Healthcare in Argentina: no CAK, and since 2025 no longer free in the national hospital
The Netherlands and Argentina have a treaty on taking benefits abroad, but not on healthcare: no CAK and no S1. Since Decreto 366/2025 a foreigner without permanent residence only gets emergency care free of charge in a national state hospital. For everything else you need an obra social, a prepaga or your own policy.
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Your Dutch health insurance does not come with you to Argentina. The Netherlands and Argentina did sign a social security treaty in 2002, but it is about taking cash benefits abroad, such as the AOW. It says nothing about healthcare. Argentina is also not on the CAK list: no S1 form, no care at Dutch expense. And since Decreto 366/2025, public care for a newly arrived foreigner is no longer automatically free.
| What | For whom | What it costs or requires |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch basic insurance and Wlz | ends on emigration | |
| CAK and S1 | only in a treaty country; Argentina is not one | not possible |
| Emergency care | everyone, also without residence | may not be refused |
| Public care like an Argentine | residente permanente | |
| National hospital, ordinary care | everyone without permanent residence | show health insurance or pay in advance |
| Obra social | employees | 3% of the wage, plus 6% from the employer |
| Obra social through the monotributo | self-employed | in category A 25,694.55 pesos a month, since 1 August 2026 |
| Prepaga | anyone who signs a contract | premium per age band, highest at most 3 times the lowest |
What happens to your Dutch insurance?
Your basic insurance belongs to living in the Netherlands and ends when you emigrate; how to arrange that without a gap is in cancelling your health insurance. Anyone who has no Dutch income after emigration is, according to the Tax Administration, also no longer insured under the Long-term Care Act.
In a treaty country the CAK fills that gap for people with a Dutch pension. The treaty with Argentina is different: for the Netherlands it does mention "benefits in case of sickness", but a benefit there is any payment in cash. Care itself falls outside it.
What did Decreto 366/2025 change?
The decree rewrote article 8 of the migration law. Emergency care may not be refused to any foreigner, whatever his status. A residente permanente has access to public care like an Argentine. For everyone else, in hospitals of the national state: ordinary care only with health insurance or after payment in advance. In August 2026 the Ministry of Health set out in Resolución 1066/2026 how those hospitals charge an insurer or a patient.
The same decree requires you to declare on entry that you have health insurance.
With a residencia temporaria, the usual route for retirees, you are not a permanent resident. You only become one after three years. Until then you need insurance in a national hospital or you pay yourself. Make sure your policy starts on the day your Dutch insurance ends.
How does an obra social work?
An obra social is the compulsory health insurance for people in employment. Under Ley 23.660 the employee contributes 3% of his wage and the employer 6%. Anyone self-employed in the monotributo pays a monthly amount that includes a part for the obra social; see working in Argentina. Before you join, check that the obra social or prepaga is registered with the Superintendencia de Servicios de Salud.
What should you know about a prepaga?
A prepaga is a private health insurer. Ley 26.682 gives you a few rights that matter for an older emigrant:
- Age. A prepaga may not refuse you because of your age. It may charge a different premium per age band, with the highest at most three times the lowest.
- Over 65. The regulator decides how much the premium may rise. If you are over 65 and have been with the same prepaga for more than ten years, it may no longer raise your premium because of your age.
- Existing conditions. These only count if you declare them yourself, and they are no reason to refuse you. The regulator can allow a higher premium.
- Waiting period. For what is in the compulsory basic package, the Programa Médico Obligatorio, there is no waiting period. For the rest at most twelve months.
- Cancelling. Always possible, with 30 days' notice and without a penalty.
If you prefer an international policy, ask the insurer in writing whether it is valid in Argentina, up to what age you can renew and whether it pays a national hospital directly.
Your healthcare costs come out of the same money as your pension; work it out with AOW, pension and tax. Bring your medicines for the first months; see medicines across the border. Which residence suits you is in the residence routes, and the order in the route to Argentina.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Argentina or go straight to step 1.2 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- CAK — the treaty countries for health insurance (Argentina is not among them) — hetcak.nl
- Wetten.overheid.nl — the social security treaty with Argentina of 16 December 2002, only about cash benefits — wetten.overheid.nl
- Dutch Tax Administration — after emigration no more Wlz and no Anw — belastingdienst.nl
- Ley 25.871, articles 8 and 34 — emergency care, the permanent resident and the declaration on health insurance (Decreto 366/2025) — argentina.gob.ar
- Ministerio de Salud — Resolución 1066/2026, the procedure for foreigners in national hospitals — boletinoficial.gob.ar
- Ley 23.660 (obras sociales), article 16 — 3% from the employee, 6% from the employer — argentina.gob.ar
- Ley 26.682 (medicina prepaga), articles 9 to 12 and 17 — argentina.gob.ar
- Derecho Fácil — the prepaga in plain language, with the waiting period of at most 12 months — argentina.gob.ar
- Superintendencia de Servicios de Salud — the register of obras sociales and prepagas — argentina.gob.ar
- ARCA — the monotributo amounts from 1 August 2026, with the part for the obra social — afip.gob.ar
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