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A guide for foreign companies · Buenos Aires, Argentina

Doing business in Argentina, without surprises.

How to structure your entry, move money, hire people and resolve disputes in Argentina. Fourteen briefings written by the lawyers who handle these files every day, updated for the 2026 framework.

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What this is

The questions foreign companies ask us first.

Argentina rewards companies that arrive with the structure already thought through, and punishes the ones that improvise. This guide collects the decisions that come up at the start of every project we advise on — and the ones that are expensive to reverse later. It is organised the way the work actually happens: first you set the company up, then you have to move money, then you have to hire.

Every briefing is self-contained. Read the one you need, or work through a cluster end to end. If your question is not here, it is probably one we answer in a first meeting.

Cluster two

Money, FX and incentives.

The part of Argentine practice that changes most often, and where a decision taken without local advice tends to surface as a blocked payment.

_06Getting your money out: dividends and profit remittance in 2026How profits reach the parent company, and what has to be in order before you declare a dividend.Read the briefing →_07Investment incentives: RIGI, RIMI and which one appliesTwo regimes, different thresholds and different commitments. Which one your project qualifies for, and what it locks in.Read the briefing →_08Paying suppliers, services and intercompany debtAccess to the FX market for the payments an operating company actually has to make month to month.Read the briefing →

Cluster three

Hiring and managing a workforce.

Employment law for employers is the practice this firm was built on. Six briefings on the framework that governs your payroll in Argentina.

_09Hiring employees: the 2026 legal frameworkContract types, probation, registration and the obligations that attach to an employer from day one.Read the briefing →_10Termination and severance after the 2026 reformWhat ending an employment relationship costs today, and how the reform changed the calculation.Read the briefing →_11The Labour Assistance Fund (FAL): how severance is financed nowThe fund that can stand in for severance payments, and what an employer has to put in place to use it.Read the briefing →_12What an employee really costs — and the window that closes in 2027Gross salary is the smaller half of the number. The full employment cost, and a regime with an expiry date.Read the briefing →_13Contractor or employee? Misclassification riskWhy the label on the invoice does not settle the question, and what the exposure looks like when it is challenged.Read the briefing →_14Bringing foreign staff: sponsorship, residence and the 2025 reformWork permits, residence categories and the role the employer plays as sponsor.Read the briefing →

Where we advise

One firm, every answer.

The briefings above are the map. The work behind them is done by the practice areas below, and by the same partners you meet in the first conversation.

Employment and Labor Law→Corporate and M&A→Commercial Contracts→Tax and Customs→Insolvency and Restructuring→Intellectual Property→White-Collar Crime and Compliance→Environmental Law→Sports Law→Entertainment and Media→Start-Ups and Founders→Vaca Muerta Desk→

Frequently asked questions

What foreign companies ask us first.

Short answers to the questions that come up before a project is structured. Each one is developed at length in the briefings above.

Do I need a subsidiary to operate in Argentina, or is a branch enough?
Argentine law recognises both routes. A branch is the same foreign legal entity operating locally, which means the parent company answers directly for what happens here. A subsidiary is a separate Argentine entity with its own liability perimeter. The choice drives tax treatment, reporting obligations and how exposed the group is if something goes wrong, and it is expensive to reverse once the operation is running.
Which company type should I choose: SA, SRL or SAS?
They differ in governance, in how ownership is transferred and in the formalities each one imposes. An SA is the traditional vehicle for larger operations with a board and statutory oversight. An SRL suits closely held businesses with a small number of partners. The SAS was designed to be lighter and faster to set up. The right answer depends on the size of the operation, who the shareholders are and what you expect to do with the equity later.
Can profits be sent abroad from Argentina?
Yes, but the payment has to clear both a corporate step and an exchange control step. The corporate side means approved financial statements and a validly declared dividend. The exchange side means access to the official FX market, which is where most delays actually happen. Companies that plan this before declaring the dividend generally get the money out; companies that improvise usually do not.
What does an employee really cost in Argentina?
Gross salary is only part of the number. Employer social security contributions, the statutory thirteenth salary, mandatory insurance and accrued severance exposure all have to be built into the model. Costing a hire on gross salary alone systematically underestimates the true figure, which is why it is worth modelling before you commit to a headcount plan.
Can I engage contractors instead of hiring employees?
You can, but the label on the invoice does not settle the question. Argentine courts look at how the relationship actually works: who directs the work, whether the person is integrated into your organisation, whether they can work for others. If the substance looks like employment, it will be treated as employment, with retroactive contributions and penalties attached.
Can we bring foreign staff to work in Argentina?
Yes. Foreign nationals need a residence status that permits work, and in most cases the employer acts as sponsor, which carries obligations of its own. The timeline matters more than companies expect, so it is worth starting the process well before the intended start date rather than after the person has already been hired.
Should our contracts be governed by Argentine law?
Not always, and it is worth deciding deliberately rather than by default. What matters is where a dispute would actually be resolved and whether a judgment or award can be enforced against assets that exist. A foreign governing law clause paired with a forum that cannot reach the counterparty’s assets in Argentina can look protective while offering very little.

First consultation, no commitment

Bring us the project before it is structured.

A business law firm. Employment, corporate and commercial advice for companies operating in Argentina.

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Av. Rivadavia 717, Of. 406
C.A.B.A., Argentina

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