How to Get a Certificado de Domicilio

But first, HAPPY EASTER! And happy 8 months to me...I am now into my 9th month here in BA and I'm prepping for winter...aka going SHOPPING! However, that's not so fun to blog about, so here's a how-to that I did a while ago. 

One of the endless pieces of paper that you will need if you want to apply for certain legal documents here in Argentina is a Certificado de Domicilio. Essentially, this is a little piece of paper that certifies that you are in fact living where you say you do. Out of all the documents you need in order to begin the process of “going legal,” the Certificado de Domicilio is one of the easiest to obtain.

To get this paper, you have to go to your local police station or “comisaría.” Depending on where you live, your comisaría will be different. To find the station for your area, go to this site and enter in your street name, then choose the number or “altura."

Once you know where your comisaría is, head on over and ask a policeman where to get a Certificado de Domicilio…they will point you in the right direction. When it's your turn to talk to someone, just say that you need a Certificado de Domicilio and they will ask for your passport. After they record your name and passport number they will ask for your address. They will also ask you what you want the Certificado for...just say "para ANSES." Then you pay the 10 peso fee.

After they take your information, they will tell you that someone will come around to your place of residence within the next 72 hours to verify that you do live there. However, someone will usually come the very next day. For me, I went in the afternoon on a Monday and someone showed up at 10 am on Tuesday…very efficient for Buenos Aires, to be honest.

When the policeman rings your buzzer, all you have to do is go down with your passport and show it to him so he can verify that you are the person who is claiming to live at that address. Then he’ll give you a little piece of paper (see below), stamp it and sign it in a very official manner, and then depart, leaving you standing there wondering “Is that all?”

The answer being yes, that is all. Like I said, a piece of cake compared to some other things that are required during the getting-legal process (aka FBI reports, fingerprints being sent across continents to verify that I haven’t killed anyone in the last 5 years, etc).

A few important notes: 1) It doesn’t matter if you are in a hostel, student residence, apartment, or house…the process is exactly the same. Just give the address of the hostel or residence and then make sure you are there when the person comes to check on you. 2) Alternatively, if you can’t be there (work, prior engagement, subway strike keeps you stuck underground for 45 minutes) give your passport to someone you trust (landlord, roommate, hostel reception, etc) and they can show it to the person who comes to check. Suerte!