Argentina Land Due Diligence Checklist

1. Identify the exact property

• What is the cadastral designation, parcel plan and claimed area?
• Are the coordinates source-provided, inferred from a locality or only approximate?
• Does one price cover one parcel, several parcels, buildings, equipment or productive improvements?

Argentina's cadastre law and property-registry law describe different systems. Cadastre addresses the parcel's physical and economic characteristics; the registry addresses registered legal rights. Neither should be used as a substitute for the other.

2. Confirm who can sell

• Who is the registered owner and how is the person or entity identified?
• Are there co-owners, a succession, a spouse, a company approval or a power of attorney to resolve?
• Does the person negotiating have documented authority to bind every required party?

3. Read the registered legal state

Ask the escribano what current report or certificate is required from the property registry in that jurisdiction. National registry law requires the registered title and a registry certification showing the legal state of the property and people before an authorized transfer instrument. Review mortgages, liens, attachments, inhibitions, easements and other recorded restrictions without assuming that a clean-looking listing reflects them.

4. Reconcile title, cadastre and possession

Check whether the registered parcel, cadastral plan, physical occupation and marketed property describe the same thing. Ask who occupies or works the land, under which lease, caretaker, grazing, possession or informal arrangement, and what is expected to continue after closing.

5. Verify access and infrastructure

A visible road is not automatically a legally secured access. Record the public road, private road or easement supporting entry, then test physical usability and maintenance obligations. Treat electricity, wells, irrigation, mobile coverage and buildings in the same way: existence, capacity, ownership, permission and condition are separate questions.

6. Verify water, use and environmental constraints

Water rights, land-use rules and permits are strongly provincial and local. Ask the competent authorities and specialists which well, irrigation, discharge, clearing, productive-use, subdivision and building evidence applies. A screening map can identify a question; it cannot issue legal clearance for a parcel.

7. Check foreign-buyer and border-zone rules

If the buyer is foreign, determine whether the Rural Land Law and RNTR certificate process apply. The official status page currently says Law 26.737 is in force again under an effective interim measure after DNU 70/2023 sought repeal. Separately, confirm whether the property falls within a Border Security Zone and whether Previa Conformidad or an exception applies.

8. Separate evidence from interpretation

9. Match the check to the decision stage

Before travel or a reservation

Identify the parcel, owner, occupancy and obvious jurisdictional requirements. Request the document set and write down what remains unavailable.

Before any payment

Have an independent escribano and relevant advisers review the proposed instrument, authority to sell, registry evidence, conditions, payment mechanics and consequences if a condition fails. This guide does not recommend a payment rail.

Before the escritura

Require the professionals responsible for the transaction to reconcile the final certificates, parties, parcel, price basis, approvals, taxes, possession terms and registration steps.

Frequently asked questions