Working in Argentina: Residence, Working Holiday Visa, Minimum Wage, Contributions and Income Tax for a French National

The three-month visa-free tourist stay (France Diplomatie, the French foreign ministry) does not give the right to take up employment; a French national who wishes to work in Argentina chooses one of the following statuses from the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones.

• Temporary migrant-worker residence: it rests on a pre-employment contract signed by both parties, with pay in line with the collective agreements of the activity and signatures certified by a notary or before an agent of the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. The employer shows its registration with the tax administration and with the single register of foreign applicants. It gives the right to a temporary DNI (national identity document), and the application follows the Ra.D.Ex online procedure.
• Working holiday visa (PVT) : the France-Argentina agreement, signed in Paris on 18 February 2011 and in force since 1 June 2011, is aimed at those aged 18 to 35 inclusive at the date of application, with no dependent child, holding a French passport, with a return ticket or the means to buy one and at least €2,500 in funds. The quota is 1,500 visas a year, the visa lasts 12 months at most, it is not renewable, and private insurance covering illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation and repatriation is required. The application is made to the Argentine embassy in France. See the page on working holiday insurance.
• Transitory digital nomad residence: 180 days, extendable once for the same period, to provide remote services to entities established abroad; it is aimed at nationals of countries exempt from a tourist visa, with an application describing the activity, a CV and the Argentine criminal record. The extension is requested in the ten days before expiry, with proof of income. See digital nomad insurance.

The minimum wage (SMVM) is set by the National Council for Employment, Productivity and the Minimum, Living and Adjustable Wage. Resolution 4/2026, published in the Boletín Oficial on 2 September 2026, sets a schedule of monthly increases for monthly-paid employees. Euro amounts are calculated at the Central Bank rate of 02/10/2026 (€1 = ARS 1,710.76).

• 2026: ARS 383,800 in September (about €224), ARS 391,200 in October (about €229), ARS 398,800 in November and ARS 406,400 in December.
• 2027: ARS 414,200 in January, ARS 422,000 in February, ARS 429,600 in March and ARS 437,000 in April (about €255). The hourly rate for hourly-paid workers goes from ARS 1,919 in September 2026 to ARS 2,185 in April 2027.

Salary is paid by bank transfer into the employee’s account, with a payslip issued in two copies, within four working days for monthly salaries (argentina.gob.ar). Each employee also receives the aguinaldo, a thirteenth month equal to 50% of the highest monthly pay in the half-year, paid in two instalments, on 30 June and 18 December. The minimums for each branch appear in the collective agreements; pay levels by occupation can be found in the publications of INDEC (the national statistics institute) and the Secretaría de Trabajo. As the minimum wage changes every month, it should be re-read regularly in terms of purchasing power.

The employment contract falls under labour modernisation law No. 27,802, published in the Boletín Oficial on 6 March 2026. A few provisions useful to a foreign employee appear in the official text.

• Leave: article 154 provides that holidays are in principle taken between 1 October and 30 April, with possible splitting into periods of at least seven days, unless other dates are agreed.
• Working time: article 197 bis authorises, in writing, overtime compensation schemes such as a time bank or compensatory rest, within the minimum rest periods.
• Fondo de Asistencia Laboral: articles 58 to 77 create a fund fed by a monthly employer contribution of 1% for large companies and 2.5% for SMEs, applicable from 1 June 2026, a date extendable by six months at most.
• Scope: article 2 leaves outside the law self-employed workers and their collaborators, as well as independent platform providers, governed by specific rules.

An employee hired locally is on a local contract; an employee sent by a French employer falls under secondment, presented in the guide to seconded or expat.

Personal income tax (ganancias) applies the scale of article 94 of the law, updated according to the price index. For pay received from July to December 2026 (withholding system), ARCA (the Argentine tax authority) publishes a scale of nine brackets of cumulative net taxable income, at rates of 5%, 9%, 12%, 15%, 19%, 23%, 27%, 31% and 35%. The first bracket extends to ARS 2,168,491.89 (about €1,268), and the 35% rate applies above ARS 65,867,941.10 (about €38,502).

The personal deductions of article 30, for the 2026 annual period, include a ganancia no imponible of ARS 6,019,671.36 (about €3,519), ARS 5,669,323.06 for a spouse and ARS 2,859,060.31 per child. The employer applies these scales in the monthly withholding; ARCA publishes separate values for each half-year, updated according to the price index.

The France-Argentina tax treaty, signed in Buenos Aires on 4 April 1979, in force since 1 March 1981 and amended by the protocol of 15 August 2001 (in force since 1 October 2007), organises the allocation (impots.gouv.fr). Under article 15, a salary is taxable only in the State of residence, unless the employment is exercised in the other State: employment exercised in Argentina is therefore taxable there. An exception exists for a stay not exceeding 183 days in the calendar year, with a non-resident employer who bears the cost of the remuneration. Article 24 provides, for France, a tax credit equal to the corresponding French tax, where the beneficiary is subject to Argentine tax on that income. Article 4 defines residence; the multilateral BEPS convention entered into force for Argentina on 1 January 2026.

A declared employee is enrolled in the Argentine social security system. The table below gives the rates published by argentina.gob.ar. The 3% health insurance share funds the obra social (health fund), whose operation is explained in the guide to the Argentine healthcare system.

An employee sent by a French employer can remain enrolled in the French scheme under the France-Argentina social security agreement; durations and conditions are detailed in the page on healthcare reimbursement in Argentina.

The monotributo is the simplified scheme for small self-employed people: a single monthly payment combines integrated tax, the pension contribution (SIPA) and the obra social share. Since 1 August 2026, ARCA sets category A for services at ARS 49,527.18 a month (about €29), for an annual revenue ceiling of ARS 12,009,410.45 (about €7,020), of which ARS 25,694.55 is for the obra social. Category K reaches ARS 1,614,446.04 a month (about €944) for a ceiling of ARS 126,610,838.75 (about €74,009). Larger activities fall under other schemes; a local accountant confirms the choice.

For remote work, a French employee who works from Argentina for a foreign employer checks their immigration status (transitory digital nomad residence) and their social security situation, and the employer checks the rules applicable in its own country. A self-employed person can also take out membership of the CFE, presented in the guide.

Argentine exports rest on agribusiness, industry and energy. In August 2026, INDEC measured USD 8,883 million of exports (+12.4% year on year) and USD 6,696 million of imports, a surplus of USD 2,187 million. Manufactures of agricultural origin account for 37.2% of the month’s exports, manufactures of industrial origin 26.5%, primary products 19.5% and fuels and energy 16.8%.

The currency is the peso. On 02/10/2026, the Central Bank (BCRA) quoted ARS 1,710.76 for €1. Growth, inflation and exchange-rate outlooks can be followed in the publications of INDEC and the BCRA, updated every month. To protect a professional project, the expat health insurance page presents the solutions; Expavy helps you compare them according to your work status.