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Home › Can I buy a home in …? All 27 EU countries for non-EU citizens

Estimate only — not legal, tax or immigration advice. Only the official authority's decision is binding.

Can I buy a home in …? All 27 EU countries for non-EU citizens

Updated

Information only, not legal or immigration advice; rules change often — confirm with a licensed lawyer in that country. Last checked: 12 Oct 2026. Figures marked verify come from law firms or commercial sources rather than an official tariff.

A non-EU citizen can buy a home somewhere in every EU country. In about ten there is no condition at all; most others ask for an approval or limit land; Denmark and Slovenia are close to impossible for a non-resident without ties.

Not a valid document. Estimate for information only — not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change often and errors are possible. Confirm every figure with a licensed lawyer in the country before you pay anything.

  • No condition: Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden.
  • Flats free, land restricted (a house with its plot often needs a company or a permit): Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania.
  • An approval for an ordinary home: Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Malta (outside Special Designated Areas).
  • Reciprocity — depends on your passport: Croatia, Italy, Slovenia.
  • Zones: Greece (border areas) and Spain (defence zones).
  • Nationality bans on Russian (and in places Belarusian) citizens in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania; Estonia plans one from 1 January 2027.

Buying a home does not give you a residence permit except in four countries — see EU residency by buying property; for permits that need no property (investment, own income, remote work, a business) see other ways to EU residency. Tax rates are for the buyer, on an ordinary home, and come from law firms and guides: confirm the rate for your region and price.

Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Ireland · Italy · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Netherlands · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden

Austria

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? approval from the provincial land-transfer authority for almost every purchase, flats included; Salzburg decides within three months and refuses for suspected speculation or no local ties; Vienna through MA 35; Tirol is strictest (many municipalities ban new holiday homes); approval fee EUR 76.30 per applicant in Salzburg. verify (source)
  • Buyer's tax: real estate transfer tax 3.5% of the price (Federal Ministry of Finance) plus the 1.1% land-register registration fee. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Belgium

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for non-EU buyers. verify (source)
  • Buyer's tax: Flanders 12% sales duty (2% only for your sole own home where you register within three years, so usually not for non-residents); Brussels and Wallonia 12.5% standard rate - not re-checked on official pages. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Bulgaria

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? apartments and buildings free; land only by treaty or inheritance, so a house with its plot is bought through a Bulgarian company (EOOD: EUR 1 capital, about EUR 500-1,500 a year to run). (source)
  • Buyer's tax: municipal tax 0.1-3% (Sofia 3%), Registry Agency 0.1%, notary by the statutory tariff. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Open — about €306,775 — cost and how to apply · Schengen: Yes

Croatia

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? Ministry of Justice consent, subject to reciprocity with your country: e.g. the UK, Japan and Argentina meet it; Australia suspended for existing property from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027; Canada and the UAE 'verification underway'; India, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq and others have no reciprocity. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: real estate transfer tax 3% (Tax Administration); new builds sold by a developer carry 25% VAT instead. (source)
  • Residence by buying: No programme (owner-occupier stay only) · Schengen: Yes

Cyprus

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? permission of the Council of Ministers under Cap. 109 (via the District Officer, after signing); one house or apartment is the usual policy, with an area cap of about two skalas (about 2,700 m2) for what exceeds a home's needs; usually a formality of one to two months. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: no transfer fee when VAT is paid on a new build (VAT 19%, or 5% for a main residence within the limits); other sales get a 50% exemption on the 3/5/8% bands (1.5/2.5/4%); stamp duty abolished from 1 January 2026. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Open — €300,000 + VAT — cost and how to apply · Schengen: No

Czechia

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? free since 1 May 2011. verify (source)
  • Buyer's tax: no transfer tax since 2020 (VAT 12% or 21% is inside new-build prices) - commercial source, verify. verify (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Denmark

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? Ministry of Justice permission unless you have lived in Denmark for five years; generally only with strong personal or business ties; holiday homes need a particularly strong connection; a breach forces a sale within six months. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: registration duty DKK 1,850 fixed plus 0.6% of the price (Danish Tax Agency). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Estonia

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? apartments free (Restrictions on Acquisition of Immovables Act); restrictions apply to agricultural and forest land over 10 ha, small islands and eastern-border municipalities; a bill approved by the government on 2 July 2026 would bar Russian and Belarusian citizens from all real estate from 1 January 2027 (pending parliament). (source)
  • Buyer's tax: no transfer tax; notary fee about 0.4% (commercial source - verify with a notary). verify (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Finland

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? Ministry of Defence permit for non-EEA buyers since 1 January 2020 (about three months); apartments held as housing-company shares are exempt; nationals of designated states (Russia) barred outright since summer 2025. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: transfer tax 3% on real estate, 1.5% on housing-company shares. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

France

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for non-EU buyers. verify (source)
  • Buyer's tax: on an older home the buyer pays a departmental duty of 4.5%, or up to 5% where the department raised it (allowed for 2025-2028), plus a 1.2% communal tax, 2.37% of the departmental duty for the state and a 0.1% security contribution - about 5.8-6.4% all-in (impots.gouv.fr) - plus the notary's regulated fee. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Germany

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for non-EU buyers. verify (source)
  • Buyer's tax: real estate transfer tax 3.5% to 6.5% depending on the federal state (each Land sets its rate under GrEStG s. 11); Bremen 5.5% since 1 July 2025. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Greece

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? free, except in frontier areas (all Dodecanese, Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Lemnos, Samothrace, Santorini, Skyros and northern mainland units), where a committee of the decentralised administration must lift the ban on application (art. 26); allow several months. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: 3.09% transfer tax on resales (3% plus 3% municipal levy), or 24% VAT on a developer's new build unless the developer suspended VAT (suspension runs to 31 December 2026). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Open — €250,000 / €400,000 / €800,000 — cost and how to apply · Schengen: Yes

