Buying an apartment in Buenos Aires with proceeds of selling Gold IN Argentina. Source of funds?

[Dick]

Hi all. Quick question. I'm an American that moved to Buenos Aires. The rental prices keep going up. My long term rental is coming off lease and the prices have gone up. My landlady wants over 150% increase since I did my original contract! Plus the monthly expenses have skyrocketed. I have residency here but to be honest I haven't declared any of my USA income. I mostly am holding some crypto but mostly gold. I plan to sell off some of my gold stash and gold coins.

I want to avoid paying any taxes in the USA or Argentina. Can I just cash out in Argentina and how do I prove origin of funds? Will a local lawyer make me prove where I got the funds to buy the apartment? I heard that some lawyers will ask for origin of funds. My key goal is NOT paying any taxes at all. That's why I originally went into crypto but I had to sell off a lot of it to live in BA. Costs have been a lot more than I originally budgeted and want to buy an apartment ASAP to avoid getting trapped in escalating rental payments each year.

At least if I buy a place I only have to pay expenses. Seems like the best way forward if you know you will stay in Argentina like me.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Hi all. Quick question. I'm an American that moved to Buenos Aires. The rental prices keep going up. My long term rental is coming off lease and the prices have gone up. My landlady wants over 150% increase since I did my original contract! Plus the monthly expenses have skyrocketed. I have residency here but to be honest I haven't declared any of my USA income. I mostly am holding some crypto but mostly gold. I plan to sell off some of my gold stash and gold coins.

I want to avoid paying any taxes in the USA or Argentina. Can I just cash out in Argentina and how do I prove origin of funds? Will a local lawyer make me prove where I got the funds to buy the apartment? I heard that some lawyers will ask for origin of funds. My key goal is NOT paying any taxes at all. That's why I originally went into crypto but I had to sell off a lot of it to live in BA. Costs have been a lot more than I originally budgeted and want to buy an apartment ASAP to avoid getting trapped in escalating rental payments each year.

At least if I buy a place I only have to pay expenses. Seems like the best way forward if you know you will stay in Argentina like me.

I bought my apartment in Recoleta many years ago but when I bought it, I had to show origin of funds. I can't remember but if I recall correctly an IRS tax return for previous year or maybe it was a brokerage statement. I sold some stocks and I had savings from my job. It wasn't a big deal but I guess if you have no proof of funds I'm not sure how that would go.

I think they just want to make sure your funds aren't tainted or you're a drug dealer or laundering money. For me it was simple just showing this proof. I guess you don't have any proof of funds at all?

 

[Avocado]

Hi all. Quick question. I'm an American that moved to Buenos Aires. The rental prices keep going up. My long term rental is coming off lease and the prices have gone up. My landlady wants over 150% increase since I did my original contract! Plus the monthly expenses have skyrocketed. I have residency here but to be honest I haven't declared any of my USA income. I mostly am holding some crypto but mostly gold. I plan to sell off some of my gold stash and gold coins.

I want to avoid paying any taxes in the USA or Argentina. Can I just cash out in Argentina and how do I prove origin of funds? Will a local lawyer make me prove where I got the funds to buy the apartment? I heard that some lawyers will ask for origin of funds. My key goal is NOT paying any taxes at all. That's why I originally went into crypto but I had to sell off a lot of it to live in BA. Costs have been a lot more than I originally budgeted and want to buy an apartment ASAP to avoid getting trapped in escalating rental payments each year.

At least if I buy a place I only have to pay expenses. Seems like the best way forward if you know you will stay in Argentina like me.

It sounds like you are leeching off Argentina if you're not paying any taxes here. So you don't want to pay any taxes in your country and you are living in Argentina and you don't want to pay anything here either? It's always the same with you guys.

 

[Finance Prof]

If you have a DNI which is sounds like you do if you're a legal resident here you are a legal Argentine tax resident here if you live here. But if you have no income here or the United States which is what it sounds like you wouldn't necessarily owe income tax. However, Argentina has a worldwide asset tax on all assets. Obviously most locals aren't going to declare their crypto or gold but legally I think you are supposed to so I'm not sure how that would work out if you are selling that and didn't declare those assets to begin with. Buying a property could complicate things since you're an Argentine resident and you should have been declaring ALL assets including your gold stash. That might open up a can of worms.

Probably a good idea to talk to an accountant before you do this.

 

[Wally]

If you have a DNI which is sounds like you do if you're a legal resident here you are a legal Argentine tax resident here if you live here. But if you have no income here or the United States which is what it sounds like you wouldn't necessarily owe income tax. However, Argentina has a worldwide asset tax on all assets. Obviously most locals aren't going to declare their crypto or gold but legally I think you are supposed to so I'm not sure how that would work out if you are selling that and didn't declare those assets to begin with. Buying a property could complicate things since you're an Argentine resident and you should have been declaring ALL assets including your gold stash. That might open up a can of worms.

Probably a good idea to talk to an accountant before you do this.

Good advice to talk to an accountant before you make this move. Just asking ChatGPT it quickly says that you are subject to paying wealth taxes on your gold. I'm not sure how much you have.

🇦🇷 1. Wealth Tax (Impuesto sobre los Bienes Personales):​

Argentine residents must pay this annual tax on their worldwide assets, including:


* Gold (bullion, coins, or stored assets)

• Foreign bank accounts
• Real estate
• Stocks and bonds

📌 Key points:​

• The threshold (as of 2025) is around ARS 27 million (~USD $30,000+ depending on exchange rate).
• Rates are progressive, ranging from 0.5% to 1.75% depending on total net worth.
• Gold held abroad must also be declared and taxed.

