My situation is this: Argentine-born but living abroad since a teenager. Never worked or paid taxes in Argentina.
In case you are concerned, the fact that you have never paid any taxes in Argentina will not be an issue.
Now, I am approaching retirement age and anticipating a small retirement income, in dollars. I am considering a slow life in the provinces but have many questions by the prospects of moving here, baffled by the red tape and illogical regulations. (Note that I have been doing a lot of research lately and feel encouraged by the many new immigrants who are choosing the country at this time.)
I first visited Argentina (at the age of 55) for six months (after living in Sayulita, Mexico for five and a half years) in 2006 to see if I wanted to live (but not work) here full time.
Just under six months later I bought an apartment, transferring US dollars from my US bank to a "casa de cambio" in the Metrocenter where we had the escritura. I did not have a bank account in Argentina at the time.
1) Money: how do you bring a few dollars into the country? Obviously, the country does not bank in dollars. So…? No dollar bank account? A small account in pesos?
I have a savings account in dollars and pesos with Santander Rio, but I never have never had any dollars in the account.
How do you even purchase a little plot of land?
Transfer the funds from the US to Argentina and have an escritura (closing) using an escribano (aka notary).
2) Belonging in the system: I have researched work and minimum salaries and they do not seem possible to me.
I have lived in Argentina for almost seventeen years and never worked for anyone or received any money from anyone in the world for any work, so I don't pay income taxes in Argentina or any other country.
I don't pay income taxes on my retirement income, but that's only because it is too low to be taxable in Argentina or the USA., so I haven't had any experience or problems on that part..
I am only enrolled in the tax system (AFIP) as a payer of the Bienes Personales (personal asset tax) and I haven't had to pay that tax since 2009 (when I paid for 2006-2008).
So, if I am retired, what would be the benefit of becoming part of the bank system at that stage? Is it possible to remain outside of it?
You can remain outside the banking system in an effort to evade paying taxes which by law you may be required to pay, but (IMO) that's a not a "good" reason .
The advantage to using the banking system is that you will rarely have to actually go to a bank or use much cash and it will make paying for almost everything incredibly simple.
You will be able to use Western Union to send your retirement funds (and or savings) to yourself and either have the funds deposited directly to your bank account here or pick up the funds in person at a Western Union agency..
Is it better to rent or to buy property? (Again, a little plot of land in the country.)
In Argentina I rented for the first six months. Then I bought property...,in October of 2006..
I bought a home in the province, on "a little plot of land in the country" (a little over 10.000 mtr2) in 2010 and have lived here since then,
I’ve heard that taxes are ridiculous.
In my opinion the taxes here are indeed ridiculous...ridiculously low.
My property taxes are less than $100 USD per year.
Currently, I do not belong to this jurisdiction. I guess that by moving here, I would? (Double-nationality?)
If you were born here, Argentina considers you a citizen, so you already have dual nationality.
3) Would it be better to rent?
It depends on how long you want to live in any one place and how much money you want to piss away (IMO) paying rent while you are there.
If you don't stay in one place long enough, you will piss away even monre money if you buy a property and can't recoup the closing costs when you sell.
How do people use their monthly retirement money?
This is a "Fiscal" question (pun intended) if I've ever heard one!
Transfer into pesos? Keep elsewhere?
My monthly retirement money is "converted" into pesos before it is sent to my Argentine bank and the exchange rate offered by Western Union is far greater than the official rate that I would receive if I had my retirement checks "sent" directly to my Argentine bank account in pesos.
I actually have a dollar account at the bank, but I don't use it and I never have more than $200.000 pesos in my account...and only for about ten minutes at a time. I immediately pay the full balance of my credit card as soon as the funds are credited to my savings account..
There is also the chance that a couple of years from now I would rather pick up and go away. How easy would this transition be? I know people stuck unable to sell their properties. How much more expensive is renting?
There is also a chance that a "couple years from now" that you will not be able to pick up and go away...if Klaus Schwabvand his buddies get their way.
4) I’ve been looking online and everything is either listed in dollars or in crypto (DAI, USDT, etc.). I am baffled as to how people can come up with the huge sums of dollars when the country does not allow people to keep dollars? Can someone explain?
I think it's "safe" to say that Argentines with huge sums in dollars do not keep them in Argentina.
How do you buy a vehicle or a little plot of land? Or a house? (I’ve already given up hope of moving my little Honda or my campervan to Argentina as it seems ridiculously expensive.)
To buy land, you transfer your dollars to Argentina just before the closing. and you use an "escribano" who will see that the title is clear and everything is legit about the sale.
As a returning citizen you will have the right to bring personal stuff into the country but only one car and possibly with a maximum value (set by the aduana) of $15.000 dollars.
5) I have family in Argentina and the hope that it is still safe enough to live here and that it would give me a better life than growing old in the US, where I am right now. Is this realistic? Are there better options? (Chile? Uruguay?)
No matter what else you do, IMO the best advice I can give you is to get here ASAP and get your DNI and your Argentine passport, even if your retirement is several years from now.
That will increase your options, not just to return to Argentina whenever you want, but also to the other countries you mentioned.
I know an Argentine woman who left Argentina when she was 16 (in 1966). She returned in 2012 to get her DNI and passport and returned to the USA.
She was too wealthy to live in Argentina, but the Argentine passport was more usefull to live in Paraguay (where her level of wealth was far more significant (giving her a higher social status) than in Argentina), if she ever decided to leave the USA for good.
