Rentista Visa vs Digital Nomad Visa

MoralesVista

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Hi people,

I am a newcomer who is considering to move to BA as a digital nomad with a goal to get the citizenship ASAP.

I browsed tons of topics in this forum, which I should be thankful for as they shed the light on how things are generally running in Argentina.

There is still no clear guidelines on how to get a digital nomad visa and I frankly don’t understand why to bother about it if we have a Rentista visa. Well and then some sources say that any foreign income can qualify for rentista some say it’s passive income only. It’s so confusing, I am quite lost with all that information.

Could somebody please explain as if I was a 5 years old kid on what to do if I want to come to BA with a remote work (and sufficient income)and get the citizenship?

Thank you in advance!
 
I am a newcomer who is considering to move to BA as a digital nomad with a goal to get the citizenship ASAP.

There is still no clear guidelines on how to get a digital nomad visa and I frankly don’t understand why to bother about it if we have a Rentista visa. Well and then some sources say that any foreign income can qualify for rentista some say it’s passive income only. It’s so confusing, I am quite lost with all that information.
The digital nomad (tourist) viisa, if and when you are evere able to get one, will probably come with a lot of headaches, including converting your foreign dollar income into pesos at the official rate as well as taxes on that income (perhaps after six months),

You woud become a tax resident after you have the Visa Rentista for one full year, so if you renew it, you "should" then register with AFIP to make the appropriate declarations and pay any taxes you owe,

I suggest you read the posts in this thread, starting with post number 12:


Then return to this page and ask more questions.

If, however you already know that you don't have $24,000 USD to lock up in CD's to qualiify for the visa Rentista so you will have "legal temporary residency" from the start, and , as you already have indicated, you want Argentine citizenship ASAP. you might consider coming to Argentina on a tourist visa and then immediately apply for citizenship.

Based on posts by Bajo-cero2, you can apply for ctizenship as soon as you arrive and then work remotely without generating any tax liability. You won't be able to register with AFIP because you won't have a CUIT/CUIL (tax ID), so you won't be able to pay taxes, even if you wanted to.

When I posted that I thought that somone who would do this is not just "beating" the system, but actually "cheating" the system, he corrected me, citing the Argentine Constitution (which has provisions for the foreigner who wants to live and work in Argentina

Your application for citizenship should protect you from being deported. So, if you have about $6,000 USD to start the citizenship process, and you can live without a bank account in Argentina for two and a half to three years, this might be the best option for you.

PS: You will not be able to cite the active income you are receiving from oyur remote work to be approved for the Visa Rentista

PS2: You won't have a DNI for well over two years, but you can use your passport as your ID, including when picking up Western Union transfers.
 
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The digital nomad (tourist) viisa, if and when you are evere able to get one, will probably come with a lot of headaches, including converting your foreign dollar income into pesos at the official rate as well as taxes on that income (perhaps after six months),
I am already on this path. The judges seem to like to throw curveballs at you. If the process really does get completed in 2-3 years this forum will be the first to know
 
Steve you rock it! Thanks so much for such a thorough and detailed answer. Been reading your comments a lot, you should found your own agency 😅.

I do not think I’ll have 24k on hand at the moment so I was hoping there would be some loopholes to check.

I’m trying to get the most updated information for the digital nomad visa. Rumors say they want to extend it to two years so that could lead to the citizenship, right? I think I have nothing left but to monitor the situation and wait.
 
@arvest

In reply to this:

The digital nomad (tourist) viisa, if and when you are evere able to get one, will probably come with a lot of headaches, including converting your foreign dollar income into pesos at the official rate as well as taxes on that income (perhaps after six months),

You wrote this:

I am already on this path. The judges seem to like to throw curveballs at you. If the process really does get completed in 2-3 years this forum will be the first to know

I was referring to the digital nomad visa in the sentence you quoted, so I don't understand your reply about judges throwing curve balls.

The digital nomad visa does not involve any judges, just the employees at migraciones.

Are you already on the path to citizenship and have you actually begun the process at one of the federal courts?

If you don't have a DNI, has a lawyer already presented your request for citizenship, or have you tried to do so on your own?

Please be specific about any curve balls the judges have thrown at you or if you were just speaking in general terms.
 
Steve you rock it! Thanks so much for such a thorough and detailed answer. Been reading your comments a lot, you should found your own agency 😅.

You are most welcome!

I would never found an agency to provide immigration services and that is because I don't think anyone should have to pay to have a "professional" do something for them that they should be able to do on their own.

The investor visa is likely an exception and likely requires the services of a lawyer an/or an accountant, and I am neither.

In 2006 my Argentine girlfriend insisted that I use (pay) her lawyer to apply for the visa rentista.

I soon realized there was nothing he could do for me that I couldn't do for myself, especially getting the required doccuments from the USA, having them receive the Apostille, and sent to me in Argentina where I could find a translator on my own.

