Argentina Market
Legal Aspects in Argentina
Foreign investments in Argentina are widely protected by law and are covered by a national and international set of rules that position our country as a safe destination for foreign investments.
The Argentine Constitution gives foreigners an equal treatment from the very Preamble and recognizes that non-natives have the same rights than locals in Section 20.
The Argentine Constitution gives foreigners an equal treatment from the very Preamble and recognizes that non-natives have the same rights than locals in Section 20.
- Section 20: "Foreigners are vested, within the territory of the Nation, all civil rights of a citizen; they may do business, operate an industry and exercise a profession, own, buy, and sell real property, navigate rivers and riversides, freely practice their religion, prepare wills and testaments and marry in conformity with the applicable laws. They are not forced to become citizens nor to pay extraordinary, mandatory contributions. They shall be nationalized after two subsequent years in the country, but the relevant authority may reduce that period in favor of the requesting party, if services to the Republic are claimed and proved".
The Foreign Investment Act (No. 21382, enacted in 1976), defines the legal framework for foreign investments.
Foreign investors may:
- Invest in Argentina without prior approval, under the same conditions as investors with an address in the country.
- Transfer abroad liquidated profit from their investment and take their investment back to their country of origin.
- Take any of the corporate structures recognized by Argentinean law.
- Access the domestic credit market with the same rights and conditions as domestic companies of domestic capital.
Argentina has signed Agreements for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment (APPRI) with many countries and bilateral agreements to prevent double taxation.