Guide
Argentina expat guide: moving to Argentina from the US, Canada, the UK or the EU
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 US citizens can enter Argentina as a tourist without a visa for up to 90 days, and Canadian, UK and EU citizens are reported to have a similar regime. Living there longer requires a residency category. The retiree routes are pensionado and rentista, both requiring income of at least five times the monthly minimum wage: ARS 1,956,000 a month in October 2026 (minimum wage ARS 391,200). Since August 2026 national hospitals require foreigners without permanent residence to show insurance or pay in advance for non-emergency care. Tax residents (permanent residents, or people after 12 months on temporary permits) pay Argentine tax on worldwide income, and the US and Argentina have no income tax treaty. Confirm each point with the authority named.
This guide is for adults weighing a move to Argentina, mainly from the US, Canada, the UK and the EU. Spanish terms are in italics with an English meaning on first use: DNU is an emergency decree, Migraciones (DNM) is the national immigration agency, RADEX is its online application system, escribano is a notary, ARCA is the national tax agency, and BCRA is the central bank. The guide describes rules and says who to ask. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice.
What do you do first when planning a move to Argentina?
| Step | What to settle | Where to read |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Which residency route fits your income or work | The residency routes section below |
| 2 | How you will be insured, because public hospitals can charge you | The healthcare section below |
| 3 | Where in Argentina suits your climate, hospitals and budget | Best places to live in Argentina |
| 4 | How your income reaches you and which taxes follow | The money and tax sections below, and blue dollar in Argentina |
| 5 | Whether to rent first or buy | The buying section below, and apartments for rent in Buenos Aires |
Can you enter and stay as a tourist?
A tourist may stay up to three months and extend once for a similar period at a migration office (DNM tourist-category page). US citizens need no visa for tourism up to 90 days, according to Argentina Visa Law, a private law firm site; check travel.state.gov for the official text. The same visa-free regime is reported for Canada, the UK and EU states by the same firm, and the border officer sets the period actually granted. As of October 2026 no reciprocity fee is reported for these nationalities, but that comes from secondary sources, so confirm it before travel.
A May 2025 emergency decree (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. Cover for medical costs in Argentina is a question for the insurer.
Which residency routes exist?
There is no separate "retirement visa". The routes below come from the migration law (Law 25.871) and the official service pages, as of October 12, 2026.
| Route | Who it fits | Main rule | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensionado (pensioner) | People with a regular, permanent pension from a government, international organization or private company for services abroad | At least five times the monthly minimum wage (SMVM) per applicant, certified by the paying body | Pensionado and rentista residency |
| Rentista (passive income) | People with stable income from their own assets | At least five SMVM a month for at least two years, from financial instruments, real estate or company shares in the applicant's name; pay for personal work does not count | Pensionado and rentista residency |
| Digital nomad | Remote workers for clients or employers abroad, from countries that do not need a tourist visa | A transitory permit for 180 days, extendable once for an equal period | Argentina digital nomad visa |
| Buying property | Buyers of a home or land | No residency attaches to the purchase | Does buying property give residency? |
Pensionado and rentista figures. The minimum wage is ARS 391,200 from October 1, 2026 and ARS 398,800 from November 1 (Resolution 4/2026, published September 2, 2026). Five times that is ARS 1,956,000 a month in October 2026 and ARS 1,994,000 from November, calculated from the resolution. The threshold is in pesos and moves with each wage step. Some guides give flat dollar figures, which do not match the official rule. Whether US Social Security, a private pension or an IRA or 401(k) withdrawal counts as a "pension" is not addressed by any official source: ask Migraciones or a migration lawyer before relying on it.
Process. Applicants file online through RADEX while physically in Argentina and attend an in-person appointment if admitted, with a passport, criminal-record certificates (Argentine, and from each country lived in for more than a year in the last three), proof of address and entry, apostilled and translated into Spanish. The official fee table lists ARS 100,000 for a non-MERCOSUR applicant (undated table). A separate route from abroad uses an attorney-in-fact in Argentina and a consular visa. The RADEX pages say residence is granted for one year, renewable, while the law allows up to three years; confirm the term with Migraciones. No official processing time is published.
