of the benefit number; or the completed original form with a notary’s signature, plus a copy of the DNI and the proof, by postal mail
Houston (16/12/2024)In person; form with a notaryFor people paid by ANSES into a US bank, the consulate has access to the ANSES system and certifies on the day it receives the documents. For IPS, it sends an official communication; “EN NINGÚN CASO SE ENVIARÁ EL CERTIFICADO POR CORREO” (the certificate will never be sent by mail)

Each consulate serves only people who live in its district. New York says its notary form must be signed before a notary in its district (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine), and that the notary and county clerk charge their own fees. To find your consulate, see the Argentine consulates in the US directory or consulates by state.

If you miss the window

The New York consulate warns that “el nuevo sistema ya no permite la carga e información desde el Consulado fuera de los períodos” (the new system no longer lets the consulate load the information outside the periods) of January-February and July-August. People who did not do it in those months still get a consular survival certificate, but it is now up to them to send it to ANSES. If your ANSES benefit was suspended, the Los Angeles consulate says to ask ANSES directly how to restore it.

Step by step

  1. Put January and July on your calendar. Los Angeles asks beneficiaries to sign up in January and in July for remote certification.
  2. Confirm which consulate covers you and which methods it offers.
  3. Have your DNI ready (and, in Washington, proof of your benefit number).
  4. Complete the procedure in person, by video call or by notarized form, depending on the office.
  5. Check that it was loaded into ANSES; if the consulate could not load it, send the certificate to your attorney-in-fact or bank, or mail it to ANSES with a legalized copy of your DNI.
  6. For questions, email ResidentesExterior@anses.gob.ar or call +54 11 4015 5825.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. ANSES’s and each consulate’s dates, methods and requirements can change. Verify directly with ANSES and the Argentine consulate for your area. Not legal advice.