Visa
Retirement visa in Argentina
Argentina's rentista and pensionado residences are one-year, renewable temporary residences for people living on income from assets abroad or on a regular foreign pension. The test is five monthly minimum wages, about ARS 2,000,000 a month; to be safe, have more than ARS 2,200,000. You apply from inside Argentina.
- Official names
- Residencia temporaria como rentista (Ley 25.871, art. 23 inc. b); Residencia temporaria como pensionado (Ley 25.871, art. 23 inc. c); Disposición DNM 1732/2023, modified by Disposición 3446/2023
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Consejo Nacional del Empleo. Checked 17 October 2026.
Who it’s for
- Rentista residence is for foreign nationals who cover their stay with their own resources brought from abroad or the income those resources produce; pensionado is for people who receive a regular, permanent pension from a government, an international body or a private company for services given abroad.
- Pay for personal work does not count towards the rentista test, so the category does not fit someone who still lives on a salary or freelance fees. For a family group, the income has to be shown for each applicant. Neither DNM page names a minimum age.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. Checked 17 October 2026.
Money tests
- Both categories ask for income equal to or above five monthly minimum wages. The test is about ARS 2,000,000 a month for each applicant from 1 October 2026 (five times the ARS 391,200 minimum wage), rising to about ARS 2,185,000 from April 2027. To be safe, have more than ARS 2,200,000 a month.
- Rentista income has to come from assets that belong to you, such as financial instruments, property or company shares. Money in a foreign bank account can count if you can prove its lawful origin beyond doubt.
- Funds must reach Argentina through banks or financial entities the central bank has authorised, and DNM checks that the funds needed for the residence period have come in before it grants the residence.
- For pensionado, the body that pays the pension issues a certificate that it is regular and permanent and reaches at least five minimum wages. Neither page sets a separate savings, deposit or property-purchase test.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Consejo Nacional del Empleo. Checked 17 October 2026.
Documents
- You need a valid passport, an Argentine criminal record certificate (pulled in through the online platform for applicants over 16), proof of address and proof of regular entry. The pensionado file adds the pension certificate.
- A certificate showing no convictions or pending cases is required from each country where you lived for more than one year in the last three years. Documents issued abroad must be legalised by the Argentine consulate or carry an apostille, and those in another language need a Spanish translation by a national public translator, legalised by the translators' association. Originals are required.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. Checked 17 October 2026.
Timing
- You apply online in DNM's RaDEX system: register, fill in the form, pay the fees, upload the documents, then wait for an email with an in-person appointment. You must be inside Argentina after a regular entry; the process is personal and needs no agent. Neither page gives a processing time.
- A preferential appointment is available for an extra 50 fee units (ARS 50,000), with the criminal record certificate then obtained outside RaDEX. While your file is pending, DNM may grant a 'precarious residence' of up to 90 days, renewable, which lets you work and study but does not count as roots for permanent residence.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026.
Fees
- An application, and an extension, each cost 100 fee units for non-Mercosur nationals, which is ARS 100,000 at ARS 1,000 a unit. Both DNM pages list no amounts and send you to the fee table.
- A residence application started at a consulate costs 600 consular units for non-Mercosur nationals. A consular unit was set at US$1 in 2000 and the foreign ministry can update it; the fee table gives no current value.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional. Checked 17 October 2026.
How long it lasts and renewal
- Both residences are granted for one year and can be extended. To extend a rentista residence you apply again through RaDEX from inside Argentina and show documents that the five-minimum-wage income continues; the extension is for one year.
- DNM's overview says temporary residence lasts up to three years depending on the category, while the rentista and pensionado pages say one year. The migration law as changed in 2025 lets the authorities cancel a temporary residence after six months or more outside Argentina, unless DNM sees the absence as useful to Argentina or has authorised it.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026.
Path to permanent residence
- DNM says temporary residents can apply for permanent residence after 2 continuous years (Mercosur nationals) or 3 years (everyone else), having spent at least half the granted period in Argentina with no absence of 6 or more consecutive months. The 2010 regulation had the same periods.
- The 2025 decree rewrote article 22 so permanent residence asks you to show sufficient means to live in Argentina and no criminal record that could justify refusal; the page gives no amount. A June 2026 press report says one court annulled the decree's citizenship powers in one case; we found no ruling on its residence articles.
Sources: Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026.