Digital nomad. The category was created by Disposición DNM 758/2022. The official page lists no income minimum and no insurance requirement, while commercial guides state both, so confirm with Migraciones. It is a transitory permit: local paid work is generally not allowed without DNM authorization, and whether the time counts toward permanent residence is not confirmed.
Permanent residence. For a non-MERCOSUR foreigner the usual route is arraigo: three years of temporary residence, proof of sufficient means, physical presence for at least 50% of the granted term, and no absence of six consecutive months or more. Days as a tourist or transitory resident do not count. Temporary residents may work during their authorized stay, but work income cannot be used to qualify as a rentista.
Citizenship. Naturalization needs two years of legal, continuous residence under Law 346 as amended by DNU 366/2025. On October 2, 2026 the government announced a citizenship-by-investment program; reported terms are a USD 350,000 contribution or an USD 800,000 bond, with applications expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. No rule opening it had been published, it is a citizenship program and not a real-estate route, and the terms are not final.
Legal status of the rules. 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.
How does healthcare work for a foreigner?
Emergency care cannot be denied to anyone, whatever their status. Beyond that, the rules changed in 2025 and 2026.
DNU 366/2025 amended the migration law so that foreigners without permanent residence can be charged in public hospitals. The Ministry of Health made it operational with Resolution 1066/2026, published on August 11, 2026 and in force on August 12. The main points:
- Scope. Only establishments run by the national state, not those run by provinces or cities. The initial list included Hospital Posadas, and the list of covered establishments may grow, so ask the hospital whether the rule applies.
- Who pays. A person without permanent residence must show valid health insurance covering the service or pay in advance at the hospital's fee schedule. If insurance does not cover everything, the patient pays the difference.
- Permanent residents show a DNI marked "residente permanente"; a Migraciones in-process certificate is accepted.
- Emergencies with real, imminent risk to life, an organ or a function are exempt from upfront payment, although costs can be billed afterward.
- Tourists and temporary residents are not named in the text, so the general rule for people without permanent residence applies by implication (analysis by Derecho en Zapatillas).
Several provinces already charged on their own: Salta (February 2024), Jujuy and Mendoza (2024), Santa Cruz (2024) and the city of Buenos Aires (March 2025). In Córdoba only the two national hospitals charge. Analysts expect court challenges to the charging; none had been decided as of October 12, 2026.
Medicare does not cover care outside the US except in narrow cases, so US retirees who rely on it need other cover. Private plans (prepagas) raised prices in August 2026: OSDE 1.9%, Swiss Medical 1.8% and Galeno up to 2.1%, after a cumulative 16.5% rise in the first half of 2026 (iProfesional). How a foreigner enrolls, waiting periods and pre-existing-condition rules are not confirmed, so ask each plan.
On quality, the Hospital Italiano in Buenos Aires reportedly holds JCI accreditation (since 2015, according to DOAJ), and two Córdoba institutions are reported accredited. The count of accredited hospitals in Argentina is disputed (three per JCI data cited by Statista, five per Infobae). City-by-city detail is in best places to live in Argentina.
Is Argentina safe for expats?
The official advisories center on theft in public space, with regional cautions. The UK Foreign Office warns of pickpockets on public transport and at terminals, motorbike thieves who snatch bags and phones, the "mustard" distraction scam in Buenos Aires, express kidnappings, drink spiking (do not leave drinks unattended or accept food or drink from strangers) and protests that are more frequent than in the UK, often near Congress and the Casa Rosada. A US Embassy alert of August 2024 also advised caution before inviting recently met people back to your residence (Buenos Aires Herald). Canada advises "a high degree of caution" in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires due to crime, including petty crime and muggings, and in Rosario due to an increase in homicides linked to drug-related organized crime. The US State Department lists Argentina at Level 1, "exercise normal precautions", according to Argentine press coverage of its July 2026 update; check travel.state.gov for the current text.
The national intentional-homicide rate was 3.6 per 100,000 people in 2025, down 7.3% from 2024, 18.5% from 2023 and 14.8% from 2022, according to the SNIC statistics of the Ministry of Security, whose quality UNODC graded "A" in May 2026. Rates differ by province, and a city rate is not the same as a province rate. The city of Buenos Aires reported a preliminary 2.5 per 100,000 for 2025 (Buenos Aires Herald). Provincial rates differ widely and press reports of the 2025 SNIC table do not agree on the highest and lowest provinces. Córdoba reported about 2.3 per 100,000 and Santa Fe 5.6; check the SNIC provincial table before comparing places. Small provinces have small base numbers, and none of these makes any place the safest. The full data, advisories and hazards are in is Argentina safe to live in.
