How to Transfer Money From Argentina to Buy Property in Uruguay (2026)

The short answer: an individual who is a resident of Argentina can buy dollars on the official FX market without the general cap that applied before April 2025, and can credit those dollars to an account in their own name — including a bank account abroad. That makes it possible to structure a Uruguayan property purchase through banking channels, fully declared.

None of which means the transaction comes without conditions. The Argentine bank has to verify that the buyer's income or assets are consistent with the amount involved, the transfer has to comply with current regulations, and in certain cases the client must commit to staying out of securities settled in foreign currency for the following 90 days.

For an Argentine company, the rules are different. Legal entities have no general access to the official FX market to build up offshore assets without prior authorization from the BCRA (Argentina's central bank), although securities-market routes, funds already held outside Argentina, or other lawful structures may be available. All of this needs to be worked out before you sign a reservation agreement.

House hunting and getting your funds ready can move forward at the same time. What you don't want to do is take on a binding purchase obligation before you have confirmed in writing who will send the money, from which account, through which channel, and to which account the payment will go.

Four things worth being clear on from the start

1. Buying property in Uruguay is not an off-the-books transaction. It is documented before an escribano (a Uruguayan notary who drafts and certifies property deeds), registered, and subject to tax and anti-money-laundering oversight.

1. Being an Argentine national is no obstacle to buying in Uruguay. What matters for the transfer is your FX and tax residency, who legally owns the funds, and what documentation you can produce.

1. You don't always need a Uruguayan bank account. It may be convenient or even necessary for the route you choose, but it is not a general legal requirement for acquiring the property.

1. Approval from the sending bank does not substitute for approval from the receiving one. A wire can leave Argentina without a hitch and still be flagged on arrival if the Uruguayan bank never received the supporting paperwork in advance.

What changed in Argentina as of April 2025

BCRA Communication A 8226, in force since April 14, 2025, allows resident individuals to access the FX market without prior authorization in order to buy foreign currency to hold or deposit.

The purchase has to be debited from a local account. When cash pesos are used, the ceiling is the equivalent of USD 100 per month. The bank must also hold evidence that the client's income or assets are consistent with the purchase.

ARCA (Argentina's tax authority) scrapped the tax withholding that used to apply to those foreign-currency purchases. That does not eliminate the FX spread or whatever fees the institution charges.

Where the regime stands as of August 1, 2026

Situation	General treatment
Individual: buying dollars to hold or deposit	No general cap on the amount and no prior BCRA authorization, provided the purchase is debited from an account and financial capacity is documented
Purchase using cash pesos	Capped at the equivalent of USD 100 per month
Where the dollars can be credited	To an account in your own name in Argentina, or to a bank account in your own name abroad
Official-market purchase followed by a MEP/CCL trade	Sworn statement committing not to buy securities settled in foreign currency for the following 90 days, with specific exceptions
Transfer from a dollar account in Argentina to an account in your own name abroad	Since April 2026, requires a sworn statement committing not to trade those securities for the following 90 days
Legal entity: official-market access to build up offshore assets	As a general rule, requires prior BCRA authorization
Securities-market parking for anyone other than resident individuals	One business day as a general rule, subject to CNV (Argentina's securities regulator) exceptions and conditions

The 90-day restrictions are not something to look into on closing day. If you are thinking of combining the official market with MEP or CCL, ask your bank and your broker to sign off on the sequence in advance.

MEP and CCL are not the same route

The two get mentioned in the same breath all the time, but they produce different outcomes.

Dólar MEP

You buy a security in pesos and sell it settling in dollars inside Argentina. The proceeds land in a local dollar bank or brokerage account.

To put those funds toward a Uruguayan purchase, you still have to arrange a transfer abroad.

Contado con liquidación, or CCL

You buy a security and sell it settling into an offshore account. This is the securities-market operation that actually moves value from Argentina into a foreign account.

It has to be executed through a licensed broker, with accounts held by the same owner on both ends, and in compliance with current BCRA and CNV rules.

Resident individuals are not currently subject to the CNV's general one-day parking requirement. For companies and other clients who do not qualify as resident individuals, Resolución General 1152/2026 maintains, as a rule, a minimum one-business-day holding period. There are also restrictions where the client holds repos, securities-backed loans, or certain forms of local-currency financing.

