Layer 3 · snapshot 2026-08-16
What the rules do to a foreign buyer
44 entries across 21 markets. Every one cites the instrument and the authority page it was read from, with the date it was read. This is the first question a cross-border buyer actually has, and no one maintains a sourced public answer to it.
One further rule is named on a market page and not established — the instrument is identified, what it requires today is not. Those are listed where they apply, apart from the entries here, and they are counted as missing rather than quietly omitted.
Read them side by side and the shapes differ more than the severity does. Singapore prices a foreigner out with a 60% duty but lets them buy. Canada and Australia forbid the purchase outright and then carve exceptions by building size, by map coordinate, or by visa. Thailand permits the purchase but caps it per building, so the constraint is availability rather than cost. New Zealand tests residency and control rather than nationality, so a passport settles nothing. Japan places no nationality test at all and puts its one review regime on location and size.
A screen that reported these as one “restrictiveness” number would destroy the only information in them. A 60% tax and a 49% building quota are not two points on a scale — they fail a buyer in different ways, at different stages, and one of them cannot be solved with money.
United Arab Emirates
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where a non-UAE national may own | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | Ownership by non-UAE nationals is permitted by designated area, not across the emirate. In the designated plots a non-UAE national may take freehold without time limit, or usufruct or leasehold for up to 99 years. The list of designated plots is not fixed: it has been extended repeatedly by later resolutions, so whether a specific plot qualifies is a question about the current list on the date of the transaction, not a general fact about Dubai. | Regulation No. (3) of 2006 Determining Areas for Ownership by Non-UAE Nationals of Real Property in the Emirate of Dubai, as extended by Resolutions No. (8) of 2016, (18) of 2019, (7) of 2021 and (6) of 2022 | 2026-08-10 |
| Registration fee on a sale, and who owes it | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | The Land Department fee on a sale is 4% of the value of the sale contract. The legal default is that seller and purchaser share it equally unless they agree otherwise — which is not how the market usually transacts, where the buyer commonly pays the whole 4%. A buyer told that 4% is simply their cost is being told the custom, not the rule, and the rule is the thing that is negotiable. | Executive Council Resolution No. (30) of 2013 Approving Fees of the Land Department, Article 3(1) and Schedule Item 1 | 2026-08-10 |
Argentina
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceilings on foreign-held rural land | In forcefrom 2011-12-27 | On the way in | Land only | A limit of fifteen per cent (15%) is set on all ownership or possession of rural land in the national territory by the foreign persons the chapter regulates, and that percentage is computed again over the territory of the province, municipality or equivalent administrative entity in which the rural property sits — so a national headroom figure says nothing about whether a particular district is already full. Natural or legal persons of one and the same foreign nationality may in no case exceed thirty per cent (30%) of that percentage. The rural land of any single foreign owner may not exceed one thousand hectares (1,000 ha) in the core zone, or an equivalent area according to territorial location, determined by the Inter-ministerial Council on Rural Land. | Ley 26.737, Régimen de Protección al Dominio Nacional sobre la Propiedad, Posesión o Tenencia de las Tierras Rurales, arts. 8, 9 and 10. Sanctioned 22 December 2011, promulgated 27 December 2011. Read from the consolidated text on InfoLEG. | 2026-08-16 |
Australia
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ban on buying established dwellings | In force2025-04-01 → 2027-03-31 | On the way in | Residential only | Foreign investors, including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies, cannot buy an established dwelling. The enacted ban runs from 1 April 2025 for two years, to 31 March 2027; an extension to 30 June 2029 has been announced in the 2026-27 Budget and is recorded separately below, because announced and enacted are different things to plan around. New dwellings and vacant land remain available subject to approval, and permanent residents and New Zealand citizens are outside the ban entirely. | Foreign investment framework, ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings (Treasury, 2024), with the period confirmed against the Australian Taxation Office's own page on the measure (QC104933, last updated 12 May 2026). | 2026-08-12 |
| Exceptions, and how hard the rule is policed | In force2025-04-01 → 2027-03-31 | On the way in | Residential only | The stated exceptions are narrow: investments that significantly increase or support housing supply, and employers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme housing their workers. Funding was allocated to strengthen Australian Taxation Office screening and enforcement alongside the ban, so this is an actively policed regime rather than a nominal one. | Foreign investment framework, ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings (Treasury, 2024) | 2026-08-10 |
