UK Divorce Certificate Apostille for Argentina: When You Need It and How to Get It

Not every British expat applying for Argentine residency will be asked for a divorce certificate. Migraciones requests it when your personal status documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate) show a marriage that no longer exists. For example, if you remarried after a divorce and are applying for family reunification with your current spouse. The previous marriage needs to be formally dissolved in Migraciones' records.

When it is required

For related context, see Getting a CUIL or CDI as a UK Citizen: ANSES in Practice.

Migraciones asks for a divorce certificate in these scenarios:

• Family reunification where you are joining a new Argentine spouse and your previous marriage was UK-registered
• Name changes — if your surname changed through divorce and back, Migraciones wants the chain documented
• Remarriage to an Argentine citizen — the divorce proves your current marriage is legally valid
• Some Rentista and Pensionado applications where joint income from a previous spouse is being demonstrated

If you are single, never married, or widowed, this document is not relevant.

The correct document

Migraciones wants the decree absolute (in England and Wales), decree of divorce (in Scotland), or decree of dissolution (Northern Ireland). This is the final order that legally ends the marriage.

Do NOT use:

• The decree nisi (conditional order in England/Wales) — this is preliminary, not final
• A financial consent order — this is about money, not marital status
• A solicitor's letter confirming divorce — not an official court document

How to obtain it

If you have the original decree, use that. If you have lost it:

England and Wales: apply to the court that issued the decree or to the Central Family Court in London. Cost: £11 for a search plus £11 per sealed copy. Processing: 2-4 weeks.

Scotland: apply to National Records of Scotland for an extract from the Register of Divorces. Cost: £15.

Northern Ireland: apply to the court that heard the case or the High Court in Belfast.

FCDO apostille

As with all UK documents for Argentine use:

1. Send the original decree (or sealed copy from the court) to the FCDO Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes

2. Pay £30 per document

3. Standard turnaround: 7 working days; premium: 2 working days

4. The apostille is stamped on the reverse

Important: only court-issued sealed copies can be apostilled. Photocopies or uncertified copies will be rejected.

Spanish translation

The apostilled decree needs a traducción pública by a CTPCBA-matriculated translator in Buenos Aires. Cost: ARS 15,000-40,000. Turnaround: 2-4 working days.

The translator creates a bound document containing the original, apostille, and translation.

Validity and timing

Divorce decrees do not expire in the way that criminal record certificates and birth certificates do. A decree from 2010 is as valid as one from 2024. However, Argentine Migraciones officers occasionally ask for "recent" documentation. having the apostille done within the last 12 months before your appointment avoids any challenge.

Not legal advice. Divorce law and Migraciones requirements vary. If your divorce was complex (international, contested, involving children), consult an Argentine immigration lawyer.

Worth reading next

• Getting a CUIL or CDI as a UK Citizen: ANSES in Practice
• Argentine Student Visa for UK Citizens: How to Study at UBA or Any Argentine University
• Moving to Argentina from the UK: A Practical Guide