Buying Property in Finland as a Foreigner: 2026 Guide

Yes, buying property in Finland as a foreigner is possible, but the rules depend on what you buy and on your citizenship. Buying a flat as shares in a housing company does not require a permit from Finland's Ministry of Defence (Puolustusministeriö), whereas a buyer without EU or EEA citizenship needs that permit to buy real property (kiinteistö, a registered land parcel including its buildings), such as a house with its plot or a cottage property. Åland has its own rules: there, a permit may be needed even for housing company shares if the company's own land acquisition permit requires it.

What you can buy in Finland: housing company shares or real property

Buying a home in Finland usually means one of two quite different kinds of purchase.

A buyer of a flat in a block of flats or a row house usually buys shares in a taloyhtiö (housing company that owns the residential building). These shares, known as asunto-osake, entitle the owner to occupy a specific flat. The company owns the building, and the plot is either the company's own (an owned plot, oma tontti) or leased (vuokratontti, land leased, often from the municipality).

A buyer of a detached house or a mökki (cottage, often by a lake) usually buys real property, that is, the land and the buildings.

The form of the sale, the taxes and the registration differ between the two. The difference also determines whether a buyer without EU or EEA citizenship needs a Ministry of Defence permit.

Who can buy property 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 Ministry of Defence permit is not required. Questions about specific nationalities are covered in a separate article: Can foreigners buy property in Finland?.

Buyers without EU or EEA citizenship

Under Finnish law, a permit from the Ministry of Defence is required when real property is acquired by a person without EU or EEA citizenship. The permit applies only to real property, for example a detached house with its plot or a cottage property, and not to housing company shares. The main points:

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

Companies and other entities

The permit requirement also applies when real property is acquired by an entity in which a party from outside the EU or EEA holds at least 10% ownership or corresponding influence.

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.

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 concerns only the Russia and Belarus restriction. The list of countries may change.

Åland

The Ministry of Defence permit law does not apply to Åland, which has its own land acquisition legislation.

On Åland, acquiring real property, including a cottage property, usually requires a land acquisition permit from the Government of Åland (Ålands landskapsregering) if the buyer does not have the Åland right of domicile. 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 Åland right of domicile can only be obtained by a Finnish citizen; it also generally requires five years of residence on Åland and a satisfactory knowledge of Swedish. A foreign citizen therefore cannot obtain 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).

How to buy a house in Finland: the process step by step

The process differs depending on whether you buy housing company shares or real property.

Buying housing company shares (a flat)

1. The käsiraha. If a käsiraha (deposit paid with an offer, credited to price) is paid, it is counted in full towards the purchase price.
2. The sale and transfer tax. The transfer tax (varainsiirtovero, tax paid by the buyer on transfer) is declared and paid within 2 months of concluding the transfer agreement. In a sale made through a real estate agent, the tax is paid at the time of the sale.
3. New-build flats. For a new-build property as defined by law, the buyer declares and pays the tax within 2 months of the transfer of ownership, even when an agent is used.
4. After the sale. The buyer is required to notify a defect within a reasonable time of discovering it (or of when it should have been discovered), and as a rule no later than two years after taking possession. There are exceptions to this time limit, including cases where the seller has acted with gross negligence or in a dishonest and improper manner, and where the seller is a business.

Buying real property (a house or cottage)

1. The deed of sale. The sale is made 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 electronic trading system of the National Land Survey of Finland (Maanmittauslaitos). The deed states the purpose of the transfer, the property, the seller and the buyer, and the purchase price and any other consideration.
2. Permit for buyers without EU or EEA citizenship. Where the permit is required, it is to be applied for no later than 2 months after the purchase (see above).
3. Transfer tax and lainhuuto. The buyer of real property is required to apply for lainhuuto within 6 months of signing the deed. The law requires the transfer tax to be paid before the application for lainhuuto is made. The Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto) explains the transfer 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.

Costs and taxes when buying property in Finland

Transfer tax

• Housing company shares: 1.5%. The tax is calculated on the debt-free price (velaton hinta, sales price plus share of company loan): the purchase price (and any other agreed consideration paid for the shares) plus the share of the housing company loan allocated to the shares, under the conditions set by law. This loan share (yhtiölaina, the flat's share of the housing company loan) is not included in the sales price.
• Real property: 3%.

Example only: if the sales price of a flat is €150,000 (about £130,000 / $170,000) and the flat's share of the housing company loan is €30,000 (about £25,000 / $34,000), the debt-free price is €180,000 (about £150,000 / $200,000) and the transfer tax at 1.5% is €2,700 (about £2,300 / $3,000).

National Land Survey of Finland fees

(National Land Survey of Finland, price list, checked October 2026.)

Real estate tax for owners of real property

The owner of real property pays an annual real estate tax. The ranges for 2026 include:

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.

