Argentina is moving toward a new citizenship by investment program and has opened a formal tender to select a master operator to design, implement, and run the program. The process is still at the program-building stage, and key details such as investment thresholds have not yet been defined.
Argentina’s Ministry of Economy has launched a tender for a four-year mandate covering the design, implementation, and operation of the country’s citizenship by investment program.
The bid window closes on January 20, 2026.
The tender expects the master operator to recommend up to 5,000 applications for approval during the four-year term.
Operator structure and payment model
The proposed structure is designed to prevent the master operator from monopolizing the program.
Under the payment model, the master operator is paid only for applications submitted by independent certified agents. If the master operator brings in a client directly, the government will not pay the operator for that case.
However, the operator may still charge investors its own processing and due diligence fees.
Who can bid
Eligibility to bid is narrow.
Firms must show:
- Prior government mandates in launching other programs.
- Legislative drafting capability.
- A senior team with at least five experienced directors.
- A strong international network of agents, banks, due diligence providers, legal advisers, and wealth managers.
The tender is therefore aimed at experienced firms with technical, legal, operational, and international distribution capacity.
Investment thresholds not yet defined
The official tender text does not define investment thresholds.
Although there has been speculation about a $500,000 minimum, the transcript states that no such figure appears in the official text.
The winning consultancy will propose investment categories aligned with Argentina’s national development goals.
The program is expected to emphasize real economy investment. Real estate may be included only when connected to productive projects.
Implementation timeline
After a consultancy wins the tender, the program is expected to move through a four-milestone implementation plan.
The transcript does not provide the full details of those milestones.
Practical significance
Argentina is still building the citizenship by investment framework rather than accepting applications under a finalized program.
The key points for potential applicants are:
- The program is not yet fully defined.
- The operator tender closes January 20, 2026.
- Up to 5,000 applications may be recommended during the four-year mandate.
- Investment categories and thresholds remain unknown.
- Productive economic investment appears to be the central policy direction.
- Real estate may be limited to projects tied to broader economic development.