Hungary

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? a permit from the capital or county government office for each property (Act LXXVIII of 1993 s. 1/A; Decree 251/2014), routine for homes - about HUF 50,000 and 30-75 days per practitioners; agricultural and forest land cannot be acquired by non-EU individuals. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: transfer duty 4% up to HUF 1 billion per property and 2% above, capped at HUF 200 million per property (NAV). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Closed (Act LXXXIV of 2024) · Schengen: Yes

Ireland

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for non-EU buyers. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: stamp duty 1% up to EUR 1 million, 2% from 1 to 1.5 million and 6% above (Revenue). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had a property route · Schengen: No

Italy

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? non-residents may buy only under a treaty or reciprocity (art. 16 preleggi), checked by the notary against the Foreign Ministry list; routine for most Western passports; a deed without it is void. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: from a private seller 9% registration tax (2% for a first home); from a company 10% VAT (4% first home, 22% for luxury categories A/1, A/8, A/9) (Agenzia delle Entrate). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Latvia

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? apartments and buildings free; land needs municipal consent; Russian and Belarusian citizens banned since 19 June 2025. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: Land Register state fee 1.5% of the value for an individual buyer (2% for a company), capped at EUR 50,000 (Cabinet Regulation 1250). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Closed 15 Sep 2026 · Schengen: Yes

Lithuania

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? buildings and apartments free; land only for nationals of EU, NATO, EEA or OECD states; Russian citizens without a Lithuanian residence permit barred. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: no transfer tax; notary and registry fees about 0.45% (commercial source - verify with a notary). verify (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Luxembourg

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for non-EU buyers. verify (source)
  • Buyer's tax: 7% on a home purchase - 6% registration duty plus 1% transcription duty (guichet.lu); the 'Bellegen Akt' credit only applies to an owner-occupied home. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Malta

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? outside Special Designated Areas an AIP permit (EUR 233, 35 days) for one property, at least EUR 174,274 for a flat or EUR 300,619 otherwise, not to be let; no restriction inside Special Designated Areas. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: stamp duty 5%. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Open — €375,000 — cost and how to apply · Schengen: Yes

Netherlands

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for non-EU buyers. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: transfer tax 2% if you will live in the home yourself, 8% if you will not (second home, holiday home, rental) from 2026 (Belastingdienst). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Poland

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? apartments and garages free; land and houses need an Interior Ministry (MSWiA) permit, 2-4 months, with ties to Poland. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: 2% civil-transactions tax on a resale (podatki.gov.pl); a developer's new build carries VAT in the price instead. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Portugal

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for non-EU buyers. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: IMT in bands up to 7.5% for residents; a non-resident buying a home for habitation pays a flat 7.5% with no exemption or reduction, unless they were or become Portuguese tax resident or the home is let on a qualifying lease (IMT Code art. 17(10), added by Decree-Law 97/2026 of 20 May 2026). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Closed 7 Oct 2023 · Schengen: Yes

Romania

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? buildings free; land only under a treaty or reciprocity, so usually through a company. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: no transfer tax; notary 0.5-2.5%; VAT on new builds changed in 2025 - verify current rates. verify (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never in force (bill withdrawn Dec 2025) · Schengen: Yes

Slovakia

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction for homes (farmland by reciprocity only). (source)
  • Buyer's tax: no transfer tax (commercial source - verify). verify (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Slovenia

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? EU, OECD and EFTA nationals buy freely; nationals of EU candidate states (North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia) need a positive reciprocity decision; all other nationals cannot buy as individuals except by inheritance. (source)
  • Buyer's tax: real estate transfer tax 2% of the value (Financial Administration). (source)
  • Residence by buying: No programme (owner-occupier stay only) · Schengen: Yes

Spain

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? free, except in defence-interest zones (military authorisation; urban flats in built-up areas exempt); the proposed 100% tax on non-EU buyers has not been approved (February 2026). (source)
  • Buyer's tax: transfer tax (ITP) on resales set by each region - for example Madrid 6%, Catalonia 10% up to EUR 600,000 and higher bands above (since 27 June 2025); new builds carry 10% VAT plus stamp duty instead. (source)
  • Residence by buying: Closed 3 Apr 2025 · Schengen: Yes

Sweden

  • Can a non-EU citizen buy? no restriction today - only agricultural-property rules that apply to Swedes too; additional limits are being discussed but have not been legislated (Lantmateriet via ELRA). (source)
  • Buyer's tax: stamp duty 1.5% of the price plus a SEK 825 processing fee (Lantmateriet). (source)
  • Residence by buying: Never had one · Schengen: Yes

Before you rely on this: what to confirm

These points rest on a law firm, a commercial source or a single source, or the official page could not be read. Ask a licensed lawyer to confirm them against the official tariff or law before you pay anything.

  • Your nationality against the reciprocity list (Croatia, Italy, Slovenia) — lists change.
  • Austrian approval fees and times outside Salzburg; the Finnish Ministry of Defence permit fee.
  • Sweden's proposed permit for non-EEA buyers (SOU 2024:84) — not enacted as far as we found.
  • Belgium (Brussels, Wallonia), Czechia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia tax rates — not re-checked on official pages.
  • Estonia's planned ban from 1 January 2027 (pending parliament).

Questions people ask

Can a non-EU citizen buy property in the EU?

Yes, somewhere in every EU country. About ten impose no condition; others require an approval, restrict land, or apply reciprocity with your country. Denmark and Slovenia are close to impossible for a non-resident without ties.

Does buying a home in the EU give me residency?

Only in Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Bulgaria. Elsewhere owning a home gives no right to a residence permit.