RUARGENTINA: reviews & investigation
Argentine police searched the company's premises in February 2023. Their contracts are legally classified as "information services," not immigration assistance. And the deposit of up to 3,000 USDT in crypto is non-refundable by design. Sounds fine until you read the fine print.
Who is RUARGENTINA and what do they do
Services: Argentina immigration (temporary residency, permanent residency, citizenship), birth tourism, private tours in Buenos Aires and Iguazu, real estate transactions, accounting and legal consulting.
Location: Junin 1349, C1126, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Founded: Domain registered August 20, 2016; services marketed from 2017. Founder claims operations started in 2015.
Founder: Kirill Makoveev, former journalist (NGS.ru, Novosibirsk). Relocated to Argentina around 2014-2015.
Co-founder: Maria Golikova, psychologist, heads the birth services division.
Contact: +54 9 11 2252 0654
Email: [email protected]
Website: ruargentina.com
Key fact: The company is not registered as a law firm or immigration consultancy. Founder Makoveev operates as a sole trader (Monotributista) under activity code 639100, which covers "information agencies," not legal or immigration services. This matters a lot when you're paying $11,000 for residency help.
Trust Score
Based on 1.45/5 from verified data points including criminal investigation records, contract terms, and client feedback
What RUARGENTINA sells and who they sell it to
RUARGENTINA started in 2017 as a personal blog about Argentina and has since grown into what the company calls a "full ecosystem" for Russian-speaking expats. The pitch is simple: you pay them, they handle everything. No Spanish required. No bureaucracy on your end. Just show up, and the paperwork is already done.
That's a compelling offer. Argentina immigration is genuinely confusing, the timeline for residency can stretch across years, and finding a local lawyer who speaks Russian is difficult. But the question isn't whether there's a real market here. The question is whether this particular company actually delivers, and whether you're protected if it doesn't.
Their pricing is public, which is a good sign. First-stage residency starts at $3,000 USD. Full legalization (from temporary residency all the way through to an Argentine passport) costs $11,000 USD. If you want to have a child in Argentina and get residency for both parents on that basis, the package runs $6,500 USD. Guided tours start at $400 for a full day in Buenos Aires. And they accept payment in USD, Russian rubles, and USDT cryptocurrency.
The crypto part is where things get complicated. A deposit of 1,000 to 3,000 USDT is required before work begins. And that deposit is non-refundable. The contract you sign classifies the service as "informational." So if your visa gets denied, you don't get your money back. Because technically, you only paid for information, not for a result.
In 2024, the company began rebranding as RuLATAM, expanding to Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. A new domain, rulatam.com, was registered in May 2025 through the same registrar (Hostinger Operations UAB). Whether this expansion reflects growth or an attempt to outrun a damaged reputation is a question worth asking.
Who's behind RUARGENTINA: checking the paperwork
Argentine Tax Registry (AFIP)
The company does not operate through a corporate entity (S.R.L. or S.A. in Argentine law). All activity runs through the personal registration of the founder:
- Name: MAKOVEEV KIRILL
- CUIT: 23-19075631-9
- Registration type: Monotributista (sole trader, lowest-tier business registration in Argentina)
- Activity code: 639100 (Agencias de noticias / Information agencies)
- Registration date: May 1, 2019
- Status: Active (AFIP registry)
The activity code is the critical issue here. Code 639100 covers news and information agencies. It does not cover immigration consulting, legal services, or any form of licensed legal advice. Yet RUARGENTINA charges up to $11,000 for immigration assistance and markets its team as "Argentina's best immigration lawyers."
Domain registration
Domain ruargentina.com was first registered on August 20, 2016, through HOSTINGER operations, UAB. It's set to expire August 20, 2026. The nameservers (NS1.DNS-PARKING.COM, NS2.DNS-PARKING.COM) indicate the domain is parked or uses a basic hosting setup.
You can cross-check the current domain history through Web Archive. The site has been indexed since at least 2017.
