Residency and retirement

Retiring in Argentina: Residency, Pensions, Healthcare and Costs for Foreigners

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 Argentina has no retirement visa. Retirees apply for temporary residence as a pensionado (a regular pension for work done abroad) or a rentista (stable income from assets), both at five minimum wages a month: ARS 1,956,000 for October 2026, changing monthly. Whether US Social Security counts as a pension is not confirmed. Social Security can be paid abroad, but Medicare does not cover care in Argentina, and non-permanent residents pay or need insurance for non-emergency care at national hospitals. Inflation was 33.4% over the 12 months to September 2026. Confirm residency, pension and tax questions with Migraciones and an accountant.

Terms used on this page: pensionado (a pensioner), rentista (a person living on income from assets), Migraciones (the national migration authority, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, DNM), prepaga (a private health plan), SMVM (the minimum wage, Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil) and apostille (the Hague Convention certificate that authenticates a foreign document).

Is there a retirement visa in Argentina?

No. Argentine law has no category for retirees as such. Two categories of temporary residence fit them: pensionado and rentista (Law 25.871, article 23). Neither covers a retiree who lives only by drawing down savings, because the rentista rule asks for stable income generated by assets.

The migration rules were rewritten by DNU 366/2025, an emergency decree published on May 29, 2025. DNU 366/2025 remains published. The Cámara Nacional Electoral declared it null on June 30, 2026 in one citizenship case; the government's appeal is before the Supreme Court, which had not ruled as of October 7, 2026 (Infobae). Ask Migraciones or a migration lawyer whether the residency rules are affected.

What residency options does a retiree have?

Option Term What it asks for Notes
Tourist stay Up to three months, one extension of a similar period Passport; US citizens need no visa for tourism up to 90 days Not a residence; no work
Pensionado One renewable year on the current service pages; the law allows up to three A regular and permanent pension of at least five SMVM a month See pensionado and rentista rules
Rentista Same Stable income from assets in the applicant's name of at least five SMVM a month, for at least two years Work income does not count
Digital nomad permit Up to 180 days, one extension Remote work for clients abroad Not for retirement, and the rules give it no route to residency: digital nomad rules
Permanent residence Permanent status Three years of temporary residence, proof of sufficient means, presence for at least 50% of the granted term, and no absence of six consecutive months or more A retiree could apply for this after renewing temporary residence; the route follows from the arraigo rules, and Migraciones can confirm it for a pensionado

Buying a home is not on this list: does buying property in Argentina give residency explains why.

The in-country application requires the applicant to be physically in Argentina; the route from abroad runs through an attorney-in-fact. Both are described in pensionado and rentista residency step by step.

How much income does residency require?

Five SMVM per month, per applicant, in pesos. The minimum wage is ARS 391,200 from October 1, 2026 (Resolution 4/2026), so five SMVM is ARS 1,956,000, a figure produced by multiplication rather than printed by Migraciones. The minimum wage rises to ARS 398,800 on November 1 and ARS 406,400 on December 1, 2026, which puts the threshold at ARS 1,994,000 and ARS 2,032,000. There is no fixed amount in dollars. A pension paid in dollars or euros clears the peso threshold or not depending on the exchange rate and the minimum wage on the day it is measured.

Which pensions count is not settled. The law speaks of pensions for services rendered abroad. No official statement says whether a US Social Security benefit, a private pension or an IRA or 401(k) withdrawal is accepted. Ask Migraciones through a migration lawyer before paying any fee.

How are US, UK and Canadian pensions paid in Argentina?

Country What the paying authority says Limits for a retiree in Argentina
United States (Social Security) US citizens may receive payments outside the US if eligible, except in certain restricted countries. Argentina appears on the SSA International Direct Deposit List, which says it lists "some" countries No US-Argentina totalization agreement is in force (none with Argentina on SSA's list of agreements). Whether a given bank route works with an Argentine account is not confirmed
United Kingdom (State Pension) Paid into a bank in the country where you live or a UK bank, at the day's rate with a 0.39% conversion charge, every 4 or 13 weeks Argentina is not on the DWP list of countries where the State Pension gets annual increases, so, per the DWP list, a pension paid there is not uprated
Canada (OAS and CPP) OAS can continue abroad if you lived in Canada at least 20 years after age 18; otherwise OAS and GIS may stop after more than six months away Non-resident withholding for Argentina is 15% on OAS, 15% on CPP or QPP pensions and 25% on CPP or QPP death benefits. A Canada-Argentina social security agreement signed on August 13, 2021 is not yet in force. Direct deposit into an Argentine account is not addressed by the pension authority; contact Service Canada

Pensions from EU states follow each paying country's rules. Ask the paying institution whether it pays to Argentina and whether it withholds tax. Moving money in is covered in exchanging money in Argentina as a foreigner.

Does Medicare cover you in Argentina?

No. Medicare says it usually does not cover health care outside the US, with narrow exceptions such as an emergency in the US where a foreign hospital is closer. Prescriptions bought abroad are not covered. Medigap may cover emergency care abroad. In most cases the patient pays all costs. Retirees typically need private insurance in Argentina or an international policy that explicitly covers Argentina.

How does healthcare work for foreign retirees?

Public hospitals. Under DNU 366/2025 (new article 8 of Law 25.871), emergency care cannot be denied whatever the status. Permanent residents use the public system on equal terms with citizens. For habitual care in establishments run by the national state, everyone else must show health insurance or pay in advance. Resolution 1066/2026 of the Ministry of Health made this operational: published in the Boletín Oficial in August 2026 and in force from August 12, 2026. The rule covers every foreigner without permanent residence, which includes a pensionado or rentista on temporary residence; the resolution does not name temporary residents separately. It applies to non-emergency care.