Tax
- Argentina taxes residents on income from Argentina and abroad, with a credit for similar tax paid abroad, and non-residents only on Argentine-source income. A foreign national is resident with permanent residence or after 12 months on temporary authorisations; a private summary puts it as the 13th month for foreigners living there for reasons other than work.
- The personal assets tax (Bienes Personales) applies to the value of assets in Argentina and abroad above a non-taxable minimum of ARS 384,728,044.57 for 2025, at 0.5%, 0.75% and 1% on bands above it. The general VAT rate is 21%. We found no source on how a foreign pension or investment income is taxed for a rentista or pensionado, so that is unknown.
Sources: Poder Ejecutivo Nacional, Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA). Checked 17 October 2026.
Your passport
If you hold a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport
What differs for each passport, from the same sources. A line that says there is no difference means the sources we read name none.
United States passport
- US citizens enter as tourists without a visa (three months per the Houston consulate), then apply from inside Argentina. The United States has been in the Apostille Convention since 15 October 1981. US citizens abroad generally file a US return on worldwide income; the IRS treaty list does not include Argentina and no US social security agreement covers it.
Sources: Consulate General of Argentina in Houston, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Internal Revenue Service, US Social Security Administration. Checked 17 October 2026.
Canada passport
- Canadians enter as tourists without a visa (up to 90 days per the Montreal consulate). Canada has been in the Apostille Convention since 11 January 2024; the RCMP's fingerprint-based certified check releases conviction information for visa or foreign-travel purposes, and Global Affairs Canada authenticates paper originals only.
- A Canada-Argentina income tax convention is in force (signed 29 April 1993); a social security agreement signed on 13 August 2021 is not in force.
Sources: Consulate General of Argentina in Montreal, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (rcmp.ca), Global Affairs Canada, Department of Finance Canada, Ministerio de Capital Humano, Employment and Social Development Canada (Government of Canada). Checked 17 October 2026.
Australia passport
- Australians enter as tourists without a visa (up to 90 days per the Sydney consulate). Australia has been in the Apostille Convention since 16 March 1995. The AFP lists working or applying for a visa overseas among the purposes of its National Police Check, with most certificates done within 48 hours; its page does not mention an apostille.
- An Australia-Argentina tax agreement has been in force since 30 December 1999; no social security agreement links the two countries.
Sources: Consulate General of Argentina in Sydney, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Australian Federal Police (afp.gov.au), Australian Treasury, Department of Social Services. Checked 17 October 2026.
New Zealand passport
- New Zealanders enter as tourists without a visa; the Wellington embassy asks for a passport valid for at least six months from the day you enter. New Zealand has been in the Apostille Convention since 22 November 2001, and the Ministry of Justice sends you to the Department of Internal Affairs for an apostille on your criminal record, which is free and usually answered within 20 working days.
- Inland Revenue's treaty lists do not include Argentina, and no social security agreement links the two countries.
Sources: Embassy of Argentina in New Zealand, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Ministry of Justice (New Zealand), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 17 October 2026.
Other visas
Other visas in Argentina.
The country
More on Argentina.
Questions about Retirement visa in Argentina.
How many minimum wages does Argentina's rentista residence require?
Five times the monthly minimum wage for each applicant. That is about ARS 1,956,000 a month from 1 October 2026, rising to about ARS 2,185,000 by April 2027. To be safe, have more than ARS 2,200,000 a month. The income must come from assets, not from your own work.
Can you live on a pension under Argentina's pensionado residence?
Yes, if it is a regular, permanent pension from a government, an international body or a private company for services abroad, and it reaches five minimum wages. The paying body issues a certificate. DNM's page names no age limit.
Does Argentina's rentista residence count pay from a job as income?
No. The income must come from assets in your name, such as financial instruments, property or company shares. Pay for personal work does not count. Funds must enter Argentina through banks the central bank has authorised.
Where do you apply for Argentina's rentista or pensionado residence?
Online in DNM's RaDEX system, but you must already be inside Argentina after a regular entry. You upload documents, pay the fees and get an email with an in-person appointment. The pages give no processing time.
What does Argentina's rentista residence cost in government fees?
For non-Mercosur nationals, an application costs 100 fee units, which is ARS 100,000 at ARS 1,000 a unit. Extending it costs the same. A preferential appointment adds about ARS 50,000. To be safe, have more than ARS 51,000. Peso fees change with the unit value.
When can a rentista in Argentina apply for permanent residence?
DNM's page says after 3 continuous years of temporary residence for non-Mercosur nationals, with at least half the period spent in Argentina. The 2025 decree rewrote the permanent-residence article to ask for sufficient means, with no amount stated.
