Buying a Summer Cottage in Finland: Lakes and Saunas

Someone buying a summer cottage in Finland, a mökki (cottage, often by a lake), usually buys real property (kiinteistö, a registered land parcel including its buildings), and the form of the sale, the taxes and the registration differ from those for buying a flat. If the buyer does not hold the citizenship of an EU or EEA country, Finnish law as a rule requires a permit from Finland's Ministry of Defence (Puolustusministeriö) to acquire real property in mainland Finland, and the same applies to certain companies and other entities. Åland has its own land acquisition legislation: there, a buyer who does not have the Åland right of domicile usually needs a permit from the Government of Åland (Ålands landskapsregering) to acquire a cottage property.

What is a mökki? Lakes, islands and the sauna

In Finland, a mökki is a leisure home (vapaa-ajan asunto), often on the shore of a lake or the sea. A summer cottage (kesämökki) is a mökki intended mainly for summer use; it is not always insulated for winter, and how well equipped it is varies from cottage to cottage.

There are many of them. According to Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), there were 485,475 leisure residential buildings – in other words, cottages – in Finland at the end of 2025.

According to Statistics Finland, the municipalities with the most cottages at the end of 2025 were Kuopio (10,261), Mikkeli (9,567) and Parainen (8,994).

Finland is often called the land of thousands of lakes. According to the Finnish Environment Institute (Suomen ympäristökeskus, SYKE), Finland has about 57,000 lakes larger than one hectare, and there are considerably more smaller lakes and ponds.

Finland also has a great many islands. According to a 2015 brochure by the Archipelago Advisory Board (Saaristoasiain neuvottelukunta), Finland has about 76,000 islands larger than half a hectare and, counting smaller ones as well, about 179,000 islands.

In Finland, the sauna is part of everyday life.

The summer days are long, too: according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (Ilmatieteen laitos), around the summer solstice, the day in Helsinki is almost 19 hours long. The limit of the midnight sun runs along the Arctic Circle at Rovaniemi, but the midnight sun is also celebrated south of the Arctic Circle, along the Tornio–Kuusamo line.

A cottage is usually real property: what that means for the buyer

For a buyer from abroad, a key question in a Finnish cottage purchase is what is actually being bought.

Someone buying a flat in a block of flats or a terraced house usually buys shares in a taloyhtiö (housing company that owns the residential building), and these shares entitle the owner to occupy a specific flat. The company owns the building, and the plot is either the company's own or leased. Someone buying a detached house or a mökki, on the other hand, usually buys real property: the land and the buildings. The form of the sale, the taxes and the registration differ between the two.

The difference also matters for the purchase permit. The Ministry of Defence permit concerns only real property, for example a detached house with its plot or a cottage property, and not housing company shares. The permit law does not apply to Åland, which has its own land acquisition legislation.

If a leisure home is bought as housing company shares, the rules for housing company shares apply instead: the transfer tax (varainsiirtovero, tax paid by the buyer on transfer) is 1.5%, and the Ministry of Defence permit is not required. On Åland, according to the Government of Åland, buying housing company shares does not require a permit unless the company's own land acquisition permit requires it. The rules for buying shares are covered in our article on buying property in Finland as a foreigner.

Before buying, it is advisable to check with the municipality what the buildings may be used for and which building rules apply to the plot.

Buying a määräala: part of a larger property

What is being sold may also be a määräala (unpartitioned part of a property being sold). Under Finland's Code of Real Estate (maakaari, Act 540/1995), lainhuuto (registration of title to real property) is granted for a määräala and transfers to the property that is later formed from it, and a mortgage can also be confirmed on a määräala.

The fee charged by the National Land Survey of Finland (Maanmittauslaitos) for partitioning (lohkominen) an area of 0.1–1 ha is €1,470 (about £1,200 / $1,700) (as of 1 January 2026). Other fee levels are listed in the National Land Survey of Finland's price list for surveying services (in Finnish).

An unbuilt cottage plot

If you are looking at an unbuilt plot rather than an existing cottage, the rules for the building site matter. Under section 45 of the Building Act (rakentamislaki, Act 751/2023), the law requires a building site outside a local detailed plan area to meet, among other things, the following conditions:

• an area of at least 1,000 m²
• buildings at least 4 m from the boundary
• an access road
• solutions for water supply, wastewater and stormwater
• no harm to the neighbours
• suitability for the landscape

In an area where planning is needed (suunnittelutarvealue), section 46 of the Act also applies. These conditions concern the building site, not the purchase of an existing cottage.

