France
Vastgoed kopen in Frankrijk als buitenlander
Stappenplan voor niet-residenten — notaris, belastingen, hypotheken en wat te verwachten van bod tot sleutels.
France places no restriction on foreign property ownership — EU and non-EU buyers complete the same notarial process as French nationals. The system is paper-heavy but well protected: the notaire (a public officer, not your lawyer) holds funds in escrow, verifies title, and issues the transfer deed. Expect 8–12 weeks from accepted offer to keys.
The Step-by-Step Process
1. Offer accepted — sign an offre d'achat or move straight to the compromis. 2. Compromis de vente — the preliminary contract. Pay a 5–10% deposit into the notaire's escrow account. You have a 10-day cooling-off period to withdraw without penalty. 3. Conditional period — 6–10 weeks. The notaire checks title, planning, pre-emption rights and orders mandatory diagnostic reports (asbestos, lead, energy, termites, gas, electrics, natural risks). 4. Acte authentique de vente — the final deed, signed at the notaire's office. You can sign via power of attorney if not present. Balance funds wired to escrow 48h before. Keys handed over the same day.
Costs Beyond the Sticker Price
Frais de notaire (notary fees, transfer tax, registration): 7–8% of the purchase price on resale homes, 2–3% on new-build (VAT already included in price). Agency fees: typically paid by the seller, occasionally split. Always negotiate clarity in the mandate. Annual: taxe foncière (~0.3–0.6% of cadastral value), taxe d'habitation if furnished and unoccupied as a primary residence, building service charges in apartments. IFI (wealth tax on French real estate): 0.5–1.5% per year on net value above €1.3M.
French Mortgages for Non-Residents
French banks lend to non-residents up to 60–70% loan-to-value on second homes, typically 15–25 year fixed-rate terms. Current rates (late 2025): 3.5–4.5% fixed for eurozone residents, with a margin uplift for non-eurozone income. Income-to-debt ratio: total debt service cannot exceed 35% of gross income. Allow 8–10 weeks from application to offer letter; the mortgage timeline runs in parallel with the conditional period.
Holding Structure: Direct, SCI or SARL?
Most personal-use buyers hold directly. An SCI (Société Civile Immobilière) — a French civil property company — is useful for: estate planning (shares pass more flexibly than real estate), multi-buyer arrangements (siblings, unmarried partners), and certain non-EU buyers seeking step-up basis advantages. Talk to a notaire and a tax advisor in your country of residence before signing — the wrong structure is expensive to unwind.
Residency and the Visa Question
Owning French property does not grant residency. EU citizens have free movement. Non-EU buyers wanting more than 90 days per 180 in Schengen typically use the visa de long séjour visiteur (passive income visa) or, for retirees, the same with proof of €1,500+/month income. Property ownership strengthens these applications but is not a substitute.