Buying property in Finland from abroad: practical points

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. It is advisable to check the requirements for an authorisation with the National Land Survey of Finland.

According to the Tax Administration's guidance, a foreign buyer who does not have a Finnish personal identity code (henkilötunnus, Finnish personal ID number) 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. After registration, the buyer receives an artificial personal identity code for the transfer tax return and a personal transfer tax reference number. The transfer tax can only be declared and paid after registration.

As for financing, 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.

Residence in Finland: what owning a home does and does not mean

Buying property in Finland 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.”

Third-country nationals, meaning citizens of countries other than EU or EEA countries or Switzerland, can stay in the Schengen area for short periods (with a visa or visa-free) for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The limit applies to the Schengen area as a whole. Whether a visa is required depends on citizenship. See the Finnish Border Guard's travel FAQ.

Citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland can stay in Finland for three months without registering. For a longer stay, the right of residence is registered with the Finnish Immigration Service, and the stay requires a basis, such as work, studies or sufficient funds. Citizens of the Nordic countries register with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto, DVV).

Property prices in Finland at a glance (2025)

According to Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), the average price per square metre of old flats in housing companies in 2025 was as follows. These are averages, not medians, and they cover old flats, not new-build ones.

(Statistics Finland, StatFin, table 13mw.)

For houses and cottages, the National Land Survey of Finland's purchase price statistics show that in 2025 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. The median price of built leisure 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). These figures cover only properties on their own plot sold as a whole and sales of a määräala (unpartitioned part of a property being sold); they do not cover housing company shares.

What comes next: owning, renting out and selling

Buying is only the first step. Owning a home from abroad, renting it out and selling it later each have their own rules; we cover them in separate articles. As one example, rental income from a home in Finland is usually taxed in Finland as capital income for someone living abroad. The costs of buying and owning are covered in Property taxes and costs of buying a home in Finland.

FAQ

How do you buy a house in Finland as a foreigner?

A house is usually bought as real property, with a written deed confirmed by a public purchase witness or made in the National Land Survey of Finland's electronic service. The buyer is then required to apply for lainhuuto within 6 months of signing the deed, and the transfer tax is paid before that application. Outside Åland, a buyer without EU or EEA citizenship is required to apply for a Ministry of Defence permit within 2 months of the purchase.

Can I buy a holiday home in Finland?

A cottage is usually bought as real property, so if you do not have EU or EEA citizenship, the law requires a Ministry of Defence permit, applied for within 2 months of the purchase. On Åland, the Government of Åland's own permit rules apply instead.

Does buying property in Finland give me a residence permit?

No. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, owning land, property or shares in a housing company in Finland is not sufficient grounds for a residence permit or citizenship. Third-country nationals can stay in the Schengen area for short periods (with a visa or visa-free) for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. See the residence section above.

Can I buy property in Finland while living in the UK or elsewhere abroad?

If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country, the Ministry of Defence permit is not required; otherwise, it is required for real property outside Åland (Åland has its own rules). The National Land Survey of Finland's electronic service cannot be used with foreign identification, so 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 Tax Administration's guidance, a buyer without a Finnish personal identity code registers as a customer of the Tax Administration before the sale, and the transfer tax can only be declared and paid after registration.

How much does it cost to buy a house in Finland?

In 2025, the median price of a built small residential property (a property with a detached or similar small house) in Finland was €150,000 (about £130,000 / $170,000), according to the National Land Survey of Finland. On top of the price, the transfer tax for real property is 3%, and the lainhuuto fee is €172 (about £150 / $190) (as at 1 October 2026).

Related articles

• Can foreigners buy property in Finland? The permit rules explained
• Where to buy a house in Finland: cities and regions compared
• How much does a house cost in Finland? Prices by region
• Property taxes and costs of buying a home in Finland

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Sources

• Ministry of Defence: Authorisation to non-EU and non-EEA buyers to buy real estate
• Ministry of Defence: 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)
• National Land Survey of Finland: Apartments
• National Land Survey of Finland: Public purchase witnessing and Property Transaction Service
• Property transaction service help: Authentication and payment
• National Land Survey of Finland: Price list, real property (in Finnish)
• National Land Survey of Finland: Purchase price statistics 2025, press release 25 February 2026 (in Finnish)
• Finnish Tax Administration: Transfer tax, buyer of a flat
• Finnish Tax Administration: 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
• Finnish Immigration Service: FAQ on residence permits, EU citizens and Registration of right of residence
• Finnish Border Guard: Frequently asked questions about travel
• European Commission: Short-stay calculator
• Statistics Finland: Prices of old dwellings in housing companies, table 13mw
• Finlex (legislation in Finnish or Swedish): Act 470/2019, Act 1599/2009, Act 843/1994, Act 540/1995

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.