CBU vs CVU in Argentina: meaning, format and example

Free transfers in seconds, but only once you have an account. What separates a CBU from a CVU, how a foreigner gets one without a DNI, and how to send money to Argentina from abroad.

Argentina has no IBAN (International Bank Account Number, the account format used across Europe and dozens of other countries). Every domestic transfer runs on a 22-digit number: a CBU (Clave Bancaria Uniforme, uniform bank key) for a bank account, or a CVU (Clave Virtual Uniforme, uniform virtual key) for a payment app such as Mercado Pago. Money moves between the two in seconds, and an individual pays nothing to send it: the rules of Argentina's central bank (BCRA, Banco Central de la República Argentina) say so.

The hard part is not the transfer. It is getting into the system. To get a CBU or CVU of your own, a foreigner needs an ID the bank will accept and an Argentine tax number. On March 2, 2026 the tax agency scrapped the CDI number for individuals, the code banks had asked foreigners without a local ID for years, and much of the advice online is now out of date. Below: how to read the 22 digits, where your money is insured and where it is not, how to open an account without a DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad, the Argentine national ID card), and how to send money to Argentina from abroad.

What are CBU and CVU in plain terms?

A CBU is a bank account number. BCRA rules require every bank to assign a CBU to each demand account, meaning a savings account (caja de ahorros) or a current account (cuenta corriente), and to give that number to the customer. Your salary comes in on a CBU, your rent goes out from it, and your power and internet bills are debited from it.

A CVU is the same kind of number for an account held in a payment app. The BCRA calls these companies PSPs (proveedores de servicios de pago, payment service providers). The CVU was created by Comunicación A 6510 of May 15, 2018 (a Comunicación A is the BCRA's name for a binding regulation). The goal was simple: let wallets into the banking system on equal terms. The rules state outright that a transfer involving a CVU must work exactly like one between two CBUs, with no extra steps and no separate screens.

An alias is a short nickname for an account, such as sol.rio.mate, that people read out instead of 22 digits. Every CBU and CVU has one, and for the sender all three work the same way.

What does a CBU look like? Format and example

The first three digits of a CBU tell you which bank the money is going to. The format is set by the BCRA and is the same for every bank in the country: two blocks, each with its own check digit.

Put together, the sample reads 0110599520000001234569. The number is made up, but both check digits follow the BCRA formula: the digits are multiplied by the repeating weights 9, 7, 1, 3 and the remainder after dividing by 10 decides the check digit. The point is practical: a typo in any single digit fails the check before the money leaves your account.

Codes for the largest banks: 011 - Banco Nación, 007 - Galicia, 014 - Banco Provincia, 017 - BBVA, 072 - Santander, 285 - Macro.

A CVU follows the same layout, but its first block always opens with three zeros. Next come four digits identifying the payment provider, unique across the system, and a check digit. In the second block the first digit is reserved and set to zero, the next 12 identify the customer inside the app, and the last is a check digit. A made-up sample: 0000007900000123456784.

Hence a simple rule: a number that starts with 000 leads to a wallet, not a bank. That matters when you decide where to receive a large sum.

CBU vs CVU: where is your money safer?

The real difference is not in the digits but in the insurance. Money in a bank account with a CBU is covered by the state deposit guarantee scheme run by SEDESA (Seguro de Depósitos S.A.): since April 1, 2026, up to 50 million pesos per person per bank, under Comunicación A 8407. A balance in a CVU wallet is not insured at all.

This is not speculation, it is the BCRA's own rule. A wallet must state in its advertising and documents that it is not a bank and that the money in its accounts is not a deposit and carries none of the guarantees deposits enjoy.

Wallets are protected in a different way. Under BCRA rules, 100% of customer money must sit at all times in peso demand accounts at Argentine banks and be available to the customer on request. The yield that apps display appears when you agree to move the money into a fondo común de dinero, a money market fund. At that point it is an investment, not a CVU balance.

For the biggest player, change is on the way. Mercado Pago applied for a banking license in May 2025, and in September 2026 BCRA director Juan Curutchet said it would receive one before the end of the year, as would Revolut. Until the license is granted, Mercado Pago operates as a payment provider and its CVU accounts follow the wallet rules.

A practical rule: keep spending money in the wallet, keep savings in a bank, and stay within 50 million pesos per bank.

What is an alias and how do you change it?

You can change the alias on an account, or move it to another account, no more than once a day and no more than 10 times per calendar year. Few people know about this BCRA limit until they hit it.

• Length of 6 to 20 characters: Latin letters, digits, dot and hyphen. The system does not distinguish between upper and lower case.
• An alias is unique nationwide. Offensive words and other people's trademarks cannot be registered.
• If you do not pick an alias yourself, the system assigns one: up to four simple Spanish words, one of which may be a number of up to four digits.
• An alias can be moved to an account at another bank or wallet. You do this at the new provider: once you confirm, the old link is removed automatically.
• A deleted alias never goes to anyone else: it stays tied to your tax number.

