Americas
Argentina.
Argentina's C贸digo Penal punishes failing to help a lost or abandoned child under ten, or an injured, disabled or endangered person, with a fine. Ley 25.855 on social volunteering recognizes and promotes volunteering with nonprofit organizations and directs the national executive to support it.
Is there a legal duty to help a stranger?
LimitedArticle 108 of the C贸digo Penal de la Naci贸n imposes a fine on anyone who, finding a minor under ten, or an injured, disabled or endangered person lost or abandoned, fails to give necessary help when able to do so without personal risk, or fails to notify the authority immediately. The amount in the text (750 to 12,500 pesos) is an old figure that the Infoleg note says was updated in 1993.
Are people who help protected?
None foundNo national statute specifically protecting people who help a stranger in good faith was found in the sources reviewed. Ley 25.855 expressly leaves out isolated, sporadic voluntary acts done for family, friendship or good-neighbor reasons, so it does not serve that purpose.
How the government promotes giving and service
Ways to give and volunteer
Giving in Argentina runs through civil associations and foundations, and many local food and social services are run by religious groups, which this list does not recommend. Check that a group is a legally registered entity before you give money.
Check a charity before you give
The registry body that oversees civil associations and foundations based in the City of Buenos Aires; groups elsewhere are registered with their provincial authority, and there is no single national charity search.
Give your time
Give money, blood or a donation
In an emergency or a crisis
Before you act
- Fake fundraising appeals spread on social media and messaging apps after floods and other disasters, so give through a named organization you can look up, not a personal account or link forwarded to you.
- Ask any local group for its legal name and registration number and confirm it with the IGJ or the provincial registry before giving money.
- Argentina has no special ban on foreign donors or volunteers, but a visitor doing regular unpaid work should ask the host group about visa rules first.
This list does not cover provincial and municipal volunteer programs, or the many small neighborhood groups that are not listed in a central registry. Checked 2026-10-28. Listing an organization is not an endorsement, and none of them has endorsed this site. Some official sites block automatic checks, so a link may need a second try.
One thing worth knowing
Ley 25.855 makes accredited volunteer work a mandatory merit factor in competitions for public-sector vacancies.
What this does not mean
Translations are this guide's own. No tax rule for donations or any patronage law was verified for Argentina, so none is described. Article 108 is a minor-penalty offense, and how it is applied in practice was not reviewed. This is a plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice, and it does not rank countries. No government named here has endorsed this site. Not reviewed by a lawyer. Statutes were read in public sources and may have changed. Last checked October 26, 2026.