Who qualifies, and what you will need

The requirements for Argentina citizenship by investment fall into three parts. You must be eligible, you must make a qualifying investment, and you must pass a background check run by several arms of the Argentine state. The first two are simple to state. The third is where most of the work, and most of the risk of refusal, will sit.

The government announced the programme on 2 October 2026 and expects to open applications in the fourth quarter of the year. It has published the prices and the shape of the checks, but not the forms or the document list. This page separates what is confirmed from what is expected.

Eligibility: who can apply

The principal applicant

The legal basis is DNU 366/2025, which amended Ley 346, Argentina’s 1869 citizenship law. It allows a foreigner who makes an “inversión relevante” (a relevant investment) to apply for naturalisation, whatever their time of residence. The Ministry of Economy decides what counts as relevant. Decreto 524/2025 then sets out the procedure: the application goes to the Agencia de Programas de Ciudadanía por Inversión, the Citizenship by Investment Programmes Agency.

The official release of 2 October 2026 defines a relevant investment for the programme as one of:

• a direct, 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.

The release does not set a minimum age, a net-worth threshold or a list of excluded nationalities for the principal applicant. Expect these points to be addressed in the Agency’s detailed rules, which Decreto 524/2025 authorises it to issue.

Family members

The spouse and children of the principal applicant may apply in the same file:

Parents, siblings and children over 25 are not included in the announced categories. The release also does not say whether a registered partner, as opposed to a spouse, qualifies. See our family guide for worked examples and the open questions.

No residence needed

Ordinary naturalisation under Ley 346 requires two continuous years of legal residence and an application to a federal judge. The investment route removes the residence test: DNU 366/2025 allows naturalisation “regardless of time of residence”. You do not need to have lived in Argentina, or to hold an Argentine residence permit, before you apply.

Whether there will be any residence or physical-presence requirement after the grant has not been published.

Language and civics

No Spanish-language test, civics test or interview requirement has been announced as of 2 October 2026. That may change when the Agency publishes its rules. If it matters to your plans, wait for the detail before you commit.

The due-diligence standard

The official release describes the checks in some detail. Each application will be reviewed for:

1. Identity verification.
2. Traceability and legality of funds: where the investment money came from and whether it was earned lawfully.
3. Financial and asset analysis: your overall wealth and how it was built.
4. Jurisdictional risk: the countries you are connected to through nationality, residence, business and banking.
5. Criminal and reputational background.
6. Migration history.

The government says these standards are aligned with OECD recommendations and with FATF (GAFI in Spanish), the global anti-money-laundering standard-setter. It also says all funds must move through the formal financial system. In practice this means bank transfers from accounts in your name, or in the name of a structure you can document, with no cash and no unexplained intermediaries.

The agencies that will look at your file

Several bodies take part. The official release names the Agency, SIDE (the State Intelligence Secretariat), the UIF (the Financial Intelligence Unit), the Ministry of Security and the Ministry of the Interior. The Dirección Nacional de Migraciones gives final approval.

Decreto 524/2025 adds detail. Article 3 allows the Agency to request reports from the Ministry of Security, the UIF, the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia (the national criminal records registry), RENAPER (the national registry of persons), SIDE and “any other public or private body” it considers necessary. The Agency then sends a detailed report to Migraciones. Under Article 4, Migraciones must decide within 30 business days of receiving that report.

A file that passes the Agency’s review but raises concerns at the intelligence or financial-intelligence level is unlikely to proceed. Plan for scrutiny from more than one direction.

Document checklist

Identity and civil status

• Valid passport for each applicant, plus copies of any other passports held now or in the past.
• Birth certificate for each applicant.
• Marriage certificate, and any divorce decrees or death certificates that explain previous marriages.
• For children aged 18–25: evidence that they are single and have no children, likely a sworn statement plus civil-registry records where your country issues them.
• For minors: proof of parentage and consent from any parent not applying, if custody is shared.
• Passport-style photographs.

Background

• Police or criminal-record certificates from your country of nationality and from each country where you have lived for a significant period. Other programmes typically ask for adult applicants only, with age thresholds that vary.
• A full residential address history.
• A travel and migration history, including any visa refusals or deportations. Migration history is one of the six announced checks.

Source of funds and wealth

• Bank statements showing the funds for the investment and how they reached the account.
• Evidence of how that money was earned: sale agreements for a business or property, dividend records, employment contracts and pay records, inheritance documents, or loan agreements.
• Tax returns for recent years.
• A statement of assets and liabilities.
• For corporate wealth: company registry extracts, shareholder records and audited accounts.

Formalities

• Official translations into Spanish of any document issued in another language.
• An apostille for each foreign public document if the issuing country is party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, or consular legalisation if it is not. Argentina’s RENAPER applies this rule to foreign birth certificates.
• A medical certificate. Some programmes ask for one; Argentina has not said whether it will.

Start with the documents that take longest. Police certificates and apostilles can take weeks in some countries. Source-of-wealth evidence for older assets can take longer.

Who may find it harder

Nothing published so far excludes any nationality. But the announced checks point to some profiles that should expect closer review.

Ties to high-risk jurisdictions. Jurisdictional risk is one of the six announced checks, and the programme is aligned with FATF standards. FATF maintains public lists of high-risk jurisdictions and jurisdictions under increased monitoring. Nationals of, residents of, or people with business in those places should expect extra questions and should consider whether their file can be documented to a very high standard.

Unclear source of funds. Money that cannot be traced through banks, wealth built in cash-heavy sectors, or gains held through layered structures without clear records are exactly what source-of-funds checks are designed to catch. The requirement that all funds pass through the formal financial system leaves little room for informal arrangements.

Politically exposed persons. The release does not mention PEPs. Under FATF Recommendation 12, however, politically exposed persons and their families are subject to enhanced checks by financial institutions. Expect the same here.

Adverse media or past proceedings. Reputational background is an announced check. An old lawsuit, a regulatory sanction or press coverage is not necessarily disqualifying, but it should be explained in advance rather than discovered.

Previous immigration problems. Visa refusals, overstays or removals anywhere will surface in a migration-history check. Disclose them.

If any of these apply to you, speak to a qualified adviser before you prepare an application.

What is still unknown

As of 2 October 2026, the following have not been published:

• the official application form and document list;
• government and due-diligence fees (see our cost guide);
• processing times beyond the 30-business-day decision window for Migraciones;
• any minimum age for the principal applicant;
• any language, interview or civics requirement;
• any residence or physical-presence obligation after citizenship is granted;
• the bond’s maturity and redemption terms.

We will update this page as the Agency issues its rules. For the order of the steps, see how to apply; for news as it happens, see our live updates.

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 346, Argentine citizenship law (consolidated text)
• Government of Argentina, DNI with the Argentine nationality option (document and apostille rules)
• Abogados.com.ar, citizenship through relevant investments (DNU 366/2025)
• Palabras del Derecho, the government regulates citizenship for large investors (Decreto 524/2025)
• FATF, black and grey lists
• FATF Recommendations
• Perfil, Cámara Nacional Electoral ruling on DNU 366/2025
• La Nación, government appeal to the Supreme Court (1 July 2026)