South America is about to get its first citizenship-by-investment program. Argentina has unveiled the framework for a golden passport scheme that should be open for applications by the fourth quarter of 2026, with Economy Minister Luis Caputo announcing the details in early October 2026.
Two investment routes are on the table. The simpler one is a $350,000 contribution to the national treasury for a single applicant, rising to around $500,000 for a family of four. The second option is an $800,000 subscription to a government bond created specifically for the program. A consortium of five investment migration firms, known as AMIGO, is advising the government on how to roll the whole thing out.
The headline perk is speed. Applications are slated to be processed in just 30 business days, which would put Argentina on par with the fastest programs in the Caribbean, such as Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Antigua and Barbuda. If that timeline holds, experts expect the first passports could be issued by early to mid-2027.
So what does an Argentine passport actually buy you? Quite a lot of mobility. It ranks 16th in the world on the Passport Index, with visa-free access to 114 countries. Holders get suspected visa-free entry to the UK, Japan, and Uruguay, and because Argentina sits in the Mercosur bloc, citizens can travel freely across much of South America, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Bolivia. For Americans, the program adds a relatively nearby option at a time when more families are spreading citizenships and residences across several countries for flexibility and security.
It won't be a rubber-stamp exercise. A new Agency for Citizenship by Investment Programs will run due diligence covering identity, source of funds, assets, jurisdictional risk, and criminal, reputational, and immigration history, coordinating with bodies like the State Intelligence Secretariat and the Financial Information Unit. Final approval sits with the National Directorate of Migration. And keep in mind these details are still proposals — the fine print could shift before applications open.
Worth noting: this story is really aimed at investors and mobility planners rather than the average holidaymaker. If you're not in the market for a six-figure second passport, the practical takeaway is smaller — Argentina is actively positioning itself as open for business, and its passport is already one of the strongest in the region. For high-net-worth travellers weighing options beyond the usual Caribbean and European schemes, a 30-day turnaround in one of Latin America's largest economies is a genuinely new entry on the menu.