No attorney license on file
Argentine immigration lawyers must be registered with the Consejo de Abogados de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. RUARGENTINA does not publish any bar registration number on its website, nor the credentials of the lawyers it claims to employ. You're asked to pay thousands of dollars to unnamed attorneys with no verifiable professional standing.
For comparison, the Argentine immigration authority (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, DNM) also requires licensed representatives to be formally accredited. There's no public record of RUARGENTINA or Makoveev holding that accreditation.
RUARGENTINA risk analysis: 5 things to know
| Area | Risk | What we found | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | medium | Prices are published publicly: first residency from $3,000, full legalization $11,000, birth package $6,500. Comparable to market rates in Buenos Aires. | You know the price upfront, but the deposit of 1,000-3,000 USDT leaves your account before any paperwork starts. |
| Contract | high | Services are legally described as "informational" in the contract. This removes the company's responsibility for any government denial or processing outcome. | You're paying thousands for a service that, on paper, is no different from buying a newsletter subscription. No result is guaranteed, and none can be contractually demanded. |
| Timelines | medium | No timelines are published on the website. Argentine residency can take 3 months to 2+ years depending on the basis and volume at DNM. | Contact them directly for current estimates. Don't assume speed based on marketing copy. |
| Legal exposure | high | Argentine police searched addresses connected to RUARGENTINA in February 2023 as part of a criminal investigation into document forgery and birth tourism schemes. Infobae and La Nacion both reported on the raids. | The investigation may have affected the company's operating capacity and relationships with Argentine authorities. The case outcome is not publicly confirmed as of early 2026. |
| Refunds | high | The deposit is explicitly non-refundable. This applies even if you change your mind, face a family emergency, or experience a force majeure event. Payments in USDT are irreversible by design. | Once you pay, the money is gone regardless of outcome. There's no legal mechanism in Argentina to recover cryptocurrency sent to a Monotributista under an "information services" contract. |
RUARGENTINA: red flags and green lights
| ✅ | Domain since 2016. The site has been online for 8+ years, which rules out a quick-launch scam operation. Most fraud sites don't survive 12 months. |
| ✅ | Founder uses his real name and CUIT publicly. Kirill Makoveev posts his Argentine tax ID (CUIT 23-19075631-9) and DNI in public channels. That's unusually transparent for this industry. |
| ✅ | RUARGENTINA® is a registered trademark. Trademark registration requires real legal presence and ongoing fees. It's one verifiable signal of a real business. |
| ✅ | Scamadviser rates it 100/100. Automated trust score at Scamadviser is the maximum, based on domain age, SSL, and hosting patterns. |
| ✅ | Prices are posted publicly. Most comparable agencies hide their rates. RUARGENTINA puts the numbers on the website, which at minimum prevents bait-and-switch pricing. |
| ⚠️ | Registered as an "information agency," not a law firm. AFIP activity code 639100 covers news agencies. Offering immigration services under this code means no professional licensing requirements apply to the work performed. |
| ⚠️ | Contradictory Trustpilot ratings. The same platform shows scores of 1.0, 3.5, and 4.1 for ruargentina.com on Trustpilot across different data sources. This suggests either selective review removal or manipulation. |
| ⚠️ | ORM (reputation management) activity detected. A network of aggregator sites (revizor.info, otzyv-kompanii.com) runs templated positive articles about RUARGENTINA with unusual comment patterns. This is standard reputation management, but it distorts the real picture. |
| ⚠️ | Rebranding to RuLATAM in progress. Domain rulatam.com was registered in May 2025. Expanding to Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay mid-investigation raises questions about the motivation behind the rebrand. |
| ❌ | Argentine police conducted searches in February 2023. Law enforcement searched addresses linked to the company under criminal conspiracy and document forgery charges connected to birth tourism. The founder denies the allegations. |
| ❌ | Non-refundable crypto deposit of up to 3,000 USDT. Requiring irreversible payment in cryptocurrency before any work starts is a structural advantage for the company, not for you. If anything goes wrong, recovering those funds through Argentine courts is effectively impossible. |
| ❌ | Contract defines services as "informational." The legal document you sign removes any obligation on RUARGENTINA's part to achieve an outcome. They can take your money, provide some documents or advice, and face zero liability if the Argentine government rejects your application. |
| ❌ | No attorney licenses published. Despite claiming access to "the best immigration lawyers in Argentina," the website shows no bar registration numbers, no names of individual attorneys, and no accreditation from DNM for formal legal representation. |
RUARGENTINA vs competitors: which makes more sense
The highlighted column is the company under review. best means best value in that row. worst means highest risk or cost. mixed means it depends.
