Argentina's Milei government pushes law to lift limits on foreign land ownership

President Javier Milei’s administration has introduced a bill called the “Inviolability of Private Property” that would repeal the current limits on foreign ownership of rural land in Argentina. Under Law 26.737, foreigners may hold at most 15 % of the country’s rural territory and are restricted to 1,000 ha in core zones. The new proposal would remove those caps, allowing unlimited purchases by foreign individuals, companies or states. Observers note that about 13 million hectares—roughly five percent of Argentina’s rural land and an area the size of England—are already owned by foreigners, concentrated in border regions, the Paraná river corridor, and areas with strategic mineral or water resources.

Local opposition has risen, especially in the northeast province of Misiones. Seventy‑seven mayors, grouped through the Association of Mayors of Northern Misiones and the Integral Municipal Development Commission, have asked provincial senators to reject the bill, warning that it threatens the Guaraní aquifer, the Parana rainforest and national sovereignty. Critics also condemn the bill’s “positive administrative silence” clause, which would automatically grant ownership if the state fails to respond within 180 days.