Argentina: Information on whether holding an Argentine passport indicates that the bearer is a citizen of Argentina (follow-up to Response to Information Request ARG26961.F of 3 September 1997)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ARG28067.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Argentina: Information on whether holding an Argentine passport indicates that the bearer is a citizen of Argentina (follow-up to Response to Information Request ARG26961.F of 3 September 1997), 1 October 1997, ARG28067.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ace40.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The information that follows was obtained by the Canadian Embassy in Buenos Aires and provided to the Research Directorate by the Refugee Branch of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and adds to that provided in Response to Information Request ARG26961.F (16 Sept. 1997).
Holding an Argentine passport does not necessarily indicate that the holder is an Argentine citizen. Under Argentine law, non-Argentine dependants of Argentine citizens are entitled to obtain a non-citizen passport. The dependant must be either a spouse (male or female) or a child under 18. Widows or widowers of Argentine citizens may continue to bear the non-citizen passport, unless they re-marry. A child's non-citizen passport automatically expires on his or her 18th birthday, at which point he or she must opt for either Argentine citizenship of that of another country.
The non-citizen passport is identical to the regular Argentine passport, except that a note in Spanish is placed on the observation page of the passport stating that the bearer is a non-Argentine dependant of an Argentine citizen.
The Canadian Embassy in Buenos Aires does not recognize the dependant passport as a valid travel document for visa issuance purposes. Aside from the question of legal passport issuance, there is a considerable amount of document fraud in Argentina, and it is suspected that there may be numerous Argentine passports in circulation that have been obtained by fraudulent means.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Refugee Branch, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ottawa. 16 September 1997. Letter received by the Research Directorate.
