US LLC from Argentina: The Dollars Are Easy. The Catch Is Tax

0:00Can an Argentine own a US company?

Martina builds software in Buenos Aires and sells subscriptions to people all over the world. To take their cards, she wants a US company. So, can she have one from Argentina? As far as America goes, yes. US law doesn't require an LLC's owners to be citizens or residents. No social security number, and no trip. Cheyenne, in Wyoming, is three hours behind Buenos Aires in July, and four in January.

We're BaseAcross. We set up US companies for founders outside America, so we'll be straight with you. In Argentina, the dollars turn out to be the easy part. The catch is somewhere else. Let's find it.

0:41Do you even need one?

First, the honest question: do you even need one? If you're a freelancer, maybe not. Your pay is taxed in Argentina either way. And a US company with nothing of its own behind it can have all its income taxed to you at once. So it needs a reason. Taking card payments for your own product is one. US investors who want shares is another. Martina sells subscriptions to the world, so she has the first one.

1:09The dollars: no central bank approval since April 2025

Now the dollars, and here's what changed. Since April 2025, a person in Argentina can buy foreign currency through their bank, without the central bank's approval. Into their own account, in Argentina or abroad. The bank asks for evidence of your income or assets, and cash has its own small monthly limit. When the rules were updated again later that year, nothing changed for individuals.

One question is still open. Whether you can use those dollars to fund your own company is something to ask your contador before you do it.

1:44Forming it: Wyoming or Delaware, and the EIN

Next, forming the company. Start by deciding three things: what the company will do, what it will really have of its own, and how you'll fund it through your bank. Then the state. A Wyoming LLC for a business you run yourself. A Delaware C-Corp if US investors want shares. Either way, if you control it, Argentina treats it as a foreign company you control. The company needs a registered agent, an address in that state for legal papers.

And write down where the company's work and decisions will happen, because Argentina's rules ask. Then the EIN. Without a social security number, it's a paper form to the IRS.

2:26The bank: both doors are open

The bank, and in Argentina both doors are open. The US fintech banks most videos recommend take applications from founders here, and a multi-currency account can give you US account details. Card payments are the one that needs the US company. With it, and a US bank account, you can apply. Each provider still decides for itself, and any of them can say no. So use the same name, address and description of the business everywhere.

2:55The catch: the controlled-company rule and substance

Here's the catch, part one. Argentina has a rule for foreign companies you control. It looks at two things. First, is most of the company's income passive, like interest or royalties, and lightly taxed? Second, does the company have real substance of its own? Take the guide's example. Martina's LLC earns eighty thousand dollars, all from software subscriptions. That isn't passive.

But if the LLC has no staff, office or other substance of its own, the substance test can still catch all of its income, and tax it to her right away. With real substance, it's taxed when she takes money out instead. What counts as substance is a question for her contador.

3:40The catch, part two: personal assets, no treaty, Form 5472

The catch, part two. Argentina also taxes personal assets every year, above a set amount, and shares in a US company count. That return is due in June. Residents pay tax on income from anywhere, with credit for tax already paid abroad. And if the company's real centre of activity is in Argentina, it can have a taxable presence there. Ask early. There's no tax treaty with the United States, so some US income is withheld at the full rate.

But work done in Argentina generally isn't US income. And the company still files a report with the IRS every year, even without sales. Missing it is expensive.

4:23Your year on one calendar

So here's the year. The IRS report in the spring. Your Argentine return. And the personal assets return in June. Put all three on one calendar. Before you order anything, settle the substance question and how you'll fund the company, with your contador. The full guide, with every source and a checklist for your contador in English and Spanish, is linked below. And Martina? She asked her contador about substance first.