Do you need residency to buy property in Spain?

No. You don't need a residence permit or visa to own a home in Spain. You do need an NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) and a Spanish bank account.

Can Foreigners Buy Property in Spain?

Q: Can foreigners buy property in Spain?

Yes. Spain places no general restriction on foreigners buying property. EU citizens, non-EU citizens, residents and non-residents can all purchase homes, land and commercial property under essentially the same rules as Spanish nationals.

Q: Does buying property in Spain grant residency?

No. Spain's golden visa programme, which once granted residency to non-EU nationals investing €500,000 or more in property, was abolished on 3 April 2025. Buying a home in Spain no longer comes with any residency rights.

Yes. Spain places no general restriction on foreigners buying property — EU citizens, non-EU citizens, residents and non-residents can all purchase homes, land, and commercial property under essentially the same rules that apply to Spanish nationals.

What you need in place

A valid passport
An NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) — required to pay taxes and open a bank account
A Spanish bank account for running costs

Beyond that, ownership isn’t tied to residency status — you don’t need a residence permit or visa to own a home in Spain.

The few exceptions

Strategic or border zones: land near military installations or certain border and coastal defence areas can require special authorisation, mainly relevant to rural land rather than typical residential or urban property
Coastal law (Ley de Costas): properties very close to the shoreline can carry specific restrictions on construction and use, independent of the buyer’s nationality

For the vast majority of residential purchases — apartments, villas, townhouses — none of these exceptions come into play.

Buying property doesn’t grant residency

Spain’s “golden visa” programme, which once granted residency to non-EU nationals investing €500,000 or more in property, was abolished on 3 April 2025. Buying a home in Spain today doesn’t come with any residency rights attached — if you want to live in Spain long-term, you’ll need to qualify separately through routes such as the non-lucrative visa or the digital nomad visa.

Practical tip Nationality doesn’t limit whether you can buy — it mainly affects the mortgage terms you’ll be offered and the tax residency rules that apply to you once you own the property.