Natural hazards named by the Foreign Office are flash floods in areas including Buenos Aires province, occasional floods in the north, earthquakes (particularly in Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Jujuy), the Copahue volcano and wildfires with road closures and poor air quality.
How do money and banking work?
Argentina loosened its currency controls in April 2025. As of October 9 to 12, 2026, the blue (informal) dollar is within about 0.3% of the Banco Nación retail rate and about 1.5% above the wholesale rate, so there is little to gain from an informal exchange, and trading outside authorized entities remains an offense. Blue dollar in Argentina gives the dated rates, the legal ways to get pesos, and what is not confirmed.
Opening a bank account depends on the bank. Banks usually ask for a DNI plus a CUIL or CUIT, proof of address and sometimes proof of income, and applicants with only a passport face a longer process (Rio Times, 2026). A passport-only account is not confirmed as possible.
According to Baenegocios (December 24, 2025), ARCA General Resolution 5803/2025 replaced the CDI with the CUIT from March 2, 2026, with a provisional CUIT of up to two years for foreigners without a DNI who live in Argentina and a representative with an Argentine address for non-residents. ARCA's older CDI information page has not been updated and still describes the CDI as the number for opening a bank account or buying registrable property, so ask the bank or the notary which ID they accept. Buyers of property need the ID in any case: see CUIT for foreigners buying land in Argentina.
How are expats taxed, in outline?
Tax rules depend on residence and on the home country, and a professional should confirm them. The outline from the primary texts:
- Income tax (Ganancias). Tax residents are taxed on all income earned in Argentina or abroad, with a credit for analogous foreign taxes up to the increase in Argentine tax caused by the foreign income. Non-residents are taxed only on Argentine-source income (Income Tax Law, article 1).
- Who is a resident. A foreigner is a resident with permanent residence or, without it, after staying in Argentina with temporary migration authorizations for 12 months (article 116). How this applies to a digital nomad's transitory permits is a question for an accountant, and commercial guides differ.
- Personal assets tax (Bienes Personales). Residents are taxed on assets in the country and abroad, and non-residents only on assets in Argentina (Law 23.966, article 17). Infoleg notes the tax's term runs to December 31, 2027; ask an accountant for current status and rates.
- No US treaty. No income tax treaty between the US and Argentina is in force: Argentina does not appear in IRS Publication 901. There is also no US-Argentina social security (totalization) agreement.
- US reporting. A US person whose foreign accounts total more than USD 10,000 at any time in the year files an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114), due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15. Form 8938 under FATCA is separate.
- Canada. Canada's non-resident withholding table lists Argentina at 15% on Old Age Security and on CPP or QPP pensions.
Questions for an Argentine or cross-border tax adviser: the date residency starts, treatment of foreign pensions and IRA income, personal assets tax on foreign assets, the US foreign tax credit, FBAR and FATCA, and the tax ID after March 2026.
What does it cost to live in Argentina?
Comparison sites disagree on a foreigner's budget, and the figures below are estimates, not measurements. As of October 7, 2026, Numbeo (crowdsourced) showed USD 883.70 a month for a single person in Buenos Aires excluding rent. Expats Argentina's September 2026 planning ranges, which include rent, were USD 1,300 to 1,900 for one person and USD 2,200 to 3,000 for a couple in Buenos Aires.
INDEC reported inflation of 1.9% for September 2026 and 33.4% over twelve months (published October 13). The wholesale dollar rose about 2.6% in the year to September 21, 2026 (Infobae), against 33.5% peso inflation in the 12 months to August. Prices in dollars rose sharply as a result, which Infobae calls about 30% "inflation in dollars" over the year, and the low dollar prices of 2023 and early 2024 are gone. See cost of living in Argentina and cost of living in Buenos Aires.
Where should you live?
