Key Takeaways
- Announced, not yet open: On 2 October 2026, Argentina's Ministry of Economy announced the terms of a citizenship-by-investment program. As of 12 October 202,6 no implementing rules, fees, es or application portal have been published, and no application has been approved.
- Two price points: a non-refundable contribution of $350,000 to the National Treasury, or $800,000 placed in a dedicated government bond whose terms have not been published.
- Family add-ons: $100,000 for a spouse and for each unmarried child aged 18 to 25, and $25,000 for each child under 18. The government's own example puts a family of four at $500,000.
- No residence required first: the route is a separate path to naturalisation "regardless of residence time", created by Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) 366/2025.
- Legal risk is real: on June 2,026 two federal appeals chambers ruled against the decree behind the program, one of them declaring it null in full, and Congress has not passed a law to back it.
- Ordinary route still works: foreigners can still become Argentine after two years of continuous legal residence, for example on a rentista or pensionado permit from about $1,300 a month in income.
What Argentina Announced on 2 October 2026
Argentina's Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, announced the start of the Argentina Citizenship by Investment program at an investor event in Paris on 2 October 2026, with the terms published the same day on the government's official portal. The program lets a foreign national become an Argentine citizen by making a qualifying investment, without first living in the country.
Two investment options were announced. The first is a non-refundable contribution of $350,000 paid to the National Treasury. The second is an $800,000 subscription to a public bond created for the program. The government has not yet published the bond's term, interest, or redemption rules, so the second option cannot be priced yet. Some press reports mention a seven-year holding period, which the official release does not confirm.
Applicants can add family members. A spouse and each unmarried child aged 18 to 25 cost $100,000 each, and each child under 18 costs $25,000. On the contribution option, a family of two parents and two young children would pay $500,000, the figure the government used in its own example.
The amounts are set in US dollars, so they do not move with the peso. They are among the higher entry points for a citizenship program in the Americas: several Caribbean programs start between $200,000 and $250,000 for a single applicant.
Option | Single applicant | Spouse | Child 18–25 (unmarried) | Child under 18 | Status |
Treasury contribution (non-refundable) | $350,000 | +$100,000 | +$100,000 | +$25,000 | Announced; rules not published |
Government bond | $800,000 | not specified | not specified | not specified | Announced; bond terms not published |
The Legal Basis: DNU 366/2025 and Decree 524/2025
The program rests on a decree, not on a law passed by Congress. DNU 366/2025, published in the Boletín Oficial (Argentina's official gazette) on 29 May 2025, reformed both the citizenship law (Law 346) and the migration law (Law 25.871). Its article 38 added article 2 bis to Law 346: a foreigner may be granted citizenship regardless of residence time if they make a "relevant investment" as defined by the Ministry of Economy.
Decree 524/2025, published on 31 July 2sets, sets out the procedure. A new body, the Agencia de Programas de Ciudadanía por Inversión (the Agency for Citizenship-by-Investment Programs) under the Ministry of Economy, checks that the investment qualifies. It then requests background reports from the security, financial intelligence, criminal records, identity, and intelligence services, and sends a recommendation to the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM, the national migration authority). DNM decides within 30 business days.
Decree 285/2026 appointed the Agency's executive director in April 2026. What is still missing is the operating rulebook: the Ministry of Economy resolution that turns the announced amounts into binding rules, the fee schedule, and the application portal. Officials said applications are expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Due Diligence: What Applicants Should Expect
The announcement describes checks aligned with OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and FATF (Financial Action Task Force) standards. Applicants will have to prove their identity and the legal source and traceability of the funds, pass financial, criminal and reputational checks, and show their migration history. The funds must move through the formal financial system.
In practice, this means preparing apostilled civil documents, criminal-record certificates from every country of residence, bank statements and tax returns that trace the money. Investors from high-risk jurisdictions should expect slower reviews. No list of excluded nationalities has been published.
The Legal Risk: Court Rulings Against DNU 366
The weak point is the decree itself. Argentine decrees of necessity and urgency stay in force until both chambers of Congress reject them. Congress has neither rejected nor ratified DNU 366/2025, but courts have started to review it.
On 18 June 2026 the Federal Civil and Commercial Appeals Chamber (Sala III) declared the decree's citizenship articles unconstitutional in a specific case. On 30 June 2026 the National Electoral Chamber went further, declaring the whole decree null and notifying federal electoral judges nationwide. Those articles moved naturalisation from the federal courts to DNM and created the investment route. The dispute is still being litigated, and the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the decree.
Several Argentine legal specialists have said that a law passed by Congress would put the program on firmer ground. Until then, an investor faces a real possibility that a citizenship granted under the decree could be challenged. That risk should be weighed before any money moves.
What an Argentine Passport Offers
Argentina's passport ranked 16th in the world's global index in October 2026, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 169 destinations, third in South America after Chile and Brazil. Holders enter the Schengen Area (the borderless travel zone covering most of Europe), the United Kingdom and Japan without a visa. The United States still requires a visa: the two governments started the process to bring Argentina back into the US Visa Waiver Program in July 2025, but it is not in force.
Argentina does not require new citizens to give up another nationality, so an investor can keep their current passport if their own country allows dual citizenship. Citizenship does not by itself make someone an Argentine tax resident. Tax residence follows 12 months in the country or permanent residence, and residents are taxed on worldwide income.
The Ordinary Route Still Works
The investment program sits alongside an ordinary path that is open today. Argentina naturalises foreigners after two years of continuous legal residence. Since the 2025 reform,m the two years must be unbroken by trips abroad, and DNM decides the application, although the court rulings above have restored the judicial route for some applicants.
The most common entry points are temporary residence permits. The Argentina Rentista Residence requires passive income of five times the national minimum wage, about $1,300 a month in October 2026. The Argentina Pensionado Residence requires a pension of the same amount. MERCOSUR nationals qualify by nationality alone. For a family that can live in Argentina for two years, this path costs far less than $350,000.
Citizenship by investment | Naturalisation after residence | |
Minimum cost | $350,000 contribution (single applicant) | Living costs plus fees; income from about $1,300 a month |
Time in Argentina | None required before applying | Two years of continuous legal residence |
Status in October 2026 | Announced; rules, fees, and portal not published | Open |
Legal basis | DNU 366/2025, Decree 524/2025 | Law 346 as amended by DNU 366/2025 |
Main risk | Court challenges to the decree | Leaving the country breaks the two-year count |
What to Do Now
Investors interested in the program can prepare without paying anything. Gather apostilled birth and marriage certificates, criminal-record certificates, and a clear paper trail for the funds. Ask a qualified Argentine lawyer to monitor the Boletín Oficial for the Ministry of Economy resolution, and do not transfer money until the official portal, fees,s and bond terms are published. Agents who ask for deposits before the rules exist are a red flag.
WorldPath View
Argentina has added a citizenship-by-investment program to a country that already offers one of the world's fastest ordinary naturalisation tracks and a passport ranked 16th worldwide. The announced price is high for the region, the bond option is undefined, and the legal basis is a decree that two federal appeals chambers have already ruled against, one of them declaring it null in full.
For most families, the two-year residence route is cheaper and on firmer legal ground. The investment route will suit people who cannot live in Argentina for two years and who accept the legal risk. It is worth watchingcloselyy, and worth waiting for the published rules before committing money.
WorldPath will update this article when the Ministry of Economy publishes the implementing resolution and when the application portal opens.
