ACRO Police Certificate for Argentina Residency

An Argentine residence applicant asked for a UK criminal-record certificate needs the ACRO Police Certificate, followed by a paper FCDO apostille and a sworn Spanish translation in Argentina. In 2026 the certificate cost about £70 through ACRO's standard service, which could take up to 20 working days, or about £125 through its two-working-day premium service. The FCDO paper apostille added £45 per document and could take up to 25 working days before delivery.

The clock starts with the date ACRO issues the certificate. Migraciones (Argentina's immigration directorate) or the consulate receiving the application sets the acceptable age for the relevant category; an apostille does not renew that date. The two published maximum processing periods alone add up to 45 working days on standard service, before post and translation. Four to six weeks for the entire standard chain would therefore be too optimistic; the filing date should drive the order date and choice of service.

ACRO is the overseas certificate, not the UK employment check

The ACRO Criminal Records Office issues its Police Certificate for immigration, visas and work abroad. It reports what is held on the Police National Computer across the United Kingdom. Where nothing is held, 'no trace' is the certificate's valid result. A DBS check is designed for British employment and safeguarding, even at enhanced level, while an ACRO subject access report gives the individual access to personal data rather than producing an overseas Police Certificate.

A UK certificate covers the UK. If the residence checklist asks for records from other countries of residence, those countries issue their own certificates, each with its own legalisation and translation requirements. The family-route checklist asks for foreign criminal-record certificates from applicants aged 16 and over and the Argentine Registro Nacional de Reincidencia certificate from age 18. British tourists visiting visa-free for up to 90 days do not present a police certificate at the border.

The paper route has two processing clocks

ACRO standard delivery uses first-class post in the UK or ordinary post abroad, without a tracking number. Its processing clock starts on the working day after submission, with dispatch at the end of processing. An extra copy of the same certificate cost £7.75 when ordered with the application or £15 later, by request within six months. A UK address able to forward the paper can be useful for an applicant already living in Argentina.

*UK legalisation firms quoting ACRO's fee list in May and August 2026 gave slightly different prices: £70 and £68 standard, £125 and £121 premium. The FCDO, courier and Buenos Aires college charges are September 2026 figures.*

The FCDO Legalisation Office attaches a paper apostille to the ACRO certificate after it has been issued. ACRO documents are excluded from the £35 e-Apostille service. The legalised original then goes to a traductor público (sworn translator) in Argentina, who translates the certificate and the attached apostille. Some receiving offices also request legalisation of the translator's signature by the Colegio de Traductores; that charge is separate from the translator's fee.

Timing the document around the application

The Argentine office's checklist identifies the countries to cover, the applicant ages and the acceptable certificate issue date. ACRO asks for the applicant's passport name, previous names and address history; a changed surname may need its supporting document apostilled and translated to connect the records. The finished filing uses the original and the copies or uploads that the particular appointment or online system specifies.

A standard ACRO application could use 20 working days and the FCDO could use another 25, before their respective deliveries and the Argentine translation. Premium ACRO reduces the first period to two working days but leaves the FCDO period intact. The uncertainty of postage and appointment availability makes an unconditional four-to-six-week promise unsafe; ordering too early can be equally troublesome if the office measures freshness from the original ACRO issue date.

The residence application has its own charge, separate from the police paper: at the September 2026 value of ARS 1,000 per UMSM, 50 UMSM is ARS 50,000 for temporary residence and 100 UMSM is ARS 100,000 for permanent residence. A preferential appointment adds 50 UMSM (ARS 50,000). A family member's route and age affect which evidence is requested. The rentista (passive-income) route also has an income floor of five times the minimum wage (ARS 1,956,000 a month in October 2026); the digital nomad permission follows a separate 180-day checklist and does not issue a DNI (Argentine identity document). Neither substitutes for the residence category's own document list.

The practical dividing line is the intended filing. A short tourist visit needs no ACRO paperwork, while a residence application may need UK, third-country and Argentine records. For the latter, the useful date on the UK paper remains the one ACRO printed, even after the last stamp and translation are complete.