阿根廷政府周五在巴黎推出了一项投资入籍计划——即“黄金护照”，这是哈维尔·米莱总统吸引外资的最新尝试。
By Patrick Gillespie and Jim Wyss The Argentine government unveiled a citizenship-by-investment program — or “golden passport” — Friday in Paris, the latest attempt by President Javier Milei to attract foreign investment.
这项新计划是南美洲国家的首创，也是全球采用该计划的最大国家，将于第四季度生效，届时外国人可从两种选择中挑选一项以获得阿根廷国籍。
The new program, a first for any South American nation and the largest country worldwide to adopt one, takes effect in the fourth quarter when foreigners can choose from two options to secure citizenship in Argentina.
根据经济部周五发布的声明，主申请人可向国库支付35万美元不可退还的款项。配偶需额外支付10万美元，18岁以下子女每人需支付2.5万美元。总计而言，一个四口之家需支付50万美元。
The principal applicant can make a non-refundable $350,000 payment to the national treasury. A spouse would require an additional $100,000 payment, while children under 18 would also require $25,000 per child. In total, a family of four would pay $500,000, according to a statement Friday from the Economy Ministry.
另一条途径允许申请人购买价值80万美元的政府债券，该债券将专门为入籍计划而设立。声明称，所有资金将用于“继续巩固阿根廷共和国的财政和金融地位”。申请将“接受旨在维护国家安全、金融体系完整性和阿根廷国籍国际声誉的严格评估流程”，声明未详细说明申请处理需要多长时间。该计划将包含防止洗钱的措施。
The other path allows applicants to buy a government bond worth $800,000 that will be created specifically for the citizenship program. All the funds will be destined “to continue strengthening the fiscal and financial position of the Argentine Republic.”Applications will be “subject to a rigorous evaluation process designed to preserve national security, the integrity of the financial system and the international prestige of Argentine citizenship,” according to the statement, which didn’t detail how long an application would take. The program will include measures to prevent money laundering.
但在距离阿根廷总统大选还有一年的时间里，这项护照计划势必会遭到米莱政敌的抨击，因为近几个月来民族主义情绪高涨。一项旨在放宽外国人在阿根廷购买农田限制的法案，在议员通过前不得不被大幅删减。亿万富翁科技大亨彼得·蒂尔在布宜诺斯艾利斯购房一事，也引发了公众抗议和猜测，担心富有侨民影响总统的立法议程。
But a year out from Argentina’s presidential elections, the passport program is bound to run into pushback from Milei’s political opponents amid a wave of nationalist sentiment in recent months. A bill to make it easier for foreigners to purchase farmland in Argentina had to be gutted before lawmakers passed it. The arrival of billionaire tech Peter Thiel, who bought a house in Buenos Aires, has also sparked public protests and speculation about a wealthy expat influencing the president’s legislative agenda.
这项护照计划是米莱为吸引外国投资者与企业所采取的系列举措的一部分。他此前曾为大型企业提供企业税减免及法律保障，推行了具有历史意义的劳动改革，还进一步开放阿根廷经济、放宽贸易管制。不过，现行的资本管制措施以及政治局势的不确定性，使得许多企业在明年大选前仍持观望态度。
The passport program is part of Milei’s broader attempts to win over foreign investors and firms. He’s provided corporate tax breaks and legal guarantees for large corporations; passed a historic labor reform; and opened up Argentina’s economy to trade and deregulation. Still, existing capital controls and political uncertainty have kept many companies on the sidelines ahead of next year’s elections.
支持公民身份及签证计划的人士对阿根廷的这一举措表示欢迎。他们指出，这个南美国家远离全球冲突地带，且布宜诺斯艾利斯极具吸引力。据国际移民咨询机构林肯全球合伙公司的首席执行官大卫·林肯介绍，虽然一些加勒比海国家只需25万美元就能让整个家庭获得公民身份，但阿根廷的国土规模、文化底蕴以及较高的生活品质足以支撑其收取更高的费用。
Advocates of citizenship and visa programs hailed Argentina’s announcement, noting the South American nation’s location far away from global conflicts as well as the allure of Buenos Aires. Whereas some Caribbean nations offer citizenship to families for $250,000, Argentina’s size, culture and quality of living justify the higher price tag, according to David Lincoln, chief executive of Lincoln Global Partners, an international immigration consulting firm.
“这可不仅仅是一本高端的第二本护照，它堪称一套完整的‘备选方案’，完全满足了各类需求，”林肯说道，“阿根廷是一个人们真正愿意移居的国家，至少人们会希望拥有这样的选择。”以往，出售护照的通常是那些自然资源匮乏、急需外资的小国。迄今为止，出售所谓“黄金护照”的最大国家是黑山，其人口仅为62.8万。
“This isn’t just a premium second passport. It’s the complete Plan B and it ticks every box,” Lincoln said. “Argentina is a country people will genuinely relocate to, or at least want the option to.”Traditionally, passport sales have been the remit of small countries with few natural resources and starved for foreign investment. The largest country until now to sell so-called golden passports is Montenegro, with a population of 628,000.
曾为阿根廷政府提供相关计划咨询的阿佩克斯资本合伙公司总裁努里·卡茨表示：“阿根廷绝对是全球范围内实施此类举措的最大国家。”
Argentina “is the biggest country in the world — by far — to ever have done such a thing,” said Nuri Katz, president of Apex Capital Partners, which has advised the Argentine government on the program.
从全球范围来看，购买第二本护照的主要群体多为亚洲、非洲及东欧民众，他们希望借此获得免签进入欧盟及其他地区的资格。凭借其庞大的规模与广泛的影响力，阿根廷有望吸引更多不同背景的买家。卡茨预计，美国与欧洲的民众将成为主要客户群体。
Globally, the main buyers of second citizenship tend to be Asian, African and Eastern European nationals who see in the programs a way to gain visa-free travel to the European Union and elsewhere. Argentina, due to its size and scope, could draw more diverse buyers. Katz expects US and Europeans to be the main clients.
这项新政策可能对五个加勒比国家构成严重威胁；这些国家通过出售公民身份来获取收入，而这些收入占其国内经济的很大一部分。
The new program could be a particular threat to the five Caribbean nations that sell their citizenship and count on those revenues for a large chunk of their respective economies.
卡茨表示：“阿根廷是第一个意识到‘允许投资者通过购买公民身份来吸引外国直接投资’这一做法价值的G20成员国。虽然它是第一个采取这一措施的国家，但我认为这不会是最后一个。”
Argentina is “the first G-20 country that has realized the value of allowing investors to receive citizenship as a way to encourage direct foreign investment,” Katz said. “It’s the first, but I don’t think it will be the last.”