These are the questions that actually arrive — by WhatsApp, by email, and in first meetings. Each one gets a short answer here, with a link to the full article where there is more to say. Nothing below is a substitute for advice on your own transaction, and where a figure depends on your circumstances I have said so rather than rounded it into something tidier.

Buying in Spain as a foreigner

Can a foreigner buy property in Spain?

Yes. There is no restriction on foreign ownership of residential property in Spain, for EU and non-EU buyers alike, resident or not. You need a passport, an NIE and a Spanish bank account.

Is it true that non-EU buyers will pay a 100% tax?

No. A punitive tax on non-resident non-EU buyers was announced in January 2025 and a bill was registered in Congress in May 2025, but it has never been debated or voted on, and it was left out of the government's January 2026 housing package. It is not law today.

What about the Catalan law on "speculative" purchases?

That one is worth following. The Catalan bill would restrict buying in designated rent-control areas to habitual residence, family housing or index-capped rental. On 4 August 2026 Catalonia's Consell de Garanties Estatutàries unanimously found that it breaches the right to private property and freedom of enterprise, and the vote was postponed to autumn 2026.

Does buying property in Spain give me residency?

No. The Golden Visa, which granted residency for a €500,000 purchase, was abolished by Ley Orgánica 1/2025 and no applications have been accepted since 3 April 2025. Owning a home helps you prove an address for town hall registration, but it grants no permit in itself — the routes that remain are set out in residency in Spain after the Golden Visa.

How long does a purchase take from offer to keys?

Six to ten weeks is normal for a cash purchase once the price is agreed: reservation, due diligence, private contract, then the notary. A mortgage adds three to six weeks, and a building with a defect in its paperwork can add months.

Do I need to be in Spain to buy?

For the notary appointment, yes — or a person holding your power of attorney does. Everything before that, including viewings, can be done remotely, though I would not advise buying a home you have not stood inside.

What are the nine steps of a purchase?

NIE, bank account, budget including costs, search and viewings, offer and reservation, legal due diligence, private purchase contract with deposit, notary and completion, then the post-completion checklist. Each step is covered in buying property in Spain as a foreign buyer.

Taxes, fees and what it all costs

How much should I budget on top of the purchase price?

Roughly 11–14% of the price for a resale in Catalonia. Above €1.5M plan for the upper end: a €5M resale comes to about 13–14% all-in.

What is ITP and what does it cost in Catalonia?

ITP is the transfer tax on a resale home. Catalonia has applied a scale from 10% to 13% since 27 June 2025, rising with value — the bands and a worked example are in the real cost of buying property in Spain.

If two of us buy together, do we each get the lowest band?

No, and this is the single most common budgeting error I see. The rate is an average derived from the value of the whole property, then applied to each buyer's share: on the tax authority's own example, a €700,000 home bought 50/50 gives an average rate of 10.1430%, and each buyer pays that on their €350,000.

What tax does a new build pay?

10% VAT plus 1.5% stamp duty — 11.5%, and unlike ITP it does not rise with the value of the property.

Can the tax be calculated on a figure higher than what I paid?

Yes. Where the valor de referencia set by the Cadastre exceeds the price in the deed, the tax is calculated on the reference value. Check it before you sign.

What are the notary, registry and legal fees?

Together, roughly 1% of the price for a straightforward purchase. Notary and registry fees are set by tariff and are modest; the lawyer is the part that varies.

Do I pay tax on the property every year?

Yes — IBI, the annual municipal property tax, plus the community charge on an apartment. Non-residents also pay Spanish wealth tax on their Spanish assets, and since 2026 can apply the 60% cap.

Who pays the agency commission?

On a sale, the seller pays. On a residential letting in Catalonia, the landlord pays the agency fee, not the tenant — that is the law, not a courtesy.

Prices and the market

What does a square metre cost in Barcelona?

€5,449/m² as an asking price across the city (idealista, July 2026). The price actually registered at completion averaged €4,922/m² in the first quarter of 2026 (Colegio de Registradores).

So can I expect a 9% discount off any asking price?

No, and that is the wrong way to read those two figures — they cover different periods, different geographies and different baskets of property. The realistic band between asking and signed price in this market is 8–12%, and on a correctly priced prime home it is often less. The full explanation is in what property costs per square metre in Barcelona.

Which is the most expensive district?

Sarrià – Sant Gervasi, at €7,155/m². At quarter level the top of the city is Diagonal Mar at €8,781/m² and Pedralbes at €8,413/m².

Which is the cheapest?

Nou Barris, at €3,206/m² — a little over a third of Pedralbes, in the same city.

What does new build cost?

€6,310/m² across Barcelona in the first half of 2026 (Sociedad de Tasación). New build is scarce in the city centre, which is most of the reason for the premium.

Are prices still rising?

Across the city, asking prices were up 6.8% year on year in July 2026. The rise is uneven: some quarters were up 10–11%, and Barceloneta was down 2.2%.

Where does the same money buy more?

Up the coast. The prime Maresme towns ask €2,500–3,600/m² against €7,000–8,800/m² in prime Barcelona — the trade is a 20 to 40 minute drive, covered in living in the Maresme.

