Send Money from the US to Argentina for Business (2026)

Key takeaways

A foreign payer cannot pay an Argentine account with the CBU alone; it needs the bank's inbound SWIFT instructions for the dollar account.
Under BCRA Communication A 8481, effective 15 September 2026, a company must bring in and settle proceeds of services sold abroad within 20 business days of receipt.
For most goods sold to unrelated buyers, the deadline to bring in export proceeds is 180 calendar days from shipment, and 30 days for grains, oilseeds and fuels.
BBVA Argentina's corporate guide shows an incoming payment waiting as a payment order until the client selects the concept, completes the sworn statements and signs.
Banco Provincia publishes a charge of 0.20%, minimum USD 30, to pay out incoming transfers, plus USD 30 correspondent commission and USD 20 for SWIFT.

Details to collect from an Argentine recipient

Argentine banks identify a company by its CUIT, the tax identification code issued by the national tax agency, ARCA. A local account is identified for domestic transfers by its CBU, but a payer abroad cannot use the CBU alone: it needs the bank's international inbound instructions for the dollar account, including the US correspondent bank.

Field	What to ask for	Common mistake
Beneficiary name	Registered name exactly as on the account	Trade name or abbreviation
CUIT	The company's tax identification code	Missing, so the bank cannot match the client
Beneficiary account	The dollar account number in the bank's inbound format	The peso account, or the CBU alone
Bank and SWIFT code	Full bank name, address and 8 or 11-character code	Branch name only
Intermediary bank	The US correspondent, its SWIFT code and the bank's account there	Left out
Reference	Invoice number, and the export declaration number for goods	No reference, so classification is delayed

Field list from the BBVA Argentina payment order guide and standard SWIFT practice; confirm the recipient bank's exact instructions. As published on 29 October 2026.

Why most payments to Argentina are sent in US dollars

Argentine companies can hold dollar accounts, and a US payer normally pays in dollars. What happens after arrival is set by the Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA) in its consolidated rules, Exterior y Cambios. A company that sells abroad must bring the proceeds into Argentina and settle them, meaning sell the dollars for pesos at the official market, within a deadline. Communication A 8481 updated those deadlines with effect from 15 September 2026.

What you pay for	BCRA deadline for the Argentine company	Settled for pesos?
Services	20 business days from receipt or crediting abroad	Yes, unless an exception applies
Most goods, unrelated buyer	180 calendar days from shipment	Yes
Leather goods, clothing, footwear, headwear	365 calendar days from shipment	Yes
Goods to a related buyer, ores and precious metals	60 calendar days from shipment	Yes
Grains, oilseeds and fuels	30 calendar days from shipment	Yes

Sources: BCRA Communication A 8481; BCRA Communication A 8417; Allende & Brea summary. As published on 29 October 2026.

A related buyer is a company in the same group, so a US parent paying its Argentine subsidiary for goods falls in the 60-day row. Communication A 8417 exempts individuals, including freelancers, from settling service and goods export proceeds credited to a foreign currency account in their own name at a local bank, provided the transaction is tax neutral and they are not acting for a company. For peso values, see the USD to ARS currency page.

Rails and arrival times

The route is a SWIFT wire through the Argentine bank's US correspondent. For the transit leg, Swift reports that almost 100% of gpi payments are credited within 24 hours. In Argentina the payment then waits as an orden de pago, a payment order, until the recipient acts. BBVA Argentina's corporate guide lists the steps: select the pending order, enter the amount to settle, the concept and the account to credit, complete the sworn statements, choose an automatic or requested exchange quotation, attach documents and sign.

Stage	Published timing or rule	Source
SWIFT transit	Almost 100% of gpi payments within 24 hours	Swift
Payment order at the Argentine bank	Waits until the recipient instructs the bank	BBVA Argentina
Settlement of service proceeds	Within 20 business days	BCRA A 8481

Sources: Swift gpi; BBVA Argentina; BCRA. As published on 29 October 2026.

