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Filipinos and Argentine citizenship: keep both with one oath

Philippine law lets natural-born Filipinos hold a second nationality, provided they take an oath of allegiance. For a family whose wealth was built at home or abroad, Argentina offers far wider travel without giving up the Philippine passport.

Updated 8 min readSourced from official announcements

Key facts

  • Natural-born Filipinos can hold Argentine citizenship and keep Philippine citizenship by taking the RA 9225 oath.
  • Unmarried children under 18 are covered as derivative Filipino citizens (RA 9225, Sec. 4).
  • Travel gain: Philippine passport 66 destinations (#75), Argentine passport 169 (#16) in the Henley Passport Index, July 2026.
  • The Philippines left the FATF grey list in February 2025. It has applied the Apostille Convention since May 2019.
  • Cost: US$350,000 non-refundable, or a US$800,000 bond. Applications open in Q4 2026.

Of the large Asian markets, the Philippines has one of the most flexible nationality laws. A natural-born Filipino can become Argentine and remain Filipino. That makes Argentina citizenship by investment a true second passport for Filipino families, not an exchange.

The main questions are therefore practical. Do you take the oath correctly? Can you move the funds? And is the travel gain worth US$350,000 or more?

Note. Two Argentine appeal courts have ruled against DNU 366/2025, the decree that allows naturalisation through investment. On 18 June 2026 Chamber III of the federal civil and commercial appeals court struck down the parts that give citizenship decisions to Migraciones. On 30 June 2026 the Cámara Nacional Electoral declared the decree unconstitutional. The government has appealed to the Supreme Court and says the decree stays in effect until the ruling is final. We have not found a Supreme Court decision as of 10 October 2026. Read our legal status page before you commit funds.

Philippine law: RA 9225 and the oath

Before 2003, Commonwealth Act No. 63 took Philippine citizenship away from a Filipino who naturalised in another country. Republic Act No. 9225, the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act, approved on 29 August 2003, changed that for natural-born Filipinos.

The law works through an oath:

  • Retention. A natural-born Filipino who becomes a citizen of another country after the Act retains Philippine citizenship by taking the oath of allegiance in Section 3.
  • Reacquisition. A natural-born Filipino who lost citizenship before the Act reacquires it by taking the same oath.
  • Children. Unmarried children under 18, including adopted children, are deemed Philippine citizens (Section 4).

You file the petition at a Philippine embassy or consulate, or with the Bureau of Immigration in Manila, and take the oath before a consular or immigration officer. Do this promptly after the Argentine grant, and keep the documents that confirm your status.

The Supreme Court has held that RA 9225 leaves any question of dual allegiance to the other country’s law (Calilung v. Datumanong). Argentina allows dual nationality and does not ask new citizens to renounce their original one. See our dual citizenship guide.

Limits to note

Section 5 of RA 9225 restores full civil and political rights, with conditions:

  • To run for elective office, you must renounce all foreign citizenship when you file your candidacy.
  • An appointed public official must take an oath of allegiance and renounce allegiance to the other country.
  • To practise a licensed profession in the Philippines, you must apply to the proper authority.

RA 9225 does not help a Filipino who acquired Philippine citizenship by naturalisation. If that is your position, take advice from a Philippine lawyer before you apply.

The mobility gain

The July 2026 edition of the Henley Passport Index ranks the Philippine passport 75th, with 66 destinations. The Argentine passport ranks 16th, with 169.

Destination Philippine passport Argentine passport
Schengen Area Visa required 90 days in 180
United Kingdom Visa required ETA (£20)
Japan Visa required 90 days visa-free
China Visa required 30 days visa-free (to 31 Dec 2026)
South Korea Visa required K-ETA
Mexico, Chile Visa required Visa-free
United States Visa required Visa required (B1/B2)
Canada Visa required Visa required (eTA if you hold a valid US visa)

For Filipinos, this is one of the largest gains of any nationality. Business travel to Europe, Japan and North Asia no longer needs a consulate appointment. North America is the exception: Argentina is not in the US Visa Waiver Program. Mercosur residence rights come only after five years of Argentine nationality. See our passport guide.

