Can a Foreigner Buy Property?
You want to buy land, a house or a flat in another country, or you have inherited one. May a foreigner own it? This guide explains, country by country, who may own land and buildings, whether a company can buy instead, and which zones and types of property are closed.
Part of the Legal Families Atlas family of tools. Each country page links to that country’s legal-system profile.
Foreigners may buy on much the same terms as citizensForeigners may buy, but with permission, zones or type limitsForeigners cannot own the land, only lease it or hold use rightsPurchase by foreigners is closed or allowed only in narrow casesNot yet covered
Read this first
Property law changes, and several countries have recently tightened or loosened their rules. This guide describes the structure of each country’s rule: can a foreigner own land, buildings, through a company, and where are the limits. It does not list prices, taxes, fees or quotas, because those change. Each country page names an official source. Check it, and take advice from a lawyer in the country, before you sign anything or pay a deposit. This is general information, not legal advice.
Every country covered
The short answer first. Open each country for land, buildings, companies, limits and official sources.
| Country | Can a foreigner buy? | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Restricted | In Australia, a foreign person needs approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board for most property purchases. Approval is mostly for new homes and vacant land, and a temporary ban on foreigners buying existing homes has applied since 2025. |
| Austria | Conditional | Austria lets foreigners buy property only under rules made by each province. Buyers from outside the EEA usually need approval, and several provinces limit secondary homes. |
| Brazil | Conditional | Brazil lets foreigners buy urban property freely. Rural land is limited and needs authorisation, and land in a border strip needs approval from the national defence authorities. |
| Bulgaria | Conditional | Bulgaria's Constitution bars foreigners from owning land, except as the EU rules or a treaty allow. Foreigners may own buildings and flats freely, EU citizens may buy land, and a foreigner from outside the EU commonly buys land through a Bulgarian company. |
| Canada | Restricted | Since 2023, federal law has banned most non-Canadians from buying residential property in Canada, with exceptions. The ban was passed as a temporary measure with an end date, so check whether it still applies. |
| Chile | Open | Chile gives foreigners the same property rights as Chileans. The main limit is a rule near the border, where nationals of neighbouring countries cannot own land. |
| China | Lease only | In China the state owns urban land and collectives own rural land. A buyer gets a land-use right for a fixed number of years, and a foreign individual may buy a home for their own use under conditions. |
| Colombia | Open | Colombia gives foreigners the same civil rights over property as Colombians. Foreign money must be registered with the central bank, and some border and protected areas have special rules. |
| Costa Rica | Conditional | Costa Rica gives foreigners the same property rights as citizens, but the land along the coast cannot be owned: it is held by concession, and the concession is closed to most foreigners. |
| Cyprus | Conditional | In the Republic of Cyprus, EU citizens may buy property freely, and a buyer from outside the EU needs permission from the Council of Ministers and is limited in how much they may buy. Property in the north of the island carries special title risks. |
| Denmark | Restricted | Denmark requires a person who has not lived in the country to get permission from the Ministry of Justice before buying property. In practice permission to buy a holiday home is hard to obtain. |
| France | Open | France lets foreigners buy property on the same terms as French citizens. A notary handles the sale, and the main rules to know concern farmland and the buyer's tax. |
| Georgia | Conditional | Georgia lets foreigners buy non-agricultural land and buildings. Agricultural land cannot be owned by foreigners, who may lease it. |
| Germany | Open | Germany places no limit on foreign buyers of property. Citizens and non-citizens alike buy through a notarised contract and an entry in the land register. |
| Greece | Conditional | Greece allows foreigners to buy property. EU citizens buy freely, but a buyer from outside the EU needs a permit for land in border areas, which include many islands and northern regions. |
| Hungary | Restricted | Hungary requires foreign buyers to obtain a permit for most real estate, and foreigners generally cannot buy agricultural land at all. |
| India | Restricted | India allows non-resident Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India to buy homes and commercial property, but not farmland. Other foreign nationals generally cannot buy property, though they may rent it. |
| Indonesia | Lease only | Indonesia reserves full ownership of land (Hak Milik) for Indonesian citizens. Foreigners can hold a right of use or a lease, and can buy certain flats in permitted areas. |
| Ireland | Open | Ireland places no nationality limit on buying property. A foreigner can buy a home or land, and the rules on title and registration are the same as for an Irish buyer. |
| Italy | Conditional | Italy allows foreigners to buy property, but for citizens of countries outside the EU the right depends on reciprocity: it applies if Italians may buy property in the buyer's country. |
| Japan | Open | Japan places no nationality limit on buying property. Foreigners can own land and buildings on the same legal terms as Japanese people, with a reporting rule and a newer law on land near sensitive sites. |
