Buying a home as a non-resident (2026): Portugal, Spain and England compared

Being American does not change the purchase tax in Portugal, Spain or England: each taxes by residence, not nationality. A US citizen who does not live in the country pays Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT for non-residents or England's 2% stamp duty surcharge, both refundable after a move in time. Spain charges every buyer the same taxes, but a non-resident owner from outside the EU pays 24% each year on an imputed income from the home.

Since 25 May 2026, a buyer who is not tax resident in Portugal pays IMT at a flat 7.5% of the price on any home, with no exemption or reduction, plus 0.8% stamp duty. It does not apply to a buyer who was tax resident in Portugal before. A buyer who becomes resident within 2 years, or lets the home at a moderate rent, pays 7.5% at the deed and can claim back the difference.

Brexit did not change the purchase taxes a British buyer pays in Spain or Portugal, because both charge by residence, not nationality. What changed is that people living in the UK are now outside the EU: since 1 January 2021 Spain taxes a UK-resident owner at 24% instead of 19% on the yearly imputed income from a holiday home, and Portugal requires a fiscal representative unless the owner signs up for electronic notifications. Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT for non-residents, from 25 May 2026, applies to every non-resident, not only to the British.

A non-resident pays the same purchase taxes in Spain as a resident: transfer tax (ITP) on a resale home, or VAT and AJD stamp duty on a new build, at the region's rates. What differs is the paperwork: a foreigner's tax number (NIE), a traceable payment, and, if the seller is also non-resident, 3% of the price withheld for the tax agency. The proposed tax on non-EU buyers is not law.

A buyer who is not UK resident pays a 2% surcharge on the whole price on top of the normal Stamp Duty Land Tax. On a £350,000 home that is £7,000 more. A buyer who already owns a home also pays the 5% higher rates, so 7% on top of the standard bands.

For a tax-resident buyer of a main home, Madeira and the Azores have the lowest buying taxes of the euro places on cheaper and mid-priced homes, then mainland Portugal; on expensive homes Madrid comes first. Catalonia has the highest. For a non-resident, Madrid comes first, because Spain has no non-resident surcharge and Portugal charges a flat 7.5% IMT. For a new build, Portugal is cheapest. England, in pounds, takes a small share of the price for a resident home mover, but a large one for a buyer who already owns a home.

For a tax-resident buyer of a main home, Portugal usually costs less: its IMT starts at 0% and rises in bands, while Spain's regions charge 6% to 10% or more on a resale from the first euro. For a non-resident who will not move there, Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty makes Madrid and Andalusia cheaper. On a new build, Spain's 10% VAT makes every Spanish region the dearer choice.

For a resident buying their main home, England's stamp duty is a smaller share of the price than Spain's transfer tax, because England's bands start at 0% while Spanish regions charge 6% to 10% or more from the first euro. A buyer who already owns a home anywhere pays 5% extra in England from the first pound, so a second home in England can cost more than one in Madrid or Andalusia. New builds cost more in Spain, where they pay 10% VAT.

A UK resident who already owns a home and buys a second one pays England's standard bands plus 5% of the price. The same buyer in Portugal is a non-resident there, so they pay a flat 7.5% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty. On cheaper homes England usually takes the smaller share of the price; as the price rises England's share climbs past Portugal's flat rate. A buyer who moves to Portugal within two years can reclaim most of the IMT.

No. Buying a home does not by itself give a right to live in Portugal, Spain or the UK, or a path to citizenship. Portugal stopped accepting golden visa applications based on buying property from 7 October 2023 (Lei 56/2023), Spain abolished its investor visa, property route included, from 3 April 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025), and the UK has no visa based on buying a home. Owning a home does not make the buyer tax resident either.

A buyer who is not yet tax resident in Portugal pays IMT at a flat 7.5% on any home bought since 25 May 2026. If they become tax resident within 2 years, they can ask the Tax Authority, within 6 months of becoming resident, to refund the difference from the normal rates. A buyer who is already resident at the deed pays the normal rates straight away, and anyone who was tax resident in Portugal before is outside the 7.5% rule.

Someone who buys in England before becoming UK resident pays the 2% non-resident surcharge, and can claim it back within 2 years if they then spend 183 days in the UK within the time allowed. A buyer who still owns a home abroad also pays the 5% higher rates, unless that home was their main home and is sold within 3 years. Buyers who have never owned a home anywhere can get first-time buyer relief.

Spain charges the same purchase taxes whether the buyer is resident or not. What changes the bill is whether the home becomes the buyer's main home: Madrid takes 10% off the tax on a main home up to €250,000, and Andalusia charges 6% instead of 7% up to €150,000. To keep those rates the buyer must move in within 12 months and live there for 3 years.