Even without speaking much Spanish, it was not difficult to get the Argentine criminal report on my own, either.

I did ask a woman from Uruguay who spoke English to go to migraciones with me when I submitted the required docs.

She did most of the talking and I only had to answer "yes" when she asked me if I understood that I had to return the next day with ATM receipts in order to "prove" that I had access to my "passive monthly income" in my US bank.

She also went to migraciones with me for the first two renewals of my temporary residency in 2007 and 2008.

In 2009 I was confident enough to go to migraciones on my own to ask for the cambio de catagoria from temporay to permanent residency, but I have to add that the wife of another expat was also very helpful, caling migraciones a number of times to find out when my permanent residency had been granted and when I should return to receive a certificate to take to the Registro to have the change recorded in my DNI booklet.

I haven't seen the woman who helped me go to migraciones from 2006 to 2008 since 2008, but I can still contact her to find out if she is avialblle to do the same for other expats. I think she has done so for about ten of us so far. I knew three of them personaly, although two of them have since died and I haven't heard from the third in a number of years.

The last time I was in contact with her, earlier this year, the woman from Uruguay was charging $150 USD for one trip to migraciones and $75 USD for a second trip,if necessary. She only provides the translation service and does not review the docs. It is up to the expat applying for residency to take care of that. I have never asked for a percentage of her fee and I have never asked for or received any form of payment for anything I have posted in this forum


I do not think I’ll have 24k on hand at the moment so I was hoping there would be some loopholes to check.

Ironically, the loophole is actually in the Argentine constitution which acknowledges the right of the individaul who so desires, to live and work in Argentina.

I’m trying to get the most updated information for the digital nomad visa. Rumors say they want to extend it to two years so that could lead to the citizenship, right? I think I have nothing left but to monitor the situation and wait.

If I understand correctly, the digital nomad visa will still be a touirst visa. it won't come with a temporay resident DNI and it won't be able to be upgraded to permanent residency,

The two year requirement for citizenship is about a physical presence in the country, not your status with migraciones.

If I wanted Argentine ciitizenship and I was earning money on line, knowing I would not qualify for the visa rentista, I still would not apply for the nomad visa.

I would apply for citizenship as soon as possible after arriving in Argentina. provided I was able to pay a lawyer like Bajo_cero2 $6000 up front to start the process.

There may be other lawyers who could do the same as Bajo_cero2, but I am not aware of their identities. I do not want and will never accept any compensation from him or any other professional for suggesting that other expats contact them and consider using thier services and actually do so. 🤠
 
Steve you rock it! Thanks so much for such a thorough and detailed answer. Been reading your comments a lot, you should found your own agency 😅.

I do not think I’ll have 24k on hand at the moment so I was hoping there would be some loopholes to check.

I’m trying to get the most updated information for the digital nomad visa. Rumors say they want to extend it to two years so that could lead to the citizenship, right? I think I have nothing left but to monitor the situation and wait.
The "loophole" is you just enter as a tourist, then pay $6K to immediately apply for citizenship. You will need to wait a few years for the courts to process your case. But sooner or later you should win your case
@arvest

In reply to this:



You wrote this:



I was referring to the digital nomad visa in the sentence you quoted, so I don't understand your reply about judges throwing curve balls.

The digital nomad visa does not involve any judges, just the employees at migraciones.

Are you already on the path to citizenship and have you actually begun the process at one of the federal courts?

If you don't have a DNI, has a lawyer already presented your request for citizenship, or have you tried to do so on your own?

Please be specific about any curve balls the judges have thrown at you or if you were just speaking in general terms.

Yes I landed in Argentina as a tourist and applied for citizenship immediately with the help of a lawyer. Pretty much a textbook case, as I work remotely. No DNI currently.
 
The "loophole" is you just enter as a tourist, then pay $6K to immediately apply for citizenship. You will need to wait a few years for the courts to process your case. But sooner or later you should win your case


Yes I landed in Argentina as a tourist and applied for citizenship immediately with the help of a lawyer. Pretty much a textbook case, as I work remotely. No DNI currently.
Does this mean you can’t leave Argentina while the courts process the case?
 
Does this mean you can’t leave Argentina while the courts process the case?
You should actually be living in Argentina. You must take up residence here. Supposedly you are able to leave for short term trips, but you should live in Argentina the majority of the year. To play it safe you can live for 2 years continuously in order to fulfill the requirements for citizenship
 
You should actually be living in Argentina. You must take up residence here. Supposedly you are able to leave for short term trips, but you should live in Argentina the majority of the year. To play it safe you can live for 2 years continuously in order to fulfill the requirements for citizenship
Does that cause you tax complications since presumably you’d then be liable for tax in Argentina?
 
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