How to apply, step by step

The procedure for Argentina citizenship by investment is set by two legal texts. DNU 366/2025 created the right to naturalise through a “relevant investment” without prior residence. Decreto 524/2025, published in the Boletín Oficial on 31 July 2025, sets out who receives the application, who checks it and who decides. The official release of 2 October 2026 then added the prices and the timing.

What is not yet published is the practical layer: the portal, the forms, the fee schedule and the order in which money and checks move. This guide follows the legal procedure and marks clearly where the detail is still missing.

The process at a glance

Step 1: preparation, starting now

You cannot file yet, but the slowest part of any citizenship-by-investment application is usually the paperwork, not the government’s review. Preparation now can save months later.

Focus on three things:

• Civil documents for every family member: passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate, and records showing that any child aged 18–25 is single and has no children.
• Background records: police certificates from each country of nationality and long-term residence, and a full travel and address history.
• Source of funds and wealth: a clear, documented account of where the investment money comes from and how your wealth was built.

Most foreign documents will need an official Spanish translation and an apostille or consular legalisation. Our requirements guide has a full expected checklist, clearly marked as provisional until the official list appears.

Step 2: filing with the Agency

Under Article 1 of Decreto 524/2025, the application goes to the Agencia de Programas de Ciudadanía por Inversión. The Agency is a decentralised body under the Ministry of Economy. The decree also allows it to issue complementary rules, which is where the forms, the document list and the fees are likely to appear.

The government has not said whether applications must be filed through a licensed intermediary, as in many other programmes, or whether individuals may file directly. It has also not published an online portal.

Step 3: evaluation of the investment

Article 2 of the decree says the Agency first decides whether the investment qualifies as “relevant”. For this programme, the official release sets the qualifying amounts:

• a non-refundable contribution of US$350,000 to the National Treasury; or
• a subscription of US$800,000 to a public bond created for the programme;
• plus US$100,000 for a spouse, US$100,000 for each single, childless child aged 18–25, and US$25,000 for each child under 18.

Our cost guide works through the totals for different family sizes.

Step 4: due diligence

This is the heart of the process. Article 3 of Decreto 524/2025 allows the Agency to request reports from:

• the Ministry of Security;
• the UIF, Argentina’s Financial Intelligence Unit;
• the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia, the national criminal records registry;
• RENAPER, the national registry of persons;
• SIDE, the State Intelligence Secretariat;
• any other public or private body it considers necessary.

The official release adds the Ministry of the Interior and describes what will be checked: identity, the traceability and legality of funds, financial and asset position, jurisdictional risk, criminal and reputational background, and migration history. The standard is aligned with OECD and FATF recommendations.

Expect questions. In other programmes, requests for further information at this stage are normal and do not signal a refusal. Answer them fully and in writing.

Step 5: making the investment

All funds must move through the formal financial system, according to the official release. That means bank transfers you can document from end to end.

The exact sequence is not yet published. Article 1 of Decreto 524/2025 refers to a foreigner “who has made” a relevant investment, which suggests that the investment comes before, or with, the application. Many other programmes instead give an approval in principle first and collect the investment only after due diligence. Until the Agency publishes its rules, do not transfer money to anyone on the basis of an assumed sequence. Pay only into accounts named in official instructions.

Step 6: the decision by Migraciones

When its review is complete, the Agency sends a detailed report to the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. Under Article 4 of the decree, Migraciones must decide within 30 business days of receiving that report. It does so by a reasoned act that either grants citizenship or rejects the application.

This 30-business-day window is the only deadline in the published rules. The time the Agency itself takes, including the inter-agency checks, has not been set. A realistic total timeline cannot be stated until the programme is running.

Step 7: citizenship, DNI and passport

Once citizenship is granted, the new citizen needs identity documents.

• DNI. The national identity document is issued by RENAPER.
• Passport. Argentine passports are also issued by RENAPER and require a valid DNI. The process normally involves an in-person appointment for biometric capture.
• CUIT. Article 5 of Decreto 524/2025 tells ARCA, the tax authority, to adapt its systems so that new citizens under this route can obtain a CUIT tax number.

The Argentine passport gives visa-free or simplified access to about 170 destinations, including the Schengen Area. It does not give visa-free entry to the United States or Canada. Our passport guide has the detail.

A tax number is not the same as tax residence. According to PwC, a person naturalised through investment is not treated as an Argentine tax resident solely because of that naturalisation. Speak to a tax adviser about your own position.

Timeline: what we know

For each new step as it is published, follow our live updates.

The legal caveat

Every applicant should understand one point before committing money. On 30 June 2026, in the Liping Yang case, the Cámara Nacional Electoral declared DNU 366/2025 unconstitutional. The court reasoned that citizenship is tied to political rights, and that Article 99(3) of the Constitution bars emergency decrees on electoral matters. It returned citizenship cases to the federal courts under Ley 346, rather than to Migraciones.

The government has appealed to the Supreme Court. Its position is that the decree remains in force while the ruling is not final. As of 2 October 2026, we have found no Supreme Court decision, and Congress has not passed a law creating the programme.

The practical risks are these. A Supreme Court ruling against the decree could stop the programme, change who decides applications, or raise questions about citizenship already granted. A ruling in the government’s favour, or a law passed by Congress, would reduce that risk. Our legal status briefing follows the case in detail.

This is not legal advice. Speak to a qualified Argentine lawyer about how the case affects your plans.

What to do this month

The programme is announced but not open. In October 2026, a prudent applicant can:

1. Decide who is in the file. Check each family member against the announced categories, especially children near the age of 25. See our family guide.
2. Check your home country’s rules. Some countries restrict or prohibit dual citizenship. Argentina allows it; your current country may not. See dual citizenship.
3. Order the slow documents. Request police certificates and certified civil records, and find out how apostilles work where you live.
4. Write your source-of-funds story. Prepare a short, documented account of how your wealth was built, with bank records for the funds you plan to use.
5. Choose a route provisionally. Compare the US$350,000 contribution with the US$800,000 bond for your situation, and take tax advice in your country of residence.
6. Retain qualified advisers. Choose an Argentine lawyer who can follow both the programme rules and the Supreme Court case.
7. Do not pay anyone a programme deposit until official instructions exist.

If you would like a private discussion of your circumstances, you can request a private briefing.

Sources

• Government of Argentina, official release on the launch of the citizenship by investment programme (2 October 2026)
• Boletín Oficial, Decreto 524/2025 (31 July 2025)
• Ley 25.871 consolidated text, showing Article 22 as substituted by DNU 366/2025 (B.O. 29 May 2025)
• Abogados.com.ar, citizenship through relevant investments (DNU 366/2025)
• Palabras del Derecho, the government regulates citizenship for large investors (Decreto 524/2025)
• Associated Press via ABC News, applications expected before the end of the year
• Perfil, Cámara Nacional Electoral ruling on DNU 366/2025
• Río Negro, the electoral court annuls the decree giving Migraciones power to grant citizenship
• La Nación, government appeal to the Supreme Court (1 July 2026)
• Perfil, how to obtain an Argentine passport (RENAPER)
• PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Argentina, individual residence