Foreign Property Ownership Restrictions by Country (2026): The Complete Comparison Table
Published on: July 24, 2026
Last verified: 24 July 2026. Restrictions in this area change quickly and sub-national rules may apply. Verify before acting.
Quick answer: Most countries let foreigners buy property freely. The ones that do not fall into four distinct categories, and confusing them is the most common and most expensive mistake cross-border buyers make. Category one is the outright temporary ban (Canada until January 2027, Australia's established-dwelling ban now extended to June 2029). Category two is the quota (Thailand's 49% condominium cap, the Philippines' 40%, Vietnam's 30%). Category three is the restricted zone (Mexico's coastal and border strip, Panama's 10 km border zone). Category four is the structural title limit, where foreigners can never hold freehold land regardless of location (Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam). This table maps all four, with the specific statute behind each.
Every restriction below is tied to a named legal instrument and a date. Rules in this area move fast, three of the entries in this table changed in the first half of 2026 alone, so the source and date matter as much as the rule.
The master table
| Country | Can foreigners buy? | The restriction | Legal basis / status (July 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | ❌ Largely banned | Non-citizens and non-permanent residents cannot buy residential property (buildings of 3 dwelling units or fewer) inside Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations. Exemptions for certain temporary residents, protected persons, and purchases with a Canadian spouse. | Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, in force 1 Jan 2023, extended to 1 Jan 2027. Government is weighing a replacement approach rather than a straight extension. |
| Australia | ⚠️ New-build only | Foreign persons, including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies, cannot buy established dwellings. New dwellings and vacant land remain open with FIRB approval. | Temporary ban from 1 Apr 2025, extended in the 2026–27 Budget to 30 June 2029. Narrow exceptions for projects adding significant housing supply and the PALM scheme. Permanent residents, NZ citizens and spouses of Australian citizens are unaffected. |
| New Zealand | ⚠️ Very restricted | Overseas persons generally cannot buy existing homes. Since 6 March 2026, holders of Active Investor Plus, Investor 1 and Investor 2 visas may buy or build one residential property valued above NZ$5 million, with OIO consent. | Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Act, in force 6 Mar 2026. The broad 2018 prohibition otherwise stands. Australians and Singaporeans have been exempt since 2018. |
| Thailand | ⚠️ Condos only, capped | No foreign freehold land ownership at all. Condominium units can be held freehold, but foreign ownership cannot exceed 49% of a building's total registered floor area. Purchase funds must be remitted from abroad in foreign currency (FET form required). | Land Code Act B.E. 2497 (1954); Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979). A proposal to raise the quota to 75% in special economic zones has not been tabled as legislation. Nominee-company structures faced a compliance crackdown via DBD orders in 2026. |
| Philippines | ⚠️ Condos only, capped | Foreigners cannot own land. Condominium ownership is capped at 40% of a condominium project. Long-term leases of up to 50 years (renewable 25) are the alternative for land. | 1987 Constitution (60/40 rule); Condominium Act (R.A. 4726); Investors' Lease Act (R.A. 7652). Former natural-born Filipinos have expanded rights under R.A. 8179. Nominee arrangements are illegal and actively pursued. |
| Vietnam | ⚠️ Leasehold, capped | Foreigners may own apartments on a 50-year term, renewable once subject to approval. Cap of 30% of units per condominium building, and 10% in a landed housing project. | Law on Housing 2014, amended 2023. |
| Indonesia | ⚠️ Use-rights only | Foreigners cannot hold freehold (Hak Milik). The available title is Hak Pakai (right to use), registered with the BPN and tied to holding a valid Indonesian stay permit. Losing residency status can force a transfer. | Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA) 1960; Government Regulation PP 103/2015. Terms are granted in stages and extended rather than held indefinitely. |
| Mexico | ⚠️ Trust required near coast/border | Foreigners cannot hold direct title within 50 km of any coastline or 100 km of any international border, the zona restringida, which covers nearly every beach market. Purchase is made through a fideicomiso, a 50-year renewable bank trust in which you hold all beneficial rights. Outside the zone, direct title is available. | Article 27 of the 1917 Constitution. Structure is long-established and stable. |