The routes available for funding and paying for the purchase

Route	How it works	When it can make sense	What to confirm
Official FX market + transfer to your own offshore account	The buyer purchases dollars and credits them to an account in their own name outside Argentina	When the buyer is a resident individual with a functioning offshore account	Sworn statements, income documentation, SWIFT details, and acceptance by the receiving bank
SWIFT transfer of dollars already on deposit in Argentina	Dollars are wired from the Argentine account to an account in your own name abroad	When the dollars are already in the banking system and declared	Transaction code, correspondent bank, beneficiary, and the 90-day rule that applies to transfers to your own account
CCL	Buy securities in pesos and sell them settling abroad	When you opt for the securities route, or when the buyer is a company with no general access to the official market	CNV rules, parking, costs, account ownership, and cross-restrictions
MEP + a subsequent transfer	The dollars are obtained inside Argentina first	If your strategy starts in the local market	MEP on its own does not get the funds to Uruguay
An existing offshore account	The capital is already banked outside Argentina	Usually simplifies the final transfer	You still have to explain how the money was generated and how it got into that account
Developer financing	Down payment, installments, and balance per the project contract	To spread the outlays over time	Currency, indexation, occupancy costs, delivery date, and documentation for each payment
A Uruguayan mortgage	A Uruguayan bank finances part of the price	When the buyer qualifies and prefers to put less capital in up front	Credit approval, appraisal, insurance, bank account, and residency status
Property swap	Another asset is handed over as part or all of the price	In one-off deals both sides agree to	Valuation, taxes, and documentation in both jurisdictions
Virtual assets	The assets are sold or converted and the trail is documented all the way to the payment currency	Only if the seller, the bank, and the escribano sign off on the structure in advance	The exchange or PSAV (registered virtual-asset service provider) involved, wallets, conversion prices, source of capital, and a complete audit trail

The settlement times banks quote are indicative. A SWIFT transfer can clear in a few business days, but a compliance query can stretch the process out. Setting a closing date using nothing but the technical wire timeline is asking for trouble.

How to set up a bank transfer properly

Before sending any meaningful amount, ask the receiving bank to review the transaction.

The wire instruction should nail down:

• the holder of the originating account;
• the holder and number of the destination account;
• the name and SWIFT code of the receiving bank;
• the intermediary bank, if there is one;
• the currency the money must arrive in;
• the transaction code reported by the sending bank;
• the document explaining what the funds are for;
• how bank charges are allocated — OUR, SHA, or another option;
• the net amount that has to arrive in order to cover the price.

If the money goes first to an account in your own name in Uruguay, the next step is paying the seller or handing the funds to the escribano acting as escrow agent, depending on what was agreed.

If the plan is to wire directly from Argentina to the Uruguayan seller, the Argentine bank has to confirm that it can process that transaction code and what documentation it requires. Don't assume any international transfer works the same way as a transfer between your own accounts.

It is also worth agreeing, in the reservation agreement, on what happens if the bank is slow to credit the funds and at what point the price is deemed paid.

Buying through an Argentine company

An Argentine company can hold title to property in Uruguay. The obstacle is not its capacity to buy; it is how to source and move the funds, plus the tax and corporate consequences.

The official FX market

As a general rule, legal entities need prior BCRA authorization to access the FX market for the purpose of building up offshore assets. They do not enjoy the same blanket permission as a resident individual.

CCL

The company can look at a contado con liquidación trade through a licensed broker. In 2026, anyone other than a resident individual is subject, as a rule, to one business day of parking plus other conditions set by CNV.

The trade has to settle into an offshore account belonging to the company, and every record of the securities bought and sold has to be kept.

Funds the company already holds abroad

If the company already has money offshore, it can use it — provided the funds are properly recorded, the account belongs to the company, and the receiving bank accepts the documentation.

Corporate documentation

Beyond proving where the capital came from economically, you will typically need to produce:

• the articles of incorporation or bylaws;
• a certificate of good standing;
• identification of directors, representatives, and ultimate beneficial owners;
• powers of attorney;
• a corporate resolution approving the purchase, where applicable;
• financial statements and tax filings;
• statements for the account the payment will come from;
• apostilled documents where they have to take legal effect in Uruguay.

You should also check whether the foreign company needs to complete any registration or additional formality in Uruguay.

