Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Finland Property Pack
Everything you need to know before buying real estate is included in our Finland Property Pack
If you are a foreigner thinking about buying property in Finland, there is one key thing you need to understand first: when Finnish people talk about "buying an apartment," they usually mean buying shares in a housing company, not buying actual land.
This distinction matters because the rules and restrictions differ depending on whether you are buying apartment shares or a real estate unit like a detached house on its own plot.
We constantly update this blog post to reflect the latest regulations and market conditions in Finland.
And if you're planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Finland.
Do foreigners have the same rights as locals in Finland right now?
Can foreigners legally buy residential property in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, foreigners can legally buy residential property in Finland, but the specific rules depend on whether you are purchasing apartment shares or a real estate unit with land.
If you are buying housing company shares, which is how most apartments in Finland are owned, the process is generally open to all foreign buyers without special permits.
However, if you are a non-EU or non-EEA citizen and you want to buy a real estate unit, meaning a detached house on its own plot of land, you will need to obtain a permit from the Finnish Ministry of Defence before completing the purchase.
This permit requirement was introduced to screen acquisitions of land by buyers from outside the European Union and European Economic Area, and it applies regardless of where the property is located in mainland Finland.
We cover all these things in length in our pack about the property market in Finland.
Do foreigners have the exact same ownership rights as locals in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, EU and EEA citizens enjoy nearly identical ownership rights to Finnish locals, while non-EU and non-EEA citizens face one significant additional requirement when buying real estate units.
The most important difference is that non-EU and non-EEA buyers must obtain Ministry of Defence approval before purchasing a real estate unit, which is a step that Finnish citizens and EU residents do not need to take.
Once you have legally acquired property in Finland, whether as apartment shares or a permitted real estate unit, you enjoy the same ownership rights as any Finnish citizen, including the right to sell, rent out, or pass on your property to heirs.
Are there any foreigner-only restrictions in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, there are two main foreigner-only restrictions that affect property buyers in Finland: the Ministry of Defence permit requirement for non-EU and non-EEA buyers purchasing real estate units, and the special autonomy rules on the Åland Islands.
The most impactful restriction for most foreign buyers is the permit requirement, which applies when a non-EU or non-EEA citizen wants to buy a detached house, cottage, or any property that includes land ownership in mainland Finland.
The official rationale behind this permit system is national security, as the Finnish government wants to screen acquisitions of land near strategic infrastructure or sensitive areas by buyers from outside the EU and EEA.
The most common legal workaround for non-EU and non-EEA buyers who want to avoid the permit process is to purchase apartment shares in a housing company instead of a real estate unit, since housing company shares do not require Ministry of Defence approval.
Can foreigners buy property freely anywhere in Finland, or only specific areas in 2026?
As of early 2026, foreigners can buy property across most of mainland Finland, though non-EU and non-EEA buyers purchasing real estate units must go through the permit screening process regardless of location.
The Åland Islands represent the one region with significantly different rules, where owning land or real estate is tied to a special "right of domicile" system that requires either five years of residence or a permit from the Åland government.
The reason for Åland's restrictions is the islands' autonomous status within Finland, which includes constitutional protections for the local Swedish-speaking population and special rules about land ownership that predate modern EU regulations.
The most popular areas where foreigners commonly purchase property in Finland include Helsinki neighborhoods like Punavuori, Ullanlinna, Töölö, Kallio, and Lauttasaari, as well as Tapiola and Westend in Espoo, central Tampere districts like Kaleva and Pyynikki, and Turku's Keskusta and Kakola areas.
Can foreigners own property 100% under their own name in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, foreigners can own property 100% under their own name in Finland, whether they are buying housing company shares or, with the appropriate permit, a real estate unit.
For apartment shares, any foreigner can register ownership under their own name in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System maintained by the National Land Survey without needing special approval.
For real estate units, the process requires either being an EU or EEA citizen, which allows direct registration, or being a non-EU or non-EEA citizen who has obtained Ministry of Defence approval, after which you can register the property fully in your own name through the National Land Survey.
Is freehold ownership possible for foreigners in Finland right now in 2026?
