{"id":149,"date":"2026-08-21T17:21:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T20:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escribaniavildosola.com.ar\/blog\/?p=149"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:21:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T20:21:48","slug":"doing-business-argentina-notary-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escribaniavildosola.com.ar\/blog\/doing-business-argentina-notary-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Doing Business in Argentina: A Notary’s Guide for Foreign Investors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Argentina is attracting record-scale investment in mining, oil & gas \u2014 and every one of those projects runs on documents that pass through a notary’s office in Buenos Aires. This guide explains, in plain English, what an Argentine escribano<\/strong> does, which steps of your landing depend on one, and how to plan the paperwork so it never blocks the deal.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In short:<\/strong> Argentina follows the civil-law notarial system<\/strong>: real estate transfers, corporate powers of attorney and many registrations require a public deed<\/strong> executed before an escribano \u2014 a law-trained public officer whose documents carry full evidentiary force. Your critical path will typically include: apostilled corporate documents \u2192 registration of the foreign shareholder (Section 123) \u2192 incorporation of the local vehicle \u2192 powers of attorney \u2192 title due diligence<\/strong>. Start the document chain first; it is always the slowest link.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What an escribano is (and why you cannot skip one)<\/h2>\n

Unlike a U.S. notary public, an Argentine escribano is a legal professional with public authority: deeds executed before one are public instruments, self-authenticating and recorded in a protected protocol. The law requires<\/em> this form for key acts \u2014 transferring real estate, granting formal powers of attorney, incorporating certain entities. There is no title insurance industry here; its functional equivalent is the notarial title search (estudio de t\u00edtulos)<\/strong> covering 20 years of ownership history, plus registry certificates that freeze priority while you close.<\/p>\n

Your landing checklist<\/h2>\n
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  1. Prepare home-country documents early:<\/strong> bylaws, good-standing certificates and board resolutions must be apostilled<\/strong> (Hague Convention 1961), then officially translated in Argentina, and in several procedures notarized into a local protocol. This chain is the slowest step of every timeline. Full guide (Spanish)<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. Register the foreign shareholder first (Section 123):<\/strong> a foreign company must be registered with the Public Registry before<\/em> it can incorporate or hold shares in an Argentine company. Deals stall here more than anywhere else. Details<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. Choose and incorporate your vehicle:<\/strong> branch (Section 118), local subsidiary (SA\/SRL) \u2014 or, for projects entering the RIGI incentive regime<\/strong>, a dedicated single-purpose vehicle (VPU). Note the RIGI adhesion window currently runs until July 8, 2027<\/strong>. RIGI guide<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  4. Build the power-of-attorney map:<\/strong> banking, customs, tax, administrative and judicial powers, drafted so Argentine counterparties accept them at first presentation. Argentine law construes powers restrictively \u2014 generic wording fails. Details<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  5. Run title due diligence before committing to land:<\/strong> 20-year title search, domain and injunction certificates, liens, occupancy inspection with notarial certification. Details<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  6. Check the land-ownership regimes:<\/strong> the Rural Land Law (15% foreign-ownership caps, prior clearance certificate) \u2014 whose repeal by decree was suspended by the courts and therefore remains in force<\/strong> \u2014 and the border security zones<\/strong> requiring prior state approval, which cover much of the Andes where mining projects sit. Details<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  7. Land your team:<\/strong> residency, ID, banking, housing and schools for expatriate staff and families \u2014 a repeatable package we coordinate end to end. Details<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What our office handles<\/h2>\n