Your best protection against mistakes is the confirmation screen. Before a transfer to an alias goes through, the bank or wallet must show the account type, the CBU or CVU, the recipient's real name, the bank or app, the amount and the recipient's tax number or DNI. If the name does not match the person you mean to pay, cancel: getting money back after an instant transfer is far harder than not sending it.

How do I find my CBU or CVU?

• Bank. Open the app or online banking (home banking) and look for the account details section. The CBU is also printed on your statement, and you can get it at your bank's ATM or at a branch.
• Wallet. The CVU and alias are shown in the app, in your account details. BCRA rules require any screen that displays a CBU or CVU to display the alias as well.
• Someone else's CBU. There is no public way to look it up by name or DNI: the owner gives you the number or the alias.

How can a foreigner get a CBU or CVU in 2026?

A bank checks two things: who you are and your tax number. The BCRA rules on IDs for foreigners are more lenient than many assume, but the bank still has the final say.

ID. Under the BCRA rulebook on valid identity documents (Documentos de identificación en vigencia), a foreigner proves identity as follows:

• with precaria status (a temporary permit issued while a residence application is pending) or transitoria status (short-term stay) - with a passport;
• during the first year after temporary or permanent residence is granted - with a DNI or a passport;
• from one year after residence is granted - with a DNI only;
• as a non-resident - with an ID from the country of residence, apostilled and translated into Spanish by a translator registered in Argentina. Our translation and legalisation service handles this.

Tax number. The bank pulls it directly from government databases. A CUIL (Código Único de Identificación Laboral, labour ID number) is assigned together with the DNI. A CUIT (Clave Única de Identificación Tributaria, tax ID number) is issued by ARCA (Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero, the tax and customs agency that replaced AFIP, the Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos).

ARCA General Resolution 5803/2025 abolished the CDI (Clave de Identificación, an ID number for people without a CUIT) for individuals from March 2, 2026 and replaced it with the CUIT. A foreigner living in Argentina without a DNI gets a provisional CUIT for up to two years or for the length of their immigration status. A non-resident applies for a CUIT through a representative with an Argentine address, or in person while in the country. Step by step: how to get a CUIL and CUIT in Argentina.

Cost. Under BCRA rules a peso savings account is free to open and maintain, including one debit card and online banking. You never pay just for having a CBU.

What else the bank will ask. Besides your ID, the bank records your address, occupation and a statement on whether you hold public office (PEP status, persona expuesta políticamente). Proof of address can be, for example, a certificado de domicilio (certificate of residence address). The bank must check that account activity matches what you declared, and it may refuse to open the account.

Wallets. Payment apps must verify identity too. Their sign-up is built primarily around the Argentine DNI, so without a DNI do not count on a CVU, and check the specific app's requirements in advance.

The bottom line: full access to the financial system starts with residence and a DNI. For the routes to residence that work in 2026, see our guide to Argentina residence permits; for the everyday paperwork, see documents for living in Argentina.

How much does a CBU transfer cost, and what is the daily limit?

A transfer by an individual in Argentina is free under BCRA rules, and banks must allow at least 15,000 UVA a day per account without any special request. That is about 30.9 million pesos under the BCRA's 2026 conversion.

The UVA (Unidad de Valor Adquisitivo, purchasing power unit) is a unit of account that rises with inflation. In 2026 one UVA is worth about 2,060 pesos. The BCRA updates the peso equivalents three times a year, in March, July and November, so the limit in pesos keeps growing on its own.

The fee exemptions are spelled out: a consumer sending money pays nothing, anyone moving money between their own accounts pays nothing, and a micro-business pays nothing up to 7,500 UVA a month, about 15.4 million pesos. Banks may never charge a percentage of the amount for a transfer, only a flat fee where one is allowed.

The limit can be raised. On request through the app or at a branch, the bank clears a larger transfer for a specific day: useful when buying a car, for example.

Paying by QR code is also a transfer. This is the Transferencias 3.0 (Transfers 3.0) scheme, approved by the BCRA through Comunicación A 7153 of October 30, 2020. Since November 29, 2021, any QR code in a café or taxi can be paid from any bank or wallet.

How do I send money to Argentina from abroad?

Argentina does not use the IBAN, so for an international transfer the 22-digit CBU goes into the account number field. A bank transfer needs a CBU specifically: Wise also asks for a bank account number in its requirements.

The sender will need:

• the recipient's full name and address;
• the CBU of an account in the right currency: for dollars, the CBU of the dollar account;
• the SWIFT code (BIC, the international bank identifier) of the recipient's bank;
• the recipient's CUIT or CUIL, 11 digits.

The receiving bank may ask about the purpose of the payment and request documents, especially for large amounts. Since April 2025 (Comunicación A 8226), Argentine residents have been able to buy foreign currency without the old caps, so keeping savings in dollars in your own account is easier than in the years of the cepo, the strict currency controls.

