Property in Italy: who may buy what?
Property in Italy: it depends entirely on your nationality
⚠️ Information verified and accurate as of 27 September 2026. Rules for non-resident buyers change regularly, sometimes quickly — before any move, have your specific situation confirmed by an English-speaking Italian lawyer.
No general restriction on foreigners buying property… except if…
Italy places no general restriction on foreigners buying property. But it applies a reciprocity principle: it treats a foreign national exactly the way their own country treats Italians. The result: the same villa by the same lake can be freely accessible to one of your friends with zero formalities, and subject to quite different rules for another — based on a single factor, their nationality. Here’s what to know depending on your case.
You’re an EU citizen
No restriction tied to your nationality. You buy in Italy under the same conditions as an Italian citizen, whatever the type or use of the property.
You’re a Swiss citizen
Good news and a hidden trap at once. Since Switzerland treats Italians on equal footing with its own citizens, the reciprocity principle works in your favour — but with a little-known catch: if you’re not yet a resident in Italy, buying a secondary or holiday home is capped at 200 sqm of living space, with an attached plot capped at 1,000 sqm. This cap disappears entirely once you transfer your tax residence to Italy, and never applies to a commercial property or a transfer between close family. The classic trap: falling for a property over that threshold, and finding out mid-negotiation — sometimes after a deposit has already been paid.
You’re neither an EU citizen nor Swiss (for example, a Canadian citizen)
This is the most volatile ground, and the one where we deliberately avoid giving you a fixed rule. As an example: Canada passed its own law in 2023 restricting property purchases by non-Canadians, and that law has already been extended since. Through the reciprocity mirror, this in turn complicates property purchases in Italy for Canadian citizens (Québécois included), subject to specific exceptions that existed at one point (co-ownership with an EU citizen, a municipality under 10,000 residents, diplomatic use). But these rules move, on both sides of the Atlantic, sometimes within months. If this is your situation, the only sound advice is: consult a lawyer BEFORE you even start looking at a specific property, not after falling for one.
Good news, though: if you legally reside in Italy, this question no longer applies (see below)!
And everyone else? It depends… but it’s not necessarily a no
For citizens of countries outside the European Union, everything comes down to one question: do you live in Italy?
If you legally reside there, with a valid residence permit, you can buy property just like an Italian, whatever your nationality. Notarial practice then recognizes your full capacity to buy, regardless of any reciprocity arrangement with your home country.
If you don’t reside there, you can only buy if an international treaty allows it, or if reciprocity applies, meaning an Italian can buy property in your country. This is now the case for British buyers too: since Brexit, the United Kingdom counts as a non-EU country, and British citizens who don’t live in Italy go through the same check. The notary verifies each case individually, based on information from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And the answer isn’t always a simple yes or no: depending on the country, reciprocity may be limited, for example to a single home for residential use, paid for with funds brought in from abroad, or may exclude agricultural and forest land.
Also worth knowing…
Some situations are exempt from this condition altogether, such as inheritance, or a purchase by the foreign spouse of an Italian citizen, even a non-resident one, if the property is jointly owned.
Don’t take this lightly
In Italy, a court has already declared a sale void because it breached these limits. And buying a property does not, on its own, entitle you to a residence permit.
🇬🇧 This article was written in September 2026. Laws and regulations can change without notice. Please verify all details at the time of reading — and consult a professional, you’ll find one in our directory!
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