I want a bank account and a way to pay for things, without a DNI

There is a path: most banks want the DNI — the Argentine national ID that comes with residency — but at least one has a route for foreigners without it. We haven't walked that route end to end ourselves, so we verify the current requirements with the bank before you go.

There's no single right setup; nearly everyone runs a combination. Four rails: an international transfer into a local bank account; changing dollars or euros into pesos; cash-pickup services like Western Union; and crypto — usually dollar stablecoins sold for pesos through a local exchange app.

Buenos Aires runs on transfers and QR codes. You send pesos to someone's alias or CBU — the nickname or number for their account — or scan a code, mostly through Mercado Pago, the dominant payment app. Cards work too, and some shops quote a discount for cash.

The three usual ways: bring dollars and change them, have money sent to a cash-pickup counter, or sell crypto for pesos into a local account and withdraw. Cuevas — informal currency exchanges — are part of the landscape, and informal is exactly what they are: no receipt, no recourse, a rate that varies house to house.

Two things tend to trigger it: getting residency, and time in the country — the half-year mark is the usual rule of thumb. Once you're a tax resident, Argentina can have a claim on income you earn abroad, and its wealth tax on what you own enters the picture.

Not on day one; yes before you earn, invoice or own anything here. The moment you register to invoice locally — usually under monotributo, the simplified small-taxpayer regime — buy property, or cross the tax-residency line with income abroad, a contador earns their fee.