Buying a home on the Costa Brava as a foreigner: step by step

Updated: October 2026 · REIMSS

Foreigners can buy property in Spain on the same terms as Spanish citizens: you do not need to be resident or hold a residence permit. What you do need is an identification number, a way to pay from Spain and to follow the right order. This guide sets out that order as we see it every week in Blanes, Lloret de Mar and the rest of the southern Costa Brava.

1. First things first: the NIE

The NIE (foreigner identity number) is essential to sign the purchase before a notary and to pay the taxes.

• You apply in Spain, at an immigration office or National Police station, by appointment and with form EX-15, or at the Spanish consulate in your country.
• The fee (form 790, code 012) is €9.84 under the order in force since June 2025.
• If you cannot travel, a representative with a notarised power of attorney can apply for you.

Apply as soon as you start looking seriously: without an NIE you cannot sign.

2. Bank account and financing

A Spanish bank account makes it easier to pay for the purchase, the taxes and later the bills (IBI property tax, electricity, water, community fees). If you need a mortgage, Spanish banks do lend to non-residents, but usually a lower share of the price than to residents and with more paperwork. It is wise to have the bank's answer before you reserve.

3. Reservation and deposit contract (arras)

Once the price is agreed, a reservation is signed and then a deposit contract (contrato de arras): it sets the price, the deadline for the deed and a deposit. Under the usual "arras penitenciales", if the buyer pulls out the deposit is lost, and if the seller pulls out they must return it doubled. Read it in translation before signing.

4. What is checked before signing

• Land Registry extract (nota simple): who owns the property and whether there are mortgages, seizures or other charges.
• IBI and community of owners payments up to date.
• Certificate of habitability (cédula de habitabilidad) and energy performance certificate.
• Planning status: what is built must match what is legalised.
• If the house has a tourist licence, its conditions and what happens to it when the owner changes: Catalonia has specific rules in many coastal towns.

5. Signing before a notary

The purchase is completed by public deed (escritura) before a notary, who checks identities, charges and payments. The price is paid at that moment, usually by banker's cheque or transfer. If your Spanish is limited, you can bring an interpreter. If you cannot travel, a representative with power of attorney can sign.

6. Taxes and registration

After signing, the purchase taxes are paid (in Catalonia, ITP for resale homes, or VAT plus AJD for new builds) and the deed is registered in the Land Registry in your name. The figures are in our guide to purchase taxes and costs in Catalonia. Then utilities and bills are transferred to you.

Two clarifications for 2025–2026

• The so-called "golden visa" for property investment no longer exists: Organic Law 1/2025 abolished it with effect from 3 April 2025. Buying a home no longer gives a right to residence on that ground alone.
• The 100% tax on non-EU buyers announced by the Spanish government in January 2025 has not been approved: as of October 2026 it is not in force.

How REIMSS helps you

We assist you in English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Catalan and Dutch. We organise viewings, put you in touch with a gestoría (administrative agency), lawyer and notary, and follow the sale until the house is registered in your name.

Sources

• BOE: Organic Law 1/2025 (end of residence through investment)
• Spanish National Police: foreigners' procedures and NIE
• Catalan Tax Agency (ATC)

More guides

• Taxes and costs when buying a home in Catalonia (2026)
• Buying a home with a tourist licence in Catalonia: what to know in 2026

General information, not individual tax or legal advice. Figures can change: we review them when the law changes.