Buying property in France as a foreigner (2026)

Who can buy: everyone

France imposes no nationality-based restrictions on property ownership. Any foreigner — resident or not, EU or not — buys freehold with full title, no permits, no quotas, no reciprocity test. Post-Brexit British buyers are simply ordinary non-EU buyers: identical purchase rights, different stay rights (below).

The exceptions attach to the property, not the buyer: SAFER pre-emption on rural and agricultural land (the state agency can step into your deal — see the process), commune pre-emption in urban zones, and rare strategic-asset screening that will never touch a house purchase. Corsica periodically debates residency requirements for buyers; nothing is in force.

Visas and the 90/180 rule

France has no golden visa and property confers no immigration status. What owning a second home gets you:

• 90 days in any rolling 180 visa-free (Schengen-wide) for UK, US and most other non-EU passports — now biometrically enforced via the EU's Entry/Exit System.
• The British second-home saga, verified: the amendment giving UK owners automatic long-stay rights passed parliament in December 2023 but was struck down by the Conseil constitutionnel in January 2024. Revival attempts continue; the government's official position (June 2025) remains: standard visa procedures apply. Plan on 90/180 unless that changes.
• For longer stays: the temporary long-stay visitor visa (VLS-T, 4–6 months) or the one-year VLS-TS "visiteur" — sworn promise not to work, private health cover, and passive income benchmarked around the French minimum wage (≈ €1,500/month net per person as of mid-2026).

After Brexit: what changed for British buyers

Brexit changed nothing about ownership — and everything about stay rights. This section consolidates every Brexit impact in one place, because "can I still buy in France after Brexit?" is the single most common question British buyers ask.

What didn't change

• Buying rights: identical to before. UK citizens buy freehold with full title, no permits, no quotas — exactly the same terms as French, EU, or any other nationality. France has never restricted property ownership by nationality, and Brexit didn't create one.
• The purchase process: same notaire-run system, same compromis, same 10-day cooling-off, same SAFER pre-emption rules. No extra paperwork because you're British.
• Owning and renting out: same non-resident tax treatment you had before — rental income taxed in France, declared in the UK with credit for French tax paid.

What did change

• Stay rights — the big one. You're now capped at 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, Schengen-wide (not per country). Since 2024, the EU's Entry/Exit System fingerprints every non-EU entry and exit — no more uncounted arrivals. Overstaying risks fines, entry bans, and voided insurance.
• The failed long-stay amendment. A law giving British second-home owners automatic extended-stay rights passed parliament in December 2023 but was struck down by the Conseil constitutionnel in January 2024. As of mid-2026, the government's official position remains: standard visa procedures apply. Do not plan around this changing.
• Mortgages tightened. French banks still lend to British buyers — unusually for post-Brexit Europe — but typical LTV has dropped from pre-Brexit ~80–85% to roughly 50–70%. Income documentation is stricter, processing slower. A courtier (mortgage broker) who handles UK clients is near-essential now (details in Part 7).
• Selling triggers a new cost. UK sellers must now appoint an accredited représentant fiscal (fiscal representative) unless the sale price is ≤€150k or held 30+ years. Budget ~0.4–1% of the sale price. This didn't apply when the UK was in the EU (details in Part 6).
• Healthcare. The EHIC no longer covers UK residents in France. Private health insurance is required for visa applications and strongly advised even for short stays — many French mortgage lenders require proof of cover as a condition.

The realistic pattern for UK buyers in 2026

Buy the property (no extra restrictions), use it within the 90/180 rule, and if you want longer stays, apply for the VLS-TS "visiteur" visa — one year, renewable, requiring proof of ~€1,500/month passive income and private health cover. The property itself earns no visa rights, but it strengthens the application. Many British buyers pair 90 days in France with time in non-Schengen destinations (Croatia's Schengen entry in 2023 reduced this pool, but the UK, Turkey, Montenegro, and Albania remain outside).

The process, step by step

1. Offre d'achat — the written offerBinds the seller if accepted at asking price. No money changes hands at this stage (deposits with an offer are actually illegal).
2. Compromis de vente — the preliminary contractSigned ~2–4 weeks later, usually with a 5–10% deposit held by the notaire or agent. The seller must annex the full diagnostics pack (DDT): DPE energy rating, asbestos (pre-1997), lead (pre-1949), termites, electrics and gas (15+ years), natural-risk statement, septic inspection.
3. Your 10-day cooling-offFrance's famous buyer protection: 10 days after the signed compromis to walk away penalty-free, deposit refunded — no reason needed. Sellers get no equivalent (official rules).
4. Conditions suspensives play outThe mortgage condition is protected by law: if the specified loan is refused, you exit with your deposit. Meanwhile the pre-emption clocks run — the commune's urban right, and for rural/agricultural property, SAFER's two-month window to step into the sale. Actual SAFER pre-emptions are rare, but the wait is built into every rural timeline.
5. Acte authentique — completion at the notaireRoughly 2–3 months after the compromis: funds flow through the notaire's escrow, the deed is signed, you get the keys. Total typical timeline: 3–4 months offer-to-keys.

The people you'll need

France's system is notaire-centric: unlike Italy, you usually don't need a separate lawyer — and unlike almost everywhere, hiring your own notaire costs nothing extra.

What it really costs

The famous "frais de notaire" aren't mostly the notaire's fee — about 80% is transfer tax. Current shape (mid-2026):

Owning and selling

• Taxe foncière (owner's tax): the national base keeps indexing up (+7.1% in 2023, +0.8% for 2026) before local rate rises — check the actual bill for any house you're serious about; in some towns it rivals a month's rent.
• Taxe d'habitation: abolished on main homes, but alive on second homes — average ~€1,125/yr — and about 1,450 tense-market communes add a 5–60% surcharge.
• IFI wealth tax on net French real estate above €1.3M (non-residents assessed on French property only).
• Selling: capital gains at 19% + 17.2% social charges, tapering to zero over 22 years (income tax) / 30 years (social charges). Non-EU sellers must appoint an accredited représentant fiscal unless the price is ≤€150k or held 30+ years (impots.gouv.fr) — budget ~0.4–1%.

