How long does it take to close a company in Argentina?

Last verified: 27 Oct 2026 · Status: Changing

Short answer. No law sets a total period. In the City of Buenos Aires, a small SAS with no staff, debts or assets can be dissolved, liquidated and cancelled in about 2 to 4 months. An operating SRL with employees typically needs 6 to 12 months or more. These ranges are editorial estimates, not legal deadlines (unconfirmed).

As of 26 Oct 2026. Rules in force at that date.

Key rules

Dissolution is the decision to stop, liquidation the winding up; the company ends only when its registration is cancelled.

Dissolution. Law 19.550 (LGS) art. 94 lists the causes, starting with the partners' decision. SRLs and SAs publish a one day notice (art. 10(b)). It binds third parties once registered (art. 98).
Liquidation. The liquidator, usually the management body, is registered (art. 102) and prepares an inventory within 30 days, extendable to 120 (art. 103).
Final balance and cancellation. After all debts are paid the liquidator prepares the final balance and distribution plan (art. 109). Partners have 15 days to object and 60 more to sue (art. 110); then the registration is cancelled (art. 112).
SAS. Law 27.349 art. 55 allows dissolution by the partners or the sole partner; liquidation follows the LGS (art. 56); the notice is required by art. 37(b).
IGJ (City of Buenos Aires). The IGJ Norms, RG IGJ 15/2024, updated to RG IGJ 11/2026, list the documents for dissolution and liquidator (art. 160) and for cancellation (art. 161), including an audited final balance and proof of the gross income tax cessation filing. IGJ must answer within 10 working days with one professional opinion or 15 with two (art. 48(2)); urgent filings close in 72 hours if not observed (art. 49).
ARCA. RG ARCA 5803/2025, in force since 2 March 2026 (art. 34), repealed RG 2322/2007 (art. 33). Each tax is deregistered in "Sistema Registral" by the last working day of the month after activity ends (arts. 22, 24). The liquidator files F.981/PD in "Presentaciones Digitales", procedure "Disolución de Sociedades", within 60 calendar days (art. 27).
Employees. Severance is one month's salary per year of service or fraction over 3 months (Law 20.744 (LCT) art. 245), halved only for force majeure or justified lack of work not attributable to the employer (art. 247), and payable within 4 working days (arts. 255 bis, 128).

What changes the answer

Tax audits or debts. No text reviewed requires an ARCA clearance certificate to cancel, but debts must be paid first (LGS art. 109), and a liquidator who does not pay the company's taxes is personally liable (Law 11.683 arts. 6(1)(c), 8(a)). ARCA can assess registered taxpayers for 5 years (art. 56).
A foreign parent. BCRA exchange rules for repatriating the surplus can add months.
Never operated. Within 6 years of registration and with no tax registration, IGJ cancels without liquidation, but all signatories accept unlimited joint liability (IGJ Norms art. 162).
Province. Provincial registries have their own rules, not covered here (unconfirmed).

Worked examples

Case A: CABA SAS, sole partner, no staff, debts or assets. Case B: CABA SRL with 3 employees on ARS 1,500,000 a month, with 2, 4 and 6 years of service (assumed). USD at dólar MEP ARS 1,563.90 on 23 Oct 2026 (dólar MEP selling rate (dolarapi.com)) (unconfirmed) (live rate).

Step or item	Time	Cost ARS	Cost USD
A: IGJ dissolution form, 16 módulos	10 working days (art. 48)	24,000	15.35
A: IGJ cancellation form, 48 módulos	15 working days (art. 48)	72,000	46.04
B: IGJ dissolution form, 16 módulos	10 working days	24,000	15.35
B: IGJ cancellation form, 40 módulos	15 working days	60,000	38.37
B: severance, art. 245 (2 + 4 + 6 months)	paid within 4 working days	18,000,000	11,509.69
B: pay in lieu of notice, art. 231 (1 + 1 + 2 months)	same	6,000,000	3,836.56
Boletín Oficial notices, SRL tasa retributiva	not sourced	(unconfirmed)	(unconfirmed)
Legal, notary, accounting and audit fees	not sourced	(unconfirmed)	(unconfirmed)

Step by step:

IGJ fees. One módulo is ARS 1,500 (MJ Res. 33/2024, in force 8 Apr 2024 under RG IGJ 9/2024). Case A: 64 módulos × 1,500 = ARS 96,000 (US$61.38), assuming an SAS pays the "sociedades por acciones" rate (unconfirmed). Case B: 56 módulos × 1,500 = ARS 84,000 (US$53.71).
Staff in case B. Severance 1,500,000 × (2 + 4 + 6) = ARS 18,000,000. Notice (art. 231(b)) 1,500,000 × 4 = ARS 6,000,000. Total ARS 24,000,000 (US$15,346.25), or ARS 15,000,000 (US$9,591.41) if art. 247 applied. Excluded: vacation (art. 156), annual bonus (art. 123), art. 233 top up, social charges, agreement caps.
Months. Case A: the two IGJ filings take up to 25 working days (art. 48); adding the notice, books, audited balance and ARCA filing gives about 2 to 4 months. Case B adds dismissals, collections, final returns and, unless all partners sign, the 15 + 60 day challenge window: about 6 to 12 months. Both are editorial estimates (unconfirmed).

Cost to do it: case A, ARS 96,000 (US$61.38) in IGJ fees plus professional fees (unconfirmed), no capital, 2 to 4 months. Case B, ARS 84,000 (US$53.71) in IGJ fees, ARS 24,000,000 (US$15,346.25) for staff, plus professional fees (unconfirmed), 6 to 12 months.

Practical traps

Going dormant instead. Until cancellation the company must keep filing financial statements and paying IGJ fees (IGJ Norms art. 162, end of II), and for income tax it exists until its assets are realised (Decree 862/2019 art. 133).
Stale official guides. The IGJ page cites RG IGJ 7/2015 and a 5 year limit for inactive companies (art. 162 says 6). ARCA's guide cites RG 2322/2007, now repealed. Follow the norm.
ARCA's 60 day clock. RG 5803/2025 art. 27 counts from the registry's approval of the dissolution yet asks for proof of cancellation, which comes later. The text is inconsistent; ask ARCA which date it applies (unconfirmed).

FAQ

Can dissolution and cancellation be filed together? The IGJ cancellation form's title includes "nombramiento de liquidador", which suggests so. Confirm with IGJ (unconfirmed).

Does the urgent IGJ filing help? For dissolution, yes: 64 módulos instead of 16, done in 72 hours if not observed (art. 49). No urgent fee is listed for cancellation.

How long are the books kept? Ten years from the last entry (Civil and Commercial Code art. 328), by a custodian with a CABA address (IGJ Norms art. 161(5)).

Is severance halved because we are closing? Only for force majeure or justified lack of work not attributable to the employer (LCT art. 247). A voluntary closure rarely fits, so budget the full amount.

Published 27 Oct 2026 from our research draft. Points marked (unconfirmed) have not yet been checked against the official text; rely on the primary sources linked below.