The CNV (Comisión Nacional de Valores, Argentina's securities regulator) keeps a register of PSAVs (proveedores de servicios de activos virtuales, virtual asset service providers). Under CNV General Resolution 1058/2025, a platform that exchanges crypto for pesos must be on it. Look the platform up in the register before sending money.

How do I send money to Argentina from Russia?

There is no convenient direct channel from Russia, and it is better to plan for that before moving, not after. Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia in March 2022, so Russian-issued cards on those networks do not work abroad. Wise does not open accounts for customers with a Russian address, and banks the EU cut off from SWIFT cannot send SWIFT transfers at all.

SWIFT transfers from other Russian banks are possible, but intermediary banks handling dollars and euros may delay or return the payment. That leaves three options:

1. An account in a third country, opened in advance, and a transfer from it to your CBU. How to choose the country and bank: opening a foreign bank account.
2. Crypto: a stablecoin (a cryptocurrency pegged to the dollar, such as USDT) is sold for pesos on an Argentine platform listed with the CNV, and the pesos are withdrawn to your CVU or CBU. For the tax side of this route, see crypto and relocation.
3. Cash dollars. Under ARCA General Resolution 5659/2025, amounts of 10,000 dollars or more must be declared to customs on arrival; for children under 16 the threshold is 5,000 dollars. Check the currency export rules of the country you fly from as well. Old bills fetch a worse rate in Argentina than new ones, see where old US dollar bills are hard to spend.

Whatever the route, keep statements, contracts and receipts: an Argentine bank or the tax agency may ask where the money came from. How to build that file in advance: source of funds. From Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the EU and other countries without sanctions restrictions, ordinary SWIFT transfers and money transfer services work, and the sending bank sets the limits.

CBU vs Pix vs CuentaRUT: how do neighbouring countries compare?

For ease of payment Argentina is on a par with Brazil's Pix, and for foreigners the entry bar is similar to its neighbours: in none of the three countries can you open a full account without a local tax number or ID.

Brazil's central bank launched Pix on November 16, 2020, and it is essentially the same idea as the alias, except that a phone number or tax number replaces the made-up words. For comparison, a German IBAN is also 22 characters long, but it starts with the country code DE. The difference is that banks worldwide understand an IBAN, while only Argentine banks understand a CBU, which is why an international transfer always pairs it with a SWIFT code.

Pitfalls: taxes, checks and transfer mistakes

• Different CBUs for pesos and dollars. Peso and dollar accounts have separate numbers, and transfers only go between accounts in the same currency. Before a large payment, ask the recipient to confirm their CBU.
• A screenshot is not money. An instant transfer shows up in your own app straight away. Hand over the goods or the keys once the money is in your account, not when someone shows you a picture of a receipt.
• The tax agency sees your turnover. ARCA General Resolution 5699/2025 requires banks and wallets to report individuals whose monthly inflows or month-end balance reach 50 million pesos or more, a threshold that is revised for inflation. It is not a tax or a fine, but it can prompt questions about where the money came from.
• Turnover tax withheld at source. If you are registered for Ingresos Brutos, the provincial gross turnover tax, for example as a monotributista (a taxpayer under the simplified single tax), the province may withhold part of each inflow straight from your account: through SIRCREB (Sistema de Recaudación y Control de Acreditaciones Bancarias, the withholding system for bank account inflows) at banks and through SIRCUPA, its counterpart for payment accounts at CVU wallets, which has been running since October 1, 2022.
• Bank transaction tax. Law 25,413 introduced the impuesto al cheque, a tax on credits and debits in bank accounts at up to 0.6% of each transaction. Savings accounts (caja de ahorros) are exempt under Article 10(u) of Decree 380/2001; current accounts (cuenta corriente) are not. The full picture: taxes in Argentina.
• Someone else's account. Taking regular payments into a friend's CBU risks getting that account blocked: the bank must check that account activity matches what its owner declared.
• The alias change cap. No more than 10 changes per calendar year. Do not waste them on experiments.

Who is an Argentine account not for?

An account in Argentina is a tool for living in the country, not a safe and not an offshore haven. It will not help, or is simply unnecessary, for:

• A tourist staying a couple of weeks. Opening a CBU for a holiday makes no sense: gathering the documents takes longer than the trip.
• Anyone seeking privacy. ARCA receives turnover data, and Argentina takes part in automatic exchange of financial account information under the CRS (Common Reporting Standard): data on non-residents' accounts goes to their country of tax residence.
• Anyone planning to keep large sums in a wallet. A CVU is not insured; savings belong in a bank.
• Anyone who needs an account without moving. For a non-resident with no plans to get residence, an Argentine bank offers little. Compare neighbouring Paraguay: how to open a bank account in Paraguay as a foreigner.

How we help

We start with your status, whether tourist, precaria, resident or non-resident, and tell you plainly which account you can realistically open now and which only after a DNI. Then come the CUIT, a bank-ready document file with apostilles and translations, and support until the bank decides. The decision to open an account rests with the bank.

More about the service: personal accounts in Argentina. Everything about the country in one place, from residence to taxes and citizenship: Argentina.

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