Argentina: income- and investment-based temporary residence

Argentina's Migration Law (Law 25.871) and its implementing Decree 616/2010 provide several temporary residence subcategories that suit internationally mobile individuals and families. The rentista route is for people living on income from their own assets, such as investments, rental property or company shareholdings, while the pensionado route covers recipients of a regular, permanent pension. Under Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) Disposition 1732/2023, both require a monthly income of at least five times the national minimum living and mobile wage, which The Rio Times put at about ARS 1.9 million in September 2026. Rentista income must be transferred into Argentina through banks authorised by the Central Bank, and income from personal work does not qualify. A separate investor category under Article 23 of Decree 616/2010 requires a productive, commercial or service investment of at least ARS 1,500,000 that is of interest to the country, a figure unchanged since 2010. Mercosur nationals have a simpler nationality-based route.

Temporary residence is granted for an initial period and must be renewed while the qualifying income or investment is maintained. Permanent residence becomes available after three years of temporary residence for non-Mercosur nationals (two for Mercosur nationals), provided the applicant has spent at least half of that time in Argentina, has not left for six consecutive months or more, can show sufficient means and has no disqualifying criminal record. Decree 366/2025, published on 29 May 2025, widened the grounds for refusing entry or residence and introduced a sworn declaration that includes holding health insurance; since Resolution 1066/2026 of August 2026, national public hospitals may charge non-permanent residents for routine care. Private health cover should therefore be treated as essential.

For tax purposes, immigration status and tax residence interact directly. Under Section 116 of the Income Tax Law, a foreign national becomes an Argentine tax resident on obtaining permanent residence, or after staying in the country for more than twelve months without it, subject to documented exceptions for those with no intention to live there habitually. Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income and are within the scope of the personal assets tax (bienes personales) on worldwide assets. There is no general special regime for new residents, so pre-arrival planning around the timing of permanent residence, the location of assets and existing holding structures is important.

Spouses and children can be included in the family group, with each rentista or pensioner applicant required to meet the income test individually under Disposition 1732/2023; family members can also qualify through family reunification once the principal holds residence. Argentina's Citizenship Law No. 346 allows naturalisation after two years of residence, and Argentina does not require new citizens to renounce their existing nationality. Decree 366/2025 had moved naturalisation from the federal courts to the DNM and demanded two years of continuous residence; on 30 June 2026 the Cámara Nacional Electoral declared that decree null, returning applications to the federal courts while the government's appeal to the Supreme Court is pending. Citizenship through a qualifying investment is a separate framework, covered on our Argentina citizenship page.