| Annual vacancy fee on a dwelling left empty | In forcefrom 2017-05-09 | While you hold it | Residential only | A foreign owner of Australian residential property lodges a vacancy fee return every year, within 30 days of the end of each vacancy year, and owes a vacancy fee if the dwelling was neither occupied nor genuinely available for rent for at least 183 days of that year. Not lodging on time can itself trigger the fee. It is charged at the foreign investment application fee that was paid — doubled, for vacancy years beginning on or after 9 April 2024. The Australian Taxation Office's own worked example puts that at A$26,400 a year on a A$850,000 townhouse. It binds owners who applied after 7:30 pm AEST on 9 May 2017, or who bought under a developer's new-dwelling exemption certificate applied for after that moment. | Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Fees Imposition Act 2015 vacancy fee regime, administered by the Australian Taxation Office. Read from the ATO's "Vacancy fee return for foreign owners" page, which records its own last update as 17 March 2026 and which serves only a browser — automated fetch receives HTTP 403. | 2026-08-12 |
| The ban's extension to 2029 is announced, not enacted | Announced only2027-04-01 → 2029-06-30 | On the way in | Residential only | The Australian Taxation Office states that in the Budget 2026-27 the government announced it will extend the ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings by two years and three months, to 30 June 2029. That is an announcement of intent in a budget paper: the words are "announced that it will extend", and the enacted period still ends 31 March 2027. A buyer planning a 2027 or 2028 purchase is planning around a measure that has been promised rather than passed, which is a different risk from the one the ban itself carries. | Australian Taxation Office, "Foreign investment — extending the ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings" (QC104933), recording its own last update as 12 May 2026 and citing Budget Paper No. 2, Budget 2026-27. | 2026-08-12 |
Brazil
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Only a resident foreigner may buy rural land at all | In forcefrom 1971-10-07 | On the way in | Land only | A foreigner resident in Brazil and a foreign legal entity authorised to operate in Brazil may acquire rural property only in the manner this Law provides. The regime reaches through the corporate form as well: a Brazilian legal entity in which foreign natural or legal persons hold the majority of the share capital and reside or are seated abroad is subject to the same Law. A foreigner who is not resident in Brazil is therefore outside the permitted class entirely, and incorporating locally does not move them into it. Transmission on death is excluded from these restrictions. | Lei nº 5.709, de 7 de outubro de 1971, arts. 1º, §1º and §2º. Read from the consolidated text published by the Presidência da República, Casa Civil. | 2026-08-17 |
| Three ceilings at once: the buyer, the municipality, and the nationality | In forcefrom 1971-10-07 | On the way in | Land only | Acquisition of rural property by a foreign natural person may not exceed 50 módulos de exploração indefinida, whether in a contiguous area or not. Separately, the sum of rural areas belonging to foreign persons, natural or legal, may not exceed one quarter of the surface of the municipality in which they sit, proved by a certificate from the property registry. Within that quarter, persons of the same nationality may not own more than 40% of the limit in any one municipality. Acquisitions of less than 3 módulos are excluded from these restrictions. The registries keep a special auxiliary book of foreign acquisitions and report them quarterly to the Ministry of Agriculture, so the municipal count is maintained rather than reconstructed at the point of sale. | Lei nº 5.709, de 7 de outubro de 1971, arts. 3º, 10, 11 and 12 with §1º and §2º. | 2026-08-17 |
Canada
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibition on purchase by non-Canadians | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | Section 4(1) prohibits a non-Canadian from purchasing, directly or indirectly, any residential property. When the prohibition ends is still not settled, and the shape of the uncertainty is now sharper than it was: the consolidated Act was re-read on 2026-08-11 and is current to 2026-06-17, last amended 2023-01-01, and it contains no repeal, sunset or expiry provision at all. So whatever end date exists is not in the Act, and the conflicting accounts around it — a Department of Finance announcement of a two-year extension to 1 January 2027, CMHC guidance still describing the original expiry of 1 January 2025 — are claims about instruments this page has not read. Treat the prohibition as in force and confirm the expiry directly: a stale government page is not evidence that a ban has lapsed, and an Act with no sunset in it is not evidence that one does not exist elsewhere. | Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, s. 4(1). Consolidated text read 2026-08-11, shown as current to 2026-06-17 and last amended 2023-01-01. | 2026-08-11 |
