In 2025, buying property in Europe without holding citizenship is still legally possible in most countries, but the rules of the game have changed. Political pressure linked to housing affordability, the retreat of golden visa schemes and tighter taxation of foreign buyers are reshaping demand and access across the continent. For non-citizens, the key distinction is critical: owning property gives you ownership rights only. It does not automatically grant the right to live permanently in the country. Residency and citizenship remain separate legal processes governed by immigration law rather than real estate law.
Despite these shifts, Europe still offers a diverse range of markets where non-citizens can buy freely, from high-liquidity capitals to underdeveloped coastal regions. What differentiates these markets in 2025 is no longer price alone, but legal security, political stability, rental regulation and long-term policy direction.
Greece: Property Ownership Still Linked to Residency
Greece remains the clearest example of a country where property ownership can still be directly linked to residency. Foreigners are allowed to buy real estate across almost the entire country, with only limited border areas subject to additional permits. Ownership rights for non-citizens are otherwise equal to those of Greek nationals. What has changed is the cost of entry through the Golden Visa program. In 2025, the minimum qualifying investment now reaches €800,000 in high-demand zones such as central Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini. In most other regions, the threshold stands at €400,000 with strict conditions on unit size and structure. The former €250,000 entry point survives only in narrowly defined redevelopment projects.
Athens apartment prices now average about €2,580 per square metre, with prime districts exceeding €4,000 and the Athens Riviera above €5,000. Nationwide price growth continues at roughly seven percent annually. Greece still works for non-citizens because it combines legal ownership access with a viable Schengen residency route, strong tourism-driven rental demand and a large international buyer base. The risk is clear: the affordability window is narrowing rapidly as visa thresholds rise faster than incomes.
Portugal: Ownership Open but Residency Separated
Portugal remains fully open to non-citizen buyers from an ownership perspective, but it has decisively separated property from immigration. Real estate no longer qualifies for the Portuguese Golden Visa, which is now limited to fund investments and selected financial instruments. Foreign individuals and companies can still buy freely, and the legal system remains one of the most transparent in Southern Europe.
In 2025, national average prices sit between €2,700 and €2,735 per square metre. Lisbon trades above €3,800, while the Algarve ranges roughly between €3,400 and €4,400 depending on location and property type. Despite the end of the property-based visa, prices have continued to rise owing to chronic housing shortages and durable international lifestyle demand. Portugal still appeals because of its infrastructure, healthcare system and strong rental markets. The main uncertainty has shifted from immigration rules to taxation and rental regulation, especially in short-term tourist zones.
France: Full Ownership Rights for Non-Citizens
France offers one of the cleanest legal frameworks for non-citizen ownership in Europe. There are no nationality-based restrictions on buying residential or commercial property. Foreign buyers receive full freehold title, exactly like French citizens. Visa rules affect only how long a non-EU owner can physically stay in the country.
In 2025, average residential prices across France stand at roughly €2,900–3,000 per square metre, while Paris averages around €9,500 with prime districts significantly higher. After a correction in transaction volumes during 2023 and early 2024, the market stabilised in 2025 as financing conditions improved. France continues to work for non-citizens because of its extremely high legal security, deep market liquidity and strong long-term capital preservation profile. The trade-off is cost: notary fees and transfer taxes typically add seven to nine percent to the purchase price.
Italy: Broad Access and a Wide Price Spectrum
Italy remains one of the most accessible large markets for foreign buyers. EU nationals face no restrictions, while most non-EU nationals can buy under reciprocity agreements that include buyers from the United States and the United Kingdom. There is no requirement to hold residency or citizenship to purchase.
In 2025, Italy’s national average price is about €2,135 per square metre, with the secondary market closer to €1,800–1,820. Milan exceeds €5,400 per square metre, while southern regions offer some of the lowest entry points in Western Europe, with Puglia near €1,400 and Sicily around €1,160. Italy works because of its regional price diversity, strong international lifestyle demand and tax incentives for high-net-worth residents relocating their fiscal status to the country. The core risk remains administrative complexity, especially in older properties where zoning, renovation permits and historic protections require careful legal checks.
Cyprus: Mid-Priced EU Market With Residency Options
Cyprus occupies a middle position between Western Europe and emerging Mediterranean markets. EU citizens can buy without restriction, while non-EU buyers usually require government approval and are typically limited to a maximum of two residential units. Cyprus also offers permanent residency by investment through new-build property with a minimum threshold of €300,000.
In 2025, average residential prices range between €2,600 and €2,700 per square metre, with higher levels in Limassol, Nicosia and major coastal zones. Cyprus continues to attract non-citizens because of its English-speaking legal environment, business-friendly tax system and structured residency route tied to property. The major red flag remains Northern Cyprus, where unresolved ownership claims linked to pre-1974 land create severe legal risks for foreign buyers.
Montenegro: One of Europe’s Most Open Non-EU Markets
Montenegro, though not an EU member, has become one of the most open European markets for non-citizens. Foreigners can buy residential and commercial property with nearly the same rights as locals. Only certain categories of land require a local company structure. Ownership can support temporary residency permits but does not provide a direct path to citizenship.
By 2025, coastal prices average about €2,450 per square metre, while the capital Podgorica remains closer to €1,700–1,800. Some coastal micro-markets recorded close to thirty percent annual growth during 2024–2025. Montenegro attracts buyers with its low relative pricing, strong tourism rental demand and long-term EU accession narrative. Its weakness remains market transparency and planning consistency, which still lag behind core EU standards.
Spain: Open Market With Rising Political Risk
Spain, although still legally open to foreign buyers in 2025, has become the most politically risky major market for non-citizens in Europe. Purchases by non-residents continue across Andalusia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. At the same time, the government has proposed a one hundred percent tax surcharge on purchases by non-resident non-EU buyers and is openly debating ownership restrictions in high-pressure regions. While not all measures are enacted, uncertainty is already affecting investor behaviour.
National average prices now range between €2,090 and €2,500 per square metre. Málaga province exceeds €4,000, while prime Balearic locations reach €5,000–8,500 and above. Spain still attracts buyers because of liquidity, strong rental performance and unmatched lifestyle appeal, but it now carries direct regulatory intervention risk.
What This Means for Buyers Without Citizenship
The European property landscape for non-citizens in 2025 is defined by three structural shifts. Legal ownership remains broadly accessible, but immigration privileges attached to property are disappearing. Regulatory risk has become as important as price risk, as demonstrated most clearly by Spain. At the same time, price dispersion between regions is widening, creating a fragmented patchwork of political, legal and valuation regimes across the continent.
For buyers without citizenship, a successful strategy now depends on separating ownership rights from residency rights, stress-testing investments against the local political climate and budgeting for total transaction costs that typically add ten to fifteen percent on top of the purchase price. Europe remains open to foreign ownership. What has ended is the assumption that buying property and securing long-term legal presence automatically go hand in hand.