| Parameter | RUARGENTINA ★ | Licensed Buenos Aires immigration attorney | DIY via DNM portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,000 - $11,000 expensive | $1,500 - $5,000 | $200 - $400 (gov fees only) cheapest |
| Attorney license | Not published unverified | Bar registration number public verified | Not applicable |
| Published timelines | None on website | Varies (3-12 months typical) mixed | 3-18 months (government pace) |
| Refund policy | Non-refundable deposit no refunds | Partial refund possible on unused hours | No deposit required best |
| Legal structure | Sole trader, "info agency" mixed | Licensed legal entity verified | N/A (self-managed) |
| Criminal investigation | Yes (2023 police raids) on record | None found clean | None applicable |
Note: "Licensed Buenos Aires immigration attorney" data reflects typical market rates and practices, not a specific named firm. Always verify independently before engaging any service provider.
What to check before paying RUARGENTINA
- Contract language: Ask for the full written contract before paying anything. Read every clause. If the service is described as "informational" anywhere in that document, ask them to change it. If they won't, that tells you something.
- Attorney credentials: Request the full name and bar registration number (matricula) of the attorney who will file your documents. Check the registration against the Buenos Aires Bar Association directory. If they can't provide this, there is no attorney.
- Payment method: Do not pay in cryptocurrency if you want any chance of a refund. Ask about wire transfer or payment via a traceable Argentine bank account. Crypto deposits to a sole trader operating as an information agency cannot be recovered through any legal channel.
- Refund clause: Ask specifically what happens if DNM (Argentina's immigration authority) denies your application. Get the answer in writing, in the contract. "We'll do our best" is not a refund policy.
- Timeline in writing: Ask for a realistic processing timeline and have it included in the agreement. Absent a written estimate, there's no basis for any complaint if work drags on for 18 months.
- Investigation status: Ask the company directly about the 2023 criminal investigation. Their answer, and willingness to discuss it, will tell you more about the company's culture than any marketing copy.
- Google Maps and Trustpilot: Check BBB, Trustpilot, and Google Maps for the most recent reviews, not the curated ones on their website. Note when the reviews were posted and look for patterns in dates.
- Independent legal opinion: Before paying $6,500 or $11,000, spend $200 on a one-hour consultation with a separately licensed Buenos Aires immigration attorney. Use that hour to verify whether what RUARGENTINA is promising is legally achievable in your specific situation.
Frequently asked questions about RUARGENTINA
Is RUARGENTINA legit or a scam?
It's not a clean-cut answer either way. The company has real clients, a real Buenos Aires address, a domain running since 2016, and a public founder. But Argentine police searched premises connected to RUARGENTINA in February 2023 under criminal conspiracy and document forgery charges. Their contracts are deliberately structured to remove legal liability. And the non-refundable crypto deposit is a risk structure that protects the company, not the client. Decide carefully.
What does RUARGENTINA charge for immigration to Argentina?
First residency (temporary residency with translator and document filing): from $3,000 USD. Full legalization from temporary residency to Argentine passport, with up to 5 years of support: $11,000 USD. Birth in Argentina plus residency for both parents: $6,500 USD. All packages require a non-refundable deposit of 1,000 to 3,000 USDT before work begins.
What happened during the 2023 Argentine police investigation?
In February 2023, Argentine law enforcement carried out searches at addresses linked to RUARGENTINA as part of a criminal investigation into organized birth tourism. Authorities were investigating allegations of "criminal conspiracy" and "document forgery," specifically schemes that allegedly helped foreign nationals obtain Argentine residency or citizenship through falsified documentation. Infobae and La Nacion both covered the raids. The founder publicly denied the allegations. As of early 2026, the outcome of the criminal case has not been publicly confirmed.