The rule covers hospitals run by the national state, not those run by provinces or municipalities. Chequeado names five at the start: Hospital Carrillo, Hospital Posadas, Hospital Bonaparte, Hospital Sommer and the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Psicofísica del Sur. Salta, Jujuy, Mendoza, Santa Cruz and the City of Buenos Aires already charge non-residents on their own rules, according to Chequeado. In Córdoba, the national rule reaches only the Hospital Nacional de Clínicas and the Maternidad Nacional. Emergencies are not charged in advance, although the cost can be billed afterward. Permanent residents prove status with a DNI that says "residente permanente".

Prepagas. Private health plans are the usual route to non-emergency care. Fees rose between 1.7% and 2.9% in October 2026 among the companies Infobae lists (Infobae and El Cronista), and iProfesional reported in July 2026 that fees were up 30.5% year on year. Comparison sites list prices by age band and fees rise with age; the comparators disagree by about 10% on the same plan. Quotes for people over 60 come from each plan. Ask each plan for its waiting periods, pre-existing condition rules and enrollment terms for foreign retirees, in writing. International policies exist and must explicitly cover Argentina.

DNU 366/2025 added an entry declaration of purpose and health insurance, but its application depends on implementing rules, and none is confirmed as of October 2026.

How much does it cost to retire in Argentina?

Full figures are in cost of living in Argentina. Three points affect a retiree on a fixed income.

As an example of housing costs, the average asking rent for a two-room, 50 m2 apartment in the City of Buenos Aires was ARS 898,154 a month in September 2026, and Zonaprop reports that rents in general rose 28.7% over 12 months (reported by Infobae on October 8, 2026).

What taxes does a retiree pay?

Argentine tax residents are taxed on worldwide income, with a credit for analogous taxes paid abroad. Non-residents are taxed only on Argentine-source income (Income Tax Law, article 1). A foreign national becomes a tax resident on obtaining permanent residence or after 12 months of stay with temporary migration authorizations (article 116 b). A retiree on temporary residence reaches that mark after a year if the stay is continuous; the absence limits are not confirmed for 2026. A PwC summary (last reviewed 2024) puts it at the 13th month of presence. The text quoted is the 2019 consolidated version, and later amendments need checking.

Personal assets tax (Bienes Personales) follows the same split: residents are taxed on assets in the country and abroad, non-residents only on assets located in Argentina. An accountant can confirm the current thresholds and rates.

For US citizens:

An accountant who knows both systems is the person to ask about the residency date and the 12-month test, foreign pension and IRA income, personal assets tax on foreign assets, the US foreign tax credit and FBAR or FATCA reporting. These questions interact with the residence permit date.

Where do foreigners live in Argentina?

The retiree community has not been counted separately. Census 2022 counted 1,933,463 foreign-born people (4.2% of the population), mostly from neighboring countries; 21.7% of them live in the City of Buenos Aires and 51.4% in Buenos Aires province (Chequeado, quoting INDEC). The census does not break out US, UK or Canadian residents.

Numbeo's crowdsourced comparison (page dates differ: Buenos Aires October 7, Mendoza September 30, Córdoba August 29, 2026) puts the whole rent index 36.9% lower in Mendoza and 36.5% lower in Córdoba (the one-bedroom city-center rows are 28.6% and 37.2% lower), but total consumer costs including rent only about 16% lower in Mendoza. Treat it as indicative. One comparator (Prepagaya, October 2026) lists the OSDE 210 plan at nearly the same price for a 30-year-old in the City of Buenos Aires and in Córdoba and Mendoza; other plans may differ. Hazards differ by region: the UK Foreign Office names earthquake risk particularly in Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Jujuy, and flash floods in provinces including Buenos Aires. City-by-city detail is in best places to live in Argentina, and the wider move is in the Argentina expat guide.

Can a retiree buy property in Argentina?

A foreigner can buy an urban house or apartment without being a resident. Rural land has restrictions under Law 26.737, which is in a provisional state: a 2023 decree repealed it, and press reports say the Supreme Court provisionally suspended that article on October 9, 2026. A special session of the lower house was requested for October 15, 2026; it needs a quorum of 129, and its outcome is unknown as of October 14, 2026. Details are in Argentina's rural land law for foreign buyers, and the land basics are in can foreigners buy land in Argentina. For apartments, see buying a house or apartment in Argentina as a foreigner.

Banks give mortgages in practice to residents, with permanent residence, a DNI, several years of residence and stable verifiable income, according to Rankia (July 2026). Owning a home does not grant residency.

What should a retiree do first?

Step Action Who to ask
1 Confirm whether the pension type qualifies as a pensión and what proof is accepted Migraciones or a migration lawyer
2 Check the tourist entry rules for the passport Migraciones
3 Request criminal-record certificates from each country lived in for more than one year in the last three, apostilled, and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator in Argentina The issuing authority and a traductor público nacional
4 Price a prepaga for the applicant's age, with waiting periods Each plan
5 Check how the pension reaches Argentina and what is withheld The paying authority
6 Map the tax position before the residence date An accountant

See also: Argentina pensionado and rentista residency, how to move to Argentina from the US, is Argentina safe to live in, Argentina expat guide.

Sources

Argentina updates

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