What is the rentista visa and how much income do I need?

Last verified: 27 Oct 2026 · Status: Changing

Short answer. The rentista visa is a temporary residence under Migration Law 25.871 art. 23 b) for people living on passive income from foreign assets. You need at least 5 national minimum wages (SMVM): ARS 1,956,000, about US$1,251, in October 2026. Wages and fees do not count. It runs one year and can be renewed.

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

Key rules

Who qualifies. A rentista lives on resources brought from abroad, their income, or other lawful foreign source income (Law 25.871 art. 23 b)); the law allows up to three years, renewable.
Decree rules. Prove the origin of the funds, their entry through BCRA authorised banks, and that the income covers you and your primary family group; anti money laundering Law 25.246 applies (Decree 616/2010 art. 23 b)).
The amount. DNM Disposition 1732/2023 (BO 6 Jun 2023) art. 2 sets the minimum at 5 SMVM, replacing the ARS 30,000 of Disposition 2879/2016 (art. 1). Art. 3: the income must come from assets you own (financial instruments, real estate, company holdings), pay for personal work is excluded, and own funds in foreign bank accounts are accepted if their lawful origin is proven beyond doubt. Art. 4 requires the funds "needed for the residence period requested" to enter Argentina through BCRA authorised channels before the residence is granted.
Pensioner is a separate category. Art. 23 c) covers pensions from a government, an international body or a private company for services abroad; Decree 616/2010 left it unregulated. Disposition 1732/2023 art. 5 sets the same 5 SMVM floor, proven by a certificate from the payer (DNM pensioner page).
The 2023 amendment. Disposition 3446/2023 (BO 31 Oct 2023) arts. 1 and 2 rewrote arts. 2 and 5. It deleted the requirement to show the income "for each applicant" in a family and the word "monthly" from the pensioner test. Its recitals equate 5 SMVM with 2.25 INDEC monthly household baskets. No source says outright whether the test is monthly or per household; this page assumes monthly per household (unconfirmed).
SMVM. ARS 391,200 from 1 Oct 2026, ARS 398,800 from 1 Nov 2026 and ARS 414,200 from 1 Jan 2027 (CNEPYSMVYM Resolution 4/2026 art. 1).
Documents. Passport, Argentine criminal record (inside RaDEx), foreign criminal records for countries lived in over one year in the last three years, proof of address and legal entry. Foreign documents need an apostille or consular legalisation and a sworn Spanish translation legalised by the translators' association (DNM rentista page).
Term and next steps. The DNM grants 1 year, renewable (both DNM pages). File renewals within 60 days before expiry; up to 30 days late costs a 50% surcharge, after that the right lapses (DNM residences FAQ, q. 5). After 3 continuous years you can apply for permanent residence (Decree 616/2010 art. 22 c)), proving sufficient economic means (Law 25.871 art. 22, as replaced by DNU 366/2025 art. 5).
Fees. 100 UMSM for the residence and for each renewal or change to permanent; 1 UMSM is ARS 1,000 (DNM fee table; Decree 584/2024 art. 2).

What changes the answer

Family size. If the DNM still asks 5 SMVM per applicant in practice, a couple needs double. Ask before filing (unconfirmed).
Mercosur nationality. Art. 23 l) needs no income test, costs 50 UMSM and leads to permanence after two years.
Remote work income. A foreign salary is not rentista income (Disp. 1732/2023 art. 3). Look at the digital nomad route instead.
Applying from abroad. RaDEx requires you to be in Argentina. The fee table prices consular residence filings at 600 consular units; that route was not reviewed (unconfirmed).

Worked examples

Rate: dólar MEP ARS 1,563.90 per US$ on 23 Oct 2026, from some secondary summaries (unconfirmed) (live rate).

Required income. 5 x ARS 391,200 = ARS 1,956,000 (US$1,250.72) in October 2026. From November: 5 x 398,800 = ARS 1,994,000 (US$1,275.02). From January 2027: 5 x 414,200 = ARS 2,071,000 (US$1,324.25).

Applicant A, rentista. US$2,000 a month of dividends and rent from foreign assets = ARS 3,127,800. It passes.

Applicant B, retiree with a US$1,800 foreign pension, married. US$1,800 = ARS 2,815,020, above ARS 1,994,000, so the retiree passes. Under the June 2023 text the spouse also needed 5 SMVM, ARS 3,988,000 (US$2,550.04) in total, and the couple would fail; that was deleted in October 2023. The spouse can file for family reunification instead (Law 25.871 art. 23 ñ)).

Step or item	Time	Cost ARS	Cost USD
Apostilles, sworn translations, foreign criminal record	Before filing	Not published (unconfirmed)	Not published
RaDEx residence fee, 100 UMSM	Day 1	100,000	63.94
Argentine criminal record certificate	Day 1	1,000 to 8,500	0.64 to 5.44
Foreigner DNI, RENAPER	After approval	20,000	12.79
Optional preferential appointment, 50 UMSM	Day 1	50,000	31.97
Two renewals (100 UMSM plus DNI each)	Months 12 and 24	240,000	153.46
Change to permanent (100 UMSM plus DNI)	Month 36	120,000	76.73

Step by step, without the preferential appointment: 100,000 + 1,000 + 20,000 = ARS 121,000; plus 240,000; plus 120,000 = ARS 481,000 (US$307.56), or ARS 488,500 (US$312.36) with the fastest criminal record option. RENAPER charges ARS 20,000 per foreigner DNI copy, including after an extension or change of category. Which certificate speed RaDEx charges is not stated (unconfirmed).

Cost to do it: about ARS 481,000 (US$310) in official fees over 36 months; no capital, but income of at least 5 SMVM every year, proven again at each renewal (unconfirmed); translation and apostille costs on top.

Practical traps

Not routing money through Argentine banks. Art. 4 requires proof that the funds entered through BCRA authorised channels. How much must arrive before the grant is not defined; it may mean a full year of income (unconfirmed).
Mixing in earned income. Consulting fees or a salary do not count, even if paid from abroad.
Long trips. Six months or more abroad cancels a temporary residence unless authorised (Law 25.871 art. 62 e); FAQ q. 20).

FAQ

Can I work on a rentista residence? Work income cannot be used to qualify; whether the residence carries a work permit was not confirmed (unconfirmed).

Does a bank balance count instead of income? Disp. 1732/2023 art. 3 accepts your own funds held in foreign bank accounts if their lawful origin is proven beyond doubt. No minimum balance is published (unconfirmed).

When can I get citizenship? Law 346 art. 2, as replaced by DNU 366/2025 art. 37, requires two years of continuous legal residence with no trips abroad. Whether temporary rentista years count is not stated (unconfirmed).

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.