| Switzerland | ⚠️ Permit and quota | Non-resident foreigners need a cantonal permit to buy residential property, with an annual national quota and tight restrictions on location, size and resale. Commercial property is largely unrestricted. | Lex Koller (Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad). |
| Spain | ✅ Open | No restriction on foreign purchase. Note that the Golden Visa residency route via property was abolished in April 2025, you can still buy, you just cannot get residency that way. | Buying and residency are now entirely separate questions. |
| Portugal | ✅ Open | No restriction on foreign purchase. Real estate was removed as a Golden Visa qualifying route in October 2023. | Same separation as Spain: open market, no property-linked residency. |
| Greece | ✅ Open, with border-area consent | Open to foreign buyers. Purchases in designated border regions and certain islands require approval from a local decentralised administration committee. Golden Visa thresholds were raised and tiered in 2024. | Border-area rules are administrative rather than prohibitive in practice. |
| UAE (Dubai) | ✅ Open in designated areas | Foreigners hold full freehold in designated freehold zones; elsewhere leasehold or Emirati-only. Freehold areas cover most of the internationally marketed market. | Emirate-level property law. Abu Dhabi and other emirates run their own designated-area systems. |
| Türkiye | ✅ Open, with limits | Open to most nationalities. Restrictions apply in military and security zones, a per-person cap of 30 hectares nationally, and a limit of 10% of the surface area of any given district. A reciprocity condition applies to a small number of nationalities. | Land Registry Law No. 2644, as amended. |
| Denmark | ⚠️ Permission required | Non-residents generally need Ministry of Justice permission to buy, with stricter rules for holiday homes. EU rules apply to those exercising free movement rights. | Danish Acquisition Act. |
Legend: ✅ open · ⚠️ restricted or conditional · ❌ largely prohibited
The four categories, and why the distinction matters
1. Temporary political bans
Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the significant examples, and all three are policy responses to domestic housing affordability rather than long-standing legal structure. That makes them the most volatile entries in this table, and the most likely to be described incorrectly online, because a guide written eighteen months ago will be wrong.
Two recent moves illustrate the point. Australia's ban on established dwellings was originally set to run to 31 March 2027; the 2026–27 Budget extended it to 30 June 2029. A large share of the guidance currently published still cites the older date. In the opposite direction, New Zealand's blanket 2018 prohibition was partially opened on 6 March 2026 for investor-visa holders buying above NZ$5 million, a narrow, deliberately high-end carve-out that some coverage overstated as a general reopening.
Canada's Act expires on 1 January 2027, and the government has signalled it is considering a different approach rather than a simple extension. Anyone planning a Canadian purchase for 2027 should treat the current rule as a moving target.
2. Quotas
Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam all cap the proportion of a single building that foreigners may collectively own. The practical implication is one that catches buyers repeatedly: the quota can be full. In popular Phuket, Pattaya, Makati and BGC projects, the foreign allocation is often exhausted, and the unit you are being shown may only be available on a lesser structure, a lease rather than freehold, even though the marketing does not say so.
Always ask for written confirmation of the current remaining foreign quota from the building's management or the relevant land registry before you sign anything.
Note also that Thailand's cap is calculated on total registered floor area, not unit count, which means a building can be "49% full" while a minority of units have sold.
3. Restricted zones
Mexico and Panama restrict by geography rather than by market. Mexico's is by far the more consequential, because the 50 km coastal strip captures Cancún, Tulum, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and the whole of Baja, that is, almost everything a foreign buyer is actually looking at. The fideicomiso structure that solves it is well-established, legally robust, and routinely misrepresented as risky by people who have not read how it works.
Panama's 10 km border restriction affects parts of Chiriquí near Costa Rica and Darién near Colombia. It does not touch Panama City, Boquete, Coronado or Pedasí.
