Aerial view of Buenos Aires and the Obelisco

Nota

Argentina aumenta los requisitos de ingresos para el visado de rentista

![](/wp-media/2008/10/visa_stamp.jpg «Argentina aumenta los requisitos de ingresos para el visado de rentista»)Una vez más, Argentina ha introducido un cambio importante en sus políticas sin apenas previo aviso. La visa de rentista, que es una opción muy popular entre los expatriados que desean residir legalmente en Argentina, exige ahora unos ingresos mínimos de 8000 AR$ al mes por persona. Esto supone un aumento del 333 % respecto a la cantidad anterior, que era de 2400 AR$ al mes. Esta ley entró en vigor el 29 de julio de 2010, mediante la [Disposición n.º 1534/2010 de la DNM](http://infoleg.mecon.gov.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/165000-169999/169991/norma.htm «Aumento de los requisitos de ingresos para el visado de rentista en Argentina») (en español).

La mayoría de los expatriados que viven en Argentina tienen visados de turista, que solo son válidos durante 90 días. El visado de turista puede renovarse en Migraciones por otros 90 días, tras lo cual hay que abandonar el país. Esto ha llevado a muchos a practicar el «expat shuffle»: coger el ferry de Buquebus por la mañana hacia Colonia (Uruguay) y regresar a Buenos Aires esa misma noche. Técnicamente, esto cumple con el requisito de salir del país y te permite obtener otro sello de visado de 90 días. Esta práctica ha sido «tolerada» por las autoridades de inmigración argentinas, aunque varias personas han informado de que les han preguntado por el número de sellos de turista en su pasaporte. Una vez más, nunca se sabe cuándo podrían cambiar sus políticas y prohibir esta práctica.

Otros expatriados simplemente se quedan más tiempo del permitido por su visado de turista y pagan la multa relativamente pequeña de 300 AR$ al salir del país. Nunca ha habido ningún problema al hacerlo y volver a entrar en el país más adelante. Conozco personalmente a varias personas que estuvieron aquí durante muchos años con un visado de turista caducado.

Para quienes buscan quedarse aquí de forma más permanente y les gustaría tener un visado legal de larga duración y un DNI (el equivalente argentino a la seguridad social y al documento nacional de identidad), hay pocas opciones: casarse con un argentino, tener un hijo aquí u obtener un visado. Por desgracia, las opciones de visado son limitadas: no se puede obtener uno simplemente porque «se quiera vivir en Argentina». Los principales tipos de visados son los de estudiante, los de trabajo, los de rentista y los de inversión. (Existen otros tipos, pero estos son los más comunes. Consulta a un [abogado especializado en inmigración en Argentina](https://discoverbuenosaires.com/es/buenos-aires-immigration-attorney/ «Abogado especializado en inmigración en Argentina») para conocer otras opciones).

Las visas de estudiante solo se aplican a los estudiantes; las de trabajo requieren que tu empresa te la proporcione; y las de inversión exigen una inversión mínima de 1 500 000 AR$, además de la aprobación de tu proyecto por parte del Ministerio de Industria argentino. Esto dejaba a la visa de rentista como una de las pocas alternativas viables y ahora se ha vuelto aún más restrictiva. El nuevo requisito de demostrar y aportar al país 8.000 AR$ al mes en ingresos pasivos hará que muchas personas se vean obligadas a buscar alternativas, ya que se aplica tanto a las solicitudes de visado nuevas como a las renovaciones. (Los visados de rentista se conceden por un año cada vez y deben renovarse durante tres años antes de poder solicitar la residencia permanente.)

¿Te afecta esto? Cuéntanoslo en los comentarios.