Sources
Official sources we used.
Government and official pages only, each with the date we checked it.
- Visas: general guidelines (Houston consulate page), Consulate General of Argentina in Houston, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Tourists: stay and extension, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Status table: Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents (Apostille), Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Checked 17 October 2026. Entry into force: Argentina 18 February 1988, Australia 16 March 1995, Canada 11 January 2024, New Zealand 22 November 2001, United States 15 October 1981.
- US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- United States income tax treaties, A to Z, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- US international Social Security agreements, US Social Security Administration (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Visa requirements for Canadian citizens (Montreal consulate page), Consulate General of Argentina in Montreal, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Types of certified criminal record checks, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (rcmp.ca). Checked 17 October 2026. For visa, border crossing, foreign travel or work, only conviction information is released.
- Authentication of documents, Global Affairs Canada. Checked 17 October 2026. Paper originals only; page shows about 25 business days plus mailing.
- Tax treaties in force, Department of Finance Canada. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Convention between Canada and the Argentine Republic for the avoidance of double taxation (CTS 1994 No. 24), Global Affairs Canada, Treaty Information (treaty-accord.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026.
- International social security agreements in force (Argentina), Ministerio de Capital Humano, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Argentine Republic: social security agreement, Employment and Social Development Canada (Government of Canada). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Visas for foreign citizens (Sydney consulate page), Consulate General of Argentina in Sydney, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- National Police Checks, Australian Federal Police (afp.gov.au). Checked 17 October 2026. Page does not mention an apostille; fee AU$57 per application, AU$114 if fingerprints are needed.
- Income tax treaties in force, Australian Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026.
- International social security agreements (archived copy), Australian Government, Department of Social Services (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Types of visas for short-term visits (Wellington embassy page), Embassy of Argentina in New Zealand, cancilleria.gob.ar. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Get your own criminal record, Ministry of Justice (New Zealand). Checked 17 October 2026. Free; 20 working days target.
- Tax treaties: double tax agreements and tax information exchange agreements, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Social security agreements, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Get a temporary residence as a rentista, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Page lists no fee amount and no processing time.
- Get a temporary residence as a pensionado, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Page lists no fee amount and no processing time.
- Disposición 1732/2023: minimum amount for rentistas and pensionados (updated text), Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar (Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026. Threshold is five minimum wages (articles 2 and 5, as replaced by Disposición 3446/2023); the text names no peso amount.
- Resolución 4/2026: minimum, vital and mobile wage from September 2026 to April 2027, Consejo Nacional del Empleo, la Productividad y el Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil, Boletín Oficial of 2 September 2026. Checked 17 October 2026. Monthly wage ARS 391,200 from 1 October 2026; ARS 398,800 from 1 November; ARS 406,400 from 1 December; ARS 437,000 from April 2027 (five times: ARS 1,956,000; ARS 1,994,000; ARS 2,032,000; ARS 2,185,000).
- Migration fees table (Decreto 584/2024), Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Table states 1 fee unit (UMSM) = ARS 1,000 as the current value; no peso value is given for a consular unit (uc).
- Decreto de Necesidad y Urgencia 366/2025 (text), Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026. Decree dated 28 May 2025.
- Decreto 266/2000: consular fees, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional, argentina.gob.ar (Normativa). Checked 15 October 2026. Opened 15 October 2026.
- Get an extension of temporary residence as a rentista, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Page gives no deadline for filing and no fee amount.
- Residence categories, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Overview page; names no subcategories.
- Permanent residence: requirements and how to apply, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, argentina.gob.ar. Checked 17 October 2026. Page gives no fee amount and no processing time.
- Decreto 616/2010, regulation of Ley 25.871, articles 22 and 23 (original text), Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (argentina.gob.ar, Normativa). Checked 17 October 2026. Original 2010 text; peso amounts in it are those of 2010.
- Income Tax Law, ordered text of 2019 (updated text): articles 1, 116 and 123, Poder Ejecutivo Nacional, argentina.gob.ar (Normativa, Decreto 824/2019). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Bienes Personales: rates, Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA), Argentina. Checked 17 October 2026. 2025 period: non-taxable minimum and rate bands; base covers assets in Argentina and abroad.
- Ley de Impuesto al Valor Agregado, texto actualizado (art. 28), Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA), Argentina (legislation library). Checked 17 October 2026. Article 28 sets the general rate at 21%.