Argentina citizenship by naturalisation
Two years of residence, and no investment at all.
Argentina grants citizenship by ordinary naturalisation after two years of legal residence, with no investment requirement at all. Most comparable countries require five to ten. It is also the route the June 2026 rulings have just protected.
Why this page leads with the free option
A second citizenship is a large decision and it should be made against the full set of options, including the one that costs nothing. For a meaningful minority of people reading about the investment programme, this is the right answer.
Two years is short enough to be genuinely achievable for a remote worker, a retiree, an entrepreneur with a portable business, or a family willing to treat it as a chapter rather than a permanent move. There is no minimum investment and no contribution. The cost is the cost of living in Argentina for two years — which for many people is lower than where they live now — plus legal fees for the naturalisation process itself.
| Investment route, as expected | Ordinary naturalisation | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital required | USD 350,000 for the main applicant, plus each dependant | None |
| Residence required | None. One biometrics visit. | Two years, continuous |
| Time to citizenship | Unknown. Four months floated, untested. | Two years plus processing |
| Legal status today | Not operational. Enabling decree declared null. | Operational, and judicially reaffirmed |
| Who decides | Migration directorate, under the decree | Federal judges with electoral jurisdiction |
| Tax consequence | Carve-out asserted, no residence needed | You become tax resident. This is the real cost. |
| Suits | Cannot relocate; wants speed and passivity | Can relocate; wants to minimise cost |
The catch
Two years of residence makes you
an Argentine tax resident.
Taxable on worldwide income at up to 35 per cent, and on worldwide assets under the personal assets tax. For someone with substantial offshore income or a large balance sheet, that cost can exceed the investment route well inside the two years. It is the single reason the investment route exists.
Which route is cheaper is an arithmetic question about your own income and assets, not a matter of preference. Anyone who tells you one is simply better than the other has not run the numbers.