Who can buy a summer cottage in Finland: EU/EEA citizens, other buyers and Åland

Citizens of EU and EEA countries

If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country, the law does not require a Ministry of Defence permit to buy a cottage property in mainland Finland. On Åland, the Government of Åland's own rules apply (see below).

Other buyers, companies and other entities

Under Finnish law, a permit from the Ministry of Defence is required when real property, such as a cottage property, is acquired by:

• a person without EU or EEA citizenship, or
• a company or other entity in which a party from outside the EU or EEA holds at least 10% ownership or corresponding influence.

The Ministry of Defence permit law does not apply to Åland, which has its own rules (see below), and it does not concern housing company shares. Key points about the permit:

• it is to be applied for no later than 2 months after the purchase
• the fee is €210 (about £180 / $240) (online payment) or €280 (about £240 / $320) (invoice) per property identifier (kiinteistötunnus, the unique ID of a registered property) (2026)
• a permanent residence permit does not remove the need for a permit
• the law sets out certain exceptions

If the permit is not granted, the law requires the property to be transferred to someone else within six months of the decision becoming legally final.

Dual citizens. According to the Ministry of Defence, no permit is needed if the buyer holds the citizenship of an EU or EEA country, even if they also hold the citizenship of another country. This concerns the Ministry of Defence permit in mainland Finland; on Åland, the Government of Åland's own rules apply.

Separate rule for Russian and Belarusian citizens. From 15 July 2025, the Ministry of Defence no longer grants a permit to acquire real property to a person whose only citizenship, or all of whose citizenships, are Russian or Belarusian. Nor is a permit granted to an entity domiciled in these countries, or to an entity in which such parties hold majority control (Act 470/2019, section 5a; Government Decree 840/2025). This restriction does not apply to a person who, both at the time of the acquisition and when the permit application becomes pending, holds a valid permanent residence permit for Finland or a permanent EU residence permit issued by Finland. This exception relates to the restriction described here; as noted above, a permanent residence permit does not remove the need for the permit itself. The list of countries may change.

The Ministry of Defence provides current information on the permit process on its page for non-EU and non-EEA buyers.

Åland

On Åland, acquiring real property, including a cottage property, usually requires a land acquisition permit from the Government of Åland if the buyer does not have the Åland right of domicile. Only a Finnish citizen can obtain the Åland right of domicile, so it is not available to foreign citizens. According to the Government of Åland, buying housing company shares does not require a permit unless the company's own land acquisition permit requires it. Åland's rules differ from those of mainland Finland, and it is worth checking them with the Government of Åland (its land acquisition page is in Swedish).

One point applies to all buyers: buying a cottage does not in itself grant a residence permit. According to the Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri): “Owning land, property, or shares in a housing company in Finland is not sufficient grounds for being granted a residence permit or a citizenship.” Owning a holiday home from abroad is covered in Buying a holiday home in Finland.

Buying a cottage step by step

A cottage bought as real property follows the rules for real property sales. The main stages are:

1. Preliminary agreement (optional). The parties can first make a preliminary agreement (esisopimus, binding agreement to complete the sale later), which is made in the same form as a sale of real property and states the last date for concluding the sale and its terms. It may be binding on only one of the parties, and if no period of validity has been agreed, it is valid for 5 years.
2. The sale. The sale is made either in writing as a deed of sale (kauppakirja, written sale contract), signed by the parties and confirmed by a public purchase witness (kaupanvahvistaja, official who witnesses real property sales), or in the National Land Survey of Finland's electronic trading system. The deed states the purpose of the transfer, the property, the seller and the buyer, and the purchase price and any other consideration.
3. Time limits set by law.
   • Permit, where required: a buyer without EU or EEA citizenship, or an entity covered by the 10% rule, is required to apply for the Ministry of Defence permit no later than 2 months after the purchase. On Åland, the Government of Åland's own permit applies.
   • Lainhuuto: the buyer of real property is required to apply for lainhuuto within 6 months of signing the deed.
   • Transfer tax: the 3% transfer tax is to be paid before lainhuuto is applied for. The Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto) explains the tax on its page for buyers of real property.
4. After the sale. A quality defect is to be notified within a reasonable time, and as a rule no later than five years after taking possession. The seller cannot rely on this time limit in the same way if the seller has acted with gross negligence or in a dishonest and improper manner.

If you buy through a real estate agent, it is worth knowing that in Finland, brokering real property and housing company shares for income or other financial gain may only be carried out by an agency entered in the register of real estate agencies (Act 1075/2000). The law has some exceptions.

