Argentina

This is a very simple stub, just to get things started

Argentina is so far a comparatively LGBTQ+-friendly country with some legal protections for trans people, access to healthcare and an active queer community in population centers like Buenos Aires, Rosario or Cordoba. While the country has very immigration-friendly laws, the current government under President Milei is trying to roll back many of the progressive laws around transgender and LGBTQ+ rights more broadly.

Why Argentina?

LGBTQ+ rights and trans individuals are still legally protected in many areas as of early 2025, with the government trying to roll back some of these:

Legal gender recognition: The Gender Identity Law of 2012 allows changing legal gender and name without facing barriers such as hormone therapy, surgery or psychiatric diagnosis that labels them as having an abnormality. Since 2021, identity cards can carry an "X" as a third gender-marker.
Anti-discrimination laws: No national anti-discrimination law exists, but individual large cities like Rosario & Buenoes Aires have their own anti-discrimination laws. In 2021, a law was passed to introduce a 1% "trans quota" amongst federal public employees.
Public healthcare: The 2012 Gender Identity Law also includes access to hormonal treatments and surgical gender-affirming care, without requiring a "gender dysphoria diagnosis" or a referral from mental health professionals. These procedures are covered as part of the public health insurance plan. In early 2025, the government announced a ban on gender-affirming care for people <18 years old.
LGBTQ+ rights and community: Large cities have vibrant queer communities with many support organizations and social spaces.
Immigration pathways: Argentina offers multiple visa options, including student visas, family visas and "residency by investment".

Political Situation for Trans People

While the Argentina has been celebrated for "one of the world's most comprehensive transgender rights laws", and generally being one of the most progressive Latin American countries, the current government tries to roll back many of these protections.

However, activists and organizations continue to fight for trans rights. In terms of social acceptance, some of the progress made in the past years is slowly moving back (e.g. "I still support trans people, as long as I don't have to pay for it with my taxes" and support of friends and family members is less visible now). Despite this, local trans activists say that they feel supported by minority groups, feminist groups and other activists in the current situation.

Access to Trans Healthcare

While the Gender Identity Law in theory provides access to trans healthcare, in practice the quality and access has diminished since the current government took over. Treatments and surgeries have been postponed, and access to hormones and other drugs has become harder as part of the public healthcare. You can still access all of these through private healthcare though, as long as you can afford it.

Immigration Policy

US citizens need a visa to move to Argentina for work, study and other long-term stays. Be aware that most/all of the process is done in Spanish. The most common visa routes are:

Student Visa: Available for those studying at an Argentinian university
Family-Route: If you have a partner who is a permanent resident/citizen of Argentina, you have the right to permanent residency.
Digital Nomad Visa: Valid for 180 days of temporary residency, can be extended
Investor-Route: The "Permiso de Ingreso Temporario como inversionista" is open to people who invest more than 1,500,000 ARS (Argentine Pesos) in a business venture in Argentina. As of early 2025, this is ~US $1500 (regular immigration application fees will still apply).

Medical Inadmissibility

Argentina does not have any medical inadmissibility criteria.

Permanent Residency

After three years with a temporary residency permit (two if you are also a National of a Mercosur-country), you are eligible for a permanent residency.

Citizenship Pathway

After holding a permanent residency permit for two years, you are eligible for citizenship.

LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities

Top Trans-Friendly Cities

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Community & Support Resources

National Organizations

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Cost of Living

The cost of living in Argentina has increased drastically in recent years due to hyperinflation and devaluation.
Rent is highly variable depending on the city/area, ranging from as expensive as large US cities to affordable.
Public transport only exists in major population centers. There are no long-distance trains but inter-city bus companies operate. In rural areas some personal motorized mode of transport is more or less required. Beware, cars are as expensive as in the US if not more so due to import restrictions.
Healthcare is more affordable compared to the US,
Grocery prices depend on the location and can be comparable to the US.

Housing Access & Cost

add details on discrimination in rentals if applicable
Housing costs vary by city: Buenos Aires is very expensive, while smaller cities are more affordable.

Law Enforcement & Safety

Quality and violence of police and law enforcement are highly variable based on location.
There are laws to protect from gender-based violence.
Protests vary in their safety based on topic and police. Protests have been increasingly criminalized in recent years under the current government.

Censorship & Digital Privacy

Hate speech laws exist, meaning some online speech can lead to legal consequences.
Argentina has very weak digital privacy laws, comparable to the US.

Ease of Travel to Other Countries

The only airport serving international, long-distance destinations is EZE in Buenos Aires, with regular flights to destinations in Europe and the US.

Animal Policies

Argentina is very pet-friendly
Bringing a pet to Argentina requires them to be microchipped, vaccinated and having a health certificate
For more information to travel with your pet to Argentina, see: Traveling with pets