Buying property in Spain as a non-resident: the process in Catalonia

Whether a foreigner can buy property in Catalonia without a residence permit

Yes, you can. To buy, you need neither a residence permit nor residence status: you need a foreigner identification number (NIE), which the Ajuntament de Barcelona calls a legal requirement for a purchase, and usually a bank account for payments [1]. How to get an NIE is described in the article NIE in Barcelona. Why you need it without a residence permit is explained in the piece on buying without a residence permit.

This rule has three caveats that are rarely mentioned.

First: restricted access zones. Ley 8/1975 on defence zones allows zones to be designated where foreigners need military authorisation to buy property; the list of zones is set by government decree [2]. We found no such restriction for a city flat in Barcelona, but the notary and the lawyer check the address anyway, and we have not consulted the full list of zones.

Second: the Generalitat’s right of first refusal. Ley 11/2025 extended the cases in which the Catalan authorities can exercise the right of tanteo y retracto: when a home in a stressed market area is sold and it is owned by a large corporate owner listed in the register, and when a home is transferred through an administrative or court auction [6]. New builds in their first year after the cédula de habitabilidad are excluded from this rule [6]. Ask the notary whether your property is affected.

Third: investing in property does not give you a residence permit. Since 3 April 2025, articles 63 and 64 of Ley 14/2013 on the investor visa have been without content [3]. The immigration grounds are chosen separately, as described in the article on the closed Golden Visa.

The buying process step by step

1. Work out your status and budget. Taxes and reporting depend on whether you are a resident for tax purposes or not. We explain the differences in the article on resident and non-resident taxes. If you need a mortgage, the bank assesses the borrower under its own rules: mortgages for non-residents.
2. Get an NIE and open a bank account. The NIE is needed as the identifier of a party to the transaction [1][11].
3. Check the property and the seller. Order a nota simple and ask for the cédula de habitabilidad, the energy performance certificate and information on debts to the owners’ association. The documents the seller must hand over are listed on the Generalitat website [12][20].
4. Sign a contract with a deposit (arras). It sets out the price, the deadline for signing before the notary, the terms for withdrawal and the consequences. A detailed breakdown: nota simple and arras.
5. Choose a notary and sign the escritura pública. The buyer has the right to choose the notary [20]. The notary identifies the parties and checks any powers of representation and the method of payment. Pay the way the notary advises: by transfer from your account to the seller’s account.
6. Pay the tax. The tax is not deducted automatically: the buyer files modelo 600 with the Agència Tributària de Catalunya and pays within one month of the date of the transaction [13]. This is usually delegated to the notary, a gestor or a lawyer.
7. Register your title. An entry in the Registro de la Propiedad protects the buyer against third parties: titles not entered in the registry do not affect third parties (article 32 Ley Hipotecaria) [14].
8. After the transaction, the IBI, utility bills and payments to the owners’ association are transferred to you. On electricity, water and internet: how to connect electricity and internet.

What to check before paying the deposit

The deposit ties you to the transaction, so the checks are done before you pay it. First: a nota simple from the Registro de la Propiedad. It shows the owner, the property and any restrictions, but it is for information only and reflects the time of issue [15]. Second: the documents that, under Catalan rules, the seller must give the buyer: the cédula de habitabilidad, the energy performance certificate and label, the plans, and for a new build the guarantees, including the ten-year insurance, without which a new home will not be entered in the registry [12].

Third: information from the seller and the agent. Before you pay any amount, you must be given the identification of the home with its usable floor area, the total price including taxes, the terms of sale and the penalties for breach, and any amount paid must be confirmed by a document [20].

Fourth: check debts to the owners’ association and the IBI. They do not appear on the nota simple; you request them from the seller and the building administrator. For documents on the mandatory list (plans, cédula, nota registral, the association’s rules, energy performance certificate), the Agència Catalana del Consum states that the buyer does not pay to obtain them [20].

