Marriage
Civil marriage before the Registro Civil (Civil Registry) from 18, or 16 with the parents' authorisation, with two witnesses, free during office hours and open to same-sex couples since 2010; a religious wedding has no civil effect, either spouse may add the other's surname, and foreigners marry without any residence requirement, with documents apostilled and translated by an Argentine traductor público.
| Age | 18; 16 and 17 with the authorisation of the legal representatives; under 16 only with a judicial dispensation |
|---|---|
| Authority | Officer of the Registro Civil of the province or of the City of Buenos Aires; appointment (turno) booked in advance |
| Documents | DNI (national identity document) or passport, birth certificates, divorce judgment or death certificate where applicable; two adult witnesses |
Full detail: Marriage
Partnerships and cohabitation
The Código Civil y Comercial (Civil and Commercial Code) of 2015 (articles 509 to 528) governs the unión convivencial: two adults, free of impediments, who live together publicly, openly, stably and permanently for at least two years. Registration in the register of cohabiting unions, kept by the Registro Civil (Civil Registry), is optional: it serves as proof and makes the partners' agreements enforceable against third parties. During the union the partners owe each other assistance, contribute to household expenses and are jointly liable for household debts, and the family home is protected — if the union is registered, it cannot be sold without the other partner's consent. When the union ends, the partner left in economic imbalance may claim a compensación económica (compensation payment) within six months, the home may be allocated to one partner for up to two years, and after a death the survivor has a free right to live in the home for two years; there is no inheritance right, and no community of property unless a cohabitation agreement provides for one.
The unión convivencial is not a registered partnership: nobody enters into it by signing anything, it is simply recognised after two years together, and registration is no more than evidence. Many couples in Buenos Aires live this way for years without marrying, and a British or Irish resident who settles with a partner, often after an earlier marriage, falls under the same rules after two years whether or not the couple knows it — with rights that protect daily life together but not the survivor after a death.
A UK civil partnership is not recognised as such in Argentina, which has no registered partnership: partners who have lived together there for two years are convivientes, and the civil partnership certificate, apostilled and translated, can serve as proof of the relationship. Conversely, an Argentine unión convivencial has no legal status in the UK or Ireland, where unmarried cohabitants have few rights — almost none in England and Wales, limited remedies in Scotland and Ireland. For a British-Argentine couple who are not married, a will and a pacto de convivencia are the two instruments that work in both countries; couples who want marital rights in both simply marry, which costs nothing at the Registro Civil.
Key points
| Conditions | Over 18, not related, not married or in another union, two years of living together |
|---|---|
| Registration | Optional, at the Registro Civil; proves the union and makes agreements enforceable against third parties |
| During the union | Assistance, contribution to household expenses, joint liability for household debts, protection of the home (if registered) |
| When it ends | Compensation payment (six months to claim it), allocation of the home for up to two years, division of property according to the agreement or the rules on unjust enrichment |
| After a death | Right to live in the home for two years; no inheritance |
| Cohabitation agreements | In writing: expenses, property, division on separation; cannot override the partners' equality or mutual assistance |
| Survivor's pension | Paid by ANSES to a partner after five years of living together (two if there are children) |
| UK and Irish partners | A UK civil partnership is not recognised as such (the partners are convivientes after two years); an Argentine union is not a legal status in the UK or Ireland |
In practice
- Register the union at the Registro Civil (free in most jurisdictions) with two witnesses: it protects the home and proves the union to ANSES (the national social security administration) and to health insurance funds (obras sociales); a foreign partner registers with a passport and proof of address.
- Sign a pacto de convivencia — in writing, even privately; before a notary (escribano) for greater security — providing for the division of property on separation: without one, each partner keeps what is in his or her name.
- Make a will in favour of your partner within the freely disposable share (one third if you have children): without it, the partner inherits nothing. Assets in the UK are best covered by a UK will, drafted so that neither will revokes the other.
- On separation, claim the compensation payment within six months — the deadline is strict.
- Register your partner with your obra social and with ANSES as a beneficiary; a registered union can also support an application for residence (radicación) as the partner of an Argentine — ask the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones what it accepts.
Cost and coverage
Registration free or for a minimal fee; cohabitation agreement before an escribano 100,000 to 300,000 pesos; a will by public deed (escritura pública) costs about the same. Any UK document produced as evidence, such as a civil partnership certificate, needs an apostille and a sworn translation.