🏦 2. Gold Stored in Argentina:​

If gold is stored physically in Argentina or held through a local financial entity, it’s definitely taxable under the wealth tax. So your plan to avoid taxes may be foiled by buying an apartment in Buenos Aires with taxes that you never paid on gold. Of course, you can probably easily find an Escribano that will allow you to just pay cash. Ping @earlyretirement and I'm sure he can help you.

 

[nikad]

Some good advice above. Agree with your logic of buying an apartment here if you will live here in the future. Nothing is more aggravating than for the owner to keep raising prices and inflation here is going to be a continual problem. Selling gold and dealing with taxes can be simple or it can be a big adventure!

 

[sophos]

Hi all. Quick question. I'm an American that moved to Buenos Aires. The rental prices keep going up. My long term rental is coming off lease and the prices have gone up. My landlady wants over 150% increase since I did my original contract! Plus the monthly expenses have skyrocketed. I have residency here but to be honest I haven't declared any of my USA income. I mostly am holding some crypto but mostly gold. I plan to sell off some of my gold stash and gold coins.

I want to avoid paying any taxes in the USA or Argentina. Can I just cash out in Argentina and how do I prove origin of funds? Will a local lawyer make me prove where I got the funds to buy the apartment? I heard that some lawyers will ask for origin of funds. My key goal is NOT paying any taxes at all. That's why I originally went into crypto but I had to sell off a lot of it to live in BA. Costs have been a lot more than I originally budgeted and want to buy an apartment ASAP to avoid getting trapped in escalating rental payments each year.

At least if I buy a place I only have to pay expenses. Seems like the best way forward if you know you will stay in Argentina like me.

The escribano (notary public) holds the legal responsibility of certifying the source of funds used in a property transaction. Some escribanos are highly meticulous in this regard, while others may take a more lenient approach.

It is advisable to begin identifying a suitable escribano while you’re still in the process of searching for an apartment. Each escribano will outline their specific requirements for verifying the origin of funds, which must be met before they agree to execute the escritura (property deed).

Their guidance will likely depend on how and where the funds were sourced, including how you originally acquired the metals, where the purchase occurred, and where you plan to sell them. For instance, if the metals were purchased in Argentina using undeclared local income, the requirements—and potential complications—will be very different from a scenario where the metals were purchased and sold in the United States.

Should you choose to sell the metals in the U.S., you’ll then need to transfer the resulting funds to Argentina. Services like Western Union typically charge around 6% in fees, and disburse the funds in Argentine pesos, meaning you’d likely face an unfavorable conversion back into U.S. dollars. However, even with these costs, the net expense may still be lower than the taxes a formal Argentine tax resident would owe on declared income. Some escribanos may already be familiar with the financial implications; if not, they likely work closely with accountants who can advise you.

Alternatively, if the metals are located and sold within Argentina, you’ll avoid the cost and complexity of bringing funds into the country. There may or may not be tax implications related to capital gains or profit, depending on how the transaction is handled. In cases where the sale is conducted en negro (off the books), and the escribano is still willing to record the transaction, you may avoid triggering any formal tax liability—though, of course, this carries its own legal and ethical considerations.

 

[ben]

I heard there are increased scrutiny for escribanos if the person that is buying ends up having issues with money laundering. They are getting more strict from what my escribano told me. Severe Know Your Client is moving in. But there is a limit where escribanos need to get proof but YMMV. Ask @BuySellBA. They are experts in the real estate market here.

The limits that escribanos have to ask for source of funds and report has changed recently. I believe it's around $200,000 USD.

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[Betsy Ross]

Good advice to talk to an accountant before you make this move. Just asking ChatGPT it quickly says that you are subject to paying wealth taxes on your gold. I'm not sure how much you have.

🇦🇷 1. Wealth Tax (Impuesto sobre los Bienes Personales):​

Argentine residents must pay this annual tax on their worldwide assets, including:


* Gold (bullion, coins, or stored assets)

• Foreign bank accounts
• Real estate
• Stocks and bonds

📌 Key points:​

• The threshold (as of 2025) is around ARS 27 million (~USD $30,000+ depending on exchange rate).
• Rates are progressive, ranging from 0.5% to 1.75% depending on total net worth.
• Gold held abroad must also be declared and taxed.

🏦 2. Gold Stored in Argentina:​

If gold is stored physically in Argentina or held through a local financial entity, it’s definitely taxable under the wealth tax. So your plan to avoid taxes may be foiled by buying an apartment in Buenos Aires with taxes that you never paid on gold. Of course, you can probably easily find an Escribano that will allow you to just pay cash. Ping @earlyretirement and I'm sure he can help you.

This is one of the downsides to getting residency in Argentina. Their worldwide asset tax. I sold off all my USA assets once I moved here. To be honest, I don't think Argentina will ever get its act together and really be able to track assets outside of Argentina. Most of my local friends don't even pay property taxes on their properties INSIDE Argentina so I am not sure they will ever really track what is outside unless people self declare. Most Argentines that own properties or assets outside of Argentina do NOT declare it.

Still worth it to understand what pitfalls but I would say that you could probably just sell the coins here and buy a small place and not get any hassles from Argentina but someone like Mike would know better. My sister was going to get her residency here but her husband won't let her because they own too many assets in the USA.

 

[Bingo]

Interesting about this worldwide asset tax. Something tells me that Argentina is so unorganized that they wouldn't know. Still, did you buy these gold coins in Argentina or in the USA? If in the USA, how did you transport all of this? Did anyone hassle you at customs? I assume you bought them here? Is this coins or bars out of curiosity?