Net wealth tax

Comparing this with buying in your own name is not a matter of holding two tax rates up against each other.

An entity that falls under the corporate regime may pay Impuesto al Patrimonio (Uruguay's annual net wealth tax) at a rate of 1.5% on its net taxable equity. How that is calculated depends on the nature of the company, the valuation rules, and which liabilities are deductible.

For an individual, the most recent published schedule for 2025 applied a rate of 0.10% on taxable net worth above the individual exempt threshold of $ 6.653.000. And it is not necessarily calculated on the price you paid for the apartment.

The corporate structure can be the right call for estate-planning, succession, or business reasons — but the comparison has to take in every cost, not a single rate.

What source-of-funds documentation you may be asked for

Uruguay runs a risk-based due-diligence system. The escribano, the real-estate agency, and financial institutions each have their own obligations and may ask for different things.

There is no "universal file" that guarantees approval, but these are the most common forms of support:

Economic source	Documentation that can work
Salaried employment	Pay stubs, employment certification, tax returns, and bank statements
Professional or business activity	Accountant's certification, invoicing, tax filings, account statements, and contracts
Sale of a property	The deed or contract, the settlement statement, and proof the proceeds were credited to a bank
Sale of a business or an equity stake	The contract, corporate documentation, a valuation, and bank movements
Inheritance	The declaration of heirs, the estate distribution, the will, and bank confirmation
Gift	The deed of gift, identification of the donor, and proof of where the gifted funds came from
Financial investments	Custodian statements, trading history, and redemption or sale confirmations
Virtual assets	Exchange or PSAV history, wallet addresses, buy and sell transactions, and the final bank credit
Asset regularization in Argentina	Proof of enrollment, the sworn statement filed, documentation on the regularized assets, and movements in the accounts used

The paperwork has to explain two different things:

1. Source of wealth: how the capital was generated in the first place.
2. Source of funds: the specific account the purchase money is leaving from.

Someone can document plenty of income and still get questions if the payment arrives from a third party's account with no explanation attached.

Do you need an apostilled statement of assets?

Not in every case.

A bank or an escribano may ask for a notarial or accountant's certification when the available documentation doesn't adequately explain the buyer's wealth. They may also require that certain Argentine public or notarial documents be apostilled.

That does not make the "apostilled statement of assets" a universal legal requirement.

Powers of attorney granted in Argentina, corporate certificates, and other documents that have to take legal effect in Uruguay generally do need an apostille. Documents drafted in Spanish usually don't need to be translated.

The definitive list is something the buyer should request from the receiving bank and the escribano handling the transaction.

Funds from an Argentine regularization program

Money brought into an asset-regularization program can be used for a property purchase, as long as the program's conditions are respected and the funds are available for withdrawal or transfer.

Proof of regularization is important supporting evidence, but it does not replace anti-money-laundering analysis. You may be asked for:

• enrollment in the program;
• the sworn statement of assets;
• proof of tax paid, where applicable;
• statements from the special account;
• subsequent movements;
• a document connecting the regularized money to the transfer earmarked for Uruguay.

The best approach is to put all of this on the table from the outset. Hiding the fact that the capital was regularized creates an inconsistency you don't need.

Is opening a Uruguayan bank account mandatory?

There is no general obligation to open one in order to acquire property. The account can be useful for:

• receiving the transfer from your own Argentine account;
• paying the balance to the seller;
• covering building fees, taxes, and utilities;
• collecting future rent;
• keeping a clean paper trail.

Payment can also be structured through an account of yours in another jurisdiction, a transfer the seller accepts, or a banked payment method handled by the escribano.

Decide this before signing the reservation agreement. If the transfer from Argentina is going to an account of yours abroad, that account has to be open, active, and cleared to receive the amount.

Uruguayan banks have different policies. BROU and Itaú, for example, publish different requirements for non-resident clients. Opening is subject to approval and may involve proof of address, occupation, income, and a bank reference.

Cash payments: Uruguay's limit changed in 2026

Ley 20.469 amended article 35 of Ley 19.210.

Cash can be used up to:

• 200.000 UI (Unidades Indexadas, Uruguay's inflation-linked accounting unit); or
• 5% of the total value of the transaction, provided that amount does not exceed 450.000 UI.