Does RUARGENTINA give refunds if my visa is denied?
No. Their contract explicitly states that the upfront deposit is non-refundable under all circumstances, including personal circumstances changing, force majeure, or an adverse government decision. Because the service is legally classified as "informational," the company carries no obligation for results. If your application is denied, you have no contractual basis for recovering the deposit.
Is birth tourism to Argentina through RUARGENTINA legal?
Argentine citizenship at birth (jus soli) is guaranteed under Argentine law for children born on Argentine soil. Organizing a trip to Argentina for the purpose of giving birth is not inherently illegal. However, the 2023 police investigation specifically targeted schemes that allegedly involved forged documents in connection with birth tourism services. The legal risk depends on exactly what documents are prepared, how they are submitted, and whether any information is falsified. Consult an independent Argentine attorney before proceeding.
Who is Kirill Makoveev, the founder of RUARGENTINA?
Makoveev is a former journalist who worked at the Novosibirsk news portal NGS.ru before relocating to Argentina around 2014-2015. He built RUARGENTINA starting around 2016-2017, initially as a tourism blog and later as an immigration and relocation service. His Argentine CUIT is 23-19075631-9, registered from May 1, 2019. He's publicly active on Telegram (12,500 subscribers as of early 2026) and YouTube (8,700 subscribers, 221 videos). Co-founder Maria Golikova, a psychologist, runs the birth services arm of the business.
Where can I read or leave a review about RUARGENTINA?
Reviews from real clients are collected at proverj.com/ruargentina/ and at this page on migration.us.com. You can also check Trustpilot, Google Maps, and the RUARGENTINA Facebook page. When reading reviews, note the posting dates. A cluster of 5-star reviews posted in the same week is a pattern worth questioning.
Expert verdict on RUARGENTINA
I've been in the immigration business since 2011. I've run 50+ offices across the US and abroad. I've seen every flavor of immigration consulting, from the professionally run to the outright predatory. RUARGENTINA sits in uncomfortable territory between the two.
Let me start with what I actually respect about this operation. Kirill Makoveev is not hiding. He posts his CUIT publicly. He puts his face on the product. He's been doing this for nearly a decade. In an industry full of anonymous "visa consultants" with no traceable identity, that kind of public accountability is genuinely valuable. The pricing is transparent. The services cover a real gap in the market. And the tourism side of the business, judging by client feedback, seems to work reasonably well.
But the immigration side is a different story. And I say this with professional specificity, not general skepticism.
What concerns me most is the contract structure. Classifying a $11,000 immigration assistance service as an "information service" is not a technicality. It's a legal architecture that eliminates the provider's risk entirely while concentrating all of it on the client. You pay, you get advice, and if the Argentine government says no, you have no contractual recourse. That's not how legitimate immigration law practices operate.
The 2023 police investigation is also not something I can look past. I don't know the outcome of that case. But law enforcement doesn't typically search a private residence over a misunderstanding. Document forgery in immigration contexts is a serious charge. And the timing, February 2023, with an active client base and ongoing marketing, means people may have paid for services during a period when the company was under active criminal scrutiny.
The non-refundable crypto deposit is the third structural problem. Cryptocurrency payments to a sole trader operating as an information agency are, in practice, unrecoverable through any legal channel available to a foreign client. That's an asymmetric risk structure. You take all the downside. They keep the upside regardless.
My honest assessment: if you're looking for a Buenos Aires tour guide or someone to help you find a good milanesa, RUARGENTINA probably delivers. But if you're sending $6,500 or $11,000 for immigration help, especially after a 2023 criminal investigation that targeted the specific services they sell, you need to consult an independently licensed Argentine immigration attorney first. Spend the $200 on that consultation. It might save you ten times that amount.
Don't get burned
A glossy website and 5-star testimonials don't tell the full story. Read what real clients say before committing thousands of dollars to any immigration service.
Read real reviews about RUARGENTINA