Houses and apartments

Buying a House or Apartment in Argentina as a Foreigner

By Nico F. · Updated October 14, 2026

General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules, exchange rates and prices change and every case has its own details. Before you pay, sign or apply for residency, check the current rules with an Argentine notary (escribano), lawyer or accountant.

Quick answer Yes. A foreigner can buy a house or an apartment in Argentina without being a resident. Ley 26.737, the land law in the 2026 news, covers rural land only, so it does not apply to a flat or house inside a city's urban area. A buyer needs a passport and an Argentine tax ID (CUIT), and a notary (escribano) closes the sale with a public deed. In Buenos Aires city, press estimates put the buyer's costs at roughly 5% to 8% of the price (iProfesional, May 2026; Argentina Visa Law, September 2026), more if the buyer pays the agent and the whole stamp tax. Buying does not give residency. Bank mortgages are described as a product for residents, so a non-resident should ask banks before counting on credit.

An escribano is the notary who checks the title, writes the deed and registers it. The escritura is the public deed that transfers ownership. A boleto de compraventa is the preliminary private contract, and a reserva is an offer backed by a deposit. CABA is the city of Buenos Aires, ARCA is the national tax agency and ARS means Argentine pesos.

Can foreigners buy a house or apartment in Argentina?

Yes. Ley 26.737 (published December 28, 2011) applies to tierras rurales, which its article 1 defines as any parcel located outside the urban area (ejido urbano). Its limits on foreign ownership are written for rural land only. The law text contains no nationality restriction for a flat or house inside the urban area. Rio Times (September 12, 2026) and Argentina Visa Law (updated September 2026) both describe urban property as open to foreign buyers regardless of citizenship or residence.

Two edge cases need a check with the notary before a deposit:

For land and lots, see can foreigners buy land in Argentina and the guide to buying land in Argentina.

Does the 2026 land law dispute affect buying a flat or house?

No, not for property inside an urban area. The dispute concerns Ley 26.737 and rural land. Status as of October 12, 2026, according to press reports, and still moving:

Date What happened
September 29 to October 1, 2026 The Supreme Court revoked a lower-court ruling on standing only, so the 2023 emergency decree (DNU 70/2023, art. 154) that repealed the land law took effect again; the Court said it had not decided whether the repeal is constitutional (Chequeado, iProfesional)
October 9, 2026 In a separate case from Bariloche, the Court provisionally suspended the repeal, so the limits of Ley 26.737 are provisionally back until the Bariloche federal court rules (Cronista, AN Bariloche)
October 15, 2026 (requested) Eight opposition blocs have requested a special session of the Chamber of Deputies to reject DNU 70/2023. It needs a quorum of 129; whether it takes place and its outcome are unknown as of October 14, 2026 (Perfil, Cronista)

According to Primera Edición, the same decree also repealed the rental law, so a full rejection of DNU 70/2023 could matter indirectly to a buyer who plans to rent the property out. The detail is in Argentina's rural land law and foreign buyers.

How does buying a house or apartment work, step by step?

The sequence below is the one described for Buenos Aires city purchases (Argentina Visa Law, updated September 2026).

Step What happens Who does it
1. Reserva The buyer makes an offer and leaves a deposit, usually held by the real estate agent Buyer and agent
2. Due diligence Title certificate (certificado de dominio: owner, liens, attachments), certificate of bars on disposing of assets (inhibiciones) for each owner, cadastral records, municipal and tax debt, building fees (expensas) and utilities Notary
3. Boleto de compraventa Private contract fixing price, deposit, possession date and deed date Buyer, seller, ideally a lawyer
4. Escritura Tax and clearance items are settled, the deed is signed before the notary, the price is paid and taxes are withheld Buyer, seller, notary
5. Registration The deed is recorded in the Property Registry (Registro de la Propiedad Inmueble) Notary

Points that decide how much risk a buyer carries:

A buyer who cannot attend can sign through an attorney-in-fact: see power of attorney to buy property in Argentina from abroad.