As of early 2026, freehold ownership is possible for foreigners in Finland, but it is important to understand that most apartments in Finnish cities are not freehold land ownership at all.
When you buy an apartment in Finland, you are typically buying shares in a housing company that give you the right to occupy a specific unit, which is different from owning the underlying land directly.
If you want true freehold ownership, meaning you own both the building and the land it sits on, you would typically need to buy a detached house on its own plot, and non-EU or non-EEA citizens would need Ministry of Defence approval for this type of purchase.
Can foreigners buy land in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, foreigners can buy land in Finland, but non-EU and non-EEA citizens must obtain a permit from the Ministry of Defence before purchasing any real estate unit that includes land.
The permit requirement applies to all land types, including residential plots, whether you are buying a house with a garden in suburban Helsinki or a summer cottage plot in the Finnish countryside.
Since apartments in housing companies do not involve direct land ownership, the most common approach for non-EU and non-EEA buyers who want to avoid the permit process is to purchase housing company shares, which give them the right to occupy a unit without triggering the land acquisition screening.
By the way, we cover everything there is to know about the land buying process in Finland here.
We created this infographic to give you a simple idea of how much it costs to buy property in different parts of Finland. As you can see, it breaks down price ranges and property types for popular cities in the country. We hope this makes it easier to explore your options and understand the market.
Does my nationality or residency status change anything in Finland?
Does my nationality change what I can buy in Finland right now in 2026?
As of early 2026, your nationality significantly affects whether you need a permit to buy real estate units in Finland, with the key distinction being whether you hold citizenship in an EU or EEA country.
Non-EU and non-EEA nationals must apply for Ministry of Defence approval before purchasing any property that includes land, while EU and EEA citizens can proceed without this extra step.
If you hold dual nationality and one of your passports is from an EU or EEA country, the Ministry of Defence notes that you generally do not need to apply for a permit, even if your other nationality is from outside Europe.
Do EU/US/UK citizens get easier property access in Finland?
EU citizens have a clear advantage when buying property in Finland because they do not need Ministry of Defence approval to purchase real estate units, putting them on nearly equal footing with Finnish nationals.
For EU citizens specifically, the buying process for both apartment shares and detached houses is essentially the same as for Finnish residents, with no special permits required and straightforward access to the property registration system.
US and UK citizens, following Brexit, are classified as non-EU and non-EEA nationals, which means they must apply for Ministry of Defence approval when buying real estate units, though they can still purchase housing company shares without a permit.
If you're American, we have a dedicated blog article about US citizens buying property in Finland.
Can I buy property in Finland without local residency?
Non-residents and tourist visa holders can legally purchase property in Finland, but residency status significantly affects your ability to get financing and navigate the administrative process smoothly.
Residents with verifiable Finnish income and credit history typically have access to better mortgage terms and can borrow up to 85 to 90 percent of the property value, while non-residents often face requirements for down payments of 30 to 50 percent or more.
If you are buying without Finnish residency, you should be prepared for additional steps including international ID verification, potentially translated documentation, and the likelihood of needing to make a larger cash payment or finance through banks in your home country.
Buying real estate in Finland can be risky
An increasing number of foreign investors are showing interest. However, 90% of them will make mistakes. Avoid the pitfalls with our comprehensive guide.
What are the biggest legal grey areas for foreigners in Finland?
What are the biggest legal grey zones for foreigners in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, Finland has relatively few true legal grey zones because the property system is rule-based and well documented, but the most common traps for foreign buyers are practical misunderstandings rather than unclear laws.
The single riskiest grey zone is confusing apartment shares with real estate units, because foreigners sometimes assume the same rules apply to both and end up either unnecessarily applying for permits or, worse, not applying when they should.
The best precaution a foreign buyer can take is to confirm exactly what type of property they are buying before signing anything, and for real estate unit purchases, to ensure the transaction is properly witnessed or executed through the National Land Survey's official e-service to avoid ending up with an invalid conveyance.
We have built our property pack about Finland with the intention to clarify all these things.
Can foreigners safely buy property using a local nominee in Finland?
Using a local nominee to buy property in Finland is generally risky and not recommended, because Finland's permit system for non-EU and non-EEA buyers exists specifically to screen the real purchaser, and authorities may view nominee arrangements as circumvention.