| Kenya | Lease only | Under Kenya's Constitution a non-citizen may hold land only on a lease of up to ninety-nine years. The rule also covers a company with any foreign shareholder. |
| Malaysia | Conditional | Malaysia lets foreigners buy property only with the approval of the state authority, and each state sets its own conditions, including a minimum price. Malay reserved land is closed. |
| Malta | Conditional | Malta lets EU citizens buy property, while buyers from outside the EU need a permit for most purchases (the AIP) and may be limited to one residence. |
| Mexico | Conditional | Mexico lets foreigners own property, but not directly within the restricted zone along its borders and coasts. There a foreigner holds the property through a bank trust (fideicomiso). |
| Netherlands | Open | The Netherlands places no nationality limit on buying property. A foreigner buys through a notary and the sale is entered in the public land register. |
| New Zealand | Restricted | New Zealand has banned most overseas people from buying existing homes since 2018. Citizens of Australia and Singapore are treated as exempt under trade agreements. |
| Philippines | Lease only | The Philippine Constitution reserves ownership of private land to Filipinos. Foreigners may own condominium units, within a foreign-ownership cap for each project, and may lease land for a long term. |
| Poland | Conditional | Poland requires a permit for a buyer from outside the European Economic Area to buy most real estate. EEA citizens buy freely, apart from farmland and forest, which are strictly controlled for everyone. |
| Portugal | Open | Portugal allows foreigners to buy property on the same terms as Portuguese citizens. A buyer needs a Portuguese tax number and the sale is recorded before a notary or in the land register. |
| Romania | Conditional | Romania lets EU citizens buy land and buildings on the same terms as Romanians. A buyer from outside the EU may buy buildings, but land is more limited and is often bought through a Romanian company. |
| Russia | Conditional | Russia lets foreigners own land in general, but not agricultural land and not land in border and other designated territories. Further restrictions have applied since 2022 to buyers linked to states Russia calls unfriendly. |
| Singapore | Conditional | Singapore lets foreigners buy flats in private condominiums freely, but landed property needs government approval and public housing is closed to non-citizens. |
| South Africa | Open | South Africa places no nationality limit on buying property. Non-residents must follow exchange-control rules when they move money in or out. |
| South Korea | Open | South Korea lets foreigners buy property, with a duty to report the purchase. Permission is needed only for land in protected zones such as military and ecological areas. |
| Spain | Open | Spain lets foreigners buy property freely. A buyer needs a foreigner's tax number (NIE), and non-EU buyers need extra permission for land in zones of national-defence interest. |
| Switzerland | Restricted | Switzerland strictly limits property purchases by people who live abroad. The federal law (the so-called Lex Koller) requires a permit, and it is granted only in narrow cases such as business premises or a limited number of holiday homes. |
| Tanzania | Lease only | Tanzania does not allow non-citizens to own land. A foreigner may obtain a long lease, and investors can receive a derivative right to use land for a project. |
| Thailand | Lease only | Thailand does not allow foreigners to own land. A foreigner can own a flat in a condominium, within a limit on the share of the building that may be foreign-owned, or lease land and own the house on it. |
| Turkey | Conditional | Turkey allows foreigners to buy property on a reciprocity basis. The rule is subject to nationality conditions, limits on the area a foreigner may own, and a ban in military and security zones. |
| Ukraine | Conditional | Ukraine allows foreigners to own non-agricultural land and buildings, but not agricultural land. Martial law may add further limits. |
| United Arab Emirates | Conditional | In the United Arab Emirates each emirate makes its own rules. Foreigners may own freehold property only in designated zones, such as certain areas of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and elsewhere they may only lease. |
| United Kingdom | Open | There is no nationality bar on owning property in the United Kingdom. A foreigner can buy freehold or leasehold land and buildings, and the extra rules concern tax and registration, not whether you may own. |
| United States | Open | No federal law stops a foreigner from owning land or buildings in the United States. The rules that matter are set by each state, and a growing number of states now restrict purchases by people or companies from certain countries. |
| Vietnam | Lease only | In Vietnam all land belongs to the people and is managed by the state, so nobody owns land in the Western sense. Foreign individuals can own housing for a limited period, under conditions, but they cannot hold land-use rights as individuals. |
Four patterns you will see
- Open. Land and buildings can be bought on the same terms as by citizens. Taxes and registration still apply.
- Conditional. Foreigners may buy, but need permission, or only in certain zones, or only certain kinds of property such as flats.
- Lease only. The land cannot be owned by a foreigner. A foreigner holds a long lease or a right of use, and may own the building on it or a flat.
- Restricted. Purchase by foreigners is closed or permitted only in narrow cases.
Cite this page
TheLawToKnow Tools. Can a Foreigner Buy Property? https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/foreign-property-ownership.
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