Argentina has unveiled a $350,000 citizenship-by-investment programme for wealthy foreigners, following a model already used by Egypt as both countries seek fresh foreign capital while managing high debt levels.
- Argentina has announced a citizenship-by-investment program, allowing foreigners to gain citizenship with a $350,000 contribution or an $800,000 bond purchase.
- The program will begin in late 2026, with additional payments required for spouses and children, making the cost for a family of four $500,000.
- This initiative is part of President Javier Milei’s strategy to attract foreign capital and improve Argentina’s hard-currency reserves.
- Both countries are using these initiatives to address high government debt, with Argentina expecting to raise up to $2.5 billion from its program.
The programme is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2026, with applicants able to make a non-refundable $350,000 payment to the national Treasury or buy $800,000 in public bonds.
A spouse would require an additional $100,000 payment and each child under 18 another $25,000, taking the cost for a family of four to $500,000 under the direct contribution route, according to Argentina’s Economy Ministry.
The initiative forms part of President Javier Milei’s wider push to attract foreign investment and increase hard-currency inflows into the country.
“This will be one more channel through which we can sell Argentina to the world,” Economy Minister Luis Caputo said when the programme was announced.
For African investors, however, the model is not entirely new.
Egypt offers a comparable route
Egypt already operates a citizenship-by-investment programme with several options available to foreign investors.
Under one route, applicants can invest at least $350,000 in an approved project and make an additional non-refundable contribution of $100,000 to the state.
Other options include a $250,000 direct contribution to the Treasury, purchasing property worth at least $300,000 or placing a $500,000 deposit with the Central Bank for three years.
The comparison is notable because both Argentina and Egypt are using citizenship programmes to attract foreign capital while carrying sizeable debt burdens.
Argentina is Latin America’s third-largest economy by nominal GDP, behind Brazil and Mexico, while Egypt is Africa’s second-largest, behind South Africa.
Despite their economic size, Argentina’s federal government debt is expected to stand at about 73.2% of GDP in 2026, while Egypt’s general government debt is estimated at about 87% of GDP in the 2025/26 fiscal year.
That financial pressure has increased the need for fresh foreign capital, although the two citizenship programmes are structured differently.
Argentina offers a $350,000 direct contribution route, while Egypt requires the same amount to be invested in an approved project alongside a $100,000 state payment, although it also offers a cheaper $250,000 direct contribution option.
Egypt’s programme attracts growing interest
By May 2024, Egypt’s Citizenship by Investment Unit had received around 1,000 applications, according to deputy head Sherif Samy, with about 500 applicants having paid the required administration fee.
Roughly half of those applicants had already received citizenship, putting the number of successful grants at about 250 at the time.
For Milei, however, Argentina’s new programme comes as he heads towards the October 2027 presidential election and seeks to strengthen foreign reserves while meeting about $25 billion in foreign-currency debt payments due that year.
The government says the citizenship scheme could raise up to $2.5 billion, providing another source of dollar inflows alongside Milei’s wider investment and economic reform agenda.
