We propose a new instrumental variable estimator of the complex parameter of a class of univariate complex-valued diffusion processes defined by the possibly non-stationary and/or nonlinear stochastic differential equations. On the basis of the exact finite sample distribution of the pivotal quantity, we construct the exact confidence intervals and the exact tests for the parameter. Monte-Carlo simulation suggests that the new estimator seems to provide a viable alternative to the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for nonlinear and/or non-stationary processes.