Argentina vs. Egypt

Argentina

• Non-refundable contribution: USD 350,000 to the National Treasury.
• Alternative route: USD 800,000 subscription of government securities (sovereign bonds).

Egypt

• Non-refundable contribution: USD 250,000 directly to the State Treasury.
• Approved or state-owned real estate: USD 300,000 (minimum holding of 5 years).
• Business investment: USD 350,000, plus a mandatory non-refundable donation of USD 100,000.
• Central Bank deposit: USD 500,000, non-interest-bearing, locked for 3 years and returned in Egyptian pounds at the official exchange rate.

Key difference: Egypt's donation threshold is lower (USD 250,000 vs. USD 350,000). Argentina's alternative route consists of government securities, while Egypt's refundable routes involve real estate or a deposit returned in local currency.

Argentina

• Spouse: additional USD 100,000.
• Children under 18: USD 25,000 each.
• Children aged 18 to 25: USD 100,000 each (must be unmarried and without children).

Egypt

• Spouse and children: the spouse and unmarried children under 21 are included in the same investment application.
• Limitation: children aged 21 or over cannot be included in the same application, even with additional fees.

Key difference: Argentina allows dependent children up to 25 to be included, which may cover university students and young adults.

Argentina

• Physical residence: no minimum days of physical presence are required.
• Tax residence: worldwide income taxation applies only if tax domicile is established in Argentina. Those who do not establish effective physical and tax residence are not taxed in Argentina on their global income.

Egypt

• Physical residence: no permanent residence is required, but in practice at least one in-person trip to Cairo is needed for medical checks, fingerprinting and passport collection.
• Tax residence: Egypt applies residence-based criteria to those staying more than 183 days in a year.

Key difference: Argentina does not require travel to the country as part of the process.

Tax outcomes depend on each investor's personal circumstances and should be reviewed with a qualified tax adviser.

Argentina

• Institutions: reviewed by the Agency of Programs for Citizenship by Investment (Ministry of Economy), with involvement of national security and intelligence bodies.
• Standards: verification aligned with FATF and OECD standards on anti-money laundering and source of funds.

Egypt

• Institutions: administered by the Cabinet's citizenship-by-investment unit, with involvement of the General Intelligence Service and national security services.
• Structure: includes multi-stage security checks.

Argentina

• Procedure: centralized assessment by the Agency, followed by the National Directorate of Migration (DNM), which has 30 business days to issue its decision. This period refers to the DNM decision only, not to the whole process.
• Overall timing: still to be confirmed in practice once application intake begins.
• Legal nature: Argentine citizenship by naturalization is described as irrevocable and non-renounceable.

Egypt

• Processing times: typically 6 to 12 months, due to state security reviews.
• Revocation: citizenship may be revoked if the real estate investment or deposit is withdrawn before the required period (3 to 5 years), or by executive decision on security grounds.

Argentina

• Global mobility: visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 170 destinations, including the entire Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Japan, Israel, Brazil and South America.
• US access (E-2 visa): Argentina has a Treaty of Commerce and Navigation with the United States, allowing its citizens to apply for the E-2 Treaty Investor visa.
• MERCOSUR: residence, work and settlement rights across the South American bloc.

Egypt

• Global mobility: visa-free access to approximately 50 to 60 destinations. A visa is required for the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and most of Latin America.
• US access (E-2 visa): Egypt also has an E-2 treaty with the United States.

Key difference: the Argentine passport offers considerably broader visa-free travel.

Argentina

• Status: framework established (Decree 524/2025 and operational resolutions). Formal application intake is expected in Q4 2026.

Egypt

• Status: fully active since its 2020 reform, with investment amounts revised in 2023.

Egypt may suit investors seeking a lower entry cost, a program already in operation and inclusion of children under 21 in a single application.

Argentina may suit investors who prioritize global mobility — including the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom and Japan — MERCOSUR rights, inclusion of children up to 25 and no required travel during the process, and who accept a newer program whose operational details are still developing. No program is universally superior, and no program guarantees approval.