| What the prohibition does not reach | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | It covers buildings of up to three dwelling units, and parts of buildings such as semi-detached houses and condominium units — a building of four or more dwelling units falls outside it. It also applies only inside a Census Metropolitan Area or Census Agglomeration, so residential property outside those areas may be purchased. For a foreign buyer this makes the asset class and the map coordinate decisive before price is discussed at all. | Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Regulations (SOR/2022-250) | 2026-08-10 |
| Underused Housing Tax — ended forwards, still owed backwards | Ended, still owed2022-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | While you hold it | Residential only | An annual federal tax of 1% on the ownership of vacant or underused housing, in effect from 1 January 2022 and aimed principally at foreign national owners. Bill C-15 received Royal Assent on 26 March 2026 and removed it going forward: affected owners do not file or pay for 2025 and subsequent calendar years, and returns already filed for 2025 are being cancelled by letter. The obligation for 2022, 2023 and 2024 survives — the Canada Revenue Agency states plainly that the requirement to file and pay still applies to those years. So this reaches nobody buying today and reaches anybody who held Canadian housing in those three years, including through a partnership, trust or corporation. | Underused Housing Tax Act, as amended by Bill C-15 (Royal Assent 26 March 2026). Read from the Canada Revenue Agency's Underused Housing Tax page, which the agency serves only to a browser — curl and automated fetch both receive HTTP 403. | 2026-08-12 |
Switzerland
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorisation, and who is a foreign non-resident | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | Foreign non-residents require authorisation from the competent cantonal authority for the acquisition of immovable property. The definition is about residence rather than nationality and is wider than it first appears: it covers citizens of an EU or EFTA member state unless they are legally and de facto resident in Switzerland, citizens of any other state who do not have the right to reside permanently in Switzerland, legal entities whose registered office is abroad, legal entities registered in Switzerland in which foreign non-residents hold a controlling interest, and any person acquiring a property for the account of a foreign non-resident. That last limb closes the nominee route explicitly rather than leaving it to be argued. | Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (Lex Koller), arts. 2(1) and 5(1), official English text on Fedlex. | 2026-08-17 |
| Commercial premises need no authorisation at all | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Commercial only | No authorisation is required where the immovable property serves as the permanent establishment for a trading, manufacturing or other form of commercial operation, for a skilled crafts business, or for the practice of a liberal profession. Where property is acquired on that basis, homes or areas reserved for homes may also be acquired if required to meet residential quota regulations. The same exemption covers a natural person's main home at their lawful and effective place of residence. The distinction the Act draws is therefore between property that is used and property that is held: a foreign buyer operating a business from the building is outside the regime that a foreign buyer letting an apartment is inside. | Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (Lex Koller), art. 2(2)(a), (2)(b) and (3), official English text on Fedlex. | 2026-08-17 |
| Holiday homes are rationed nationally, not merely taxed | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | The Federal Council sets annual cantonal authorisation quotas for the acquisition of holiday homes and units in aparthotels, based on a maximum for the whole of Switzerland which may not exceed 1,500 quota units. Cantonal shares are calculated from the importance of tourism to each canton, its tourist development plans, and the percentage of immovable property already in foreign ownership on its territory. This is a quantity limit rather than a price: when a canton's quota for the year is exhausted, an otherwise qualifying buyer is not charged more, they are refused. | Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (Lex Koller), art. 11(1)-(3), official English text on Fedlex. | 2026-08-17 |
Cyprus
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permission of the Council of Ministers, and who needs it | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | No alien shall acquire, otherwise than mortis causa, any immovable property without the permit of the Council of Ministers first obtained. The definition of "alien" is where an EU buyer can be caught: it excludes a citizen of a Member State who has permanent residence within the Republic, and excludes a citizen of a Member State who is not a permanent resident only "in the case of acquisition of immovable property other than a secondary residence". A non-resident EU citizen buying a second home is therefore inside the restriction, while the same person buying a primary home is not. | The Immovable Property Acquisition (Aliens) Law, Cap. 109, s. 3(1) with the definition of "alien" in s. 2. Read from the English text published by the Office of the Law Commissioner. | 2026-08-16 |