Comentarios de lectores

Guest Pelado01/08/2010
Thanks for the writeup. Would you happen to know what the requirements are to be considered a student?
Full time? (3 courses or more working towards a degree?)
Part-time? (Perhaps a Spanish course, an art course, 1 class at a time?)
Is there a difference? I&#039m thinking that the lawyer would know.
DaVe02/08/2010
Sorry, I do not know what the requirements for a student visa are. I&#039ve never met anyone who has gone through that process.
Percy02/08/2010
This is an interesting article.
One thing I noted was that proof of rental income was given by showing the tenant &#039s contract and title deeds of the property. Nothing is needed about the amount of mortgage paid. Many people have quite afew buy to let properties with a large rental income, far more than 8000 pesos a month. However if mortgage payments are taken into account actual net income could be anything, even negative. In the UK it makes sense to have a mortgage on a let property as you can get tax relief.
Due to this I see the so called proof of income as a farce.
DaVe02/08/2010
That is a good point, although I was told using rental property to qualify for the rentista visa was a bit more of an involved process than having a pension, trust, etc. I believe the lease as well as the mortgage paperwork does need to be translated to Spanish and apostiled, which adds to the cost of the process. Still, it can work...
Jerry02/08/2010
Since when have people in Buenos Aires been buying apartments with mortgages? That&#039s so "First World" . The entire price of the apartment is paid for in cash; U.S. dollars.
DaVe02/08/2010
Percy is referring to having rental property in the States, UK, etc. and then using that passive income stream to qualify for the rentista visa. Those properties tend to have "first world" mortgages. :) Property that you own in Buenos Aires would not help qualify for the rentista visa.
mybeautifulair03/08/2010
Good info! I can&#039t believe they raised the income level so high!
mrboo03/08/2010
Hi DaVe and thx for the post,
I&#039m not sure to understand what is a "rentista visa" ?
For September, we&#039ve got (my family and me) a long-term visa and we will ask for the DNI (all papers are already ok)
With an "official long-term visa" are we concerned by this monthly tax ?
DaVe03/08/2010
Each visa has a specific type: student, rentista, investor, etc. The rentista is one of the more common ones. You will need to see what type you have.
Also, this is not a tax. It is a requirement that you bring that amount of money into Argentina each month for your personal use. There are some discussions on this being considered income and therefore taxable in Argentina. This would be new as most expats on visas do not pay income tax to Argentina even though they may be required to.
AGV28/12/2011
Can someone tell me what the benefits are, if any, of having a permanent pensione visa and DNI If the government starts taxing foreigners on the income they claim to be bringing in? I live here part time and don&#039t expect to be here more than 3 months at a time.
mrboo03/08/2010
ok, i read too fast... :D
I&#039ve got a visa named something like "representative of foreign company" (sorry but i&#039ve only got the French term)
My wife and my kids have got a "family gathering visa" (difficult to find the good translation too)
deint05/08/2010
In Cordoba they ask not only for an income of 8000 but for the proof 8000 has come into Argentina !!!!
It is 8000 per head, or 8000 for a married couple.. They don&#039t recognise people living together if not married, so a not married couple needs to prove 16000 pesos income !!!
I heard some foreigners are making a courtcase against this law
Anybody is aware ??? Because, it can be next year 12.000 or more ?? In this case, better to plan, and pack and go...
michelemolinari17/09/2010
Hello,
Very interesting article and comments.
Regarding deint experience in Cordoba, does anybody know if there&#039s a specific Articulo in the law mentioning to proof the 8000, or equivalent in currency, enter Argentina?
deint06/08/2010
Hi,
Can anybody tell exactly when you get permanent residency with a visa rentista ??
1st visa and enter in Argentina september 2008, renewed in september 2009 and now in september 2010.. Can I go for permanent residency when I apply in september 2011 (4 years in Argentina) or is it only in 2012 ??
DaVe06/08/2010
From everything I have heard, after 3 years of residencia precaria, you can apply for permanent residency, so September 2011 should be the date.
deint07/08/2010
Thanks a lot
Jim07/08/2010
Are you talking peso or US dollars? Does AR have a retirement or pension visa. If so what are the requirements.
Laura07/08/2010
$ 8000 Pesos. About US$2000
deint11/08/2010
It seems the retirement visa is gone up to 3500 pesos also .. anybody aware of that ??
deint14/08/2010
Went to immigration yesterday.. No change for the moment for retirement visa.. but will go soon up to 6000
Julia03/09/2010
I can always read that the thing with leaving the country, coming back and getting a new 90 days tourist visa works a couple of times. What exactly means that? How often is a couple of times? I am living in Argentina for one year and there is no way now to get a DNI as I am a freelancer (writer). I earn my money by working for clients in Europe and that is not enough for getting a DNI ( and I am not rich enough to get it by investment). So for me it is not an easy situation, as I am planning to rent an empty apartment and by furniture etc. that seems to be a risk under a tourist visa. So is there a limitation or can I renew my tourist by leaving the country as often as I want to? I am happy for any help. Thanks!