4. Structural title limits
This is the category most often missed, because it is invisible in a listing. In Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, no amount of money, residency or time converts a foreigner into a freehold landowner. What is on offer is a condominium title, a use-right, or a lease.
That is not automatically a bad deal. It is a different asset, with a different risk profile, a different financing picture and a different resale market, and it should be priced accordingly. The recurring failure is not buying leasehold, it is paying a freehold price for it.
The risk that is not on this table
In several markets the binding constraint has nothing to do with foreign-buyer rules. It is title quality.
Panama's derecho posesorio (rights of possession) land is the clearest example: it is not ownership, it cannot be registered in the Public Registry, it usually cannot be mortgaged or insured, and foreign buyers who mistake it for titled property have lost their entire investment to competing claims. Mexico's ejido (communal) land creates a similar trap. In both cases the buyer was legally permitted to buy, they simply bought something other than what they thought.
An independent title search by a lawyer with no relationship to the seller or developer is the single highest-value expense in any cross-border purchase. It is also the one most often skipped.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries ban foreigners from buying property outright?
No major market bans foreign purchase completely and permanently. Canada comes closest with a broad temporary prohibition running to 1 January 2027. Australia bans foreign purchases of established dwellings until 30 June 2029 but leaves new-builds open. Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines permanently bar foreign freehold land ownership while allowing condominiums or use-rights.
Can foreigners buy property in Canada in 2026?
Generally no, inside Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, for residential buildings of three units or fewer. Exemptions exist for certain temporary residents, protected persons and purchases made with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident spouse. Properties outside those census areas are not covered.
Is Australia's foreign buyer ban still ending in 2027?
No. It was extended in the 2026–27 Budget and now runs to 30 June 2029.
Why can't I own land in Thailand?
The Land Code Act reserves land ownership for Thai nationals. Condominium units are the exception, permitted under the Condominium Act within the 49% per-building foreign quota. Leases of up to 30 years and usufruct rights are the lawful alternatives for landed property.
Do these restrictions apply to me if I get residency?
Sometimes, which is precisely why the categories matter. Residency solves Australia's ban (permanent residents are exempt) and New Zealand's "ordinarily resident" test. It does not solve Thailand's land prohibition or the Philippines' constitutional 60/40 rule, which are about nationality, not residence. Mexico's restricted zone is only escaped by naturalisation, not residency.
Which open markets are genuinely simplest for a foreign buyer?
Panama, Türkiye, the UAE freehold zones, Spain, Portugal and Greece all allow direct foreign freehold ownership with no quota. Simplicity of purchase is not the same as strength of returns or favourable taxation, which are separate analyses.
Keep reading on JanusHermes
Go deeper on the trickiest structures with Mexico's fideicomiso and buying property in Panama as a foreigner. See the US foreign buyer guide, read how to hire a real estate lawyer abroad, and compare residency routes in the Golden Visa ROI ranking.
This table summarises national rules as of July 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Restrictions in this area change quickly, sub-national rules may apply, and treatment often depends on your nationality and residence status. Verify your specific position with a licensed lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction before committing funds.
Primary sources: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act); Australian Taxation Office guidance on foreign purchases of established dwellings, updated May 2026; New Zealand Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2026; Thailand Condominium Act B.E. 2522 and Land Code Act B.E. 2497; Philippine Constitution and Condominium Act R.A. 4726; Vietnam Law on Housing 2014 (as amended 2023); Indonesia UUPA 1960 and PP 103/2015; Article 27, Constitution of Mexico; Article 47, Constitution of Panama; Swiss Lex Koller; Turkish Land Registry Law No. 2644.
A note on the numbers: where no source is named, the market figures in this article (prices, yields, costs) are indicative estimates compiled from publicly available market data and industry reporting at the time of writing. Markets move and rules change, so treat them as a starting point and verify current figures with official sources before acting on them.