| A signed contract is not a right to acquire | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | A valid contract or agreement, written or oral, providing for the acquisition of immovable property by an alien shall not confer upon that alien any right to acquire the property, except only upon the grant of the Council of Ministers' permit. Separately, where the acquisition exceeds the extent necessary for the erection of premises for a house or professional roof, and in any case exceeds the extent of two donums, any permit granted is subject to such terms, limitations, conditions and criteria as may be set by Regulations made by the Council of Ministers and approved by the House of Representatives. | The Immovable Property Acquisition (Aliens) Law, Cap. 109, ss. 3(1A) and 3(3). | 2026-08-16 |
Denmark
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permission to buy at all, on a five-year residence test | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | A person who does not have residence in Denmark within the meaning of the Acquisition Act, or who has not had residence in Denmark for at least five years, must as a general rule obtain the Civil Affairs Agency's permission to acquire real property in Denmark. The application routes are separate for a year-round dwelling and for a secondary dwelling, which are decided on different terms rather than as one category. Following Brexit, British citizens are no longer covered by the special rules that apply to EU and EEA citizens acquiring a year-round dwelling — the agency published that consequence itself rather than leaving it to be inferred. | Erhvervelsesloven (the Danish Acquisition Act), as administered and stated by Civilstyrelsen, the Danish Civil Affairs Agency. | 2026-08-17 |
United Kingdom
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The surcharge on buying, and the day-count that triggers it | In forcefrom 2021-04-01 | On the way in | Residential only | Rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for non-UK residents purchasing residential property in England and Northern Ireland are 2 percentage points higher than those that apply to purchases made by UK residents. The test is presence rather than nationality or domicile: an individual buyer is non-UK resident for this purpose if they are not present in the UK for at least 183 days during the 12 months before their purchase, measured against the effective date of the transaction, which is normally completion. A buyer can therefore be UK-resident for income tax and non-resident for this surcharge, and the two tests are not the same test. | Stamp Duty Land Tax: rates for non-UK residents, guidance published by HM Revenue & Customs. In force from 1 April 2021. | 2026-08-16 |
| An annual charge on holding through a company | In forceNot stated by the source | While you hold it | Residential only | The Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings is an annual tax payable mainly by companies that own UK residential property valued at more than GBP 500,000. It reaches companies, partnerships where any partner is a company, and collective investment schemes such as unit trusts and open-ended investment vehicles. The charge is banded by valuation and for 2026-27 runs from GBP 4,600 to GBP 303,450. It is a cost of holding rather than of buying, and it falls on the structure rather than the person: the same dwelling held directly by an individual does not attract it, which makes the ownership vehicle a recurring annual cost decision rather than a one-off conveyancing one. | Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings: the basics, guidance published by HM Revenue & Customs, last updated 4 March 2026. | 2026-08-16 |
| Sixty days to report a sale, whether or not anything is owed | In forcefrom 2021-10-27 | On the way out | All property | A non-resident disposing of UK property or land must report the disposal to HM Revenue & Customs within 60 days of completion where the completion date was on or after 27 October 2021, and must pay any tax due in the same 60-day window. The obligation to report does not depend on there being tax to pay: the guidance states that a disposal must be reported even where there is no tax to pay on it, and even where the disposal made a loss. The window is short by international standards and it starts at completion rather than at the end of a tax year, so a seller who plans around an annual return misses it by default. | Capital Gains Tax for non-residents: UK residential property, guidance published by HM Revenue & Customs. | 2026-08-16 |
Ireland
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty per cent of the rent is withheld before the owner sees it | In forceNot stated by the source | While you hold it | Residential only | Where rent is paid to a landlord who lives outside Ireland, 20% of the rent payment is withheld and remitted to Revenue, together with a Rental Notification in the NLWT system. The duty falls on whoever pays: where the landlord has engaged a collection agent, the agent withholds and remits; where there is no collection agent, the tenant must make the Rental Notification and remit the 20% themselves. A collection agent who deducts and remits is no longer treated as chargeable and does not file the landlord's return. The withheld sum is not a final tax — it is pre-populated as a credit on the landlord's annual return — but it is deducted from gross rent rather than from profit, so a non-resident owner running at a loss still finances it. | Non-Resident Landlord Withholding Tax (NLWT), as published by Revenue, the Irish Tax and Customs authority. | 2026-08-17 |