The main legal risk of using a non-spouse nominee is that you may have no enforceable claim to the property if the relationship sours, the nominee faces creditors, or the nominee dies, since the property will be legally registered in their name alone.
Buying through a spouse offers slightly more protection under Finnish family law in case of divorce, but it does not eliminate the fundamental risks of not being the registered owner, and it creates complications if your spouse dies or the marriage ends.
Buying through a locally registered company can work, but the company itself may still be subject to the permit requirement if it is owned or controlled by non-EU or non-EEA parties, and Finnish authorities can look through corporate structures to identify the real beneficial owner.
What happens if a foreigner dies owning property in Finland?
When a foreigner dies owning property in Finland, their heirs can inherit the property, but the process involves both Finnish inheritance tax obligations and administrative steps to register the new ownership.
Foreign heirs must file an inheritance tax return with the Finnish Tax Administration, pay any applicable Finnish inheritance tax on the property value, and then apply to register ownership through the National Land Survey, which may require translated and authenticated documents from the deceased's home country.
Foreign heirs generally face no special restrictions when reselling inherited property in Finland, though if the heirs are non-EU or non-EEA citizens and they want to keep a real estate unit rather than sell it, they would need to apply for the same Ministry of Defence permit required for any new acquisition.
The most common inheritance complication is confusion about which country's succession laws apply, and EU citizens can reduce this uncertainty by using EU cross-border succession rules to specify in their will which national law should govern the inheritance.
We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Finland versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.
Can foreigners realistically get a mortgage in Finland in 2026?
Do banks give mortgages to foreigners in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, Finnish banks do provide mortgages to foreigners, but approval is most realistic for foreign residents with stable Finnish income, while non-residents typically face much stricter requirements or outright refusals.
The main eligibility requirements Finnish banks impose include verifiable income, a Finnish personal identity code or equivalent documentation, credit history they can assess, and compliance with the regulator's loan-to-collateral caps, which currently limit most housing loans to around 85 to 90 percent of the property's collateral value.
You can also read our latest update about mortgage and interest rates in Finland.
Are mortgage approvals harder for non-residents in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, mortgage approvals are significantly harder for non-residents in Finland because banks struggle to verify income stability, assess credit risk, and enforce collection if something goes wrong.
Residents in Finland can typically borrow up to 85 to 90 percent of a property's value (around 255,000 to 270,000 euros on a 300,000 euro property), while non-residents without Finnish income often need down payments of 30 to 50 percent or more, meaning 90,000 to 150,000 euros (roughly 95,000 to 160,000 US dollars) on the same property.
Non-residents must usually provide additional documentation including proof of income and assets from their home country, sometimes translated and authenticated, along with explanations of their connection to Finland and how they plan to service the loan.
We have a whole document dedicated to mortgages for foreigners in our Finland real estate pack.
Get fresh and reliable information about the market in Finland
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Are foreigners protected by the law in Finland during disputes?
Are foreigners legally protected like locals in Finland right now?
Foreigners in Finland receive essentially the same legal protections as locals in property matters because Finland's court system and consumer protection framework apply based on the transaction, not the buyer's nationality.
Both foreigners and locals share equal access to district courts, consumer dispute resolution services, and official guidance channels like the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority's advice service.
The main protection gap for foreigners is practical rather than legal: if you do not speak Finnish or Swedish, navigating the court system and understanding your contract terms can be significantly harder without professional help.
The most important legal safeguard a foreigner should put in place before buying is ensuring the transaction is executed correctly, either through the National Land Survey's e-service for real estate units or with proper share transfer documentation for apartments, because an improperly completed sale can be invalid and unenforceable.
Do courts treat foreigners fairly in property disputes in Finland right now?
Finnish courts are structured, transparent institutions with formal procedures and clear appeal paths, and there is no evidence that foreign nationality affects how judges decide property cases.
A typical property dispute in Finland's district courts can take anywhere from several months to over a year to resolve, with legal costs ranging from a few thousand euros for simple matters to tens of thousands of euros (roughly the same in US dollars) for complex litigation involving multiple hearings and expert witnesses.
