Can a Foreigner Own a Property in Romania

business man and house

If you are a foreigner and you want to buy property in Romania, you need to find out what rights and obligations you have. Although the Romanian Real Estate market is flourishing, it might be tricky to have your own place, depending on your citizenship.

Starting from 2012, citizens from EU and EEA can obtain a place to live in Romania in the same way as any Romanian citizen. They can buy, receive it as a donation, make an exchange or inherit it (but not by legal will). However, regardless of how they got the property and what kind of property it is, it can only serve as a secondary residence. Also, from the beginning of 2014, EU and EEA citizens can obtain, in any way, agricultural lands, forests and forest lands.

In the case when the foreign citizen wants to buy any property in Romania without a Romanian Personal Identification Number, a Fiscal Identification Number is Necessary. The PIN can be obtained easily by the foreigners who have a residence permit in Romania, either for study, business, research or as a family member. Apart from this, there is nothing special required from a foreigner citizen for the transaction; he can buy or sell in the same way as a Romanian citizen, and he will pay the same taxes for the government, seller and notary.

For the citizens who are coming from countries outside the EU or EEA, things are more complicated. In most cases, they can only have the right to own the construction, but not the land itself. There are a few countries that have a special agreement with Romania regarding this issue, but most of them don’t.

For example, a citizen outside the above mentioned areas can own the house, but cannot not own a land the house is built on. He can obtain the right to use the house and the land, but only as long as the house exists on the land. In the moment the construction is no longer there, his legal rights over the land stop. The same rule applies regardless the type of construction or land that he wants to buy.

The laws stated above only apply to natural persons. For commercial enterprises, the entire process tends to be easier. According to the law, they can obtain easily the right to own, buy, sell or use different types of properties, as long as the properties are necessary for their activity. There are, on the other hand, some risks when it comes to owning a property in Romania in the case when the activity of the enterprise stops, so a lawyer should be consulted.

Citizens of any country who want to buy a property in Romania and obtain a business Residency Permit, need to apply first for a Business Visa and to prove that they are planning to start a commercial activity on the territory of the country. They can submit their documents in their own country, at the Embassy of Romania. Once they obtain the Visa, they can apply for a Residency Permit in Romania at any Immigration Office.

Before starting a transaction with any kind of property in Romania, it is recommended to discuss with a lawyer and understand what are your rights and obligations through the entire process. Also, If you do not have a Residency Permit in Romania, make sure you follow all the legal steps to obtain a Fiscal Identification Number before you attempt to buy a property. Otherwise, any contract you sign is invalid and you can easily get trapped in a legal situation.

For help with obtaining Fiscal Identification Number or arranging legal consultation, please contact us here.

Join The Discussion

43 thoughts on “Can a Foreigner Own a Property in Romania”

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    Zubair

    Hey I’m zubair from India want to buy property in Romania can u help me

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Zubair, Please fill this form and I will send you offers.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    anahita

    My daughter is livings in bucharest and her husband is duch , and she has residence card for family member of uniun citizen can she buy a house with yard , our country home with land ????? She is Iranian

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Anahita,
      Since residence card doesn’t equals citizenship, she cannot own a land in Romania. Her husband can buy land here. They can as a couple buy a house with yard. She will own half of the house, he will own the other half of the house and the whole land.
      Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Jason Goodall

    I am an English citizen and my wife is Romanian. Can we buy a property in Cluj ? Are Romanian banks willing to loan money to their own citizens to buy a second home if they live and work in the UK ?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Jason,
      Any foreigner is allowed to purchase an apartment in Romania.
      European citizens are allowed to purchase land in Romania. Since brexit is a few month away, you should hurry.
      Most of Romanian banks don’t give loan based on income from abroad. You should try at Leumi Bank Romania. As far as I know they are the only bank that gives loans to citizens of other countries.
      Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Kkkk

    Hi I am Egyptian,

    Romania signed a bilateral investment treaty with Egypt in 1994.

    Does this mean that I am able to purchase a flat or land?

    Thanks

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Karym,
      You, as a foreigner, are able to purchase an apartment.
      To purchase land, you need to incorporate a company in Romania and then to register the land to company name.

      Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Keith

    I’m a UK citizen and my romainian girlfriends mother lives in Romania. I’d like to purchase an apartment for her to live in. Is this possible and how would I go about this?

    Reply
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    Brian

    Hi I am a US citizen that wants to buy a house for my sister in law in Romania. She is a Ro citizen. i am trying to decide the best way to handle this. Buy in my name, or her name? Mortgage or pay all at once? I plan to visit there later this year to help her locate a home.

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Brian,
      If you buy an apartment, do it in your name. If you buy a private house, buy the land on your sister in law name and the building itself on your name.
      It’s difficult for a foreigner to obtain mortgage in Romania and the interest here is very high ~5%
      Drop me a line before coming to Romania and I will help you to find a good place.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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        Brian

        Alex,
        Thanks very much for the advice. The home will be in the Timisoara area. Do you cover that area?

