Argentina Launches Citizenship-for-Investment Program

Overview

• The government announced Friday in Paris that the new “Program of Citizenship by Investment” will let foreigners seek Argentine citizenship by making a nonrefundable US$350,000 payment to the treasury or by buying a program-specific US$800,000 government bond.
• Family members can be included for extra fees of US$100,000 for spouses and adult children up to age 25 and US$25,000 for minors, so a typical family of four would pay about US$500,000 under the direct-payment route.
• A dedicated Agency of Citizenship by Investment will review applications with the national intelligence service (SIDE), the financial-intelligence unit (UIF) and security ministries and will apply identity, origin-of-funds and background checks aligned with OECD and FATF recommendations.
• Officials said the program will open to applications in the fourth quarter of 2026 and that proceeds will be used to strengthen Argentina’s fiscal and financial position, but the measure is expected to face legal and political scrutiny ahead of next year’s elections.
• Observers say the move makes Argentina the first South American state and the largest country to offer a formal citizenship-for-investment scheme, which could draw diverse buyers, challenge smaller Caribbean ‘golden passport’ issuers and raise questions about enforcement of anti‑money‑laundering and national-security safeguards.