Foreign property ownership in France, explained: no nationality limit. Residence and family law still matter.
// Short answer
No French restriction on foreigners or non-residents buying residential property was found. A foreign buyer owns directly, on the same terms as a French buyer. What changes the outcome is personal: nationality, residence and matrimonial regime affect how the property is held, taxed and passed on, and the notaire examines them at purchase.
Rules and rates as of September 2026. Transfer duty is set by each department and letting rules are changing, so check the dated items again before you sign. Every figure links to its source.
On this page
Is there any limit on foreigners owning property in France?
None was found. A foreign or non-resident individual can hold French land and buildings directly on the same terms as a French buyer. The Notaires de France guidance for non-residents treats the purchase as ordinary and governed by French law, though no official page states the absence of restrictions in one sentence.
The notaire also checks the origin of funds and the bank transfers, as part of anti-money-laundering duties.
What does the notaire check about a foreign buyer?
Nationality, country of residence, personal history in France and matrimonial regime. These affect how the property is owned, taxed and resold, so the notaire examines them at purchase and explains the tax regime to the foreign buyer.
Have your marriage and residence details ready for the notaire from the start.
What happens to French property when a foreign owner dies?
Succession is governed by the law of the owner's country of residence, not automatically by French law. That is one reason the notaire looks at residence and matrimonial regime at purchase. Take advice in both countries before choosing how to hold the property.
This is a point to settle with the notaire before signing, not after.
Can a foreigner own French property through an SCI?
Yes. A société civile immobilière (SCI) can hold property, and the official page sets no nationality or residence condition on partners. By default an SCI is tax-transparent: each partner is taxed on their share of the profit under income tax, whether or not it is distributed.
Partners can elect corporate tax instead; the option becomes irrevocable after the fifth following financial year. Partners can be individuals or companies.
France pack
Costs, the notaire, and what homes really sold for, in one document
The acte authentique and the 10 days, transfer duty by department, the notaire's scale, the taxes from deed to sale, 2025 sale prices from Paris to the Dordogne, and one EUR 400,000 Lyon apartment worked two ways: to live in, and to rent out. 31 pages, in the order you meet them as a buyer.
Does owning property in France give residency?
No residence permit tied to buying property was found. The talent card for economic investment requires at least EUR 300,000 in tangible or intangible business fixed assets in France, held personally or through a company you run or hold at least 30% of, plus creating or safeguarding jobs.
The official page does not mention residential property at all, so a home or rental property does not appear to qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a non-EU citizen own a house in France?
Do I need to be resident in France to own property?
Which law governs inheritance of my French property?
Can I buy French property through a company?
Is there a French golden visa for property?
Header photo: Mike is Michi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.