Overseas Filipinos and wealth earned abroad

Much Filipino wealth is earned outside the country, by senior professionals and business owners in the Gulf, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe and North America. For this group, a stronger passport has a specific value: easier travel to third countries for work and family, without a visa application for each trip.

Two points apply to overseas Filipinos:

  • Tax at home. The Philippines taxes resident citizens on worldwide income. Non-resident citizens are taxed only on income from Philippine sources, according to PwC. Argentine citizenship does not change your Philippine tax status.
  • Residence abroad. An Argentine passport does not by itself give you a right to live or work in your current host country. Your residence there still depends on that country’s rules.

Funds earned and held abroad are often the simplest way to pay. They still need a clear trail from salary, bonuses or business profits to the account that pays Argentina.

Funding from the Philippines

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) sets the foreign-exchange rules. Two points are relevant:

  • Buying dollars at a bank. Residents can buy foreign exchange from authorised banks for non-trade purposes. Above set thresholds, the bank needs supporting documents. Bank forms that we reviewed refer to a daily limit of US$500,000 for individuals, but check the current figure with your bank.
  • Outward investment. BSP rules let residents buy foreign exchange from banks for outward investments of up to US$60 million per investor per year. The bond route would fall well within that limit, but the Agency had not published the bond’s terms as of 10 October 2026. Confirm the current rule with your bank.

Which category a non-refundable contribution to a foreign treasury falls into is a question for your bank. Ask for written confirmation before you transfer.

Argentina’s checks cover identity, the legality and traceability of funds, financial and asset analysis, jurisdictional risk, criminal and reputational background, and migration history. All funds must move through the formal financial system. Our source of funds guide explains what to prepare.

FATF status and documents

The FATF placed the Philippines on its grey list in June 2021 and removed it in February 2025. It is not on the grey list or the black list after the June 2026 plenary. That helps Filipino applicants, because jurisdictional risk is one of Argentina’s stated checks.

Apostilles. The Apostille Convention has applied to the Philippines since 14 May 2019, and the Department of Foreign Affairs issues apostilles. Austria, Finland, Germany and Greece objected to the Philippines’ accession, so documents for those four countries still need legalisation. Argentina is not among them. Philippine civil records and NBI clearances can therefore be apostilled for use in Argentina. All documents need certified Spanish translations.

Cost

The donation route is US$350,000 for the main applicant, plus US$100,000 for a spouse or for each single child aged 18–25 without children, and US$25,000 for each child under 18. A couple with two minors pays US$500,000. The bond route is US$800,000. Press reports say the bond is held for seven years at zero interest. Government fees and processing times are not yet published. See our cost guide and family guide.

Is it right for you?

It may suit you if:

  • You are a natural-born Filipino and will take the RA 9225 oath.
  • You travel often to Europe, Japan or North Asia for business.
  • Your wealth has a clear documentary trail, at home or abroad.

It is probably not right for you if:

  • You became Filipino by naturalisation and have not had legal advice.
  • You plan to stand for elective office in the Philippines.
  • You mainly want visa-free access to the United States or Canada.

For a confidential assessment, request a private briefing.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep Philippine citizenship if I become Argentine?

Yes, if you are a natural-born Filipino. Under Republic Act No. 9225, you retain or reacquire Philippine citizenship by taking an oath of allegiance before a Philippine consular officer or the Bureau of Immigration. Argentina does not ask you to renounce Philippine citizenship.

What if I became a Filipino by naturalisation?

RA 9225 applies only to natural-born Filipinos. A naturalised Filipino who acquires Argentine citizenship should take legal advice, because the protection of RA 9225 does not extend to them.

Are my children covered?

Under Section 4 of RA 9225, unmarried children under 18 of a parent who retains or reacquires Philippine citizenship are deemed Philippine citizens. They are listed in the parent's petition.

Can Philippine documents be apostilled for Argentina?

Yes. The Apostille Convention has applied to the Philippines since 14 May 2019, and the Department of Foreign Affairs issues apostilles. Austria, Finland, Germany and Greece objected to the Philippines' accession, but Argentina did not.

Does the Argentine passport give visa-free entry to the United States?

No. Argentina is not in the US Visa Waiver Program, so a B1/B2 visa is still required. The main gains for a Filipino are the Schengen Area, Japan, the UK, China and Mexico.

Next stepPrivate Briefing

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