How to sell an apartment in Russia while living abroad
Signing the deal takes a $40-70 power of attorney; keeping the money is harder. Sale routes, resident and non-resident tax, and moving the money abroad under 2026 rules.
In short
- Most flats are sold through a power of attorney from a consul for $40-70, with no apostille or translation.
- A remote deal with two notaries does not work from abroad: both notaries are in Russia.
- After 3 or 5 years of ownership there is no tax; earlier a resident pays 13-15% of the gain, a non-resident 30% of the price.
- Since 8 December 2025 transfer limits abroad have been lifted for Russian citizens.
- Money is safest received through a letter of credit into the owner's account, not the representative's.
In detail
A flat in Russia can be sold without travelling: most often through a power of attorney certified by a consul for $40-70. The hard part is not signing the contract but keeping the money. A non-resident who sells before the minimum holding period gives up 30% of the entire sale price, while a resident pays 13-15% of the gain. On a $150,000 flat the difference runs to tens of thousands of dollars.
The good news for 2026: since 8 December 2025 the Bank of Russia has lifted limits on transfers abroad for Russian citizens. Below is which sale route to choose, what to write in the power of attorney, how to receive the buyer's money safely, how much tax to pay and how to move the money to an account abroad.
How to sell a flat in Russia while living abroad: three ways
The choice depends on who owns the flat, whether children are among the owners and whether the seller is willing to fly in at least once. In most deals a power of attorney is enough.
| Route | What is needed | Preparation time | Risks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power of attorney | a power of attorney from a consul or a local notary with an apostille, a representative in Russia | a week to a month, depending on consulate appointments | the registry or the buyer's bank objects to the wording; the representative receives the money |
| Electronic deal | a qualified electronic signature and an application filed with the property registry in advance | a few days if the signature already exists | the signature is issued only in person or via a biometric passport; not for shares or children |
| Travelling for the deal | a passport and a trip to Russia for signing and payment | the deal itself takes a day or two | travel costs and time, tied to the buyer's dates |
The remote deal with two notaries that is often mentioned does not work from abroad. Article 53.1 of the Fundamentals of Notarial Law lets the parties sign a contract at different notaries in different cities, but both notaries are Russian and both parties attend in person. A consul may not certify a contract for the sale of Russian property: Article 26 of the Consular Charter prohibits it directly.
Selling a flat through a power of attorney: step by step
- Property documents. Check the property register extract, utility and property tax debts, and who is registered at the flat. The representative gets the extract in one to three business days.
- Consents. If the flat was bought during marriage, a notarised spousal consent is needed. If children are among the owners, guardianship authority approval is required.
- Power of attorney. Certify it at a Russian consul or a local notary with an apostille. Agree the text in advance with the representative and, if possible, with the buyer's bank.
- Sending it. The consul issues an electronic copy that goes to Russia at once; a foreign power of attorney travels by courier and is translated in Russia.
- Buyer and deposit. The representative signs a preliminary agreement and accepts a deposit if the power of attorney allows it.
- Deal and payment. The sale contract is signed, the buyer places the money in a letter of credit or a bank's safe settlement service, and documents go to the property registry.
- Registration. The registry usually registers the transfer in 7-9 business days, faster through a notary. After registration the money reaches the seller's account.
- Tax. If the minimum holding period has not passed, file a return by 30 April of the following year and pay the tax by 15 July.
Where to certify a power of attorney and what it costs is covered in power of attorney at a Russian consulate.
What to write in a power of attorney to sell a flat
The sale power of attorney is the most closely read document of the deal. It is checked by the registrar, the buyer's bank and the buyer, who does not want to learn a year later that the seller never issued it.
- Property. The address and cadastral number of the flat, and the size of the share if it is held in shares.
- Terms. Sell at a price and on terms at the representative's discretion, or at a price no lower than a stated amount.
- Documents. Obtain extracts and certificates, file applications with the property registry, the multifunctional centre and the building management company.
- Money. Receive the deposit and payment, open a letter of credit, operate an account at a specific bank. Without these words the representative will sell the flat but cannot collect the money.
- Substitution and term. The right to delegate to a lawyer if needed, and a term - one to three years is sensible for a sale.
If someone is registered at the flat, the power to file deregistration applications is worth including in the same document: buyers and banks are reluctant to take a flat with registered occupants. How to do this from abroad is covered in how to deregister from a flat while abroad.
Can a flat be sold remotely without a power of attorney
Yes, if the seller has a qualified electronic signature and the flat belongs entirely to one adult owner. The parties sign a simple written sale contract with electronic signatures and file it with the property registry online.
There is a condition people learn about too late. For the registry to accept documents signed electronically, the owner must have filed an application in advance allowing such registration. Without it the documents are returned unreviewed - a safeguard against fraudsters who obtain signatures in someone else's name.
If the flat is held in shares, children are among the owners or a share is being sold, the contract must be certified by a notary. Then a power of attorney or a trip is unavoidable.
