Argentina's Residencia Temporaria Inversionista (Temporary Residency for Investors) allows foreign nationals to reside in the country while carrying out productive, commercial, or service investment activities of interest to Argentina. Established under Article 23(d) of Ley de Migraciones No. 25.871 and regulated by Decreto 616/2010, the category requires active capital deployment into a business — unlike the rentista category, which is built on passive income. The minimum investment is ARS 1,500,000, and the residency permits stays of up to three years with multiple entries and exits. It is administered by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM), with investment projects evaluated by the Ministerio de Economía.
Residency is granted for up to 3 years and is renewable via the RaDEX platform, provided the investment remains active. While an application is pending, applicants are issued a precarious residency (residencia precaria) — this was reduced from 180 to 90 days under DNU 366/2025 (May 2025) and is renewable only by a reasoned administrative act. Absence from Argentina for 6 or more continuous months results in cancellation of temporary residency.
Article 10 of Ley 25.871 guarantees the right to family reunification, covering spouses, children, and parents. Family members may apply for their own temporary residency. Children under 16 applying jointly with a parent are exempt from migration processing fees.
Foreign nationals who obtain temporary residency and reside in Argentina with the intention of habitual residence become tax residents subject to income tax (Impuesto a las Ganancias) on worldwide income. Tax residency is triggered after 12 months of presence (with temporary absences not exceeding 90 days) or upon demonstrating intent of habitual residence. The tax authority is ARCA (formerly AFIP), and tax residents may also be subject to the personal assets tax (Impuesto sobre los Bienes Personales).
From within Argentina: Apply through the RaDEX digital platform (migraciones.gob.ar/radex) — register an account, complete the application form, upload documents, pay the migration fees, and attend a mandatory in-person appointment at the assigned DNM office.
From abroad: Request a Permiso de Ingreso (entry permit) by email to [email protected] or in person at the DNM Central Office. Once approved, present it at an Argentine consulate to obtain a visa, then complete the full residency application through RaDEX after arrival.
Fees (Decreto 584/2024, UMSM framework where 1 UMSM = ARS 1,000):
The Ministerio de Economía evaluates each investment project on three axes: nature of the investment, legal viability, and economic-financial sustainability. It issues a non-binding technical opinion to the DNM. Upon a favorable opinion, the DNM grants residency and sets a peremptory deadline for actually executing the investment; failure to deploy the capital within that deadline may result in cancellation.
Non-MERCOSUR nationals may apply for permanent residency after 3 years of continuous temporary residency; MERCOSUR nationals may apply after 2 years. Applicants must demonstrate physical presence in Argentina exceeding 50% of their authorized residency period.
Under Ley 346, foreign residents may apply for Argentine naturalization after 2 years of continuous residency, provided general good-conduct requirements are met.
DNU 366/2025 (Article 38) added a new Article 2 bis to the Citizenship Law No. 346, creating a direct citizenship-by-investment (CBI) route for foreign nationals making "inversiones relevantes" — bypassing the 2-year residency requirement. Decreto 524/2025 (published 31 July 2025) regulates the procedure and designates the Agencia de Programas de Ciudadanía por Inversión (APCI), under the Ministerio de Economía, as the evaluating body. As of June 2026, however, the Ministerio de Economía has still not issued the complementary resolution defining qualifying investment amounts and sectors, and on 14 April 2026 it cancelled (Resolución No. 522/2026) the international public tender it had launched to design and operate the programme — so the CBI pathway remains not operational, though its legal basis stays in force. Separately, Ley 27.802 (March 2026) clarified that obtaining Argentine citizenship through the CBI pathway does not, by itself, create Argentine tax residency. The Residencia Temporaria Inversionista remains the established route for investment-based residency.