DaVe04/09/2010
You can do everything you want under a tourist visa. If you plan to stay in the country for the whole year without leaving, your best bet may be to pay the $300 peso fine for overstaying the visa when you leave. If you want to "remain legal," you can extend the tourist visa for another 180 days by going to the Migraciones office. You can also go to Colonia, Uruguay for the day and when you come back you will have another 90 days. Since you&#039re only staying for a year, you should not have any issues.
Julia04/09/2010
Thank you very much! Missunderstanding! I live in argentina for one year now! And I am not planing to go back to Europe the next years. I know about all the processes at migraciones, I already did it and the thing with colonia as well. My question was if I could renew the tourist visa (by leaving country or by migraciones) as often as I want or if threre are any limits? The last time I renewed it at migraciones and there is written in the stamp by hand: ultimate prorroga. That made me a little bit nervous:-) But I guess they write it because it is only possible to renew the visa at migraciones once, then one has to leave the country. Am I right? Or do I have to expect that they will not let me in next time in Colonia?
best regards!
michelemolinari17/09/2010
Hello Julia,
I&#039ve been living in Argentina for the last few years on a tourist visa, my passport is full of stamps. I travel quite often to other countries in SA and never had problems on the way back.
Some thing you cannot do on a tourist visa: you cannot have a cuenta corriente in a bank, but only a caja de ahorro, which doesn&#039t entitle you to a credit card, only a debit one. You can buy a car but not write the insurance under your name, which makes the all thing kind of tricky.
Best
Julia18/09/2010
Hi michel! Thank you very much! That is like I thought it was. It´s tricky, I know ;-) But what you write about the banks is a good hint for me. The information I got was that there is no way to get any account at all. Una caja de ahorro could be an interesting option. May you know which bank offers that to foreigners on tourist visa?(
michelemolinari19/09/2010
Hola Julia, You need to have an account in an bank with branches in the Us and Argentina, than ask your Us&#039 branch to authorize you down south.
Julia19/09/2010
Thanks Michel! I am not from the US but from Europe. But anyway, should be the same. I will try it! Hasta luego!
Sarah02/02/2011
Hi Michael,
My husband and I will be moving to Argentina in a couple months. We plan to use the tourist visa and border hop every 3 months to continue to renew it. However, we would like to by a car once we arrive. Do you have any more info re: restrictions and requirements for buying a car and securing insurance if we only have a tourist visa?? Thanks!
Sarah
Julia07/09/2010
Hi DaVe. Thank you very much! Missunderstanding! I live in argentina for one year now! And I am not planing to go back to Europe the next years. I know about all the processes at migraciones, I already did it and the thing with colonia as well. My question was if I could renew the tourist visa (by leaving country or by migraciones) as often as I want or if threre are any limits? The last time I renewed it at migraciones and there is written in the stamp by hand: ultimate prorroga. That made me a little bit nervous:-) But I guess they write it because it is only possible to renew the visa at migraciones once, then one has to leave the country. Am I right? Or do I have to expect that they will not let me in next time in Colonia?
best regards!
DaVe10/09/2010
There is some conflicting information on this right now. A lot of people have been doing this with no problem, but some people with a lot of stamps have recently reported being stopped at the border and told that they are being listed in the system for abusing the tourist visa. No one has been denied entry as of yet, but everyone is waiting to see what happens. Hope that helps.
Syd10/09/2010
Hi. I&#039m a widow and receive social security for myself and two children. It does meet the 8k argentine peso requirement. So would I be eligible for the rentista status, even though this amount goes down when my children turn 18? That would be in 6 years. If I do, after 3 years I can get permanent residency, is the 8k requirement still there for permanent residency?
DaVe10/09/2010
This should qualify you. After 3 years, you get permanent residency and the income requirement is no longer in effect.
Syd10/09/2010
Also, if I have rental income property from the US that shows the required amount, yet have a mortgage on them, would that be enough for rentista status? Or do i have to show a deed of trust, mortgages, etc.
DaVe10/09/2010
That works too, but is a bit more difficult. They would require all documents to be translated to Spanish and apostiled. It is possible, but the other way sounds much easier.
Pedro29/09/2010
