Buying property in Spain as a foreigner
Anyone can buy property in Spain, resident or not. What catches foreign buyers is the order of the steps, the regional costs and the checks a Spanish purchase needs. This page walks the whole purchase, and links our full guide on each step.
The purchase, in order
A Spanish purchase usually runs: an offer, a reservation contract that takes the property off the market against a holding deposit, your lawyer's checks, a private purchase contract (the contrato de arras) with a deposit that commits both sides, and completion in front of a notary, where the price is paid and the keys change hands. The deed is then registered in your name at the land registry.
Use your own independent lawyer, not one suggested by anyone on the selling side, and bring them in before you sign anything, including the reservation. The checks between reservation and contract are where problems surface while you can still walk away.
Full guide: Buying property in Spain as a foreigner: the full process and costs
What it costs, and why the region matters
Spain's transfer tax (ITP) is set region by region, so on a €1 million home your buying costs can differ by €65,000 depending on where in Spain you buy. The Costa del Sol sits in Andalucía, where ITP on a resale is a flat 7%: €70,000 on a €1 million resale, before notary, registry and legal fees. Budget roughly 9 to 10% all in on an Andalucían resale, or 13 to 14% on a new build, where 10% VAT plus 1.2% stamp duty replace the ITP. Those are the October 2026 rates; confirm the current ones with your lawyer before you sign.
Full guide: the full process and costs, with the regional comparison
The NIE: get it before you find the property
The NIE is Spain's tax identification number for foreigners, and nothing in the purchase moves without it: not the bank account, not the contract, not completion. There are three routes, including one by Power of Attorney you can run from home before you fly, and the right time to start is before you begin viewing, not after you have offered.
Full guide: How to get an NIE number in Spain
Check the title before you commit
The nota simple is the land registry's extract for the property: the registered owner, the mortgages and charges against it, and how it is described. It costs a few euros online and takes minutes to order. It will not show everything (community debts and planning issues sit elsewhere, which is one reason you still need a lawyer), but it catches the worst surprises before any money moves.
Full guide: The nota simple: how to check title before you buy
Borrowing as a non-resident
Spanish banks lend to non-residents every day, on tighter terms: typically up to about 70% of the bank's valuation, against up to roughly 80% for a resident, and a fuller document file. For larger purchases, private banks work differently again. Get an indication of what you can borrow before you offer, so the finance never holds up the purchase.
Full guide: Spanish mortgages for non-residents
If the home won't be your main residence
Two things to know before completion rather than after. A non-resident owner pays Spanish tax on the property every year even when it stands empty, through an imputed income charge and local IBI. And if you plan to let it to holidaymakers, Andalucía regulates tourist accommodation: registration comes first, and the rules have tightened.
Full guides: non-resident tax on a Spanish property and Andalusia's tourist accommodation regulations
Buying no longer brings residency
Spain's Golden Visa ended in April 2025. The purchase and the right to live in Spain are now two separate applications, whatever you spend. If the plan is to live here rather than visit, start from our moving to Spain guide, where the residency routes are laid out.
Full guide: what non-EU buyers can do instead
All our buying a home guides
- Buying a home Buying a holiday home in Spain that you don't let out: what it costs to own each year What a Spanish holiday home you never let out costs to own each year: IBI, community fees, insurance, upkeep and the non-resident imputed income tax.
- Buying a home Buying property in Spain as a foreigner: the full process and costs On a €1m home, where you buy can swing your buying costs by €65,000. A foreign buyer's guide to budgeting by region and running the purchase in order.
- Buying a home How to get an NIE number in Spain (and why you need it to buy property) You can get a Spanish NIE number remotely by Power of Attorney, before you fly. Here are the three routes and when to pay someone to do it.
- Buying a home Spanish mortgages for non-residents: how much you can borrow and what banks ask for What a non-resident can borrow for a Spanish mortgage in 2026: typical loan-to-value, the documents banks ask for, fixed versus variable, and costs on top.
- Buying a home The nota simple: how to check a Spanish property's title before you buy Learn what a nota simple shows about a Marbella property's owner and debts, what it leaves out, and when to order one before you sign a reservation contract.
- Buying a home Spain's end to golden visas and the future of real estate investment Golden Visa Sunset: Spain’s Visa Policy Evolves Our Deep Dive into the End of Spain’s Golden Visa provides you with everything you need to know
- Buying a home Understanding Andalusia's New Tourist Accommodation Regulations: What Owners Need to Know Plus: 27 Things you can’t miss if you own a tourist rental property in Andalucia! … One significant update to the regulations is the introduction of a cap on the number of tourist accommodation units an owner can operate. Specifically, an owner is limited to operating just two units, whether directl
Common questions
Can foreigners buy property in Spain?
Yes. Spain places no restriction on foreign buyers, resident or not. You need an NIE (a Spanish tax identification number for foreigners), and in practice a Spanish bank account for completion. Buying no longer carries a residency right: the Golden Visa ended in April 2025, so living in Spain is a separate application.
How much are buying costs on the Costa del Sol?
The Costa del Sol is in Andalucía, where transfer tax (ITP) on a resale is a flat 7% of the price. Budget roughly 9 to 10% all in on a resale, or 13 to 14% on a new build, where 10% VAT plus 1.2% stamp duty replace the ITP, correct as of October 2026.
What is a nota simple?
The land registry extract for a Spanish property: who owns it, what is registered against it (mortgages, charges, embargoes) and how the property is described. It costs a few euros, can be ordered online, and is the first check to run before you sign or transfer anything.
Can a non-resident get a Spanish mortgage?
Yes. Spanish banks routinely lend to non-residents, typically up to about 70% of the bank’s valuation, where a resident can often reach 80%. Expect a thicker document file: passport, NIE, income evidence, tax returns and bank statements, with everything translated where needed.
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