Contract and deed

Power of Attorney to Buy Property in Argentina From Abroad: Steps, Apostille and Consulate

By Nico F. · Updated October 12, 2026 · Leer esta nota en español

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 To buy land in Argentina without traveling, the buyer gives a power of attorney to a trusted person who signs the deed in the country. Because buying real estate requires a public deed (Civil and Commercial Code, art. 1017), the power of attorney must be granted in that form (art. 363) and with express authority to acquire real estate (art. 375). It can be granted before a notary in the country where the buyer lives, with a Hague apostille and, if it is not in Spanish, a sworn translation, or before an Argentine consul, which needs no apostille. Before signing, have the escribano (the Argentine notary who will handle the deed) review the text.

What the power of attorney must say

A power of attorney in general terms covers only ordinary acts of administration and is read narrowly. Buying a lot is not an ordinary act of administration, and creating, changing, transferring or ending real rights over real estate requires express authority (art. 375, subsection e). That is why a "general" power of attorney is not enough.

What a power of attorney for a purchase usually includes, according to common notary practice:

• The property, described as in the title: location, cadastral designation and registry number (matrícula).
• The powers: to sign the purchase agreement (boleto) and the deed, to set and pay the price, to receive possession and to handle the tax and registry paperwork.
• The limits: a maximum price and the payment conditions.
• The identification of the attorney-in-fact, with ID document, nationality and address.
• A validity period that covers the date of the deed with room to spare. The Code sets no general expiry: the power of attorney ends when the act is completed, on the death of either party (unless it was granted for specific acts in a legitimate interest), by revocation, by renunciation, by bankruptcy or by loss of capacity (art. 380).

An irrevocable power of attorney is possible only for specific acts, with a fixed term and a legitimate interest (art. 380, subsection c). For a purchase, the usual choice is a revocable, single-act power of attorney.

Two ways to grant it

What some consulates say in 2026

The consular pages show important differences:

• New York (page of May 2026): accepts a passport or another ID document, Argentine or foreign, and serves people who live in its jurisdiction or are passing through. It charges USD 40 for every 25 lines, for both the deed and the certified copy (testimonio).
• Madrid (March 2026): charges EUR 40 for every 25 lines or fraction in notarial-folio format, for both the deed and the first certified copy (the consulate warns that the line count will not match your draft), and says that, once the documents are checked, it will contact you within an estimated sixty to ninety days to set an appointment. It asks for the draft in Word, the cadastral data and a copy of the deed to the property, a copy of the Argentine DNI (national ID) with an address in its jurisdiction, and the CUIT, CUIL or CDI (Argentine tax or labor ID numbers) of the person granting the power. It states that, to be registered in the real estate registry, only powers of attorney granted by the consulate are valid. The New York consulate, by contrast, states that powers of attorney granted before a Notary Public with an apostille are fully valid in Argentina if they meet the form requirements of the place where they are signed and carry the apostille, and it recommends that an Argentine lawyer or escribano prepare the text, in Spanish, without addressing their registration in the registry. If the power of attorney is going to be registered, the consular route is the safer one, and the escribano who will handle the deed confirms it.
• Miami (January 2026): asks for the DNI (both sides) and the CUIL or CUIT of the person granting the power and of the attorney-in-fact, so a grantor without an Argentine DNI should ask the consulate whether another route exists. It states that real estate sales are not carried out at that consulate, although powers of attorney are.

Amounts and waiting times change. Before booking, confirm them with the consulate and ask whether they accept a foreign passport as the grantor's ID document.

What about a notary abroad

A form of granting that is valid in the country of signing is not enough by itself: Argentine escribanos and registries also look for the act to be equivalent to an Argentine public deed; that comes from practice and doctrine, and art. 2649 only refers to the law of the place. The apostille certifies the signature and the seal, but it does not fix a defective format. There are differing opinions on which foreign instruments meet that equivalence. That is why it is wise to have the Argentine escribano confirm the format before signing abroad.

The Argentine escribano who handles the deed must require the original power of attorney, which stays attached to the notarial protocol (art. 307). If the power of attorney serves for more than one matter, a certified copy is added. In practice, the first copy of the power of attorney is requested, not a photocopy.

