Argentina Rentista Residence

What the Argentina Rentista visa grants and who it suits

The Rentista residence is Argentina's temporary residence for people who live on income from their own capital. If dividends, interest, rents or business distributions arrive every month from abroad, this category lets you base yourself in Argentina without a local job or employer sponsor. The National Directorate of Migration (DNM, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones) grants it under Migration Law 25.871, article 23(b).

The money test is simple to state: your passive income must reach five times the national minimum wage, the SMVM (Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil). From 1 October 2026 that means about US$1,290 a month (official: ARS 1,956,000). Filed inside Argentina, the permit runs for one year and is renewable; filed from abroad through a DNM entry permit and consular visa, it can be granted for up to three years.

It suits investors, landlords and business owners whose income does not depend on where they sit. It is a poor fit if your money comes from a salary or freelance contracts: the official rule excludes income from personal work when testing the threshold.

Key facts at a glance (October 2026)

• Income test: 5 × SMVM in passive income, about US$1,290/month (official: ARS 1,956,000 from 1 October 2026), roughly US$15,480 a year.
• What counts: returns on financial instruments, real estate, company holdings and similar assets. Wages and fees for your own work do not count.
• Permit: temporary residence, one year when filed in-country (renewable); up to three years via the consular route.
• Government fee: about US$66 (official: ARS 100,000, i.e. 100 migration fee units) for non-MERCOSUR nationals; renewals cost the same.
• Permanent residence: after three years of temporary residence for non-MERCOSUR nationals, now with a sufficient-means and clean-record check.
• Citizenship: Argentine law allows naturalisation after two years of continuous legal residence; dual nationality is permitted.
• Passport: ranked 16th in 2026 passport rankings, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 169 destinations.

All US$ figures on this page use ARS 1,515.88 = US$1 (exchange rate of 12 October 2026). The legal threshold is set in pesos, so the dollar equivalent moves with both the minimum wage and the exchange rate.

The passive-income test: what counts toward 5 × SMVM

The DNM service page for the category describes the applicant as someone who supports their stay with their own resources brought from abroad or with income from external sources. In practice you must prove a regular monthly income equal to or above five minimum wages, and show that the money reaches Argentina through banks or financial institutions authorised by the Central Bank (BCRA).

Income that qualifies

• Investment returns: dividends, coupons and interest from bonds, funds, deposits or brokerage portfolios held abroad.
• Real-estate income: net rents from property you own outside Argentina, evidenced by leases and bank credits.
• Company income: distributions or profit shares from companies in which you hold an equity stake, as opposed to a salary you draw from them.
• Other lawful external income: the law's wording is broad, but the DNM decides case by case; unusual sources need strong paperwork.

Income that does not qualify

Remuneration for personal work is excluded by the official requirements. A remote salary, consulting fees or freelance invoices will not carry a Rentista file, even when paid from abroad. Applicants in that position usually look at other categories instead.

How the threshold moves over the next months

The minimum wage is now raised in monthly steps. Resolution 4/2026 of the National Council for Employment, Productivity and the Minimum Wage set the SMVM at ARS 391,200 for October 2026, ARS 398,800 for November and ARS 406,400 for December, rising to ARS 437,000 by April 2027. Five times those amounts gives about US$1,315 for November (official: ARS 1,994,000), about US$1,340 for December (official: ARS 2,032,000) and about US$1,440 for April 2027 (official: ARS 2,185,000) at today's exchange rate.

Plan for headroom. The figure that counts is the one in force on the day you file and on each renewal, and a weaker peso can lower the dollar equivalent while wage steps raise it. Showing income well above the line protects you against both moves.

Evidence the DNM expects

• Certificates from your bank, broker or fund manager showing the income source and its regular monthly amount.
• Statements showing the money arriving in Argentina through a BCRA-authorised bank or financial institution.
• For rental income: lease contracts and the matching bank credits.
• For company income: corporate records proving your shareholding and the distributions paid to you.
• The DNM entry-permit page asks Rentista applicants applying from abroad to show the income is stable for at least two years.

Cost of applying and ongoing living costs

Government fees are modest. Decree 584/2024 fixes the migration fee unit (UMSM) at ARS 1,000 and charges 100 units for a temporary residence filed by a non-MERCOSUR national. That is about US$66 (official: ARS 100,000). MERCOSUR nationals pay half.

• Temporary residence (in-country): about US$66 (official: ARS 100,000) for non-MERCOSUR nationals.
• Annual extension or change to permanent residence: about US$66 (official: ARS 100,000).
• Consular filing from abroad: 600 consular units, about US$600 (one consular unit equals US$1).
• First foreigner's national ID (DNI): about US$13 (official: ARS 20,000), as reported for 2026.
• Optional earlier appointment: about US$33 (official: ARS 50,000), as reported for 2026.

Budget separately for apostilles, certified Spanish translations, criminal-record certificates and private health cover. Professional fees are optional; many applicants file through the RaDEX online system themselves.