Recent changes
The 2015 Code created the unión convivencial, which did not exist before; case law has since extended the compensation payment and clarified the right to live in the home. Bills to give cohabiting partners inheritance rights have not prospered.
Where to go
- Registro Civil of each jurisdiction: register of cohabiting unions.
- Colegios de escribanos: cohabitation agreements and wills.
- ANSES: survivor's pension for a cohabiting partner; family courts (juzgados de familia): compensation and allocation of the home.
- British Embassy in Buenos Aires: consular assistance and notarial services; Irish citizens: Embassy of Ireland in Buenos Aires.
Worth knowing
The unión convivencial protects life together, not the survivor: without a will, the partner has only two years in the home and nothing more. Without a cohabitation agreement, property belongs to whoever holds the title, even if both paid. And none of it travels: in the UK and Ireland an Argentine union is not a family status, so a couple with assets or plans in both countries should either marry or put a will and an agreement in place.
Frequently asked questions
Is our UK civil partnership worth anything in Argentina?
Not as such: Argentina has no registered partnership. But two partners who have lived together in Argentina for two years are convivientes, with the effects of the unión convivencial; the civil partnership certificate, apostilled and translated, can serve as proof of your life together, and any written agreement you made on property can be relied on as a cohabitation agreement. For full marital rights you can marry in Argentina, where marriage has been open to same-sex couples since 2010.
We have lived together in Buenos Aires for three years: what rights do we have?
You are in a unión convivencial under Argentine law, even without registration: mutual assistance, joint liability for household debts, on separation a compensation payment for the partner left worse off (claimed within six months) and allocation of the home for up to two years, and after a death two years' right to live in the home. No inheritance and no sharing of property: for that you need a will and a cohabitation agreement. Registering at the Registro Civil also prevents the home from being sold without both signatures.
Can my partner stay in our home if I die?
Yes, free of charge for two years, if the home was your common home and belonged to you, provided your partner has no other home and does not marry or form a new union. After that your heirs — children, parents or other relatives — take it back: only a will, within the freely disposable share, or buying the home together protects the survivor for good.
Sources
- Civil and Commercial Code — articles 509-528 (cohabiting unions) — official text
- Civil Registry of the City of Buenos Aires — unión convivencial — registration procedure
- ANSES — survivor's pension — requirements for cohabiting partners
- British Embassy Buenos Aires — consular assistance and notarial services
The general article: Partnerships and cohabitation · Compare with another country
Same-sex marriage
Law 26.618, promulgated on 21 July 2010, amended the Civil Code so that marriage has 'the same requirements and effects whether the parties are of the same or of different sex'. The 2015 Código Civil y Comercial (Civil and Commercial Code) fully integrated it: joint adoption, parentage by voluntad procreacional (the intention to become a parent) for children born through assisted reproduction — both spouses appear on the birth record without adoption —, pensions and family reunification. Law 26.743 on gender identity (2012) allows the registered sex to be changed by simple declaration before the Registro Civil (Civil Registry). Foreigners may marry in Argentina without residence; Buenos Aires is a wedding destination for couples from neighbouring countries that did not allow it.
Argentina opened marriage four years before England, Wales and Scotland, five before Ireland and almost ten before Northern Ireland, and its gender identity law remains one of the most liberal in the world. Buenos Aires — Palermo and San Telmo, the Pride march in November, venues and planners specialising in weddings — is, with São Paulo, the city of the continent where same-sex couples are most visible, and British and Irish couples who live there, or who have an Argentine partner, find full legal equality.
A same-sex marriage celebrated in Argentina is recognised as a marriage throughout the UK and in Ireland, with no registration there. British couples marry under the same procedure as any couple, with their documents apostilled by the FCDO Legalisation Office and translated by an Argentine traductor público (sworn public translator), and the GOV.UK 'marriage abroad' tool lists what else a British national needs. Children born in Argentina through assisted reproduction appear on the birth record with both mothers; how the UK treats the second mother for passports and citizenship depends on UK rules on parenthood, not on the Argentine record, so British families should check with HM Passport Office before travelling.