Japan
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership by nationality | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | Japan operates no nationality-based restriction on owning land or buildings. The one review regime that touches acquisition turns on where the property is and how large it is, not on who is buying, and it binds a Japanese buyer exactly as it binds a foreign one. | Act on the Review and Regulation of the Use of Real Estate Surrounding Important Facilities and on Remote Territorial Islands (Act No. 84 of 2021) | 2026-08-10 |
| Notification near important facilities and remote islands | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | In a special monitored area — broadly within about 1,000 metres of a designated important facility, or on a designated remote territorial island — both seller and purchaser must notify the Prime Minister of a transfer of real estate of 200 square metres or more (for a building, 200 square metres of total floor area). Sale, gift, exchange, and assignment of an option all count, and the notification is due before the contract is concluded or within the period the rules set. | Act No. 84 of 2021, Article 13(1) and (3), with the Enforcement Order and Enforcement Regulations | 2026-08-10 |
| Withholding on rent paid to a non-resident owner | In forceNot stated by the source | While you hold it | All property | Rent paid to a non-resident owner is withheld at 20.42%. The exception is narrow: no withholding where the tenant is an individual renting the land or house for themselves or a relative to live in — so a residential let to a household is outside it, and a corporate or commercial tenant is not. A non-resident owner must also appoint a tax representative resident in Japan. | National Tax Agency, No. 12014 — Real estate income of non-residents | 2026-08-10 |
Malta
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who counts as a non-resident, and what they may not do | In forcefrom 1974-05-30 | On the way in | All property | A non-resident person may not acquire immovable property in Malta by or under any title, in any manner whatsoever, whether by act inter vivos or causa mortis, and including prescription, occupancy or accession; any deed, will or other act purporting to transfer property to one is null and void for all purposes of law and in regard to all persons. The test is residence rather than nationality, and it catches EU citizens: "non-resident person" covers any individual who is not a citizen of Malta or of another Member State (excluding third-country nationals holding long-term resident status), and also a citizen of Malta or of another Member State who has not been resident in Malta for a minimum continuous period of five years at any time preceding the date of acquisition. | Immovable Property (Acquisition by Non-Residents) Act, Chapter 246 of the Laws of Malta, art. 4(1) with the definition in art. 2. Read from the consolidated text published by legislation.mt. | 2026-08-16 |
| The permit, and the condition most likely to catch a buyer | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | The Minister may grant a permit in writing to a non-resident person to acquire an immovable property specifically indicated in the permit, where in the Minister's opinion it is in the public interest or otherwise appropriate. Where an application is made in line with the prescribed policies, the Minister shall not withhold the permit if satisfied that the property is required for an industrial or touristic project approved by the Government, or — in the case of an individual who is not a resident of Malta — that the property is a building worth not less than EUR 18,500 (a figure adjusted annually against an immovable property price index published in the Gazette by the National Statistics Office), that it is intended to be used as a residence for the buyer and their family, and that the buyer does not own or hold under any title any other immovable property in Malta. | Chapter 246 of the Laws of Malta, art. 6(1). | 2026-08-16 |
| Where the prohibition does not reach | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | Article 4 does not apply to an acquisition of immovable property in a special designated area by any person, wherever resident — those zones are listed in the First Schedule and the Minister may add to them by order in the Gazette. Separately, a citizen of Malta or of another Member State who is not resident in Malta may acquire without a permit, except for secondary residence purposes; and "immovable property for secondary residence purposes" expressly excludes property that is to serve as the buyer's primary residence, or whose acquisition is required for carrying out that person's business activities or supply of services. | Chapter 246 of the Laws of Malta, arts. 3(1)(b), 3(2) and 5(1)(b). | 2026-08-16 |
Norway