In short: Buenos Aires has the widest hospital choice and by far the most long-haul flights; Mendoza and Córdoba are large inland cities with dry winters, and Mendoza sits with San Juan in the highest earthquake hazard zone; the Lake District is for those who accept cold winters, fire risk and no nonstop flights to the US or Europe. Climate, hazards, flights and rents are compared in best places to live in Argentina, and retirees can start with retire in Argentina.
Can a foreigner buy property?
Yes, in urban areas. The rural land law (Law 26.737) covers land outside the urban boundary. Foreigners can buy an apartment or house inside it, except that a purchase inside a border security zone can need prior approval, with exceptions for the urban centers in Annex B and some urban parcels of up to 5,000 m² for non-profit use; the escribano confirms which applies. See border security zone rules for foreign buyers. Rural land is provisional. According to press reports, the Supreme Court provisionally suspended on October 9, 2026 the decree article that repealed Ley 26.737, so the rural land limits apply for now. A special session of the Chamber of Deputies to reject DNU 70/2023 was requested for October 15, 2026; it needs a quorum of 129, and its outcome is unknown as of October 14, 2026.
- Apartments and houses: buying a house or apartment in Argentina as a foreigner and buying an apartment in Buenos Aires as a foreigner.
- Land: how to buy land in Argentina, with paying for land from abroad.
- Mortgages: according to a Rankia guide of July 2026, an Argentine bank mortgage in practice requires residency, and temporary or precarious residents generally do not qualify. A mortgage for a non-resident is not confirmed. A purchase does not bring residency: see does buying property give residency.
What happens to pensions from the US, Canada and the UK?
| Pension | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| US Social Security | SSA pays citizens outside the US as long as they are eligible; Argentina does not appear among the restricted destinations in SSA material and is on the SSA international direct deposit list. There is no US-Argentina totalization agreement. SSA reportedly pays in dollars without adjusting for exchange rates, and Supplemental Security Income stops outside the US, so confirm both with SSA. |
| Medicare | It usually does not cover care outside the US, with narrow exceptions. Medigap may cover emergency care abroad. |
| UK State Pension | Argentina is not on the list of countries where the pension receives annual increases, so a pension paid there is not uprated. It can be paid into a bank where you live or a UK bank, converted at the day's rate with a 0.39% charge. |
| Canadian OAS and CPP | OAS can continue abroad with at least 20 years of residence in Canada after age 18; otherwise OAS and GIS may stop after more than six months outside Canada. Canada and Argentina signed a social security agreement on August 13, 2021, but it is not in force, so it cannot add time. Whether OAS or CPP can be deposited into an Argentine account is not confirmed: ask Service Canada. |
What are language and daily life like?
Buenos Aires, Rosario and Mar del Plata speak Rioplatense Spanish, which uses voseo ("vos" instead of "tú"), a soft "sh" for ll and y, and Lunfardo slang with many Italian loanwords.
Electricity is 220 V at 50 Hz, with type I plugs (three flat pins in a V) and type C also common. Mobile registration is required by law and a tourist SIM needs a passport; the main carriers are Claro, Movistar and Personal, and operators differ on how a foreigner activates an eSIM, so ask the operator. Fixed broadband in major cities runs at roughly 50 to 300 Mbps, according to the national tourism site. Daily routines are in daily life in Argentina.
All the notes in this guide
| Note | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Retire in Argentina | Residency, pension payments, healthcare, costs and taxes for retirees |
| Cost of living in Argentina | Dated budgets, rents and price rises across the country |
| Cost of living in Buenos Aires | Rent, utilities, transport and food in the capital |
| Argentina pensionado and rentista residency | The two retiree residency routes, the income rule and the process |
| Argentina digital nomad visa | The 180-day transitory permit for remote workers and its limits |
| Does buying property in Argentina give residency? | Why a purchase and a residency are separate procedures |
| Buying a house or apartment in Argentina as a foreigner | The legal position, process, costs and risks for urban property |
| Buying an apartment in Buenos Aires as a foreigner | The Buenos Aires market, prices and the purchase steps |
| Blue dollar in Argentina | Dated exchange rates, legal ways to get pesos and moving money for a purchase |
| Best places to live in Argentina | Four main places compared by climate, hospitals, flights, hazards and rent, plus notes on three other cities |
| How to move to Argentina from the US | Entry, apostilled documents, residency steps, DNI, belongings, pets, US taxes |
| Is Argentina safe to live in? | Homicide data, advisories, crimes foreigners meet, hazards |
| Daily life in Argentina | Time zone, holidays, payments, transport, driver's licenses, shipping |
| Pros and cons of living in Argentina | Dated evidence for and against: inflation, hospital charges, banking, imports |
| Apartments for rent in Buenos Aires | Listings, leases after DNU 70/2023, agent fees, guarantees, ID |
| Property for sale in Argentina | Listings, listing terms, broker commissions and licenses |
| Land for sale in Argentina | Listings, dated asking prices, checks before a deposit |
See also: how to buy land in Argentina, paying for land in Argentina from abroad.
