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GuidesGuides to buying property in Spain
Plain-English guides for foreign buyers, checked against official Spanish sources.
Before you buy
Buying property in Spain: the step-by-step guide for foreign buyersBuying a house in Spain takes about two to three months: get an NIE, open a Spanish bank account, hire your own lawyer, check the property's legal staCost of buying property in Spain: taxes and fees in 2026Expect to pay roughly 10–14% on top of the price for a resale home, most of it regional transfer tax (7% in Andalucía, 9% in Valencia, 10% in CataloniReferencia catastral: the Spanish property ID explainedThe referencia catastral is the 20-character code that the Spanish Catastro gives every property. It identifies the plot and the unit, and you'll findNota simple: how to check a property in the Spanish land registryA nota simple is a short extract from the Spanish land registry (Registro de la Propiedad) showing who owns a property and whether it carries mortgageOkupas in Spain: what property buyers need to knowOkupas are people who occupy a property without the owner's consent. The law treats a lived-in home (allanamiento de morada) very differently from an
Paperwork and people
NIE number Spain: how to get one to buy propertyThe NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is the tax and ID number every foreigner needs to buy property in Spain. You apply with form EX-15 and a fProperty lawyer in Spain: how to choose an independent oneHire a Spanish-registered lawyer (abogado colegiado) who works only for you, not for the agent or developer. Check their registration with the local CNotary in Spain: what the notario does when you buyA Spanish notary (notario) is a public official who drafts and authorises the purchase deed, checks identities and the registry, and sends the deed foPower of attorney in Spain: buying property from abroadA power of attorney (poder notarial) lets someone, usually your lawyer, sign documents in Spain for you: the NIE, a bank account, the purchase deed. YSpanish mortgage for non-residents: how it worksSpanish banks lend to non-residents, but usually for a lower share of the value than for residents, commonly around 60–70% of the price or valuation,
Taxes
Property taxes in Spain: what you pay to buy, own and sellProperty taxes in Spain fall into three stages: a one-off tax when you buy (ITP on resales, or IVA plus AJD on new builds), yearly taxes while you ownNon-resident tax in Spain: how Modelo 210 works for property ownersIf you own Spanish property but live abroad, you pay non-resident income tax (IRNR) every year on Form 210: on an imputed income of 1.1% or 2% of the IBI in Spain: the annual property tax and why buyers should check itIBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles) is Spain's yearly council tax on property. It is a percentage of the valor catastral, usually between 0.4% and 1Plusvalía tax in Spain: how the municipal land-value tax worksPlusvalía (Impuesto sobre el Incremento de Valor de los Terrenos de Naturaleza Urbana) is a town-hall tax on the rise in land value when property chanInheritance tax in Spain: how it works and what your region chargesInheritance tax in Spain (Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones) is paid by the heir, not the estate, and the rules depend mostly on the region. In AWealth tax in Spain: who pays, how much, and the solidarity taxSpain's wealth tax (Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio) applies to net assets above €700,000 in most regions, plus up to €300,000 for a resident's main home