What does a foreign buyer need to buy?

Item What to know
Passport The identity document guides list for non-residents
Argentine tax ID A CUIT, see the next section
Foreign documents An apostille (or consular legalization) and a sworn translation into Spanish, then recorded by an Argentine notary
Evidence of funds Examples the notary may accept: bank statements, a previous sale deed, inheritance records, an employment contract. Required above 700 minimum wages for medium and high risk clients; see below
Residency Not required

Tax ID. ARCA General Resolution 5803/2025 (published December 24, 2025) eliminated the CDI procedure for individuals from March 2, 2026, and the CUIT now takes its place. A CDI issued earlier stays valid and converts to a CUIT when the holder updates registered data. A foreigner without a DNI (the Argentine national ID) who lives in Argentina can request a provisional CUIT valid for up to two years (Baenegocios); that route asks for documents from the home country and a residence certificate from the immigration office. A non-resident applies through a representative with an address in Argentina, who files the request online under a power of attorney (ARCA RG 5803/2025, as described in CUIT for foreigners in Argentina). Argentina Visa Law describes the same request through ARCA's Presentaciones Digitales with a passport, or through an apostilled power of attorney. ARCA's older CDI page and press reports differ on the CDI-to-CUIT change, so the notary confirms which tax ID applies. Ask the notary which route fits the buyer before paying a deposit, and how long ARCA takes.

Anti-money-laundering checks. Notaries are obliged parties under Ley 25.246: they identify the client, document the origin of funds and file reports. According to the Colegio's table of July 13, 2026:

The thresholds are set in minimum wages, so their peso value moves with each wage update.

What does it cost the buyer in 2026?

Costs depend on the jurisdiction, the price, the agent and any mortgage. The table starts with Buenos Aires city, then Buenos Aires province.

Cost Figure (2026) Source and notes
Notary fee Suggested minimum of 2% of the greater of price, actual value or fiscal valuation, with a minimum fee of ARS 1,980,000 Colegio de Escribanos CABA, Resolution 353/26, in force from October 1, 2026. A suggested minimum, not a fixed fee
Notary fee, market ranges About 1.2% to 1.5% plus VAT; or 1% to 2% plus 0.2% to 0.4% in extras Argentina Visa Law (September 2026); iProfesional (May 25, 2026). Lower than the Colegio reference: ask for a written budget
Stamp tax, CABA (impuesto de sellos) 2.7% on the whole base when the greater of price, fiscal valuation or reference value is up to ARS 226,100,000; 3.5% on the whole base when it is above Colegio de Escribanos table, July 13, 2026. The peso value of a dollar price is fixed on the date the instrument granting possession is signed
Stamp tax, CABA, single permanent home Exempt up to ARS 226,100,000; above it, 3.5% on the excess only (the exemption taxes the excess, unlike the general rate) Requires a sworn statement and registry proof
Stamp tax, Buenos Aires province 2% of the greater of price and fiscal valuation; single-home exemption only if the fiscal valuation, without the corrective index, is up to ARS 1,154,400 Ley Impositiva 15.558, art. 49
Registry and certificates About 0.2% to 0.4% (registry) and 0.3% to 0.5% (certificates) Argentina Visa Law; budgeting ranges. They may overlap with the notary's title-study and certificate items: ask for a single written budget
Total in CABA Press estimates: roughly 5% to 8% of the price iProfesional (May 2026) gives 5% to 8%, calculated with the older 3.5% stamp rate; Argentina Visa Law gives 7% to 8% with an agent and no exemption. The result depends on who pays the stamp tax and the commission: ask the notary for a written budget. A component-by-component calculation is in buying an apartment in Buenos Aires as a foreigner

Several 2025 and 2026 articles still show the CABA stamp tax as a flat 3.5% or 3.6%. The Colegio documents are the controlling source.