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A concession requirement that never mentions foreigners | In forcefrom 2003-11-28 | On the way in | All property | With the exceptions that follow from the Act, real property cannot be acquired without the permission of the King — a concession — and the power to decide is delegated by regulation to the municipality, with the State Administrator as appeal body. Nothing in this rule refers to nationality or residence: a Norwegian buyer meets it too. What makes it asymmetric is the exemptions. Concession is not required where the acquirer is the owner's spouse, or related to the owner or the spouse in the direct ascending or descending line or the first collateral line down to the children of siblings, or holds odelsrett — the allodial right — over the property, or is the State or the municipality. A foreign buyer with no family tie to the seller and no allodial right falls outside every one of those, so a requirement that is general in its text is, in practice, one they cannot step around while many local buyers can. | Lov om konsesjon ved erverv av fast eiendom (konsesjonsloven), LOV-2003-11-28-98, §§ 2 and 5. Read from Lovdata. | 2026-08-17 |
New Zealand
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who needs consent | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | An overseas person is someone who is both not a New Zealand citizen and not ordinarily resident in New Zealand, or an entity incorporated overseas or more than 25% owned or controlled by an overseas person. Overseas persons have been unable to acquire residential land without consent since 22 October 2018. The test is residency and control rather than nationality, so a passport does not settle it — and neither does a locally registered entity whose ownership sits offshore. | Overseas Investment Act 2005, s. 7 (as amended by the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2021) | 2026-08-10 |
| Buying a home to live in | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | Overseas people usually cannot buy a house or land in New Zealand. Residential land here means residential property in cities and towns — an existing house, or land to build one on — and lifestyle blocks in the countryside near urban areas count too. The exception is narrow, and its timing is the trap: with a residence class visa but not yet ordinarily resident, you may buy or build one home to live in, and consent has to be obtained from Toitū Te Whenua before you buy rather than afterwards. Pre-approval lasts up to a year. Australian and Singaporean citizens and permanent residents are treated differently and can buy residential or lifestyle property without consent in some circumstances — but not all of them: the guidance qualifies it by residence status and by whether the land is sensitive for some other reason. This page does not say where that boundary falls, because we have not established it. | Overseas Investment Act 2005 (New Zealand) — residential land is sensitive land. Read from Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand's guidance page "Buying residential property to live in", which records its own last update as 6 March 2026. | 2026-08-11 |
| Developing residential land as an overseas investor | In forceNot stated by the source | While you hold it | Residential only | There is a route for overseas capital into New Zealand residential land, and every version of it is conditioned on not living there. A large rental development is 20 or more dwellings, and at least 20 of them must be made available for lease to occupiers within a satisfactory timeframe; the overseas person and certain related individuals cannot live on the land. The other pathways carry the same shape in their own words — you cannot live in the dwellings once built, and you cannot live in the long-term accommodation facility once built. This is a landlord's route into the market rather than a buyer's, and reading it as a way to acquire a home is the mistake it exists to prevent. | Overseas Investment Act 2005 (New Zealand), residential land development pathways. Read from Toitū Te Whenua's guidance page "Investing in residential land to develop". That page shows no last-updated date, so only the date it was read is claimed here. | 2026-08-11 |
Peru
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The fifty-kilometre border zone | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Land only | As to property, foreigners — whether natural or legal persons — are in the same position as Peruvians, and may in no case invoke exception or diplomatic protection. But within fifty kilometres of the borders, foreigners may not acquire or possess, by any title, mines, lands, forests, waters, fuels or sources of energy, whether directly or indirectly, individually or in partnership, on pain of forfeiting the right so acquired to the benefit of the State. The only exception is a case of public necessity expressly declared by supreme decree approved by the Council of Ministers in accordance with law. The sanction is forfeiture rather than a penalty, and it reaches indirect and corporate holdings, so a structure that puts a local entity between the buyer and the land does not escape it. | Constitución Política del Perú (1993), artículo 71. Read from the text published by the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones. | 2026-08-16 |
Russia
