Register US-born child for Argentina dual nationality

For Argentina, registering a US-born child is the opción por la nacionalidad argentina: the consulate inscribes the child’s birth in its civil-registry book, the parents (or the adult child) sign an acta de opción before the consul, and the consulate takes the child’s biometrics for a first DNI. It is open only to children of a native-born Argentine, at any age, and it is done at the consulate whose jurisdiction covers where the child lives (all facts below from consulate pages read October 3, 2026).

Who can use this procedure

  • “Tienen derecho a optar por la nacionalidad argentina los hijos de padre o madre argentinos nativos que hubiesen nacido en el exterior, cualquiera sea su edad, aún cuando el padre o madre argentino hubiese fallecido” (New York, updated 09/09/2026).
  • “Únicamente tener un progenitor argentino nativo da derecho a tramitar la nacionalidad a través del Consulado” (Houston, Los Angeles). New York: spouses, grandchildren and siblings of Argentines cannot use the option.
  • “El Consulado no puede otorgar nacionalidad argentina por matrimonio” (Houston).
  • Where: the consulate of the jurisdiction where the child (the optante) lives — Houston and Atlanta say this applies wherever the child was born.

Dual nationality — what each side says

The United States permits dual nationality. Per the US Department of State: “Dual nationality means you are a national of 2 countries. A dual national generally has legal rights and obligations in both countries.”

On the Argentine side, New York states: “No existe convenio de doble nacionalidad entre la Argentina y los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, la opción por la nacionalidad argentina no requiere en ningún caso la renuncia a la nacionalidad estadounidense”. Los Angeles: “Al obtener la nacionalidad argentina, el optante no pierde derechos o la ciudadanía estadounidense.”

Fees (not free)

ItemFee as publishedSource
Birth registration in the consulate’s civil-registry bookUSD 40New York, Washington, Houston, Atlanta
Acta de opción (notarial act)USD 80 — Washington: “oscila entre USD $80 y USD $120”New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta; Washington
First DNIUSD 15New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta
Total listed by AtlantaUSD 135Atlanta (updated 24/02/2026)

Legal basis: Decreto 266/2000, item 7.9.2, exempts “Documentación destinada a la opción de nacionalidad o ciudadanía, con excepción de la escritura pública por la que se perfecciona el acto y la registración de la partida de nacimiento correspondiente.”

Payment — no cash: New York takes “tarjeta de débito o un Money Order” made out to the consulate; Atlanta takes cards (3.25% surcharge) or a deposit at Ameris Bank with a payment slip issued at the consulate, and no checks; Los Angeles refers to its accepted payment methods.

Required documents (child under 18)

  • Child’s US birth certificate with a Hague Apostille — always required. In New York State the certificate first needs the County Clerk’s seal. Los Angeles, Houston and Atlanta want it issued within the last 6 months. It stays with the consulate: “La partida de nacimiento original apostillada quedará archivada en esta Sección Consular” (Washington).
  • Translation into Spanish — New York: “puede ser una traducción no oficial”; Washington: “Traducción notarizada o certificada por agencia de traducciones”; Los Angeles and Houston: professional translation.
  • The Argentine-native parent’s partida de nacimiento — the Argentine civil-registry record, not a birth “certificate”: “No se aceptan certificados” (New York). Los Angeles and Houston want it issued within the last 6 months; digital PDFs downloaded from Argentine civil registries “funcionan como originales”, and it needs no Argentine apostille (Los Angeles).
  • Parents’ IDs — “DNIs vigentes de ambos progenitores si son argentinos y pasaporte vigente si uno es extranjero” (New York).
  • Proof of residence in the jurisdiction — Los Angeles and Houston (bills in the parents’ name for a minor); Washington asks for proof of address of the transmitting parent, such as a driver’s license.
  • Names must match exactly — the parents’ names on the child’s US certificate must appear exactly as on their DNIs or passports (New York, Washington, Atlanta); otherwise you need a corrected certificate from the US registrar.
  • Only in specific cases: the parents’ marriage certificate (apostilled and translated) if a parent’s ID shows a married surname different from the child’s certificate (Los Angeles); the death certificate if a parent has died (New York, Houston).

To order the US birth certificate, see US vital records by state; for the apostille, see the apostille process.

Los Angeles specifies that the other parent’s ID may be a valid DNI, passport or REAL ID; this is separate from the valid Argentine DNI required for the Argentine-native parent (checked October 17, 2026).

How to start, by consulate

ConsulateHow the request starts
New YorkEmail ryf@mrecic.gov.ar titled “Solicitud de Opción por la Nacionalidad Argentina”; requests are handled “en estricto orden de recepción”
Washington DC“Los turnos y consultas se solicitan únicamente por correo electrónico a: poderesynacionalidad@embassyofargentina.us”; after the documents are approved, an appointment is sent by email
Los AngelesOnline form at bit.ly/iniciar-nacionalidad-argentina, then documents “exclusivamente por correo”; the consulate inscribes the birth and then invites you to book the act
HoustonDeliver the documents “personalmente sin cita previa o bien remitirla por correo postal”; once they are complete, the consulate contacts you with an appointment
AtlantaEmail scans to notarial_catla@mrecic.gob.ar with the subject “Opción de nacionalidad” plus the name; then an appointment to present originals

For Los Angeles, completing the online form triggers an email with a procedure code and instructions to continue. The form specifies, document by document, whether to send an original or a photocopy (checked October 17, 2026).

The day of the act

  • A child under 18 “deberá estar acompañado por ambos padres” (New York). Houston: if only one parent holds custody under a US court order, the consulate cannot process the option unless the other parent appears and consents or there is an Argentine exequatur of the US judgment.
  • Duration: Washington “alrededor de tres horas”; New York “al menos, 2 horas”; Los Angeles “entre 3 y 4 horas”.
  • The act is signed before the consul and the child’s fingerprints and photo are taken for the future DNI (Los Angeles) — no photo to bring.

Timing and what you receive

  • Same day (New York): a DNI receipt and “un certificado de la inscripción del nacimiento del interesado, equivalente a una partida de nacimiento Argentina, provisional”.
  • Definitive Argentine birth record: “puede demorarse hasta cinco años” (New York).
  • DNI: about 3 to 6 months (New York); about 6 weeks, or about 9 weeks if the first passport is processed at the same time (Los Angeles, Houston).
  • Passport: at Los Angeles, parents of a child under 14 may request it at the same act “con un costo de 165 dólares”; a child 14 or older must wait for the DNI. Houston: “el optante debe esperar a recibir su DNI”. See Argentina passport renewal and the Argentina DNI page.

Adults (18 and older)

The option has no age limit. An adult optante may attend alone (New York: ’no es requisito que asista acompañado’) and brings their own ID — New York and Houston prefer a passport — plus their apostilled, translated US birth certificate and the Argentine-native parent’s partida; Washington also asks for proof of the applicant’s address.

Los Angeles accepts a passport or REAL ID as the adult optante’s identity document (checked October 17, 2026).

After registration

Once the child has a DNI showing a US address, voting from abroad becomes possible from age 16 and is optional — see voting from the US.

Authoritative sources

Last verified: 2026-10-17. General procedural information for educational purposes. Citizenship-by-descent rules vary by country and change. Verify directly with the Argentina consulate before traveling. Not legal advice.