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According to Argentine laws, all legal documentation such as powers of attorney, for example need to be presented before an "escribano público" or public attorney in order to have legal standing in an Argentine court of law. In this situation if your power of attorney or other legal document has been prepared in India and simply attested by an Indian notary, it will not hold water before a tribunal. Since the Consul General acts as an escribano público outside Argentina, such legal documentation can and must be signed in front of him or her in order to be valid.

The document itself will be prepared by the Consulate General following the text of the draft as given by the applicant. Please note that if the draft is in a language other than Spanish and if the applicant does not understand Spanish, the draft needs to be translated by an Official Translator first (click here to see the list of official translators).

This draft, or minuta as it is known in Spanish will be transcribed directly onto the escritura pública or acta as the final document is called. The original will need to be signed by the client in the presence of the Consul General and will remain with the Consulate. The applicant will be issued a separate copy of the acta called a testimonio. The testimonio is completely valid from the legal point of view.If the applicant or any person he or she authorizes wishes, they can be issued multiple copies of the testimonio for a fee.

If you are planning to start legal proceedings in Argentina, we suggest you get in touch with us or write to us about your situation. Your case will be studied and you will be advised on the correct procedure as per the laws of Argentina.