Sources
- ARCA General Resolution 5803/2025, full text (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, tourist category (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Residence as a pensioner, service page (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar and as a rentista: argentina.gob.ar
- Disposición DNM 1732/2023 on pensionado and rentista (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Immigration fee table (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Resolution 4/2026, minimum wage (in Spanish): colegio-escribanos.org.ar
- Law 25.871, Migration Law (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Permanent residence (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Digital nomad residence, official page (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar and Disposición DNM 758/2022 (in Spanish): boletinoficial.gob.ar
- DNU 366/2025 (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Infobae on the Supreme Court and the DNU, October 7, 2026 (in Spanish): infobae.com
- MercoPress, citizenship by investment, October 3, 2026: en.mercopress.com
- Argentina Visa Law, entry requirements (updated September 2026): argentinavisalaw.com and tourist visas: argentinavisalaw.com
- Derecho en Zapatillas on Resolution 1066/2026 (in Spanish): derechoenzapatillas.com
- Chequeado on charging non-resident foreigners (in Spanish): chequeado.com and La Voz de San Justo on Córdoba (in Spanish): lavozdesanjusto.com.ar
- iProfesional on prepaga increases (in Spanish): iprofesional.com
- Hospital accreditation counts: Statista and Infobae (in Spanish): infobae.com; Hospital Italiano JCI 2015: doaj.org
- UK Foreign Office, Argentina safety and security: gov.uk
- Government of Canada, Argentina travel advice: travel.gc.ca
- Buenos Aires Herald on the US Embassy drink-spiking alert: buenosairesherald.com
- US State Department, Argentina advisory: travel.state.gov and Perfil on the July 2026 update (in Spanish): perfil.com
- Ministerio de Seguridad, national criminal statistics, SNIC (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar
- Buenos Aires Herald on the city homicide rate: buenosairesherald.com
- Rio Times, banking in Argentina for foreigners: riotimesonline.com
- ARCA, CDI page (in Spanish): argentina.gob.ar and Baenegocios on the CUIT, December 24, 2025 (in Spanish): baenegocios.com
- Income Tax Law, consolidated text (in Spanish): biblioteca.afip.gob.ar
- Personal Assets Tax Law 23.966 (in Spanish): infoleg.gob.ar
- IRS Publication 901: irs.gov and FBAR: irs.gov
- Social Security Administration: country list 1, direct deposit list, totalization agreements and publication EN-05-10137
- Medicare, travel outside the US: medicare.gov
- UK State Pension abroad: gov.uk and countries with annual increases: gov.uk
- Canada, Old Age Security while receiving: canada.ca, non-resident taxes: canada.ca and the Argentina agreement: canada.ca
- Numbeo, Buenos Aires: numbeo.com and Expats Argentina: expatsargentina.com
- Infobae on the dollar against inflation, September 21, 2026 (in Spanish): infobae.com
- Infobae on September 2026 inflation, October 13, 2026 (in Spanish): infobae.com
- Chequeado on August 2026 inflation (in Spanish): chequeado.com
- Rankia on mortgages for foreigners (in Spanish): rankia.com.ar
- Ley 26.737, rural land (in Spanish): colegio-escribanos.org.ar and El Cronista on the Supreme Court measure, October 9, 2026 (in Spanish): cronista.com
- Rioplatense Spanish: Wikipedia
- Argentina's tourism site, internet and mobile: argentina.travel and plugs: argentina.travel
Argentina updates
Rule changes, prices and new guides for buying property and living in Argentina. No fixed schedule.