Almost every week someone asks us whether it is true that Spain now charges non-EU buyers a 100% tax on a property purchase. It is the most persistent misunderstanding in this market, and it is costing people opportunities. So, plainly:
It is not law. It has never been law.
In January 2025 the Spanish government announced its intention to introduce a tax of up to 100% of the purchase price for non-resident buyers from outside the European Union. A draft was submitted to parliament in May 2025. It has not been debated, it has not been voted on, and no implementation date has ever existed.
The government holds a minority in parliament and has been unable to build a majority for it. As of August 2026 the measure remains a stalled draft. Nothing about what a non-EU buyer pays on a Spanish property has changed.
What did change: the Golden Visa
Spain closed its Golden Visa programme on 3 April 2025. It is no longer possible to obtain Spanish residency by investing €500.000 in property. Existing holders keep their residency and can renew; new applications are not accepted.
This matters far less than people assume. The overwhelming majority of our buyers were never using the Golden Visa — they were buying a home, not a residency permit. For those who do want to live here, the non-lucrative visa and the digital nomad visa both remain open, and neither requires a property purchase.
What we tell clients
Do not make a decision on a headline. If a tax change ever passes it will be published, dated and phased, and your lawyer will know about it before the newspapers do. Buying today, a non-EU buyer pays exactly the same taxes as an EU buyer: transfer tax on a resale, VAT and stamp duty on a new build.
What genuinely deserves your attention is the non-resident income tax you pay annually once you own here, and the 3% withholding when you eventually sell. Those are real, they are current, and almost nobody asks about them.
Correct as of 28 August 2026. Tax and immigration law changes; we are estate agents, not tax advisers, and we will always put you in front of a Spanish lawyer before you commit to anything.