The most common type of property dispute foreigners bring to court involves problems discovered after purchase, such as hidden defects in apartments or disagreements about what was included in the sale.
For foreigners who want to avoid court, Finland offers consumer dispute boards and mediation services through official channels, which can resolve many issues faster and at lower cost than formal litigation.
We cover all these things in our list of risks and pitfalls people face when buying property in Finland.
We made this infographic to show you how property prices in Finland compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.
What do foreigners say after buying in Finland in 2026?
Do foreigners feel treated differently during buying in Finland right now?
Based on buyer feedback and market patterns, a significant proportion of foreigners report that the buying process in Finland feels more bureaucratic and slower than expected, though most do not describe it as discriminatory.
The most commonly reported way foreigners feel treated differently is through extra documentation requirements, including additional ID verification, bank account opening difficulties, and sometimes needing translated documents that Finnish buyers would never be asked to provide.
On the positive side, foreigners frequently mention that Finnish real estate agents and notaries are professional and straightforward, and that the digital infrastructure, like the National Land Survey's e-services, makes the process more transparent than in many other countries.
Find more real-life feedbacks in our our pack covering the property buying process in Finland.
Do foreigners overpay compared to locals in Finland in 2026?
As of early 2026, foreigners in Finland tend to overpay by around 5 to 10 percent in high-demand areas like central Helsinki (roughly 15,000 to 30,000 euros or 16,000 to 32,000 US dollars on a 300,000 euro apartment), though the premium shrinks to near zero in calmer markets where they use the same data and agents as locals.
The main reason foreigners pay more is not direct price discrimination but rather misunderstanding what they are actually buying, particularly confusing the obligations that come with housing company shares versus standalone real estate, which leads them to anchor on asking prices without properly assessing the building's financial health or upcoming renovations.
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Buying a property over there? We have reviewed all the documents you need to know. Stay out of trouble - grab our comprehensive guide.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Finland, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can … and we don't throw out numbers at random.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why It's Authoritative | How We Used It |
|---|---|---|
| Finnish Ministry of Defence | They issue or refuse permits for restricted real estate acquisitions. | We used it to define who needs a permit to buy real estate in Finland. We also used it to clarify exceptions like dual nationality with an EU or EEA passport. |
| National Land Survey of Finland | They operate Finland's official land and apartment ownership registers. | We used it to explain Finland's apartment share ownership system. We also used it to describe how ownership records and pledges work in the official register. |
| FIN-FSA (Financial Supervisory Authority) | They set and enforce mortgage lending rules for Finnish banks. | We used it to state the legal loan-to-collateral caps in force. We also used it to set realistic expectations for down payments. |
| Bank of Finland | They are the central bank reporting official financial statistics. | We used it to describe how Finnish mortgage pricing commonly links to Euribor. We also used it to explain recent interest rate movements. |
| Finnish Tax Administration (Vero) | They set out buyer tax obligations and update them frequently. | We used it to confirm that buyers must pay transfer tax for both real estate units and housing company shares. We also used it to flag transfer tax as a closing cost foreigners often miss. |
| Nordic Cooperation (Info Norden) | They explain Åland's special autonomy rules in a government-backed portal. | We used it to explain why Åland is different from mainland Finland for property ownership. We also used it to outline the role of right of domicile and permits. |
| Statistics Finland | They are Finland's official statistics agency publishing transaction data. | We used it to anchor market discussion in official transaction-based statistics. We also used it to confirm the National Land Survey is the underlying data source. |
| Courts of Finland | They describe how Finnish courts and appeals work officially. | We used it to explain dispute routes in a clear way. We also used it to ground fairness discussion in real institutions. |
| EU Your Europe | They summarize EU rules for cross-border life events officially. | We used it to explain that EU rules can affect which national law governs succession. We also used it as a cross-check alongside Finnish tax authority guidance. |
We have made this infographic to give you a quick and clear snapshot of the property market in Finland. It highlights key facts like rental prices, yields, and property costs both in city centers and outside, so you can easily compare opportunities. We’ve done some research and also included useful insights about the country’s economy, like GDP, population, and interest rates, to help you understand the bigger picture.