Ley de tierra argentina land purchase law opens land to foreigners

1. What the law historically did and who it targeted

Law No. 26.737, enacted in 2011 and commonly called the Rural Land Law or Ley de Tierras, was designed to limit acquisition and possession of rural land by foreign individuals and entities, setting area and zone‑based caps to protect national sovereignty and food production areas ^{[7] [8]}. The law also created a “certificado habilitante” mechanism for any foreign purchase of tierra rural and designated core and border zones where additional limits applied ^{[3] [1]}.

2. The Milei decree and the attempted repeal

In December 2023 the executive branch under President Javier Milei issued a sweeping emergency decree aiming to remove the rural‑land restrictions and assert “freedom of contract,” effectively deregulating foreign access to farmland and eliminating surface‑area and nationality limits (described as DNU 70/2023 or similar executive measures) ^{[1] [9]}. Pro‑reform voices and some investment‑oriented outlets framed the move as opening Argentina’s farmland to foreign investors and unlocking capital for agriculture ^{[10] [1]}.

3. Judicial pushback: injunctions and legal uncertainty

That executive rollback did not go unchallenged: provincial courts granted injunctions that temporarily blocked the repeal, restoring enforcement of Law 26.737’s original limits, and legal battles have been appealed toward the Supreme Court, leaving the final legal status unsettled as of early 2026 ^{[2] [3] [11]}. Multiple reporting sources note that while the executive pronouncement aimed to deregulate, the injunctions mean the Rural Land Law remains in force until judicial resolution ^{[3] [4]}.

4. What foreigners can and cannot buy today (practical picture)

Practically speaking, foreigners can buy and hold urban residential property with full title rights in cities such as Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Mendoza—as long as they comply with tax IDs (CDI/CUIT), AML checks and translation requirements—while rural agricultural land remains subject to the Ley de Tierras limits and special authorization in border security zones ^{[4] [5] [6]}. Provincial rules and the Interior Ministry’s “previa conformidad” for border zones create geographic patchworks of permissions that differentiate coastal/urban markets from sensitive rural and frontier areas ^{[4] [6]}.

5. Stakes, politics and who benefits

The dispute mirrors a broader ideological divide: the Milei administration’s deregulatory agenda argues that removing restrictions attracts investment and modernizes property markets, whereas opponents cite sovereignty, food security, and historical sensitivities about foreign land concentration, with veterans’ groups among those litigating to block repeal ^{[1] [2] [9]}. Legal and accounting workarounds—such as structuring foreign ownership through locally qualified companies after a 2016 modification that eased reporting rules—have already been used to navigate the old law, showing how market actors adapt to regulation or its absence ^{[12] [9]}.

6. Bottom line and reporting limits

The bottom line: a government decree attempted to open Argentina’s rural land to foreigners, but courts have temporarily reinstated the Ley de Tierras limits, so rural land remains legally restricted pending final judicial resolution; urban property markets remain open to foreigners under usual registration and AML requirements ^{[1] [2] [4] [5]}. Reporting here is limited to public legal developments and policy reporting in the cited sources; there is no definitive Supreme Court ruling in the provided material to declare the repeal either permanently effective or finally blocked ^{[3] [2]}.