What would be the reason for increasing the income and investment requirements? The average Argentine income is far below this requirement. Is this to stop the influx of young North- Americans and Europeans? Or an attempt to attract higher income earners? What is the requirement for citizens from Mercosur countries? Probably much more favourable. South Americans in Westerners out. Investments wont come because of the uncertain political climate, increasing authoritarianism, attack on the free press and a non-effective opposition. Why does it seem that unlawfull entry is allowed but legal entry is made more difficult? Argentina is of course not the only country that allow illegal immigration and prevent middleclass legal immigration. It is like that the world over.This very difficult to understand
DaVe29/09/2010
Taxes.
The Argentine government wants to collect taxes on this income. Before, the amounts were too low to have to file income taxes, now that they&#039re higher, people are required to file and pay income tax.
Pedro30/09/2010
Respectfully Dave,
As I understand the tax law, no tax is paid in Argentina by foreighners on their externally sourced income, Only on income earned inside Argentina.Of course you pay property taxes and sales tax but no personal tax under the proviso above. Is this also changing?
DaVe30/09/2010
I believe Argentina taxes your worldwide income. This would apply to anyone with residency.
Idor14/10/2010
Hi, My husband and I are planning to move to Argentina next year. All the comments above are very helpful but, is there a webstite/s where we can obtain comprehensive information not only about tramites for peple with a Rentista Visa but about exacft income requirements (per individual, couples, family), internal and external taxation, if taxes are to be paid on the required money brought to Argentian, medical coverage and costs?
DaVe14/10/2010
Try baexpats.org. There are a lot of great resources on that site.
Idor14/10/2010
Thank you in advance por your help. Idor
Donald01/04/2011
Dave,One of your replies to a comment states: "After 3 years, you get permanent residency and the income requirement is no longer in effect." I thought that permanent residency was no longer available to foreigners who weren&#039t married or a parent of an Argentine-born child and that only those expats who had been living in Argentina for 5 years or more with "proof of income" were "grandfathered in" under the new law. In other words, even if one were in Argentina on a rentista visa, this would no longer convert over time to permamnent residency. Ever. Am I mistaken? Did you mean that someone still can obtain permanent residency once one has lived in Argentina for 3 years?
DaVe03/04/2011
When I posted this last year, the law allowed for 3 years before permanent residency could be applied for. I am not sure if this has changed or not. A number of expats are petitioning a judge for citizenship after 2 years here as recommended by an attorney on the baexpats.org forum. You may want to check there for more info.
Saffie11/06/2011
Terrible news regarding the Rentista Visa. I wanted to buy an apartment in Buenos Aires because I love the city. And I could easily make the previous requirement of Arg$2400 independent income per month. But 8000!!?? This means even if I sell all my properties and invest the capital in an interest bearing account (at the terrible rates these days) I will never come even close. And I am talking of investing the equivalent of around Arg$1,6 million! God - impossible for most people. And I know for a fact Argentina is not THAT expensive as I have been there many many time before. What terrible terrible news. I was just planning on finding property.
Guest18/08/2011
Francesco, thank you for giving valuable info about Mercosur-visas for non-mercosur citizens.
Do you, or anyone else know if rentista-visa from a Mercosur country are a smart loophole that makes it possible ro reside in Brazil, like passing borders without being registred, no stamp i pasport?
They got an age limitation for rentista visas, I am to young, 38 years old, medicaly retired ex-military. My goverment guarantees me 1300 eur after tax / month + 300-400 eur / monthly deposits in bonds, mutualfunds for age-retirement.. (from age 65), updated yearly to compensate for inflation, consumerprice index et.c.
Carl Sperr24/10/2012
I thought that if one was 65 or over and received a government or private pension they would let you live in Argentina permanently.
Leandro29/10/2012
You are missing out a lot here. You can actually apply for a renewable residence permit as soon as you enter the country, therefore get your DNI and your CUIT number at the Ministerio de Trabajo (employment ministry) (the CUIT number is the number everybody in Argentina need to work legally). Getting the Argentinian residence permit is not hard, and I'm talking from some people's experience. How reliable are your sources?
You should go to the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (National Direction of Migrations) in order to start your application for a temporary residence, if you're in Buenos Aires you have to get a turn online: http://www.migraciones.gov.... you can get it in that website, if you're living somewhere else you should look for the migration office in your city, province, etc.
Pablo 31/10/2012
Getting a rentist visa is a hard work, but is possible if you know how to handle. Also about work permit, student visa, pensioner visa, investor, etc. If someone need advice, please do not hesitate to contact me directly to [email protected] , we could support you or give you our opinion about any special situation. We have been dealing with immigration law for the last 15 years and assisted more than 10,000 people. We'll be glad to help you. Good luck!
EasyB301/10/2013
I'm moving to Buenos Aires does any know of a reasonable storage company to store house hold items