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land ownership in border territories | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | Foreign citizens, stateless persons and foreign legal entities may not hold ownership of land plots located in border territories. The prohibition attaches to the land plot itself, whatever stands on it, and the list of territories is set by presidential decree rather than by the Land Code — so where this bites is changed by decree, most recently in July 2026. It is not a general bar on foreigners owning Russian real estate, which is the usual misreading, and it is one rule rather than a survey. | Земельный кодекс РФ, ст. 15 п. 3 — Land Code of the Russian Federation, article 15(3). The list of territories is set by Указ Президента РФ от 09.01.2011 № 26, as amended on 27.07.2026 by Указ № 521. Retrieved from ConsultantPlus, a commercial legal database rather than the official gazette: pravo.gov.ru refused the connection on the day of retrieval, and the article is cited precisely enough to be checked against the official text anywhere. | 2026-08-11 |
| Agricultural land, and the fifty-per-cent rule behind it | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Land only | Foreign citizens, foreign legal entities, stateless persons — and Russian legal entities in whose charter capital such persons hold more than 50 per cent — may hold agricultural land only on a lease. Not restricted: prohibited from owning it at all, whatever the price. The capital threshold is the part worth reading twice, because it reaches through the structure normally used to get around a nationality test: a company registered in Russia is caught if the foreign share passes half, so ownership is decided by who owns the owner rather than by where the owner is registered. This governs land classified as agricultural and says nothing about an apartment or an office, which is the distinction most often lost when the rule is quoted. | Федеральный закон от 24.07.2002 № 101-ФЗ «Об обороте земель сельскохозяйственного назначения», статья 3 — Federal Law 101-FZ, article 3, in the edition of 29.12.2025 with amendments in force from 01.03.2026. Read from ConsultantPlus, a commercial legal database rather than the official gazette: pravo.gov.ru refused the connection again on the day of retrieval, as it did for the Land Code, and the article is cited precisely enough to be checked against the official text anywhere. | 2026-08-12 |
Singapore
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty for foreign buyers | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | A foreign buyer of residential property pays Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty of 60% of the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher. This is in addition to Buyer's Stamp Duty. | Stamp Duties Act 1929 (Singapore), ABSD | 2026-08-10 |
| Purchases held on trust | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | A transfer of residential property to a trustee to hold on trust is charged ABSD (Trust) at 65%, payable upfront, with any remission claimed by refund within six months of execution. | Stamp Duties Act 1929 (Singapore), ABSD (Trust) | 2026-08-10 |
| Free trade agreement treatment | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | Nationals of certain countries with a free trade agreement with Singapore are accorded the same ABSD treatment as a Singapore citizen; IRAS gives a United States citizen as a worked example. Which nationalities qualify materially changes the entry cost and must be checked per buyer. | Stamp Duties Act 1929 (Singapore), ABSD remission under FTA | 2026-08-10 |
Serbia
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reciprocity, and the land a residential buyer does not get | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | Foreign natural and legal persons carrying on an activity in Serbia may, under conditions of reciprocity, acquire ownership of immovable property necessary for carrying on that activity. A foreign natural person not carrying on an activity in Serbia may, under conditions of reciprocity, acquire ownership of an apartment and of a residential building on the same footing as citizens of Serbia. The same person may not acquire ownership of other kinds of land, except land on which the apartment or residential building they are acquiring stands, or land serving its regular use. The Ministry states that the reciprocity required is not treaty reciprocity: it is enough that the other state's legislation permits acquisition on conditions not substantially more onerous than Serbia's, and that Serbian citizens are in practice permitted to acquire there. | Zakon o osnovama svojinskopravnih odnosa, čl. 82a st. 1 and st. 2 (Sl. list SFRJ 6/80 and 36/90; Sl. list SRJ 29/96; Sl. glasnik RS 115/2005), as stated by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia. | 2026-08-16 |
| Agricultural land | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Land only | A foreign natural or legal person may not be the owner of agricultural land, unless that law provides otherwise in accordance with the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their member states and the Republic of Serbia. Agricultural land is defined as land used for agricultural production — fields, gardens, orchards, vineyards, meadows, pastures, fishponds, reedbeds and marshes — and land that can be brought into use for agricultural production, so the category is wider than land currently being farmed. | Zakon o poljoprivrednom zemljištu, čl. 1 and čl. 2 (Sl. glasnik RS 62/2006, 65/2008, 41/2009, 112/2015, 80/2017), as stated by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia. | 2026-08-16 |