        Reply
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          Alex

          Hi Brian,
          Sorry, I cover only Bucharest.
          Best Regards
          Alex

          Reply
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    Chad keraga

    Alex,

    I am a U.S. citizen that would like to buy an apartment near the Piata alba lulia area, could you help me find something? Thank you.

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Chad, I sent you an email.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    scott

    Hi Alex my name is Scott , I am looking to buy in Brasov , I am a us citizen , Id like it to be in my name and my romanian girl friends as well , can you help .

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Scott, I’m sorry, but currently I can’t help with buying a property in Brasov.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    simon

    Hi Alex, My name is Simon and i am uk citizen and my wife is romanian. I will be wanting to buy a property for cash in the next few months hopefully before Brexit, will it be easier to buy thru my wife? and what are the typical tax percentages for the buyer of the total value ? thanks

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Simon,
      If your wife is Romanian citizen, then Brexit deadline shouldn’t an issue.
      When you’ll sign title of deeds (Purchase Agreement) at the notary, you and your wife will be the owners of the apartment 50/50 and she will be the owner of the land (100%) “attached” to the apartment. Since it’s not possible to sell only the land, both of you are actually the owners of the property.
      Please fill this form if you want me to find you an apartment.

      There is an online calculator for taxes/payments here. Unfortunately it’s available only in Romanian.
      It goes roughly like this:
      For 100,000 Euro apartment, you as a buyer should pay ~1200 euro
      For 150,000 – 1600 euro
      For 200,000 – 1950 euro

      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    RAJESH MENON

    I am from India. I would like to buy a house in Romania. Is it possible for foreigners to buy a house.

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Rajesh, yes it’s possible to buy a house, but not a land. There are a few workarounds for this issue, please contact me so I can explain how it works.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    farman

    Hello Alex
    Im from kurdistan/Iraq how can a buy a house from romania? do you have any offer?

    Reply
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    James Gilmartin

    My wife is Romanian, we married here in my homeland Scotland. We have a daughter and our aim is to hopefully move to Pepestii Leordeni in Bucharest where her family are. We are saving money but will Brexit affect me being able to move ?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi James,
      After brexit, you won’t be EU citizen and won’t be able to own land in Romania. You will be able to own an apartment or a house, but not land.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Carlo

    Hi, im a non-Eu citizen married to a Romanian. If we by a flat in Romania, can we register it under both of our names?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Yes, you can.

      Reply
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    Ray

    I am a US citizen and I would like to purchase an apartment somewhere in the Constanta / MK area. Is that possible? Also, what are the typical terms in a sale such as down payment and number of years to pay off?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Ray,
      Sure, it’s possible. You mean mortgage terms? It depends on a bank. As far as I know, lately they raised down payment to 25% of apartment value. Maximum number of years you can pay off mortgage loan is 30 years.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Greg

    I am a French citizen and I am interested to buy a property in Bucharest 50/50 together with my girlfriend who is Romanian. Is it possible to do so even though we are not married and both live at the moment in Dubaï ?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Greg,

      Yes, it’s possible to buy a property this way. Your ownership percentage will be mentioned in title of deeds.

      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Kaushalya Abeykoon

    I am from Sri Lanka. I would like to buy a house in Romania. Is it possible for foreigners to buy a house ?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Kaushalya Abeykoon,
      Yes, it’s possible. However you as a foreigner can’t own a land.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Gagandeep Singh

    My wife is from romania. If i buy a property on her name, or if we can buy on our both name, after can i how long it will take to get passport, but i am not in romania, i am in cyprus.

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hello, For information regarding citizenship, please check in Romanian Consulate. Here is some useful info.
      Owning a property is not a condition for obtaining Romanian passport.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Andrijana

    …do I get a residential papers if i buy an apartment or not? i am non eu citizen. does that mean I would need visa for stay longer than 90 days in |Romania or what?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Andrijana,
      You don’t get a residence permit if you buy an apartment in Romania.
      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Denise

    Hi.i am from the uk and my partner is Romanian.we want to buy house with land in Romania.one lawyer in Romania said it can only be in my partners name.but that my partner could donate half the house to me.can you advise please

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hi Denise,
      In case you both buy house and land:
      The land will be 100% owner by your Romanian partner. Only Romanian and EU citizens can own land in Romania.
      You will own 50% of the house and your Romanian partner will own the other 50%.

      Best Regards
      Alex

      Reply
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    Kapila

    hi, i am kapila from sri lanka i like to by property in Romania can u send me whats the benefit and how to by

    Reply
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    Khalid

    Dear Alex. I’m living in Morocco and I don’t have a Schengen visa. If I want to buy a app in Romania. Do I get a residence card?

    Reply
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      Alex

      Hello Khalid,
      No, owning a property in Romania is not a condition for residence permit.
      Thanks!
      Alex

      Reply

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