The remainder has to be paid by means other than cash. The deed has to itemize the payment methods used.

On top of that, in a cross-border deal, physically moving banknotes adds customs, security, and source-of-funds risk. For a property sale, a bank transfer generally offers a much cleaner trail.

The order we recommend

1. Decide who is buying. An individual, joint owners, or a company. If a company is involved, have the structure reviewed in both Argentina and Uruguay.

1. Pin down where the funds are. Pesos, banked dollars, an offshore account, financial investments, or virtual assets.

1. Choose your FX and banking route. Official market, transfer of existing dollars, CCL, or another permitted alternative.

1. Ask for a documentation list. Request it from the receiving bank and the escribano. Don't treat a generic checklist as a guarantee of approval.

1. Build the source-of-funds file. Include the statements that connect your wealth to the account the payment will come from.

1. Confirm the payment circuit. Your own Uruguayan account, another offshore account of yours, the seller's account, or the escribano acting as escrow agent.

1. Pick your escribano before you commit. The buyer should have independent notarial advice of their own.

1. Get on with the search. Ask for the all-in price, building fees, tax status, the property's title history, and closing costs.

1. Sign a properly drafted reservation agreement. If you are depending on a mortgage or a bank approval, build in a condition precedent and a realistic deadline.

1. Give the bank advance notice of the transfer. The receiving bank should know the amount, the sender, the purpose, and the documentation before the money lands.

1. Coordinate the closing. Don't set the date purely around the technical SWIFT timeline.

1. Handle the follow-up obligations. Registration, Uruguayan taxes, and Argentine reporting if you keep your tax residency there.

There is no universal timeline for the whole process. A deal funded with money that is already banked and backed by clean title can move fast. Opening an account, involving a foreign company, or working from an incomplete file can stretch it out by months.

Costs you shouldn't lump in with the transfer

The asking price is not the whole budget.

As a rough guide, a buyer can expect:

• the agency commission;
• VAT on that commission;
• notarial fees and contributions;
• certificates and registry costs;
• ITP (property transfer tax) at 2% on the updated assessed value from Catastro (the national cadastre);
• bank and correspondent charges;
• furnishing, moving, and getting the place in shape.

Talking about roughly 9% in closing costs is fine as a first pass, but the real percentage depends on the property and its cadastral value.

If you also set money aside for furnishing and fitting out, a total cushion of 15% on top of the price is prudent in many cases — though it is not a fixed rate.

With a total budget of USD 250,000:

• if you reserve 15% of the price for everything extra, the mathematical ceiling on the property is somewhere near USD 217,400;
• working toward a target of USD 215,000 leaves a little extra room;
• if you counted only 9% in closing costs, the theoretical ceiling would be about USD 229,400.

Run the numbers for the specific unit.

Mistakes worth avoiding

1. Signing a reservation agreement without a confirmed payment circuit.

1. Confusing MEP with CCL. The first settles dollars in Argentina; the second can settle them abroad.

1. Combining official-market purchases with securities trades without checking the 90-day restriction.

1. Sending a large wire without warning the receiving bank.

1. Using a relative's account without documenting why. It may be perfectly legal, but it invites questions about beneficial ownership and the immediate source of funds.

1. Splitting transfers into smaller amounts to stay under the radar. Beyond doing nothing for your paper trail, it can itself become a red flag.

1. Treating the regularization certificate as your only supporting document. Keep the banking sequence too.

1. Assuming a company plays by the same FX rules as an individual.

1. Budgeting costs as a fixed percentage instead of asking for the actual figures on your deal.

1. Scheduling the closing for the day right after the wire goes out.

Frequently asked questions

How do I transfer money from Argentina to buy a property in Uruguay?

An individual can buy dollars on the official market and credit them to an account of their own abroad, wire dollars they already hold in the banking system, or use CCL. The right route depends on who owns the funds, your FX residency, and the documentation you can produce.

Can I buy with dollars purchased on the official market?

Yes, if you are a resident individual and you meet your bank's requirements. The bank has to verify that your income or assets are consistent with the amount. After accessing the official market, a 90-day commitment not to buy securities settled in foreign currency generally applies.

Can I wire the money straight to the seller's account?

It may be possible, but don't take it for granted. Your Argentine bank has to confirm the transaction code and the documentation involved. In many deals it is cleaner to transfer first to an account of your own abroad and then pay according to the escribano's instructions.