What else the buyer needs

• CUIT. A non-resident gets it through a representative with an address in the country. See how to get one. Some consulates (Madrid, Miami) ask for the grantor's CUIT or CUIL when making the power of attorney. A non-resident gets the CUIT through a representative with an address in Argentina, who must prove they are authorized (ARCA General Resolution 5803/2025, art. 6; foreign documents need an apostille and translation, art. 31). Ask the consulate and the escribano which document they will accept for that authorization.
• Source of funds. The escribano may ask for supporting documents depending on the client's risk. The attorney-in-fact must also present the document that proves their authority to represent you. Foreign politically exposed persons (PEPs) are considered high risk (UIF Resolution 242/2023, art. 19; the UIF is Argentina's financial intelligence unit).
• Money. The Colegio de Escribanos of the City of Buenos Aires (the notaries' professional association) states that a transfer is a valid payment, but the escribano must verify that it arrived. How to move the funds from abroad is something to confirm with the bank and the escribano before transferring. See buying as a non-resident and paying for land in Argentina from abroad.

Risks and how to protect yourself

The Code regulates the risks of granting a power of attorney:

• An attorney-in-fact who acts without authority, or beyond it, is liable for the damage suffered by someone who relied, through no fault of their own, on the act being valid; there is no liability if the attorney disclosed the defect (art. 376).
• They cannot contract with themselves without authorization (art. 368).
• Unless the power of attorney says otherwise, the attorney may substitute it to another person and is liable if they were negligent in choosing; if the grantor names the substitute, the attorney is not liable (art. 377). To rule substitution out, say so in the power of attorney itself.
• If there are several attorneys-in-fact and it was not stated that they must act together, any one of them may act alone (art. 378).
• A revocation must be made known to third parties by suitable means (art. 381).

Measures that help:

1. Name the property and set a maximum price.
2. Prohibit substitution, if you want a single trusted person.
3. Grant a power of attorney for a single act or with a short term.
4. Have the escribano who will handle the deed review the text before signing.
5. If you revoke it, recover the first copy of the power of attorney.

Can the deed be signed remotely?

A public deed requires the escribano to personally receive the statements of those who sign (art. 301). A public deed granted remotely by someone abroad is not regulated at the national level, and among notaries it is a topic of debate. The Colegio de Escribanos of the City of Buenos Aires offers a digital system to certify signatures by videoconference: it certifies signatures, it does not replace the public deed, and the Colegio does not say whether someone living abroad can use it. Before planning a remote signing, ask the escribano whether any such option is available.

Steps

1. Choose the Argentine escribano and the attorney-in-fact.
2. Ask the escribano for a draft of the power of attorney with the powers needed for a purchase.
3. Decide the route: a notary abroad with apostille and translation, or the consulate with a draft.
4. Get the CUIT through the representative.
5. Grant the power of attorney and send the original to the attorney-in-fact.
6. Sign the purchase agreement and the deed (in Spanish) through the attorney-in-fact.

See also: how to pay for land in Argentina from abroad, land scams: red flags, and the step-by-step guide to buying land in Argentina.

Sources

• Civil and Commercial Code, arts. 301, 302, 307, 358 to 363, 368, 375 to 381, 1017 and 2649 (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
• Ley 23.458, Hague Convention on apostilles (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar and status of the parties: HCCH
• Ley 20.957, art. 20 (consuls) (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
• Consulate in New York, powers of attorney (in Spanish): cnyor.cancilleria.gob.ar; Madrid (in Spanish): cmadr.cancilleria.gob.ar; Miami (in Spanish): cmiam.cancilleria.gob.ar
• ARCA General Resolution 5803/2025 (CUIT for residents abroad) (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
• UIF Resolution 242/2023, updated text (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
• Colegio de Escribanos of the City of Buenos Aires, powers of attorney (in Spanish): colegio-escribanos.org.ar and sale and purchase (in Spanish): colegio-escribanos.org.ar
• Colegio de Escribanos remote signature certification system (in Spanish): colegio-escribanos.org.ar