Investment property: Russia

Updated 6 October 2026

A foreigner can buy a flat, house or commercial premises in Russia and own them on general terms.

The restrictions concern land and the buyer's background: foreigners may not own land in border territories and seaports, and they can only lease agricultural land. Since 2022 a special procedure applies to persons linked to unfriendly states. Dollar amounts use the Bank of Russia rate of 3 October 2026, about 83.5 roubles per dollar.

What matters for a foreign buyer

• Flats and houses: no nationality restrictions.
• Land in border territories, listed by a 2011 decree, and in seaports is not sold to foreigners.
• Agricultural land: lease only for foreigners.
• Persons from unfriendly states. Under the 2022 decrees, deals creating ownership require approval by a government commission. Per the registration service's clarifications, individuals linked to such states may buy and sell property with residents without a separate permit, and a non-resident seller receives the money into a special account.

Deal costs

• State duty for registering an individual's title: 4,000 roubles, about $50, if the property is worth under 20 million roubles, about $239,600; higher for expensive properties.
• A notary is mandatory when selling a share and in some other cases; otherwise the contract can be simple written form.
• Checking the property in the Unified State Register of Real Estate.

Owner's taxes

• Property tax: 0.1% to 2% of cadastral value, set by the municipality.
• Rent. A Russian non-resident pays 30% on rental income; a tax resident pays on a progressive scale.
• Sale. A non-resident pays 30% on the gain; a resident is exempt after a minimum holding period of three or five years, depending on the case.

How the purchase works

1. Checking the buyer's status: nationality, links to unfriendly states, whether the special procedure applies.
2. Checking the property: owners, encumbrances, registered occupants, debts.
3. Contract, before a notary if required, and settlement via a bank or letter of credit.
4. Title registration with the registration service.

A foreign buyer's documents

• a foreign passport with a notarised Russian translation;
• an account at a Russian bank for settling the deal;
• an apostilled and translated power of attorney if a representative handles the deal;
• for persons from unfriendly states, documents confirming the settlement procedure.

Risks

• A deal on a plot in a border territory: it will not be registered to a foreigner.
• The wrong settlement procedure with a seller or buyer from an unfriendly state.
• Registered occupants in the flat who are hard to deregister.
• The 30% non-resident tax rate on letting and sale, not built into the yield calculation.
• The seller's arrears on utilities and major repair contributions.

What we do

We check which deal procedure applies to you, shortlist a property, check it in the register, and support the contract, settlement and registration with locally licensed partners. More on taxes on our Russia taxes page.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Business account · Personal account · Country taxes · All country programs

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