So a wire your bank shows as delivered may sit unsettled for days while the supplier gathers documents. Send the SWIFT confirmation the same day.

Documents and concept codes

The concept is the BCRA code that classifies the operation, for example a goods export or a type of service, and it drives which sworn statements and documents the bank asks for. For goods, BBVA Argentina's guide shows shipping permits or courier guides, with FOB, freight and insurance amounts, loaded against the concept. Send the supplier your invoice, the purchase order and anything that identifies the shipment, and keep the reference identical across all of them.

On the US side, every payment to an Argentine company must pass sanctions screening: OFAC states that all US persons, including all US incorporated entities and their foreign branches, must comply with US sanctions, so the payer, the recipient and the recipient's bank are checked before the money moves.

Costs: Helm fees, intermediary deductions, SHA and OUR

Argentine banks publish their foreign trade charges. Banco Provincia's tariff, in force from 1 June 2026, lists 0.20%, minimum USD 30, to pay out incoming transfers, a USD 30 correspondent commission and USD 20 for SWIFT on transfers. For the supplier, the larger cost is often the official rate at which its bank buys the dollars. Every SWIFT wire carries a charge code. OUR means the sender pays all charges, so the full amount should arrive. SHA means charges are shared: the sender pays its own provider, and intermediary banks may deduct their fees in transit. BEN means every charge comes out of the amount sent. Helm international payments show the rate, the fee and the expected arrival before you confirm, and the account manager confirms the route for each corridor.

Helm agrees pricing with each business in writing before the account opens, and shows the rate, the fee and the expected arrival before you confirm each payment. See how Helm pricing works.

Why payments to Argentina are held

Cause	What to do
CBU given instead of inbound SWIFT details	Ask for the bank's inbound instructions for the dollar account
Missing US correspondent	Include the intermediary bank the recipient's bank names
Concept or documents not ready	Send invoice, purchase order and shipment details with the payment
Payer is not the invoiced buyer	Pay from the company named on the invoice
SHA deductions	Send OUR when the full amount must arrive

Sources: BBVA Argentina; BCRA. As published on 29 October 2026.

For the Argentine side of the account question, see USD business accounts in Argentina.

Checklist before you send

Ask for the bank's inbound SWIFT instructions for the dollar account, not just the CBU.
Record the supplier's CUIT and use its registered name.
State in the reference whether you pay for goods or services, with the invoice number.
Send the SWIFT confirmation the same day so the supplier can instruct its payment order.
Expect the supplier to settle the proceeds within its BCRA deadline.

Open a Helm account

USD, EUR and GBP accounts in your company's name, with a named account manager.

Open account

Questions

Can I pay an Argentine supplier with its CBU?

Not from abroad. The CBU identifies Argentine accounts for domestic transfers. A US payer needs the bank's inbound SWIFT instructions for the dollar account, including its US correspondent.

Must an Argentine company convert my dollars to pesos?

Usually yes. Under BCRA rules, companies must bring in and settle export proceeds: within 20 business days for services and, for most goods, within 180 days from shipment.

Why does my Argentine supplier say the money has not arrived?

Incoming wires wait as a payment order until the supplier selects the concept code, completes sworn statements and signs, as BBVA Argentina's corporate guide shows.

What does an Argentine bank charge to receive a wire?

Banco Provincia publishes 0.20%, minimum USD 30, to pay out incoming transfers, plus a USD 30 correspondent commission and USD 20 for SWIFT. Other banks set their own.

Can an Argentine freelancer keep dollars from a US client?

Yes, under Communication A 8417, if the money is credited to a foreign currency account in the individual's own name at a local bank and the transaction is tax neutral.

References

HelmHelm is a business account for companies that trade internationally: USD, EUR and GBP accounts, international payments, collections and currency exchange, with a named account manager. Questions: [email protected].

This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.

Sending business payments from the US to Argentina