Notary, source of funds and investment declaration

Spanish notaries are among the parties required to apply Ley 10/2010 on the prevention of money laundering: they identify each party from documents, establish the beneficial owner and monitor transactions, including the source of funds (articles 3, 4 and 6) [9]. As a non-resident, it is worth gathering bank statements, the contract for the sale of a previous property or other documents on the source of funds in advance. Exactly which documents a particular notary will ask for depends on the notary and on the risks of the transaction.

A separate document for foreign investors: the investment declaration in the Registro de Inversiones Exteriores. A property purchase in Spain by a non-resident must be declared if the price of a single property exceeds €500,000. The threshold applies to each property separately. Form D-2A, deadline one month from the date of the investment [7]. If a Spanish notary was involved, the date is the date of formalisation before the notary, and a copy of the document is sent to the Registro by the Consejo General del Notariado at the Registro’s request [8]. If the money comes from a jurisdiction that Spain considers non-cooperative, a declaration is required for any amount [7].

It remains unclear how these rules apply to a person with a Spanish TIE or DNV who has become a tax resident: we did not find this in publicly available materials, so ask a lawyer.

Buyer's taxes and costs in Catalonia

What you pay depends on the seller and the type of home. If a private individual sells, the tax is ITP; if a developer sells and the home is new, it is IVA plus AJD [4]. The AEAT transaction classifier helps you determine the regime [4].

The reduced rates (5%, 4% and 3%) apply to the purchase of a sole home to live in by certain categories, for example young people under 35 (with an income limit) or large families, and to rural municipalities [5]. They usually do not apply to a non-resident buying a second home. The tax base is the highest of three values: the price, the declared value and the official reference value from the cadastre [17]. Understating the price does not work.

Other costs: the notary and the registry, charged according to official scales of fees, and the gestor by agreement [16]. If you take out a mortgage, the bank bears the notary costs of the mortgage escritura and the registration of the charge, while the borrower pays for the valuation (article 14 Ley 5/2019) [18]. A detailed look at the taxes: taxes when buying property in Catalonia.

The tax on the increase in land value (plusvalía municipal) is paid by the seller unless the parties agree otherwise [16]. But if the seller is a non-resident individual, the buyer steps in as the “substitute taxpayer” for plusvalía (article 106.2 TRLRHL) and must withhold 3% of the price and pay it to the tax authority (article 25.2 TRLIRNR) [10][19]. Discuss this with a lawyer before signing the contract.

Common mistakes made by non-residents

• Paying a deposit before checking the nota simple and the property documents.
• Using the old ITP rate: until 26 June 2025 the 10% rate applied to transactions up to €1,000,000; the threshold is now €600,000 [5].
• Assuming the purchase gives a residence permit and building visa plans on the flat they bought [3].
• Not finding out whether the seller is a non-resident: in that case the buyer must withhold 3% [10].
• Relying on the agent’s verbal information about association payments and the IBI instead of certificates.
• Understating the price in the escritura. The tax base is the highest of the price, the declared value and the reference value [17].
• Not choosing the notary themselves, although the Agència Catalana del Consum emphasises the buyer’s right to do so [20].

After the purchase: what a non-resident should do

After the escritura, you need to complete the registry entry, update the details for the IBI and the owners’ association, and connect utilities. A non-resident who owns a home in Spain files tax returns on income from the property as described in the article on non-resident tax on rental income; for a home that is not in use, check the specific rules and rates on the AEAT website. If you later move and become a resident, the rules change. Registration at your address (padrón) is linked to actually living there, not to owning the property: empadronamiento in Barcelona.

How we can help

The ReloVictory team in Barcelona supports home purchases: it explains the procedure, checks the documents and the tax side together with a lawyer and a gestor, and helps put together the file for the notary. We do not name specific portals or agencies and do not promise results. Book a consultation. If you also need a residence permit, see the documents service and the general procedure in the residence permit in Barcelona section. The article renting or buying in Barcelona will help you compare buying with renting.

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.