Argentina’s government has announced a citizenship-by-investment programme offering foreign applicants two financial routes to an Argentine passport, as President Javier Milei’s administration seeks to attract more overseas capital.
Under the plan described by the government, an applicant may make a non-refundable contribution of $350,000 to the National Treasury or subscribe to a government bond worth $800,000 that is being created specifically for the programme. The administration presented the alternatives as simple and transparent mechanisms, but the supplied announcement does not specify processing times or when applications will open.
Family members could also obtain citizenship through additional payments. A spouse or adult child would require a $100,000 Treasury contribution, while the stated amount for a child under 18 is $25,000. The government said money raised through the scheme would support Argentina’s fiscal and financial position.
The Economy Ministry said proposed investments would undergo checks intended to trace the origin of funds, prevent money laundering and address national-security concerns. Those safeguards will be central to the programme’s credibility because citizenship-by-investment systems connect an immigration decision directly to a large financial transfer. The announcement outlines the intended scrutiny but does not provide enough detail to assess how the reviews will operate in practice.
The initiative comes against a weak recent picture for foreign direct investment. OECD figures cited with the announcement show Argentina received $3.134 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, substantially below the totals attracted by the region’s larger recipients. The government is using the citizenship offer as one part of a broader effort to improve capital inflows.
Its unveiling also follows a separate legal change affecting foreign investors. Argentina’s Supreme Court upheld a 2023 Milei decree that repealed the previous 15% ceiling on foreign ownership of rural land. The limit had been in force since 2011. Veterans of the 1982 Falklands conflict have opposed that repeal, and a demonstration was called while opposition lawmakers planned an attempt to block the change in Congress.
The land ruling and the passport programme are distinct measures, but together they show the government’s willingness to lower barriers for foreign capital. They are also likely to sharpen political arguments over the value and limits of investment incentives, particularly where national assets or citizenship rights are involved.
Several operational questions remain unresolved in the supplied material. It does not say how long the bond must be held, whether investments are refundable under any circumstances, what residency expectations apply, or which agencies will make final eligibility decisions. Until implementing rules answer those questions, the announcement establishes the proposed price and two routes more clearly than the full applicant process.