Spousal consent, children and other owners
A flat bought during marriage is the spouses' joint property, even if only one of them is in the register. A sale needs the other spouse's notarised consent under Article 35 of the Family Code. A spouse abroad certifies the consent at a consul or a local notary with an apostille, just like a power of attorney.
If minors are among the owners, prior approval from the guardianship authority is needed, and a notary certifies the deal. The authority usually requires the child to receive an equivalent share in other housing or money in their account.
A share may be sold to an outsider only after the other owners have declined in writing or stayed silent for a month after notarised notice: this is the pre-emption right under Article 250 of the Civil Code.
How to receive the buyer's money safely
The calmest settlement is a bank letter of credit or a bank's safe settlement service: the buyer deposits the money before documents are filed, and the bank pays the seller after the title is registered. Neither side risks handing over the flat or the money first.
- The seller's account. Money is best received into the owner's own account at a Russian bank, not the representative's. Then the whole money trail is transparent for the tax office and for the foreign bank it goes to next.
- Money through the representative. Possible if the power of attorney expressly allows it. But it adds a step and questions: the representative has to transfer the money to the owner, and the bank has to check the grounds.
- Cash and a safe deposit box. The worst option for a seller abroad: the money physically stays in Russia, and taking a large sum out in cash legally is harder than wiring it.
A Russian citizen can open an account at a Russian bank without visiting only where the bank allows remote identification. So the settlement account is best prepared in advance, before looking for a buyer.
Tax on selling a flat: resident and non-resident
If the flat was owned for longer than the minimum period, neither a resident nor a non-resident pays tax, and no return is needed. The minimum period is 5 years, and 3 years for a sole home or a flat received by inheritance, as a gift from a close relative or through privatisation (Article 217.1 of the Tax Code).
| Situation | Russian tax resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Sale after the minimum holding period | 0% | 0% |
| Sale before the period | 13% on income up to 2.4 million roubles a year, ~$29,000, and 15% above | 30% |
| What reduces the base | purchase costs or a 1 million rouble deduction, ~$12,000 | nothing: tax on the full sale price |
| If the price is below 70% of the cadastral value | income is taken as 70% of the cadastral value | the same rule |
| Return and payment | by 30 April and 15 July of the following year | by 30 April and 15 July of the following year |
Example: a flat bought for $100,000 is sold after 2 years for $150,000. A resident pays tax on the $50,000 gain: 13% on $29,000 and 15% on $21,000 - about $6,900. A non-resident pays 30% of the whole price - $45,000.
Status is determined for the calendar year of the sale: a non-resident is anyone who spent fewer than 183 days in Russia. If a home has already been bought abroad, the three-year period for a sole home does not apply. More in Russian tax non-resident and the 183-day rule.
Selling a flat from abroad means a power of attorney, bank settlement and tax at the right status
Money is lost not on fees but on mistakes: a power of attorney without the right to receive payment, a deposit sent to someone else's account, non-resident status discovered after the deal, and 30% of the whole price instead of 13% of the gain. We prepare the power of attorney and consents, check the flat and the buyer, settle through a letter of credit into your account, calculate the tax and help move the money to a bank abroad.
The cost of support depends on the flat and the owners; a manager will calculate it in the chat.
How to move the sale proceeds abroad in 2026
Since 8 December 2025 the Bank of Russia has lifted limits on transfers abroad for Russian citizens and non-residents from friendly countries. Proceeds from a flat sale can be moved to one's own account abroad in a single amount.
In 2026 the obstacles come not from Bank of Russia rules but from sanctions and correspondent banks. Many Russian banks cannot send payments to the EU and the US, so money often travels through banks in friendly countries. The receiving foreign bank will ask about the source: the sale contract, the register extract, proof of tax paid or confirmation that none was due.
Foreigners from unfriendly countries receive property sale payments into a special type C account, from which money cannot be moved abroad. Russian citizens, even those living in such countries, are not covered by this rule.
A Russian tax resident must report a foreign account to the tax office: see notice of opening a foreign bank account. Murblz helps find a bank that will accept proceeds from Russian property in the service personal accounts abroad.
How to sell a flat in Moscow while living abroad
The rules for Moscow are the same as across Russia, but two factors make mistakes in a Moscow deal more expensive. The first is cadastral value: it is high in the capital, and if the contract price is below 70% of it, tax is calculated from the cadastral value. For a non-resident that means 30% of a figure that may exceed the real price.
The second is mortgage buyers. The buyer's bank has its lawyer check the seller's power of attorney, requires an empty flat with no registered occupants and settlement by letter of credit. The earlier the power of attorney text is agreed with that bank, the less likely the deal stalls at approval.
If the flat was inherited, the holding period runs from the date of death, not from receipt of the certificate, and for such a flat it is 3 years. How to accept an inheritance without travelling is covered in how to inherit in Russia from abroad.
