Company Incorporation Guide

Argentina company registration for foreign owners

Applicable country/region: AR - Argentina

Published: October 3, 2026Updated: October 3, 2026

Written by our advisory team
Argentina rules and requirements
Checked against official sources

Guide overview

The order of decisions, from formation to yearly filings

Argentina company registration means forming a company under the General Companies Law, or an SAS under its own statute, and entering it in the public registry (Registro Público) of its domicile. The Inspección General de Justicia (IGJ) keeps that registry for the City of Buenos Aires; companies domiciled in a province use the provincial one. The path runs from the legal form, and whether foreign owners may hold all of it, through the papers issued abroad and what they must show about a foreign partner, to the local conditions the law fixes and those practice adds, then the tax registrations a new company triggers. After registration come the books, a bank account and the yearly cycle.

COMPANY TYPES

Choosing a legal form for Argentina company registration

In a Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (SRL), a limited liability company under the General Companies Law (Ley General de Sociedades 19.550), partners hold quotas (cuotas) and managers run the business. An SAS under Law 27,349 can have one or more members and be formed digitally. An SA needs a minimum share capital, a public deed and a board. With a single shareholder it is an SAU, under permanent state oversight. A branch (sucursal) is the foreign company itself, so the parent answers for its debts. Foreign capital needs no prior approval, though some regulated sectors, such as media, cap foreign ownership; residence rules touch only management. A foreign corporate partner first registers its bylaws under Article 123.

Reading the company types

Rows cover ownership, shareholder and director rules, capital and notes for each company type.

Argentina SRL Basic Information

Ownership:

Private Ownership

Limited Liability:

Positive

Publicly Participates In Capital Market:

Negative

Argentina SRL Shareholder / Director / Secretary Requirements

Requirements For Shareholders:

Minimum two shareholders

Requirements For Directors:

Minimum one director

Legal Representative Not Mandatory:

Negative

Local Directors Not Mandatory:

Negative

Local Secretaries Not Mandatory:

Positive

Argentina SRL Registered Capital Requirement

Minimum Registered Capital Requirement:

No minimum capital requirement.

Capital Injection Not Required:

Negative

Capital Injection Requirement:

Cash contributions are paid in at least 25% at formation and in full within two years; the payment is proved when the registry orders the registration. Contributions in kind are paid in full.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Who stands behind the company, and how foreign papers travel

The IGJ registers nothing without a sworn statement naming the beneficial owners, the people who ultimately own or control the company; a corporate shareholder also proves it exists and who represents it. Documents from abroad carry an apostille from the issuing State, or legalization if that State is outside the Hague Apostille Convention, to which Argentina and, since 7 November 2023, China belong. The Spanish version comes from an Argentine certified public translator (traductor público). Each foreign partner, person or company, needs a Clave Única de Identificación Tributaria (CUIT) before the company can request its own. Individuals abroad apply through a representative in Argentina, and since 2 March 2026 the CUIT has replaced the CDI for natural persons.

Reading the documents

Rows are document types grouped by who provides them; each entry ends with its process and format.