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Property

Finland — Property: Foreign Ownership

Finland has no general bar on foreign buyers, but since July 2025 Russian and Belarusian citizens face a purchase ban unless the Ministry of Defence grants a permit. Transfer tax applies to all buyers equally.

VerifiedProfessional tax guide — not a government sourceYle (Finnish public broadcaster) reporting on the Ministry of Defence rules; Finnish Tax Administration (Vero) for transfer taxLast reviewed: 2026-10-26

Key facts

  • An amended law in force from July 2025 bans real estate purchases by Russian and Belarusian citizens; the Ministry of Defence grants permits to those not under an absolute prohibition.
  • EU and EEA citizens are not covered by the law, even if they also hold Russian citizenship.
  • Since the amendment 11 permits were approved and 2 applications rejected under the "total prohibition" (Yle, to November 2025); the Ministry also granted 39 permits to Russian nationals before the amendment in early 2025.
  • Buying a company that owns property, rather than the property itself, does not need a permit, but the Ministry can require a retroactive permit application if it suspects a front-man arrangement.
  • All buyers pay transfer tax of 3% on real estate and 1.5% on housing-company shares (Vero); the buyer files the return and pays in MyTax.

Steps

  1. Register as a foreign buyer — You must register with the Finnish Tax Authority (Alv) before purchasing property.
  2. Comply with local regulations — Ensure that you understand and comply with local municipality regulations regarding foreign ownership.

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