How to Apply for Argentine Citizenship by Investment: Agency, Checks and Timeline

The procedure is short on paper and serious in substance. I follow the text of Decree 524/2025 and the checks listed in the Ministry of Economy announcement.

Step 1: the application to the Agency

The foreigner who has made a relevant investment applies to the Citizenship by Investment Programmes Agency, a decentralised body under the Ministry of Economy. The Agency first checks whether the investment qualifies as relevant under the Ministry’s rules.

Step 2: the reports

If the investment qualifies, the Agency asks for reports from:

• the Ministry of National Security;
• the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF);
• the National Recidivism Registry;
• the National Registry of Persons (RENAPER);
• the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE);
• any other public or private body it considers necessary.

The question for each is whether granting citizenship could be a risk to national security or national interests. The announcement adds the Ministry of the Interior and lists what is checked: identity, the traceability and lawfulness of the funds, assets and finances, jurisdiction risk, criminal and reputational background and migration history. The government says the standards follow OECD and FATF recommendations.

Step 3: the report and the decision

The Agency sends the Directorate of Migration a reasoned report recommending approval or refusal. If the investment does not qualify, or any of the bodies advises against, the report must say so and propose a refusal. The Directorate then has 30 business days to grant or refuse citizenship by a reasoned act.

Step 4: the payment and the documents of a citizen

The funds go through the formal financial system. Decree 524/2025 tells the tax agency ARCA to enable a CUIT tax number for people granted citizenship this way. How the DNI identity card and the passport are issued is not yet regulated. BRIDGES, on its programme page, describes payment after approval and a trip to Buenos Aires for the oath and biometrics at RENAPER, and says it will confirm the format on the filing date.

Documents to prepare now

The official list has not been published. Based on the checks above and on BRIDGES practice, I would collect for each family member: a passport, birth and marriage certificates, police clearance certificates, and a full source of funds file. Foreign documents usually need an apostille and a Spanish translation. BRIDGES notes that children from previous marriages need the other parent’s consent.

Timeline

Only one term is fixed in law: 30 business days for the Directorate of Migration. The time the Agency’s checks take, and the start date, are unknown. I would not believe anyone who promises a precise total today.