Starting a Business - Argentina

Under Law 21.382 foreign investors have the same rights and obligations as domestic investors, may invest without prior government approval, use any Argentine corporate form, and freely repatriate capital and profits. 100% foreign ownership is permitted in most sectors, though some strategic sectors (e.g. media, air transport, and rural/border land under separate laws) carry restrictions.

The Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada (SAS), created by Law 27.349, can be incorporated 100% online through the Trámites a Distancia (TAD) platform, with CUIT, digital accounting books and the official gazette edict generated automatically. The IGJ states a SAS (single- or multi-member) can be registered within 72 hours.

Reserve a company name (must include 'SAS'); draft the bylaws/instrumento constitutivo (model statute available); deposit capital; file via TAD with Clave Fiscal or before a notary; obtain CUIT and registration; then open a local bank account. Each partner holding 10%+ or control must be declared.

Per Article 40 of Law 27.349, a SAS minimum capital cannot be below two minimum vital and mobile wages (SMVM), with at least 25% paid in at incorporation; the figure rises as the SMVM is periodically updated. SA companies carry a higher fixed statutory minimum, while SRL capital must simply be adequate.

Foreigners must obtain a CUIT (far easier with a DNI/residency) and appoint a local legal representative to deal with Argentine authorities; foreign documents must be apostilled and officially translated into Spanish. These steps extend the practical timeline beyond the formal 72-hour SAS registration.

Companies domiciled in the City of Buenos Aires register with the Inspección General de Justicia (IGJ); provinces have their own public registries (e.g. Buenos Aires Province's DPPJ). The IGJ tightened, then relaunched, the SAS regime via successive General Resolutions (2020-2024), adding compliance scrutiny that has at times slowed foreign-controlled filings.