Thailand
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Condominium quota for foreign buyers | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | Residential only | Foreign ownership in a condominium is capped at 49%, and the cap is per building rather than per buyer: once a building is full, a foreign buyer cannot purchase in it at any price. At registration the Department of Lands requires a letter from the condominium juristic person confirming the foreign proportion has not been exceeded. Official summaries state the measure differently — the Royal Thai Government portal describes 49% of the units, while the Condominium Act is framed on the aggregate floor area of all units. Which basis applies decides which specific units remain available, so confirm it for the building in question. | Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979), as amended | 2026-08-10 |
| Land is a different question | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way in | All property | The 49% route applies to condominium units. It is not a route to land: foreign freehold ownership of land is not generally available, which is why structures involving Thai companies or long leases are common, and why the ownership question in Thailand is structural before it is financial. | Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979); Land Code | 2026-08-10 |
United States
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The buyer withholds on a foreign seller, not the seller | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way out | All property | The disposition of a U.S. real property interest by a foreign person is subject to income tax withholding under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980. The obligation falls on the transferee: in most cases the buyer is the withholding agent, and the rate is generally 15% of the amount realized rather than of the gain, so it is withheld whether or not the seller made a profit. A reduced rate or exemption applies where the property is acquired by the buyer as a residence and the amount realized is USD 300,000 or less. The trap is the direction of the duty. A foreign seller who plans for a tax bill after the sale finds that 15% of the gross price has already left the transaction, and a buyer who does not withhold becomes liable for the tax themselves. | Internal Revenue Code section 1445, as explained in the Internal Revenue Service's FIRPTA withholding guidance. | 2026-08-17 |
South Africa
| Topic | In force | When it bites | Applies to | What applies | Instrument | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Withholding on a sale by a non-resident | In forceNot stated by the source | On the way out | All property | A purchaser paying a non-resident for immovable property in South Africa must withhold part of the price and pay it to SARS: 7.5% where the seller is a natural person, 10% a company, 15% a trust. It does not apply where the amounts payable total R2 million or less — but above that line the percentage is charged on the whole price, not on the excess, so a R2.1 million sale is withheld in full. The money is an advance against the seller's own income tax for that year, not an extra tax, and the seller may apply to SARS for a directive reducing or removing it. For a foreign buyer this reads twice: it is an obligation you carry when you buy from a non-resident, and it is what happens to your own proceeds when you come to sell. | Income Tax Act No. 58 of 1962 (South Africa), section 35A. Retrieved from the South African Revenue Service's own external guide IT-PP-02-G01, "Amounts to be Withheld When a Non-Resident Sells Immovable Property in South Africa", effective 3 September 2025, and from the SARS page for non-resident sellers. | 2026-08-11 |
Markets with no friction entries yet
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Czechia, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Croatia, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Iceland, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Mexico, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Türkiye. Absent rather than unrestricted — nobody has read and cited a primary source for them, and an entry we cannot cite is worth less than the gap where it should be. Most of these are on the coverage map because two macro series reach them — a reference rate and a central-bank policy rate — and for a cross-border buyer that is the least useful pair of facts available about a country. What the law does to a foreigner here is the question, and for these markets it is still unanswered.
How these are maintained
Each entry is read from the statute, the tax authority, or the land registry, never from a summary. Where official sources disagree — and on three of these markets they do, about a date or about a measurement basis — the disagreement is stated in the entry instead of being resolved by picking whichever source sounded most recent.
Facts of law change. The date each entry was read is the only honest way to say how old it is, so it sits in the table rather than in a footer. Entries are reviewed quarterly, which is roughly the rate at which these regimes move.