ACRO Police Check for Argentina Residency: What British Expats Actually Need

If you are applying for any category of Argentine residency. Digital Nomad Visa, Rentista, Pensionado, Investor, Work, Family Reunification. Migraciones will ask for a UK criminal records certificate. The document they want is an ACRO Police Certificate, issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Records Office. It is not the same as a DBS check (the one used for UK employment) and Migraciones will reject the wrong one.

The good news: the ACRO process is run entirely online and takes under two weeks in standard mode. The bad news: almost everything around it (apostille, timing, validity, translation) is where British applicants lose time.

For related context, see Argentina Visa for UK Citizens: What You Actually Need.

Which certificate to order

The ACRO website offers two products. You want the Police Certificate, not the Subject Access Request. The Police Certificate is specifically designed for foreign immigration authorities and comes in the exact format Argentine Migraciones is used to seeing. Cost: £55 for standard (10 working days) or £95 for premium (2 working days).

Pay the premium if you are on a tight schedule. Ten working days is nominal; it can stretch to three or four weeks when ACRO has a busy period. The £40 difference is nothing compared to rebooking a flight or paying a second visa fee.

Ordering it from the UK before you leave

The cleanest sequence is to apply for the ACRO certificate in the UK, a few weeks before your flight. The online form asks for:

• Full name and all previous names
• Date and place of birth
• Every UK address for the past five years
• Passport number and photo

You upload a certified photograph and proof of ID. They email you when the certificate is ready, and the physical certificate is posted to a UK address of your choice.

If you are already in Argentina, you can still apply. ACRO will post the certificate internationally (they charge an additional fee) or you can nominate a UK friend to receive it and scan/post it onward. In practice, having a UK address in the chain saves two to three weeks.

Apostille: the bit that catches people out

An ACRO certificate on its own has no legal weight for Argentine Migraciones. It has to carry a Hague Apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes. You can apply online at gov.uk, upload the scanned certificate, and they return the apostilled physical document by courier. Cost: £30 per document plus return postage.

Standard turnaround is 2 working days for premium service or 7 working days standard. Courier your original ACRO certificate to the Legalisation Office; they stamp the apostille on the back and return it. Do not try to apostille a photocopy. it will not be accepted by Argentine authorities.

Order this right: ACRO first, apostille second. Some applicants try to apostille simultaneously and end up with an apostille stamped on the wrong document.

Translation: when is it needed

Migraciones will sometimes ask for a certified Spanish translation (traducción pública) done by a translator matriculated with the Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (CTPCBA). This is done in Argentina, not in the UK. Cost: ARS 15,000–40,000 per document depending on length.

Not every category requires translation of the ACRO certificate. the document is short and in formal English that Migraciones staff can read. But when in doubt, arrange the translation in Buenos Aires after you arrive; it usually takes two to three working days.

Validity and timing

Argentine Migraciones accepts criminal record certificates up to 6 months old at the point of submission. If your application gets delayed internally, that six-month clock can expire and you will need a fresh ACRO. This is why applying too early is a real risk.

Sensible sequence:

1. Book your Migraciones appointment (online, typically 4–8 weeks ahead)

2. 4 weeks before the appointment: apply for the ACRO Police Certificate (premium service)

3. 2 weeks before: send the ACRO to FCDO Legalisation for apostille (premium service)

4. 1 week before: have the Spanish translation done in Buenos Aires if needed

5. Appointment day: submit the full document stack

That sequence keeps every document well within its validity window.

The "overseas applicants" route

If you have lived abroad for more than 10 years and have no recent UK address history, ACRO can still issue a certificate but you will need to prove your identity more rigorously. The process adds a few days but works.

If you have lived in other countries during the last five years (say, you spent two years in the UAE) Argentine Migraciones may ask for police certificates from those countries too. Each country has its own process; allow extra weeks for those.

Not legal advice. Check the current Migraciones requirements for your specific residency category before submitting. Rules and document lists are revised every few years.

Worth reading next

• Argentina Visa for UK Citizens: What You Actually Need
• Moving to Argentina from the UK: A Practical Guide
• Getting a CUIL or CDI as a UK Citizen: ANSES in Practice