Royal Crescent, Notting Hill · photograph by No Swan So Fine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Foreign investors
Can a foreigner buy property in the UK?
Yes — anyone can buy property in the UK. There is no citizenship test, no residency requirement and no permission to obtain. A buyer who has never set foot in the country can own a house in London on exactly the same legal footing as the person next door.
What differs is not whether you may buy, but what it costs you and what you have to do afterwards. Buying from abroad attracts an addition to the purchase tax that a UK resident does not pay. Borrowing is harder without UK income or a UK credit history. Your solicitor has more to verify before they can complete, and overseas documents take longer. If a company rather than a person is buying, it must appear on a public register before the title can be registered at all.
And buying property gives you no right to live here. It is an investment and a home, not an immigration route — a point worth being clear about early, because it is sold otherwise.
The rest of this page is the practical version of all that: the official figures, the order events happen in, and then each part in detail if you want it.
Foreign investment in UK property, officially
Every figure below is a published official statistic, shown with the release it came from. Not yet checked against a new release.
- 33,137Overseas entities on the UK land register
Companies and other overseas entities registered at Companies House. An overseas entity cannot be registered as the owner of UK land without one.
Year ending March 2026 · Companies register activities, April 2025 to March 2026, published 25 June 2026 - 1,090New overseas entities registered in the year
Down from 1,318 the year before. New registrations have fallen each year since the register opened in 2022.
Year ending March 2026 · Companies register activities, April 2025 to March 2026, published 25 June 2026 - 29.5%Registered from Jersey
322 of the year’s new registrations. Jersey is by some distance the most common place of incorporation for an entity buying UK land.
Year ending March 2026 · Companies register activities, April 2025 to March 2026, published 25 June 2026 - 11.4% and 8.9%Isle of Man and the British Virgin Islands
124 and 97 new registrations. The United States follows at 4.5% and Guernsey at 3.6%.
Year ending March 2026 · Companies register activities, April 2025 to March 2026, published 25 June 2026
These count entities registered to own UK land, not purchases by individuals: someone buying a home in their own name never appears here. There is no official count of UK homes bought by overseas individuals.
How a purchase actually goes
Nine stages, in order. The order matters more than most buyers expect: two of these commonly happen too late, and both of them cost money.
- Set the real budget
The price is the smallest decision. Add purchase tax with the non-resident addition, legal work, searches, a survey, currency cost and the first year of running the place.
- Arrange the money
If you are borrowing, a broker and a decision in principle come before viewings. Lenders treat a buyer with no UK income or credit history differently, and finding out late costs you the property.
- Instruct a solicitor
A UK conveyancing solicitor acts for you and can act while you are abroad. Instruct one before you offer, not after: an accepted offer starts a clock.
- Offer and acceptance
In England and Wales an accepted offer binds nobody. Either side can walk away, and the seller can accept a better one, until contracts are exchanged.
Scotland is different — an offer accepted through missives is binding much earlier. - Checks and enquiries
Searches, the survey and your solicitor’s enquiries of the seller. This is the stage that finds the lease problem, the missing certificate or the planned road.
- Identity and source of funds
Your solicitor must establish who you are and where the money came from before they can complete. Overseas documents take longer to verify; starting this early is the single easiest thing to get right.
- Exchange of contracts
Now you are committed. The deposit is at risk from this moment and the completion date is fixed.
This is the point of no return. - Completion and registration
Money moves, keys change hands, the tax return is filed and the tax paid within its deadline, and the title is registered in your name.
If a company is buying, it must be on the Register of Overseas Entities before the title can be registered at all. - The duties that follow
Ownership is not the end of it: tax on rent if you let it, annual filings if a company holds it, and a report to HMRC when you eventually sell — whether or not there is tax to pay.
England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own processes and their own purchase taxes. Check the tax on your price.
Every part of it, in detail
Rewritten weekly, with every figure printed separately from its GOV.UK source.
Costs and tax
What a purchase costs a non-resident beyond the price.
- Stamp duty for non-resident buyersBuying a UK home from abroad can be a complex process, and one aspect that often catches people off guard is the additional tax they may have to pay. This can come as a surprise, especially if they're not aware of how their residency status affects the purchase.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
- The true cost of buying from abroadYou've found a UK property to buy, but the amount you'll pay isn't just the sale price. Various costs and fees come with buying and owning a UK property, and some may surprise you.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
- Capital gains when a non-resident sellsSelling a UK property can trigger a tax bill, even if you're not living here. A short deadline for reporting the disposal catches many sellers out, and the gain is not just the difference between sale and purchase prices.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
Finance and currency
Borrowing as a non-resident, deposits and moving money.
- Mortgages for non-resident buyersBuying a UK property from abroad can be complex, and securing a mortgage may not be straightforward, especially without a UK income or residence.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
- Moving money for a UK purchaseWhen buying a UK property from abroad, the exchange rate can eat into your budget, and delays in transferring funds can put completions at risk.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
Investing and beyond
Holding UK property through a company, and running a portfolio from another country.
- Setting up a UK property company as a non-residentOwning UK property through a company can seem a straightforward way to manage your investment, but it brings its own set of administrative tasks and responsibilities that must be taken care of every year.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
- Company or personal ownership: how the choice is actually madeWhen buying UK property, a crucial decision is whether to hold it personally or through a company. The implications of this choice can be far-reaching, affecting income, gains, and even inheritance.Draft v2 · updated 2026-09-10
- Managing a UK property from abroadOwning a UK property from abroad brings unique challenges, from collecting rent and managing repairs to navigating safety regulations and dealing with local authorities, all while being thousands of miles away.Draft v2 · updated 2026-09-10
- Building a UK portfolio from overseasAs a foreign investor, buying one UK property is a challenge, but multiple properties require a different approach. Lenders, taxes, and regulations treat a portfolio of properties uniquely, and it's essential to understand these differences.Draft v2 · updated 2026-09-10
Insights
Shorter pieces on how the market and the rules are moving. Rewritten weekly.
- What overseas buyers are doing nowOverseas interest in UK residential property seems steady, but behind the scenes, entities registering to own land are changing - and the trend is not what you might expect.Draft v2 · updated 2026-09-10
- The paperwork nobody mentionsBuying UK property from abroad can be a complex process, but the real challenge often begins after completion, with ongoing administrative duties that must be fulfilled to ensure compliance with UK regulations.Draft v2 · updated 2026-09-10
Also worth reading
- Ownership and complianceBuying through a company, and the Register of Overseas EntitiesBuying UK property through a company can be more complicated than personal ownership, with additional registration and filing requirements. Overseas entities must navigate these rules to avoid delays.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
- Letting and incomeLetting a UK property while living abroadAs a non-UK resident landlord, you may be surprised to learn that some of your rental income could be claimed by HMRC before you even receive it, and that there are specific rules and regulations you must follow to ensure compliance.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
- Rule changesWhat changed recently for overseas buyersBuying a UK property from abroad can be complex, and recent changes may affect your plans. Overseas buyers and landlords often find themselves navigating unfamiliar tax and regulatory requirements.Draft v3 · updated 2026-09-10
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Information, not advice. Nothing here is tax, legal, mortgage or investment advice, and rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.