Rural Land Law Repeal Streamlines Foreign Ownership Title Process & Agribusiness Opportunities
Decree 70/2023 repeals Law 26,737 (Ley de Tierras Rurales), eliminating foreign ownership restrictions on tierras rurales and streamlining the rural land title process for agribusiness investors in Argentina’s farmland market.
Removed Pre-Repeal Requirements
Law 26,737 required prior approval from the Registro de Tierras Rurales for foreign rural land purchases, with caps at 15% national/provincial ownership and 1,000 hectares in Pampas zones, delaying title transfers via bureaucratic checks.
Post-repeal, standard notarial deeds and Property Registry inscriptions apply without rural land registry hurdles, accelerating foreign land ownership in Argentina.
Simplified Title Application
Foreign buyers now use general processes: Catastro due diligence, deed signing, tax clearance, and provincial registry filing—no hectare limits or special authorizations for Decree 70/2023 deals in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, or other farmland hotspots.
Legal Caveats Persist
A 2024 injunction temporarily suspended effects, but post-January deals proceed; verify provincial rules and consult counsel amid Supreme Court review.
Argentina opens its farmland to foreign investors through Decree 70/2023, repealing Law 26,737 (Ley de Tierras) and unlocking agribusiness opportunities in the rural land market.
Foreign Land Ownership Reforms
Foreign land ownership in Argentina is now unrestricted, reversing 2011 caps on rural holdings at 15% nationally and 1,000 hectares per investor in key zones.
This land liberalization is set to revitalize stalled farmland transactions, boost Pampas farmland values in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fe, and Entre Ríos, and attract South America farmland investment—though legal counsel is advised amid provincial court challenges.
Forestry and Environmental Updates
Forestry Law 26.331 reforms prioritize investment-friendly regulation by lifting bans on productive use of fire-affected land and simplifying Category III (green) forest clearing via notifications and environmental impact assessments.
These environmental legislation updates reduce provincial bureaucracy, enhance legal certainty for investors, and balance conservation with agricultural land acquisition for sustainable production.
Aquaculture and Labor Modernization
Aquaculture Law changes enable production in natural and artificial environments, promoting inland aquaculture, integrated fish farming, and value-added agro-exports with shared provincial-national oversight.
The Labor Modernization Bill tailors agricultural labor rules for modern agribusiness models, streamlining rural employment amid broader rural economy reforms.
Broader Investment Context
Export tax reductions return US$600 million to the farm sector, amplifying Argentina agribusiness opportunities, soy and grain competitiveness, and farmland as a real asset for inflation hedging and global food security.
This liberalization and decentralization shift offers frontier market agriculture exposure, urging due diligence for long-term land appreciation via local partners or structured vehicles.
