How Long Does It Actually Take to Buy Property Abroad? (2026): Completion Timelines, Country by Country
Published on: June 16, 2026
"How long will it take?" is the question every buyer asks and almost no listing answers. It matters more than it sounds: it dictates when you need your deposit ready, when to book the trip to sign, when to give notice on a rental, and whether a tight completion deadline is realistic or a recipe for losing your reservation fee.
The honest answer is that timelines vary enormously by country, from a Dubai cash purchase that can close in two to four weeks, to a UK chain that routinely drags past three months. This guide gives the realistic offer-to-keys timeline for each major market, and, just as importantly, what slows each one down.
How to read these. These are typical timelines for a resale purchase by a prepared buyer, as of 2026. New-build and off-plan run on the developer's construction schedule (often years) and are a different animal. Cash shortens almost everything; a foreign mortgage lengthens it. The single biggest accelerator in every country is having your tax number and bank account ready before you make an offer.
At a glance: offer to keys (resale)
| Country | Typical timeline | Main bottleneck |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ~1–4 weeks (cash) | Valuation report, paperwork prep |
| UAE / Dubai | ~2–4 weeks (cash) | NOC from developer, DLD transfer |
| Cyprus | ~1–3 months | Title checks, permits |
| Spain | ~2–3 months | NIE, mortgage, due diligence |
| Portugal | ~2–4 months | NIF, financing, document checks |
| Greece | ~2–4 months | Lawyer checks, tax representative |
| Italy | ~2–4 months | Preliminary-to-final gap, checks |
| France | ~3 months | Notaire process, cooling-off |
| United Kingdom | ~3–4 months | The conveyancing chain |
The three stages every purchase shares
Almost every country runs the same three-stage structure, even though the names differ:
- The offer / reservation, you agree a price and often pay a small reservation fee to take the property off the market.
- The contract / deposit stage, a binding preliminary contract with a meaningful deposit (often ~10%), after which pulling out has consequences.
- Completion, signing the final deed before a notary (or solicitor) and transferring the balance, at which point ownership and keys pass to you.
The gap between stages 2 and 3 is where most of the time, and most of the risk, lives, because that is when due diligence, financing and paperwork happen.
Turkey, the fastest, often weeks
A cash purchase in Turkey can complete remarkably quickly, one to four weeks once your tax number and bank account are in place. The transfer happens at the Land Registry (Tapu) office. Two things add time: a mandatory SPK-licensed valuation report for foreign buyers, and document preparation (sworn translations, power of attorney). Historically a military clearance check slowed things; the process is now much faster. Turkey's speed is a genuine advantage for decisive buyers.
UAE / Dubai, weeks, by design
Dubai is built for fast transactions. A ready (secondary-market) cash purchase can complete in two to four weeks. The key steps are the MOU (Form F), obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the developer (which can take a week or two), and the final transfer at the Dubai Land Department. Off-plan, by contrast, follows the construction payment plan over the build period. Mortgage purchases add a few weeks for bank valuation and approval.
Cyprus, one to three months
A resale purchase in Cyprus typically completes in one to three months, driven by your lawyer's title and encumbrance checks and any permit considerations. Cyprus has historically had title-deed complexities on some developments, which is exactly why the legal due-diligence stage matters and shouldn't be rushed.
Spain, two to three months
A typical Spanish resale runs two to three months from offer to the escritura (final deed) at the notary. The sequence is reservation → contrato de arras (deposit contract, usually 10%) → escritura. What stretches it: getting your NIE if you didn't do it early, arranging a Spanish mortgage (add several weeks for non-resident lending), and thorough legal due diligence. Cash buyers who arrive with NIE and bank account in hand can move at the fast end.
Portugal, two to four months
Portugal generally takes two to four months. The structure is reservation → CPCV (contrato de promessa de compra e venda, the promissory contract with deposit) → the escritura (deed). Bottlenecks: obtaining your NIF, mortgage processing if financing, and document/licence checks (energy certificate, habitation licence, land registry). As ever, prepared buyers move faster.
Greece, two to four months
Greece typically runs two to four months, sometimes longer. The process is lawyer-led, with title searches at the land registry/cadastre, your AFM and tax representative in place, and the deed signed before a notary. Greek due diligence can uncover historic title or planning issues, so the legal stage is where time is well spent rather than rushed.
Italy, two to four months
Italy moves through proposta (offer) → compromesso (binding preliminary contract with deposit, the caparra) → rogito (final deed before a notary). The whole process is commonly two to four months, longer if the property has inheritance, planning or catasto (cadastral) discrepancies, which older Italian properties frequently do. The notary's checks are thorough by design.
France, around three months
France is notaire-led and methodical. After the offre and the compromis de vente (preliminary contract), the buyer has a 10-day cooling-off period, and the notaire then conducts checks before the acte de vente (final deed). The standard expectation is around three months from compromis to completion, partly because the notaire's searches and the mandatory steps are fixed in time.
United Kingdom, three to four months
The UK is the cautionary tale. Even a straightforward purchase commonly takes three to four months, and a chain (where your seller is also buying) can stretch it much further, because everyone completes on the same day. There is no notary; solicitors handle conveyancing, and the process is famously prone to delay and last-minute collapse. Cash buyers with no chain are the exception that completes quickly.
How to be the fast buyer in any market
The buyers who close at the quick end of these ranges all do the same things:
- Tax number and bank account first, before making an offer, not after.
- Lawyer appointed early, ideally before you find the property, with power of attorney where useful.
- Funds in position, currency converted or transfer route (e.g. a specialist FX service) ready, not started on signing day.
- Decide cash vs. mortgage upfront, foreign mortgages are the single biggest source of delay; if financing, start the application early.
- Realistic deadlines, don't agree a completion date that assumes everything goes perfectly.
Frequently asked questions
What's the fastest country to buy property in?
Among these, Turkey and Dubai are fastest for prepared cash buyers, often two to four weeks. The UK is typically the slowest.
Does a mortgage make it slower?
Yes, almost always. A foreign mortgage adds weeks for valuation and approval and is the most common reason a purchase overruns its expected timeline.
What's the biggest accelerator?
Having your tax number and local bank account ready before you make an offer. It removes the step that most often holds purchases up.
How long does off-plan take?
Off-plan follows the construction schedule, often one to three years, with payments staged against build progress, not a single completion date.
Why timelines belong in your comparison
A buyer weighing Dubai against the UK isn't just comparing prices and yields, they are comparing a four-week close against a four-month one, with completely different implications for deposits, travel and risk. That difference rarely appears in a listing, and misjudging it is how reservation fees get lost and rentals get given up too early.
JanusHermes surfaces the process behind the property, the realistic timeline, the stages, and the prep that makes a purchase fast and safe, for every market in one place, so your plan matches the country you are actually buying in. Explore listings and country intelligence on JanusHermes.
These are typical resale timelines for prepared buyers as of 2026 and vary by property, financing and individual circumstances. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Confirm the process and realistic timing with a qualified local lawyer or notary.
