Tax implications of becoming an Argentine national

There are 6 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 2,553 times. The latest Post () was by Carlos.

1st Official Post

    Hello everyone,


    I am thinking of relocating to Argentina in the next few years and in addition to the culture and wanting to improve my Spanish, am quite drawn by the fact that it only takes two years to become a citizen.


    I wanted to ask what the tax implications of becoming an Argentine citizen are. My main question is: if I leave Argentina after becoming a citizen and return to my country of origin (UK), will I still have to pay tax or file a tax return? Basically, I just want to check it's not like the USA where if you are citizen you still have to file a tax return no matter where you are in the world.


    Also, how easy is it to become a citizen? I know the requirement is just two years of legal residency (i.e. with a work permit etc) and I figure about a year for all the admin? Or is it quite tricky to jump through all the administrative hoops?


    I would appreciate any experiences you have to share.


    Thank you.

    • Official Post

    Hi likeabird and welcome to the forum.

    I relocated over ten years ago and found that the easiest path was permanent residency. Admittedly it took three years in those days, but it wasn't that difficult.

    Further, I didn't see any advantages to becoming a citizen at that point and I still don't. Permanent residency gives me all the rights of an Argentine citizen (with a DNI ID card) apart from voting in the general elections on a national level and I'm perfectly happy with my British passport which I never let expire.

    My wife is an accountant and she says that if you leave property or assets here (if you returned to the UK) and are indeed in the tax system, yes you would have to do a tax return. In fact that applies regardless of whether you're a permanent resident or have full citizenship.

    I'll see if I can dig out some more up to date info on permanent residency for you.

    Cheers.

    • Official Post

    Welcome likeabird !

    While Splinter 's wife is definitely the best person to ask about taxes, I can only provide my personal experience with both processes.


    I got permanent residency (through marriage) first because it was faster and with that I was able to get a DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad), which is a unique, personal number that unlocks many doors in the Argentinian system. It took me 8 months in 2014, but this number depends on where you are applying (City of Buenos Aires or Province of Buenos Aires or another Province).


    In my special case (being married to an Argentine by birth), I could have applied for citizenship at the same time. At first I didn't consider to get a second citizenship because I didn't see the point. Then I decided to go for it for two reasons, one more practical and one just sentimental.


    The practical one is simply because in case of war I am never a foreigner here and I can never turn into an enemy. This is far fetched, of course, but it is the only practical reason I could think of. Reading stories of US and UK nationals being denied to bring their foreign spouses to the UK/US with them made me think that some immigration processes we are giving for granted, may not stay in place forever. Being a dual citizen gave me at least another granted option to pick from.


    The sentimental one is because I share several cultural traits with Argentina and I am at ease here. Though there are days of discomfort and dreaming to move back to the old continent, I am lucky and happy to be here most of the times. Argentina has switched places with my native land and it is now my home.


    Getting citizenship took about 2 years because my court was overcrowded and dealing with other non-immigration cases, so it took quite a while.


    That said, about taxation the thing bugging me the most is a 1% (yearly) tax on your foreign assets (like money in a bank account abroad) when the local bank system and currency are crap. But I am sure that Splinter can find out if when an Argentine moves abroad and tells the Argentinian Tax Authority they are residing abroad this could change.

    Serafina said:

    The sentimental one is because I share several cultural traits with Argentina and I am at ease here. Though there are days of discomfort and dreaming to move back to the old continent, I am lucky and happy to be here most of the times. Argentina has switched places with my native land and it is now my home.

    Thank you very much for your feelings about my country. Even with a myriad of problems, we try to receive people from abroad with the best will.

    • Official Post
    Quote from Carlos

    Thank you very much for your feelings about my country. Even with a myriad of problems, we try to receive people from abroad with the best will.

    It is not hard to feel welcomed in Argentina and to integrate with the locals. There are many shades of Argentina and one is free to fit in the one closer to him/her.

    Argentina offers an interesting mix of immigrants, last generation or descendants of earlier immigrants or from colonies. I think Argentines are quite open to anybody coming from Europe and the US.


    However, some expats live in their expat bubble -- I don't know if they are happy with it or not. Some have left when the cost benefit was no longer so evident as ten years ago. However, I think Argentina is still extremely cheap if you can bend a little and adopt a thrift lifestyle.

    I heartily concur on the welcoming nature of Argentines. Every time we fly out, we feel a sadness that remains until our return. Try to imagine your fishmonger dropping everything to come greet you, in London or Chicago, or getting to know your pizza restaurant manager and his son, in Montreal or Paris.


    Our very generous, very good friends of ten years warmly welcomed us into their home from the beginning and also introduced us to their family and extended family, who include us in Sunday gatherings and birthday celebrations. Our landlord and close friend includes us in asados at his home on the river, and has extended our circle to include other interesting, kind people. Argentine and expat friends from this forum enrich our lives. So from our point of view, Argentina is a very welcoming place. We love the beautiful country and its terrific people.

    As the unique argentinean member of this forum, I dutifully give thanks for your eulogies, perhaps undeserved.

    I could say the same thing about the United States. I was living in the "deep America", West Virginia and Kentucky, and the people acted exactly as you describe our attitude towards foreigners.