Key points
| Opening | 21 July 2010 (Law 26.618), the first in Latin America |
|---|---|
| Effects | Identical: joint adoption, parentage by voluntad procreacional, pensions, family reunification |
| Parentage | Both spouses (or cohabiting partners) appear on the birth record of a child born by assisted reproduction with prior informed consent; no adoption |
| Gender identity | Change of registered sex by declaration since 2012 (Law 26.743); treatments covered |
| Foreigners | May marry without residence; the marriage has no value in countries that do not recognise it |
| Figures | More than 30,000 marriages since 2010 |
| Context | Law on the employment quota for travesti and trans people (2021); hate crimes prosecuted |
| UK and Ireland | Recognised as a marriage throughout the UK and in Ireland, without registration; a two-mother birth record and a gender change follow UK rules for UK purposes |
In practice
- The procedure is that of civil marriage (see that page) before any Registro Civil, with an appointment and two witnesses; British partners bring the same apostilled and translated documents as any foreign spouse.
- For children born by assisted reproduction, both members of the couple sign the consent at the medical centre and the birth record is drawn up with both surnames; British parents then check with HM Passport Office how the UK treats the record.
- Foreign couples (Chileans before 2022, Peruvians, Paraguayans…) marry in Buenos Aires with their passports; they must check the effects in their own country — for British and Irish couples, recognition is assured.
- The foreign spouse of an Argentine obtains residence (radicación) as a family member from the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones; an Argentine spouse moving to the UK applies for a family visa like any other spouse.
- Joint adoption follows the general procedure, through the single register of prospective adopters (RUAGA).
Cost and coverage
Those of civil marriage: free during office hours; a fee for ceremonies outside them. UK apostilles are charged per document and sworn translations by the page.
Recent changes
The 2015 Code consolidated parentage by voluntad procreacional; the government elected in 2023 has cut back diversity policies without touching the marriage and gender identity laws. Fifteen years of equal marriage were celebrated in 2025.
Where to go
- Provincial civil registries and that of the City of Buenos Aires.
- Federación Argentina LGBT+ and Comunidad Homosexual Argentina: information and support.
- INADI (National Institute against Discrimination) or its successor bodies: complaints; Dirección Nacional de Migraciones: residence of the spouse.
- British Embassy in Buenos Aires: consular assistance, notarial services, guidance on documents; Irish citizens: Embassy of Ireland in Buenos Aires.
Worth knowing
Argentina offers the most complete protection in the region: marriage, parentage without adoption, gender identity by declaration. Couples from neighbouring countries who marry there must check what their own country will recognise: Chile and Uruguay, everything; Paraguay and Bolivia, nothing. For British and Irish couples the marriage itself raises no difficulty; the points to check are the UK treatment of a two-mother birth record and of a gender change made in Argentina, which follow UK rules rather than Argentine ones.
Frequently asked questions
We are a British same-sex couple: can we marry in Argentina?
Yes, with no residence requirement, on the same terms as any couple: passports, an appointment at the Registro Civil, two adult witnesses, birth certificates and proof of marital status apostilled by the FCDO Legalisation Office and translated in Argentina by a traductor público, plus whatever the GOV.UK 'marriage abroad' tool lists for British nationals. The marriage is valid throughout the UK without any registration there.
Our child was born in Buenos Aires to two mothers — what about the UK?
The Argentine birth record names both mothers, without adoption. For UK purposes, the child is British by descent if the British mother is the birth mother or, under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act rules, was married to the birth mother at the time of the treatment; a mother who is herself British by descent cannot usually pass on citizenship automatically to a child born abroad. Passports and citizenship are decided by HM Passport Office and the Home Office: check with them before travelling.
Is our Argentine marriage recognised in Ireland?
Yes: since same-sex marriage was introduced in Ireland in 2015, same-sex marriages celebrated abroad are recognised there as marriages. As in the UK, no registration is needed, but keep the acta de matrimonio with its apostille and a translation. Irish citizens can ask the Embassy of Ireland in Buenos Aires about the documents needed to marry in Argentina.
Sources
- Law 26.618 — equal marriage — official text
- Law 26.743 — gender identity — official text
- Civil and Commercial Code — parentage by assisted reproduction (articles 560-564) — text
- GOV.UK — getting married abroad — documents a British national needs, by country
The general article: Same-sex marriage · Compare with another country
General sources
- argentina.gob.ar — official portal of the Argentine state: procedures, civil registry, migration, health, justice
- Normativa nacional (InfoLeg) — official texts of Argentine laws and decrees
- British Embassy Buenos Aires — gov.uk — consular help, notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Argentina