Canadians in Argentina
Key takeaways for a Canadian family
A spouse adds US$100,000, each unmarried child aged 18 to 25 without children adds US$100,000, and each child under 18 adds US$25,000. A couple with two children under 18 comes to US$500,000 on the contribution route, the government's own example.
These amounts were announced, not yet set in the Boletín Oficial as of 2 October 2026. Implementing rules and government, due diligence and professional fees remain unpublished; totals here exclude fees.
Paying does not guarantee citizenship: the Agency, the intelligence service, the financial intelligence unit and two ministries vet each file, and the decree behind the program is under court challenge. Families should hold off committing funds until the rules are out and a lawyer has read them.
Announced costs for different Canadian families
Family contributions to the Treasury sit on top of the main applicant's amount. The government gives US$500,000 for a couple with two children under 18: 350,000 plus 100,000 plus 25,000 plus 25,000.
The bond column adds the announced family contributions to the US$800,000 subscription. Children aged 18 to 25 must be unmarried and have no children of their own in every example.
| Family | Contribution route | Bond route |
|---|---|---|
| Single adult | US$350,000 | US$800,000 bond |
| Couple | US$450,000 (350,000 + 100,000) | US$900,000 (800,000 bond + 100,000) |
| Single parent, two children under 18 | US$400,000 (350,000 + 25,000 + 25,000) | US$850,000 (800,000 bond + 50,000) |
| Couple, two children under 18 (the government's example) | US$500,000 | US$950,000 (800,000 bond + 150,000) |
| Couple, one unmarried child aged 21 without children | US$550,000 (350,000 + 100,000 + 100,000) | US$1,000,000 (800,000 bond + 200,000) |
| Couple, children aged 16 and 21 (older child unmarried, without children) | US$575,000 (350,000 + 100,000 + 25,000 + 100,000) | US$1,025,000 (800,000 bond + 225,000) |
| Couple, one child aged 26 | US$450,000 for the parents; no announced category for the child | US$900,000 for the parents; no announced category for the child |
Details that move a family's total
Age sets the price: a child under 18 is US$25,000 and a child aged 18 to 25 is US$100,000. The announcement does not say whether age is counted at filing, at approval or on another date, which matters for a 17-year-old.
A child aged 18 to 25 counts only while unmarried and without children of their own, and how that is shown is unpublished. A student's status in Argentina also affects how public universities treat them, covered in the universities guide.
A child aged 26 or older has no announced category, and neither does an adult child who is married or a parent. Whether that child could apply as a main applicant, or needs another route, the announcement leaves open.
The announcement speaks of a spouse, and it is not yet known whether a common-law partner counts. Nothing says what proof of custody or consent a file for a minor needs, so families with shared custody should locate the court order or separation agreement early.
The amounts are in US dollars, so the Canadian-dollar cost moves with the exchange rate until the day the money is paid.
Keeping your Canadian citizenship, and where tax fits
The Government of Canada's travel advice says Canada allows you to hold several citizenships while keeping Canadian citizenship, and that not every country does. Argentina allows dual nationality in practice. A naturalized Canadian would hold an Argentine passport and DNI (national identity card) and MERCOSUR residence rights. Citizenship is different from a temporary or permanent residence permit.
The same page warns that a second citizenship can bring the other country's rules, such as its own passport for entry and exit and taxes like any other citizen. The decree requires no residence time, and any presence or post-approval obligations depend on rules still to be issued.
Canadian tax residency is separate. The Canada Revenue Agency's residency page centres on residential ties, among them a home, a spouse or common-law partner and dependants in Canada. A Canadian tax adviser should also see how the money is being raised, especially if it comes from selling a property or registered savings.
Documents a Canadian family can start gathering now
No document list has been published, so this is preparation, not an Agency checklist. The vetting covers identity, the origin of funds, net worth, criminal and reputational background and migration history. Most households already hold relevant paper: passports, a birth certificate for each child, a marriage certificate for a spouse, tax returns and bank records.
Global Affairs Canada explains that the destination country's law determines whether authentication is needed. Its requirements page distinguishes apostilles from other authentication procedures. The program has not published its requirements for apostilles or translations, so discuss both with an Argentine lawyer before paying for them.
The right Canadian authentication office depends on where the document was issued or notarized. Global Affairs Canada lists the responsible provincial authorities; its apostilles have no expiry date. The receiving authority may still ask for recent records. The apostille guide explains the Canadian offices.
The vetting includes criminal background, but the program has not said which police certificate it will accept or how recent it must be. The RCMP explains how to obtain a fingerprint-based certified criminal record check if the rules call for one. Ordering before the requirements are named risks a certificate that is too old.