If selling now does not pay
Sometimes it is wiser to wait: if half a year remains until the minimum holding period ends, a non-resident's tax can eat a third of the price, while waiting costs nothing. The flat can be let in the meantime, but a non-resident's rent without a special regime is taxed at 30%, and under self-employment at 4% on income from individuals.
The second lever is status. Anyone who spends more than 183 days in Russia in the year of sale pays as a resident. How both options work and which is cheaper in a given case is covered in how to become a Russian tax non-resident and on the page Russian taxes for non-residents.
How much it costs to sell a flat from abroad
The seller's mandatory costs are modest: a power of attorney, spousal consent and, if needed, a notarised deal. The main cost is tax on a sale before the holding period ends.
| Cost | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Power of attorney at a consul | $40 to a relative, $70 to another person | seller |
| Spousal consent | at the consulate's or local notary's rate | seller |
| State fee for registering the transfer | 4,000 roubles, ~$50 | usually the buyer |
| Notarised deal for shares and children | 0.5% of the price, no more than 20,000 roubles, ~$240, plus a fee for technical work | as agreed |
| Letter of credit or safe settlement | at the bank's rate | as agreed |
| Tax on a sale before the holding period | 13-15% of a resident's gain or 30% of a non-resident's price | seller |
Amounts in US dollars at the Bank of Russia rate of 6 October 2026, rounded up. A manager in the chat will calculate Murblz support, from the power of attorney to moving the money abroad, for your flat and set of owners.
Why a deal through a power of attorney falls through
- The power of attorney is rejected. No right to receive the money, a wrong cadastral number, a surname in the translation that does not match the passport.
- A freeze or ban. Debts, court decisions and registration bans surface in the extract on the eve of the deal. How to check in advance is covered in asset freezes for emigrants in 2026.
- A ban without personal participation. If the owner once filed a statement that registration is impossible without their personal participation, the registry will not process a deal through a power of attorney until the entry is removed; the exception is a contract certified by a notary.
- Registered occupants. A mortgage buyer's bank often requires an empty flat with no one registered there.
- Fraud. Fake buyers with a deposit to someone else's account, and sometimes the representative who leaves with the money. Hence settlement only through a bank and only into the owner's account.
- Tax at the wrong status. The seller assumes resident status but ends the year as a non-resident, and the tax jumps from 13% of the gain to 30% of the price.
What changed in 2025-2026
- Tax for residents. Since 2025 income from selling property is taxed at 13% up to 2.4 million roubles a year and 15% above.
- State fee. Since 2025 registering an individual's ownership costs 4,000 roubles.
- Electronic power of attorney. Since 1 July 2024 a consul issues an electronic copy of a power of attorney, so it no longer has to travel by courier.
- Transfers abroad. Since 8 December 2025 the Bank of Russia has lifted transfer limits for Russian citizens and friendly countries, while extending restrictions for foreigners from unfriendly countries.
The law does not forbid selling a flat on your own. But mistakes cost more than fees: a deal derailed by the power of attorney, money stuck with the representative, 30% tax where 13% or nothing was possible. Murblz support removes these risks: we prepare the power of attorney and consents, check the flat and the buyer, run the deal through a bank and help move the money to an account abroad.
How we help
Murblz specialists draft the power of attorney for the specific deal and check the flat and the buyer's documents, while partner lawyers in Russia handle the deal and settlement. Then we calculate the tax, file the return and find a bank abroad that will accept the money.
Lawyers in Russia
A deal under a power of attorney, property checks, settlement through a bank.
Learn more →Power of attorney from abroad
Where to issue it, what it costs and how to send it to Russia.
Learn more →Accounts abroad
A bank that will accept proceeds from Russian property.
Learn more →Translations and apostille
Certified translation of a foreign power of attorney and spousal consent.
Learn more →Relocation
Tax residence, accounts and property handled together.
Learn more →Documents from Russia
How to obtain certificates and documents without travelling.
Learn more →The full series: Russian documents from abroad
- How to deregister from a Russian address while living abroad
- How to get a copy of a Russian birth certificate from abroad
- Replacement Russian marriage or divorce certificate from abroad
- Russian certificate of no marriage for a wedding abroad
- How to get a Russian police clearance certificate abroad
- How to replace a Russian diploma from abroad
- Power of attorney at a Russian consulate
- How to sell an apartment in Russia while living abroad
- How to accept an inheritance in Russia while living abroad
Murblz specialists request, translate and certify the documents from this series to the requirements of the country where they will be used: translation, notary and apostille.
FAQ
How do I sell an apartment while living abroad?
Can I sell an apartment with a power of attorney from abroad?
What tax does a non-resident pay on selling an apartment?
Is spousal consent needed to sell an apartment from abroad?
How do I receive the money for a sold apartment abroad?
Can I sell an apartment remotely through two notaries?
How do I sell an apartment in Moscow while living abroad?
Do I need to file a tax return after selling an apartment?
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