It is advisable to check the property's rights and restrictions with the National Land Survey of Finland or a legal professional in Finland.

If you live abroad

Logging in to the National Land Survey of Finland's electronic property transaction service requires Finnish strong electronic identification. Foreign identification methods cannot be used in the service. Without Finnish identification, a sale of real property is made in the presence of a public purchase witness or through an authorised representative.

According to the National Land Survey of Finland's guidance, the buyer of real property can authorise a representative to make the purchase on their behalf. The purchase power of attorney can also be signed electronically, and the representative and the property are to be identified in it. A buyer who does not have a Finnish personal identity code (henkilötunnus, Finnish personal ID number) can be entered in the sale without one. The sale can also be confirmed by a public purchase witness working at a Finnish mission abroad. It is advisable to check the options with the National Land Survey of Finland.

Whether a Finnish bank grants a loan to someone living abroad depends on the bank's own assessment and on the customer's ties to Finland. It is worth asking more than one bank.

According to the Finnish Tax Administration's guidance, a foreign buyer who does not have a Finnish personal identity code registers as a customer of the Tax Administration before the sale. Registration is requested with a free-form written application, accompanied by a copy of the buyer's passport and, where needed, a power of attorney; a representative authorised by the buyer can also request it. Once registered, the buyer receives an artificial personal identity code for the transfer tax return and a personal transfer tax reference number. The transfer tax can be reported and paid only after registration.

What does a lakeside cottage cost? Prices by region

According to the National Land Survey of Finland's purchase price statistics, the 2025 median price of built holiday properties on the shoreline was €92,000 (about £78,000 / $100,000) in areas covered by a local master plan or a detailed shore plan and €74,000 (about £62,000 / $83,000) in sparsely populated areas (National Land Survey of Finland, press release, 25 February 2026). For comparison, the median price of a built small residential property (a property with a detached or similar small house) was €150,000 (about £130,000 / $170,000) for the whole country in the same year.

The statistics cover only properties on their own plot sold as a whole and sales of a määräala; they do not cover housing company shares.

The regional figures below come from the same statistics.

(National Land Survey of Finland, purchase price statistics, 2025. Built holiday properties under 2 ha on the shoreline. The median is the purchase price per property, not a price per square metre. Rows with fewer than 30 sales are not shown.)

The size and condition of the cottages vary. What the figures do show is the spread between regions: in plan areas, the median was €57,000 (about £48,000 / $64,000) in Pohjois-Karjala and €183,000 (about £150,000 / $210,000) in Uusimaa (2025).

Some municipalities had enough sales to serve as examples. In 2025, in local master plan or detailed shore plan areas, the figures (sales / median) were:

• Savonlinna: 53 / €74,000 (about £62,000 / $83,000)
• Mikkeli: 72 / €88,000 (about £74,000 / $99,000)
• Kuopio: 70 / €75,000 (about £63,000 / $84,000)
• Mäntyharju: 61 / €107,500 (about £91,000 / $120,000)
• Kuusamo: 56 / €75,000 (about £63,000 / $84,000)

According to the National Land Survey of Finland, in January–May 2026 there were 783 sales of holiday properties on the shoreline in detailed shore plan or local master plan areas, and the median price was €90,000 (about £76,000 / $100,000).

Prices across Finland are covered in How much does a house cost in Finland?, and cabins in the north in Buying a cabin in Lapland.

Taxes and fees when buying and owning a cottage

When buying

(Fees as at 1 October 2026: National Land Survey of Finland, price list, checked October 2026. Permit fee: Ministry of Defence, 2026.)

The Finnish Tax Administration explains how the transfer tax on real property works on its page for buyers of real property.

When owning: real estate tax

The owner of real property pays an annual real estate tax. For 2026, the ranges relevant to a cottage are:

The tax for the whole year is paid by whoever owns the property on 1 January. A tax of at least €170 (about £140 / $190) is automatically split into two instalments.

Tax rules in your country of residence may also apply; it is advisable to check with your own tax authority. Taxes and costs are covered in more detail in Property taxes and costs of buying a home in Finland.

What comes next: owning, renting out and selling

Buying is only the first step. Owning a cottage from abroad, renting it out and selling it later each have their own rules, and we cover them, together with the yearly costs of a cottage, in separate articles. For example, if you live abroad, rental income from a home in Finland is usually taxed in Finland as capital income.