Who pays the stamp tax. By custom the tax is split between buyer and seller, so at 2.7% each side bears 1.35%. That is market practice, not a verified legal rule, and a deed clause can change it. Buenos Aires province is also customarily split half and half (iProfesional).

Single-home exemption. It requires a sworn statement that the property is the buyer's only one in the city and a permanent family home. Argentina Visa Law says it does not apply to non-resident or rental properties: do not assume an investment flat qualifies.

Agent commission. Commission is agreed between the parties, and published estimates differ on who pays: Argentina Visa Law puts about 3% plus VAT among the buyer's costs, while iProfesional (May 25, 2026) says the seller usually pays 3% to 4%, negotiable (the article does not say which jurisdiction). Get who pays and how much in writing in the reserva.

Taxes that are gone or reduced:

Taxes on owning. A non-resident owner pays Bienes Personales on assets in Argentina as of December 31, collected through a local substitute taxpayer according to Chambers. The rate is set out on the property taxes on land in Argentina page with its legal basis, and an accountant should confirm it.

Can a foreigner get a mortgage in Argentina?

Argentine bank mortgages are described as a product for residents. Rankia's guide (updated July 6, 2026) lists permanent residency, a DNI for foreigners, 3 to 5 years of effective residence, verifiable stable income, a clean credit history and an Argentine address. It says temporary or precarious residents generally do not qualify, and that without a DNI only non-bank lenders or seller financing remain, at higher rates. It does not address non-residents. No bank mortgage for a non-resident, and no home-country lender lending against an Argentine apartment, is documented. Confirm with Argentine banks and with your own lender before making an offer that depends on a loan.

What can be said about the Argentine market in 2026:

Does buying property give residency?

No. Argentina Visa Law (updated September 2026) states that ownership itself does not grant residence. No residency category based on owning property is listed in the guides cited here; confirm with the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. Residency is a separate procedure: see does buying property in Argentina give residency and Argentina's pensionado and rentista residency. According to Argentina Visa Law (updated October 4, 2026), a citizenship-by-investment scheme announced on October 2, 2026 is a separate program, not tied to buying property, with applications expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Is it safe to buy property in Argentina, and what should be checked?

There is no official safety rating of the market as a whole; the documented risks and checks are below.

What rent can an apartment in Buenos Aires earn?

The yields below are for Buenos Aires city. They are before building fees, taxes and vacancy, and describe the initial return only. They do not compare renting with buying a home to live in.

Measure Figure Source
Gross rental yield, apartments 5.70% a year, 17.5 years of rent to recover the price (September 2026) Zonaprop Index
Average initial yield, used apartments 6.22% in June 2026, from a sample of 6,661 active units Reporte Inmobiliario, as reported by iProfesional (July 1, 2026)
Monthly rent, 50 m2 two-room ARS 898,154 (September 2026); rents in general up 28.7% in 12 months Zonaprop

Rules that affect an owner who rents out:

For monthly costs of living and renting in the city, see cost of living in Buenos Aires.

How do you pay for a house or apartment from abroad?

The notary closes the payment at the deed. Two routes are documented: a wire transfer from a foreign account to the seller's account, and cash at the deed, which Decreto 22/2001 allows and the notary records (the Colegio de Escribanos report of February 18, 2026 says the exception remains). Informal exchange is outside the authorized channels and is an offense under Ley 19.359. Wire details, the cash declaration at customs and the exit problem are in how to pay for land in Argentina from abroad, which applies equally to a flat. That page notes that a non-resident needs prior central bank (BCRA) approval to access the exchange market to repatriate investments, and that the sale of real estate is not among the listed exceptions. Ask a lawyer or the notary how a future sale would be paid out. Exchange rates are in the blue dollar and exchange rates for foreigners.

See also: buying an apartment in Buenos Aires as a foreigner, property for sale in Argentina: where to look and what to know, Argentina expat guide.

Sources

Argentina updates

Rule changes, prices and new guides for buying property and living in Argentina. No fixed schedule.