Buy Property in Valencia as a Foreigner: Taxes and Steps

On a resale in the Comunitat Valenciana, add 9% transfer tax to the price, or 11% above one million euros. A new build carries VAT plus stamp duty. A notary signs the deed and the Property Registry then records it. Buying a home no longer brings a golden visa.

Yes, you can buy in Valencia as a foreigner, and on a resale the main extra cost is 9% transfer tax on top of the price. The rest of this page is the order of events and what changes for new builds and non-resident sellers.

What do you sort out first?

Get your NIE and a Spanish bank account before you pay any deposit. The deed must carry the tax identification number of everyone who appears, and it records how and when you paid. The NIE appointment guide and the bank account guide cover both.

Borrowing from a Spanish bank? The mortgage guide covers what the lender owes you before you sign. Not sure you want to buy yet? The rental guide is the other route.

What does a resale cost in taxes?

For a resale in the Comunitat Valenciana, budget 9% transfer tax, rising to 11% when the value is above one million euros. That 9% applies to sales from 1 June 2026. You are the taxpayer whatever you and the seller agree.

If you are under thirty-five and buying your first main home, ask your gestor about the reduced rates. They are 8% above €180,000 and 6% up to that value, and only apply within the income limits in the law. You also need the purchase in a public document, or formalised in one within the filing period.

What about a new build?

A new home sold by a business carries VAT instead of transfer tax. You then pay stamp duty on the deed as well, at 1.4% in the general case and 0.1% when it documents a main home.

What if the seller lives abroad?

When the seller is a non-resident without a permanent establishment, you retain 3% of the agreed price and pay it in on their behalf. Skip that and the property stays liable for the lesser of the retention and the tax due.

The municipal plusvalía is normally the seller’s tax. If the seller is an individual not resident in Spain, it becomes yours as substitute taxpayer.

How does the purchase run, step by step?

Start at the Property Registry, where you can see the titles and charges on the home. The notary will also tell you about any mortgage or seizure on it.

If you want to lock the flat in, arras are a deposit contract. They are optional, but once you sign you are bound. With penitential arras, you lose them if you walk away, and the seller returns double if the seller backs out.

You and the seller then choose a notary freely. The notary checks who you both are and asks the seller for the energy efficiency certificate, so ask for it before signing day.

After the deed, the taxes are settled and filed with the regional services or the Liquidation Offices. The Property Registry then has fifteen working days to register a correct file.

What do you pay every year?

Valencia’s yearly property tax, IBI, is charged at 0,5784% on urban property from 1 January 2026. For how a non-resident owner is taxed, see the non-resident tax guide and the wealth tax guide. If you keep the flat and live abroad, the non-resident property tax guide walks through the yearly return on it.

Does buying still give a golden visa?

No. Investor residence was removed when articles 63 to 67 were left without content. Applications filed before the change may be decided under the older rules, and visas already valid keep their validity. For a residence route today, compare the non-lucrative visa and the digital nomad visa.

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Not confirmed: Mortgage terms for non-residents depend on each lender; ask for a written offer. The plusvalía amount depends on the Ajuntament's figures. A licence to let the flat to tourists is a separate municipal question; check it before you buy to let.

General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.

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