Mortgages for foreigners: France actually lends

Unusually among the markets we cover, French banks lend to non-residents:

• LTV: up to 70–85% for EU residents; roughly 50–70% for UK/US and other non-EU buyers (post-Brexit tightening is real).
• Rates (mid-2026): resident averages ~3.2–3.4% fixed over 15–25 years; non-residents typically 3.8–4.2%. French loans are overwhelmingly fixed for the full term — a quietly great deal.
• The frictions: debt-to-income capped ~35%; compulsory borrower life/disability insurance (priced steeply past 60); and for Americans, FATCA — some banks simply decline US clients. A courtier who knows the non-resident desks is worth their ~1%.

Châteaux & old houses, honestly

The headline is true: a habitable small château in the Limousin or Occitanie can cost less than a two-bed Paris flat — €300k–600k buys real turrets, with solid habitable estates at €600k–2M and restored trophies above that. Ruins trade below €300k. Two-thirds of château sales are cash (market snapshot, July 2026).

The catch is never the purchase price:

• Upkeep: 2.5–3.5% of the property's value per year is the professional rule of thumb — €50–70k annually on a €2M château, before heating (often €10–30k/yr in an unrestored one). A full roof renewal is routinely a six-figure project and the classic deal-killer: price the roof before you price the dream.
• Heritage status cuts both ways. Monument historique classification (classé/inscrit) means DRAC-approved works with specialist artisans — slower and pricier — but unlocks the régime Monuments Historiques: 100% of restoration works deductible against total income (15-year holding commitment), with the separate Malraux scheme (22–30% credits) for protected urban districts. Serious tax planning territory — get a specialist.
• Bâtiments de France: within 500m of any protected monument, visible works (shutters, render colour, solar panels) need heritage sign-off. This catches ordinary village houses, not just castles.
• Estate land has tenants and rights attached: farmland is often let under bail rural — nine-year terms, near-automatic renewal, and the tenant farmer holds their own pre-emption right. And in many communes, small parcels are pooled into the local hunting association (ACCA) by default. You're buying a rural ecosystem, not just a building.

Where to find listings (and how to read them)

• LeBonCoin — the biggest by volume; rural bargains (and even châteaux) surface here first, often direct from owners.
• SeLoger and Bien'ici — the big agency portals.
• PAP — private, no-agent sales.
• immobilier.notaires.fr — the notaires' own listings, plus real sold-price data.
• For international buyers in English: Green-Acres and French-Property.com.
• Château specialists: Patrice Besse, Belles Demeures, Propriétés Le Figaro.

How to read a French listing: prices are FAI (agency fee included). Under a mandat simple, the same house appears with several agencies at different prices — and sometimes cheaper direct on LeBonCoin; comparing is not rude, it's the game. Exact addresses are withheld until you sign a visit slip (bon de visite). "Sous compromis" means under contract — effectively gone unless the cooling-off or a condition kills the deal. And check the DPE letter on every ad (it's mandatory): F and G ratings now carry real legal and resale consequences — see below.

Cross-referencing five portals and two agency windows is exactly the chaos House Hunt Diary was built for — every candidate in one shortlist, with your notes and photos pinned to the right house, even when it's listed three times at three prices.

Airbnb & short-term rental rules

Foreigners can operate but face severe restrictions as non-residents. The regulatory burden depends almost entirely on whether the property is a primary or secondary residence.

• Primary residence: 90-day cap in major cities under the Loi Le Meur (November 2024). Registration via Déclaration en mairie required.
• Secondary residence: requires change-of-use authorization — in Paris, compensation ratios of up to 3:1 apply, costing €50,000–150,000+. This effectively prices out most casual operators.

Tax: non-EU residents pay 17.2% social charges on top of income tax. EU/EEA residents: 7.5%. Penalties for unauthorized change of use: up to €100,000 + €1,000/day/sqm. Over 420 enforcement cases in Paris since 2017.

Traps the locals know

• DPE F/G — the "passoire thermique" squeeze: G-rated homes are banned from new rentals since 2025, F follows in 2028, E in 2034. A relaxation bill was in parliament as of mid-2026 but not law. The resale market has already repriced: F/G houses sell ~6% below comparable stock around Paris, up to ~18% below in some regions. Bargain — if you price the retrofit.
• Septic systems (assainissement non collectif): if the SPANC inspection in the diagnostics pack says non-compliant, the buyer must upgrade within one year — €10–15k all-in on difficult sites. Always establish: fosse or mains drainage?
• Lead and asbestos: pre-1949 (lead) and pre-July-1997 (asbestos) builds — diagnostics reveal presence, not removal cost (€5–30k+).
• Indivision sellers: rural houses often belong to many heirs, and every one must sign. Ask early how many signatures the sale needs.
• Servitudes (rights of way, drainage, neighbour access) ride with the title — read the notaire's title report, not just the ad.
• Viager listings lurk in bargain searches — "bouquet + rente" means an annuity sale with a life tenant in place.
• Empty-house insurance: standard policies restrict cover after 30–90 days' vacancy; get second-home (PNO) terms.
• SCI ownership: useful for multi-owner purchases and inheritance planning — but for US persons it's a tax-reporting minefield (entity classification, FBAR); most US advisers say buy in personal names.

Keep hunting