For guidance only. This guide summarizes official regulations of the City of Buenos Aires in force as of October 2026. Rules and requirements change: before filing, check the sources listed at the end and a licensed professional. SOMOS DER is an event production company, not a law firm.
1. Is your event a «mass event» for the City?
Ley 5641 (Law 5641, passed on 29/09/2016) regulates occasional mass events held at venues not licensed for that purpose. It defines a mass event as any artistic, musical or festive act capable of gathering more than one thousand attendees, in open, closed or semi-closed venues. It distinguishes the espectáculo público (public show: the audience watches) from the diversión pública (public entertainment: the audience takes part).
- More than 1,000 people at a venue not licensed for that: special mass event permit from the AGC.
- More than 600 people in public space (streets, squares, parks): a separate procedure with the Ministerio de Espacio Público e Higiene Urbana (Ministry of Public Space and Urban Hygiene), Dirección General de Permisos y Ferias (Directorate General of Permits and Fairs).
- Venue already licensed (theater, stadium, event hall): the venue license applies, including its capacity.
2. Who issues the permit and how to apply
The special permit is issued by the Agencia Gubernamental de Control (AGC, Government Control Agency), through the Dirección General de Habilitaciones y Permisos (Directorate General of Licenses and Permits). Resolución 362/AGC/2024 (Resolution 362/AGC/2024) established that the application is filed through TAD (Tramitación a Distancia, the City’s online filing system) with a minimum of 20 calendar days in advance of the planned date. If that deadline is not met, the application is automatically denied.
Before that, the organizer has to be registered in the AGC’s Registro Público de Productores de Eventos Masivos (Public Registry of Mass Event Producers): the certificate is annual, personal and non-transferable, and it is submitted with the rest of the documents.
3. Maximum capacity
Article 3 of Ley 5641 sets the audience ceiling:
- Open venue, espectáculo público (public show): up to 3 people per square meter.
- Open venue, diversión pública (public entertainment): up to 2 people per square meter.
- It is measured on the free floor area.
- Closed or semi-closed venues: the capacity is the one stated in their license.
Example (just arithmetic on article 3): 2,000 m² of free area at an open venue give, at most, 6,000 people for a concert (public show) or 4,000 for a party (public entertainment). The capacity that counts is the one granted by the permit.
4. Access control: what the law requires
Article 11, item f of Ley 5641 requires a technological access control, duly approved and certified, to ensure the maximum capacity granted is not exceeded. It also requires visible screens at the entrances and inside the venue showing the occupancy percentage in real time, and that the AGC can see the entry and exit data. The AGC procedure lists it as a requirement: «Control electrónico de acceso homologado y certificado» (certified electronic access control).
The same law requires, in its action plan, among other things:
- Measures to prevent the entry of minors, with a designated person in charge.
- Private security and surveillance staff, and a security plan signed by a qualified professional.
- On-site medical care, first aiders, free drinking water and restrooms in line with the capacity.
- Presence of police and firefighters, and working fire suppression systems.
5. Documents the AGC requires
The official procedure page lists, among other requirements:
- Permit project and descriptive report of the event, with the requested capacity.
- Registration certificate in the Registro Público de Productores de Eventos Masivos (Public Registry of Mass Event Producers).
- Site plan of the venue showing the exits.
- Proof of civil liability insurance.
- Approval of the Self-Protection System (evacuation plan) by the Dirección General de Defensa Civil (Directorate General of Civil Defense).
- Acoustic impact report.
- Documents proving the right to occupy the venue.
- Certificate of fire-retardant treatment of combustible structures and sets.
- Hiring of private security, first aiders, medical care, chemical toilets, fire prevention, cleaning and technical services.
- Certified electronic access control.
- Proof of payment under the Ley Tarifaria (the City’s annual fee law; the fee varies with capacity).
6. More than 5,000 people: State presence
When capacity exceeds 5,000 attendees, article 14 of Ley 5641 requires the City Government to implement a State presence plan: prior approval of the medical plan by SAME (the City’s emergency medical service), notice to nearby hospitals, at least six AGC inspectors between 5,000 and 10,000 attendees (one more for every 5,000 above that) and approval of the assigned fire service.
7. If the event is in public space
For more than 600 people in public space, the procedure is with the Dirección General de Permisos y Ferias (Directorate General of Permits and Fairs), online with a miBA account (the City’s digital account) and 30 calendar days in advance. It requires, among other things, civil liability insurance covering spectators and third parties, a surety bond for damage to public space, a security plan (Ley 1913), a medical plan with an ambulance and an evacuation plan with clear exit routes, a sketch with the route drawn and visible emergency numbers. The minimum policy amounts are published on the procedure page and are updated.
Where SOMOS DER fits in
We are an event production company based in Buenos Aires with our own access control and accreditation team. We coordinate audience entry so the capacity granted is respected door by door, and we accredit guests, press and staff with PASE, our QR accreditation platform (online registration, unique QR, double entry prevention and live check-in). More in our guide to QR event accreditation. If your event falls under Ley 5641, we review with you which certified access control system the permit requires and how it fits into the operation.
More about how we work in the City at event production company in Buenos Aires.
Official sources
- Ley 5641 de Eventos Masivos (2016), Boletín Oficial de la Ciudad (Mass Events Law 5641, City Official Gazette)
- Resolución 362/AGC/2024: solicitudes de eventos masivos por TAD (Resolution 362/AGC/2024: mass event applications through TAD)
- Trámite «Solicitud de permiso de evento masivo» (AGC, buenosaires.gob.ar) (Mass event permit application)
- Trámite «Eventos masivos» en el espacio público (buenosaires.gob.ar) (Mass events in public space)
Consulted on October 28, 2026. Ley 5641 was amended by Ley 6779 (articles 5, 6 and 10, and article 11 bis was added): the document requirements in this guide follow the official procedure page, which already cites Ley 6779.