Source-of-funds records deserve attention early. All money must move through the formal financial system under anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing rules. Bank and investment statements, tax returns with notices of assessment, sale contracts and records of an inheritance or settlement each explain one slice, and your own bank will likely ask about a large transfer abroad.
The planned procedure and what remains unpublished
An application is filed with the Citizenship by Investment Programs Agency. Under Decreto 524/2025 the Agency checks whether the investment counts as relevant under Ministry of Economy criteria and requests security and background reports, working with the SIDE, the UIF and the Ministries of Security and of the Interior. It then sends a reasoned report to the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM), which decides by a reasoned act within 30 business days of receiving it. ARCA, the tax agency, then enables a CUIT for the new citizen.
Those 30 business days start when DNM receives the Agency's final report; they are not a whole-application deadline. No Agency-stage processing time has been published.
Still missing: the form and portal, document list, government fees, Agency-stage processing time, attendance requirements, bond terms and refund rules on refusal. Caputo described a zero-rate bond; Bloomberg Línea reports a seven-year term, not a published condition. No residence time is required by the decree; any presence or post-approval obligations depend on future rules.
A decree under court challenge
DNU 366/2025, the decree that created the investment route, is under court challenge. On 30 June 2026 the Cámara Nacional Electoral declared it null in Yang, Liping s/ nacionalidad y ciudadanía, holding that citizenship is tied to political rights, which the Constitution bars the President from regulating by decree. Other lower courts have ruled against parts of it.
The government says the ruling is not final and that it will go to the Supreme Court, which has not ruled on DNU 366/2025. Lawyers disagree on scope: some say Migraciones can no longer grant naturalization since 30 June, others that the nullity binds only that case. No ruling found addresses the investment route, which rests on the same decree and ends in a Migraciones decision.
A Supreme Court ruling or a law passed by Congress would settle it. Families should get legal advice before committing funds.
Residence, two-year naturalization and RIGI are different things
Citizenship by investment is naturalization through this program. Property purchases are not an announced qualifying option. Residence by investment and income-based residence such as rentista are migration categories under Ley 25.871, not citizenship. The visa guide for Canadians covers the income routes.
Ordinary naturalization takes two years of legal, continuous residence, and since DNU 366/2025 no trips abroad during that period. The same legal challenge applies to it; the two-year route explained covers the detail. RIGI is an incentive regime for large corporate investments and gives no one a passport.
Choosing a lawyer for your family's application
For Canadian families considering this program, we recommend Lucero Legal, a Buenos Aires immigration and citizenship law firm led by attorney Katherina Lucero, registered with CPACF and bilingual in English and Spanish. Its detailed, updated program guide explains the announced options and the legal uncertainties. The firm prepares applications, family files and source-of-funds documentation through its citizenship-by-investment service. That fits a household coordinating Canadian records with an Argentine application, especially where children's ages, family relationships or the origin of savings need careful explanation. A consultation can address what to prepare now and what must await published rules. Neither legal assistance nor payment guarantees citizenship.
Most of what a family can do before the rules arrive is quiet work: finding certificates, reading the names on them and agreeing what the money is for. The paperwork can start now; the money can wait for the published rules and a lawyer's reading.
Questions that change the plan
How much would a Canadian couple with two children under 18 pay?
On the announced figures, US$500,000 on the contribution route: US$350,000 for the main applicant, US$100,000 for the spouse and US$25,000 for each child. On the bond route the family amounts come on top of the US$800,000.
Can a 26-year-old child be included?
The announced categories are a spouse, unmarried children aged 18 to 25 without children, and children under 18. A 26-year-old has none, and whether they could apply on their own is not yet answered.
Can a Canadian keep Canadian citizenship after becoming Argentine?
Canada allows multiple citizenships while you keep Canadian citizenship, according to the Government of Canada's travel advice for dual citizens. Argentina allows dual nationality in practice.
Do Canadian documents need an apostille?
No document list is published. Global Affairs Canada says the destination country's law determines authentication requirements. An Argentine lawyer can advise on apostilles and translations once the program's rules are available.
Is the US$800,000 bond repaid?
A bond is a subscription, so in principle the capital is repaid at maturity. Bloomberg Línea reports a seven-year term, a single report. Maturity, transferability and what happens if citizenship is refused are unpublished.
Could the court challenge affect an application?
It could. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on DNU 366/2025, and a ruling or a law from Congress would settle the question. Take legal advice before committing funds.