Living on the threshold

The legal minimum is not a lifestyle budget. In Buenos Aires, rental listings in September 2026 put a studio at around US$500 a month and a two-room flat at about US$600, with prime districts higher. Annual consumer-price inflation was 33.5% in August 2026, so peso prices still move quickly. A Rentista household that earns in dollars and spends in pesos benefits when the peso is weak, and feels the squeeze when it strengthens.

Tax treatment for residents, including foreign investment income

Residence and tax residence are separate tests. A foreign national who lives in Argentina for reasons other than work becomes a tax resident from the 13th month of presence, or earlier on obtaining permanent residence. From then on, Argentina taxes worldwide income, which captures the very dividends, interest and rents that qualify you as a Rentista.

• Income tax: progressive rates from 5% to 35%, with thresholds adjusted for inflation every six months from 2026.
• Foreign tax credit: tax paid abroad on foreign-source income can be credited against Argentine tax.
• Capital gains: 15% on gains from shares and fund units, with exemptions for certain listed securities.
• Net-wealth tax (Bienes Personales): applies to residents' worldwide assets above a high allowance, with rates being reduced toward a flat 0.25% by 2027.
• No special regime for newcomers: Argentina has no non-domiciled or flat-tax regime for foreign income of new residents.

Treaty coverage is limited. Argentina has no income-tax treaty with the United States, so US investors rely on foreign tax credits. Model your portfolio's after-tax yield before you cross the 12-month mark, and confirm your position with a licensed Argentine tax adviser.

Path to permanent residence and citizenship

The Rentista permit is a stepping stone. Under the regulations to Law 25.871, non-MERCOSUR nationals can apply for permanent residence after three years of continuous temporary residence (two years for MERCOSUR nationals). Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) 366/2025 added a requirement to prove sufficient economic means and tightened criminal-record grounds for refusal.

Practitioners report that the DNM expects you to have spent at least half of the granted period in Argentina, without an absence of six consecutive months or more. Investors who travel often should keep a day count from the first entry stamp.

Citizenship and the Argentine passport

Citizenship Law 346 allows naturalisation after two years of continuous legal residence, which in principle includes time spent as a Rentista. DNU 366/2025 moved the procedure to the DNM and requires those two years to be uninterrupted, with no departures from the country. In June 2026 two federal appeal courts ruled against the decree, one of them declaring it null in full, so the exact procedure remains in flux.

Argentina does not require new citizens to renounce their former nationality. The Argentine passport ranked 16th in 2026 rankings with access to 169 destinations without a prior visa, including the Schengen Area for short stays. Check whether your current country allows dual nationality.

How this compares to active-income (digital-nomad) routes

Argentina also offers a digital-nomad stay for remote workers. It is a transitory permit of 180 days, extendable once, and it does not count toward permanent residence. The Rentista category is the opposite trade: your income must be passive, but the permit builds time toward permanent residence and citizenship.

• Rentista vs digital-nomad stay: passive income, renewable residence and a path to settlement, against salary-based income and a capped stay with no path.
• Rentista vs Pensionado: the same five-minimum-wage bar; Pensionado applicants prove a pension instead of investment income.
• Rentista vs Inversionista: the investor category requires a DNM-approved productive project in Argentina; the Rentista asks you to deploy nothing locally.
• Rentista vs other passive-income visas: the bar is set in pesos and indexed to the minimum wage rather than fixed in dollars or euros, so check the current figure before you file; newcomers also pay tax on worldwide income after 12 months.

Filing the Rentista application in Argentina, step by step

Most applicants file inside the country through RaDEX, the DNM's online residence platform. You enter as a visitor if your nationality is visa-exempt, then complete the online file.

1. Register on RaDEX, complete the Rentista form and pay the 100-UMSM fee online.
2. Upload your passport, income certificates, proof of funds arriving through a BCRA-authorised bank, criminal-record certificates and proof of address.
3. Receive a provisional residence certificate (residencia precaria) and an email with your in-person appointment once the file is complete.
4. Attend the DNM appointment with original documents for verification and biometrics.
5. Receive the decision and your foreigner's national ID (DNI); renew before the permit expires each year.

The DNM publishes no statutory decision deadline. Practitioners commonly report three to six months from filing to approval. From abroad, you can instead request a DNM entry permit and then collect a residence visa at an Argentine consulate.

Health cover, documents and other conditions

DNU 366/2025 changed access to public healthcare. Emergencies are treated free for everyone, but non-emergency care at national public hospitals now requires foreigners without permanent residence to show health insurance or pay in advance. Ministry of Health Resolution 1066/2026 put that procedure in force on 12 August 2026. Applicants also sign a sworn statement that they hold health insurance.

Foreign documents need a Hague apostille or consular legalisation, and anything not in Spanish needs a certified public translation. You need an Argentine criminal-record certificate if you are 16 or older, plus clean-record certificates from every country where you lived for more than a year in the last three years.

The Rentista route in one paragraph

Argentina's Rentista residence lets investors live in the country on passive income of five minimum wages, about US$1,290 a month (official: ARS 1,956,000) from October 2026. You file online, pay about US$66 in government fees, renew yearly and can apply for permanent residence after three years. Work income does not count, tax on worldwide income starts after 12 months, and private health cover is now essential. Source: official DNM Rentista service page; fees per the DNM fee schedule.