Home Of Homes aims to make buying, owning and renting out a home in Finland simpler – in one place, also when you live abroad.

FAQ

What is a mökki?

A mökki is a cottage, often by a lake or the sea, used as a leisure home. According to Statistics Finland, there were 485,475 leisure residential buildings, or cottages, in Finland at the end of 2025. Someone buying a mökki usually buys real property, meaning the land and the buildings.

Do foreigners need a permit to buy a summer cottage in Finland?

That depends on citizenship. If the buyer holds the citizenship of an EU or EEA country, the law does not require a Ministry of Defence permit to buy a cottage property in mainland Finland. For a person without EU or EEA citizenship, or an entity in which a party from outside the EU or EEA holds at least 10% ownership or corresponding influence, the law requires the permit, with certain exceptions, and it is to be applied for no later than 2 months after the purchase. On Åland, acquiring a cottage property usually requires a permit from the Government of Åland if the buyer does not have the Åland right of domicile.

How much does a lakeside cottage cost in Finland?

According to the National Land Survey of Finland, the 2025 median price of built holiday properties on the shoreline was €92,000 (about £78,000 / $100,000) in areas covered by a local master plan or a detailed shore plan and €74,000 (about £62,000 / $83,000) in sparsely populated areas. In these plan areas, the regional median was, for example, €57,000 (about £48,000 / $64,000) in Pohjois-Karjala and €183,000 (about £150,000 / $210,000) in Uusimaa. The median is a price per property, not per square metre, and the cottages vary in size and condition.

What taxes do I pay when buying a cottage in Finland?

When buying real property, the transfer tax is 3%, paid before applying for lainhuuto, and the lainhuuto fee is €172 (about £150 / $190) (as at 1 October 2026). After that, whoever owns the cottage on 1 January pays the annual real estate tax for the whole year; in 2026 the ranges are 1.30–2.00% for land and 0.93–2.00% for other residential buildings, such as leisure homes. The section on taxes and fees above lists the other fees.

Related articles

• Owning a holiday home in Finland from abroad
• Buying a cabin in Finnish Lapland
• Where to buy a house in Finland: cities and regions compared
• How much does a house cost in Finland? Prices by region

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Sources

• Statistics Finland: Kesä tilastojen valossa (in Finnish) and StatFin table 15f7

• Finnish Environment Institute: Kuinka paljon järvissä on vettä? (vesi.fi, in Finnish) and Vesistöjen perustietovaranto (in Finnish)

• Archipelago Advisory Board: Suomi – saarten ja vetten maa (brochure, 2015, in Finnish)

• Finnish Meteorological Institute: Tähtitieteelliset vuodenajat and Aurinko ja kuu (in Finnish)

• National Land Survey of Finland: Apartments

• Ministry of Defence: Authorisation to non-EU and non-EEA buyers to buy real estate and Kiinteistönostajien luvat (in Finnish)

• National Land Survey of Finland: Change to the law on permits for real property acquisitions from 15 July 2025 (in Finnish)

• Government of Åland: Jordförvärv på Åland and Åländsk hembygdsrätt (in Swedish)

• Finnish Immigration Service: FAQ on residence permits

• National Land Survey of Finland: Public purchase witnessing and Property Transaction Service

• Property transaction service help: Authentication and payment

• National Land Survey of Finland: Guidance for public purchase witnesses (4 September 2026, in Finnish)

• National Land Survey of Finland: Price list, real property and Price list, surveying services (in Finnish)

• National Land Survey of Finland: Purchase price statistics 2025, press release 25 February 2026 (in Finnish)

• National Land Survey of Finland: Purchase price statistics service (REST), regional data 2025 and description of the service (in Finnish)

• National Land Survey of Finland: Holiday property sales, January–May 2026, press release 16 June 2026 (in Finnish)

• Finnish Tax Administration: Transfer tax, buyer of a flat and Transfer tax, buying real property

• Finnish Tax Administration: Transfer tax: buyers from outside Finland

• Finnish Tax Administration: Real estate tax rates and Paying real estate tax

• Finnish Tax Administration: Taxation of income received by non-residents and Rental income

• Finlex (legislation in Finnish or Swedish): Act 470/2019, Act 328/2025, Government Decree 840/2025, Act 540/1995, Act 751/2023, Act 1599/2009, Act 1075/2000

Information checked: October 2026. Rules and prices change; check current details from the sources above.

Currency conversions are approximate and based on the European Central Bank's reference rates of 16 October 2026.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Home Of Homes is a platform, not a real estate agent.