Can a foreigner buy property in the Philippines?

Foreigners cannot own the land, only lease it or hold use rights

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.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Rules change. This page describes the structure of the rule, not prices, taxes or quotas. Confirm the current position with the official source listed below, and with a lawyer in the country, before you pay anything. This is general information, not legal advice.

Land

Only Filipino citizens and corporations at least sixty per cent Filipino-owned may own land. Foreigners may lease land for a long term, with a renewal.

Houses and flats

A foreigner may own a condominium unit, as long as foreign owners together hold no more than forty per cent of the project.

Buying through a company

A company that is more than forty per cent foreign-owned cannot own land.

Limits and closed zones

A foreign spouse of a Filipino cannot hold land in their own name, though they may benefit from the family home.

What to watch for

Check that the project's foreign-ownership share is not full, and that the developer holds a licence to sell.

Understand the legal system first

The Philippines belongs to the Mixed: civil and common law family. Property is registered and transferred differently in different traditions, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the Philippines legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Compare Philippines with another country →

Official sources

Official Gazette: 1987 Constitution of the Philippines

TheLawToKnow Tools’s guide to foreign property ownership is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.