Do I need a Uruguayan bank account?

Not as a general legal requirement. It can make the transaction considerably easier and may be necessary for the banking route you pick. There are also structures using your own accounts in other jurisdictions or banked payment methods handled by the escribano.

Can an Argentine company buy property in Uruguay?

Yes. The company does not have the same general access to the official market that an individual does, so it will have to look at prior BCRA authorization, CCL, funds already held abroad, or another permitted structure.

Can I pay with virtual assets?

That depends on advance acceptance by the seller, the escribano, and the financial institutions involved. You will have to document the exchange or PSAV, the wallets, every conversion, and the final bank credit. Don't wait until closing day to present the structure.

What source-of-funds documentation will I be asked for?

It depends on your profile and where the money came from. You may be asked for tax returns, pay stubs, accountant's certifications, sale deeds, estate documents, contracts, statements, and regularization certificates. There is no single document required of everyone.

How long does the process take?

No regulation sets a timeline. The wire itself can take a few days, but compliance review, opening an account, and the title search can all stretch the calendar.

Do I have to travel to Uruguay?

The purchase can be executed through a power of attorney, usually apostilled. The bank and other regulated parties keep their own identification requirements, which may include an in-person or remote verification.

Do I have to declare the property in Argentina?

If you keep your Argentine tax residency, the property counts among your foreign assets and has to be included in Bienes Personales (Argentina's personal assets tax) whenever you are required to file. Since the 2023 tax year, a single schedule applies to both Argentine and foreign assets. Anyone who enrolled in REIBP should review their specific situation.

How INGAR handles these transactions

From the very first round of property selection, we go over three points with the client: who the buyer will be, where the funds are, and what payment circuit they expect to use.

INGAR does not provide FX advice or design corporate structures. We coordinate the real-estate side with the escribano, the bank, and the buyer's advisors so the timelines line up.

Before the reservation agreement, we:

• flag what information the escribano will need;
• ask that the banking circuit be confirmed;
• build in conditions when the purchase hinges on a mortgage or an approval;
• work out the total budget for the unit;
• steer clear of dates that can't realistically be met.

Getting the paperwork ready is no substitute for the search. Both can run in parallel — as long as you only take on a binding purchase obligation once there is a workable way to pay.

Keep reading

• USD 250,000 doesn't buy you USD 250,000: the real cost of buying in Montevideo
• What taxes an Argentine pays on an apartment in Uruguay
• The two banks that lend to non-resident Argentines
• Opening a bank account in Uruguay as a foreigner
• Transferring money to buy a property in Uruguay
• What an escribano does in a property sale and what it costs
• Step by step: how to buy an apartment in Uruguay

Sources

Argentina

• BCRA — Communication A 8226: individual access to the FX market
• BCRA — Communication A 8336: the 90-day commitment
• BCRA — Communication A 8417: transfers to your own offshore accounts
• BCRA — Foreign trade and FX regulations
• CNV — Resolución General 1152/2026
• ARCA — Resolución General 5672/2025
• ARCA — Bienes Personales (personal assets tax)
• Ley 27.743 — changes to Bienes Personales and asset regularization
• CNV — Registry of virtual-asset service providers

Uruguay

• IMPO — Ley 19.574, anti-money-laundering
• IMPO — Decreto 379/018, due diligence for regulated parties
• IMPO — Ley 19.210, payment methods and the cash limit
• IMPO — Ley 20.345, virtual-asset service providers
• DGI — Impuesto al Patrimonio for individuals, 2025
• IMPO — Title 14 of the Consolidated Tax Code, Impuesto al Patrimonio
• DGI — Impuesto a las Transmisiones Patrimoniales
• BROU — Requirements for banking with BROU
• Itaú Uruguay — Non-resident accounts

Information exchange

• IMPO — Ley 19.032, the Uruguay–Argentina tax agreement
• Argentina — Ley 26.758 and the agreement's entry into force
• OECD — CRS MCAA participating jurisdictions

Information verified as of August 1, 2026. FX regulations and bank acceptance policies can change. Confirm the circuit with your bank, your broker, the escribano, and your tax advisors before taking on a binding purchase obligation. This article is general information and does not replace FX, banking, corporate, tax, or notarial advice.