Neighbourhoods and where to live

Which neighbourhood should I buy in?

It depends on whether you are buying for the school run, the office, the sea or the asset. The comparison by buyer type is in the best neighbourhoods in Barcelona to buy.

Where do international families live?

Overwhelmingly in the Zona Alta — Sarrià – Sant Gervasi and Pedralbes — plus neighbouring Esplugues de Llobregat, because that is where most international schools are. Outside the city: Sant Cugat, Castelldefels and the Maresme.

What does an international school cost?

On the schools' own published 2026/27 lists, from about €6,570 a year at the German school to €27,062 in the senior years at the American School of Barcelona, plus a one-off entry fee of €1,500 to €6,000. Ten schools with fees and links are in Barcelona with children.

Is Pedralbes worth the premium over Sarrià?

If what you need is a house with a garden and real privacy inside the city, there is very little else that offers it. If you need an apartment near a school, Sant Gervasi gives you the same schools for €700–1,600 less per square metre.

Is the old town a good place to buy?

It is the cheapest central option at €4,825/m², and there are reasons for that: tourist pressure, older buildings, and the ITE inspection regime that comes with them. It can be an excellent investment and a difficult home.

How far out should I look?

Sant Cugat is 15–20 minutes into the city on the FGC, Castelldefels about 26–28 minutes to Passeig de Gràcia by train, the Maresme 20–40 minutes by the C-32. Drive the route at 08:15 on a weekday before you decide any of this.

NIE, banking and residency

What is an NIE and do I need one?

It is your Spanish foreigner's identification number, and you need it to buy property, open a bank account, pay taxes and sign most utility contracts. It is assigned once, for life.

How do I get an NIE and what does it cost?

Form EX-15, with a fee of €9.84 paid via Modelo 790 código 012 (2026 rate), at a Policía Nacional appointment in Spain or through a Spanish consulate abroad. The police are required to decide within five days of the application being registered — the appointment is the bottleneck, not the decision.

Is an NIE the same as residency?

No. The NIE certificate is not a residence permit and not a TIE card; it is a tax and identification number. The NIE explained covers the difference.

What residence visas are left after the Golden Visa?

Chiefly the non-lucrative visa, which requires income of 400% of IPREM — €2,400 a month for the applicant plus €600 for each family member — and private medical insurance; and the digital nomad visa, which requires remote income for a foreign company of at least 200% of the minimum wage.

Do EU citizens need a visa?

No. EU citizens register as residents in Spain rather than applying for a visa.

Can I open a Spanish bank account as a non-resident?

Yes, and you will need one. Allow longer than you expect: non-resident account opening involves source-of-funds documentation and, in practice, several weeks.

Renting in Barcelona

What changed in rental law in 2026?

Llei 11/2025, in force since 1 January 2026, brought seasonal lettings under the same price controls as long-term ones in stressed-market areas, including Barcelona, and required a seasonal contract to state a concrete reason and document it.

What counts as a valid reason for a seasonal contract?

Work, study, medical treatment, or waiting for a home — stated in the contract and backed by a document. Without one, the contract is treated as an ordinary long-term letting, with the tenure and price rules that come with it.

How long is a standard long-term lease?

Under the LAU the tenant has the right to stay five years, or seven if the landlord is a company, whatever shorter term the contract names.

How much deposit can be asked for?

One month's rent as the legal deposit, plus an additional guarantee of no more than two months. Anything beyond that is not lawful on a residential letting.

Can a landlord let a flat room by room to get around the cap?

Not in a stressed-market area: the sum of all the room contracts cannot exceed the maximum price for the whole flat.

What documents do I need to rent a flat in Barcelona?

Passport, NIE if you have one, and proof of income — employment contract, payslips, bank statements — or of savings. You can rent without an NIE, but expect to be asked for an extra guarantee or payment in advance. The full list is in documents to rent in Barcelona.

Selling

What does it cost me to sell?

The municipal plusvalía, capital gains tax, the agency fee, the documents, and — if there is a mortgage — about €1,000 to have the charge removed. The buyer, not you, pays ITP, notary and registry.

What is plusvalía and how much is it in Barcelona?

It is the municipal tax on the increase in the land value. Barcelona's rate is 30%, there are two permitted methods of calculation and you may choose the lower, and the filing deadline is 30 working days from the notarial deed.

What if I am selling for no more than I paid?

Then no plusvalía is due — but you have to prove it with both deeds. The exemption is not applied automatically.

What capital gains tax does a non-resident seller pay?

19% on the gain, the same for EU and non-EU sellers. The 24% figure people quote is rental income tax and has nothing to do with a sale.

What is the 3% retention?

If you are a non-resident seller, the buyer withholds 3% of the price and pays it to the tax authority on Modelo 211 within a month of the notary. It is an advance against your own tax, not an extra tax — you reclaim any excess on Modelo 210.

What documents must I have before I can list?

The energy certificate is needed to publish the advertisement at all. For completion you need the cédula de habitabilidad (valid 15 years for a resale), the ITE inspection if the building is over 45 years old, and a certificate of no debt to the community.

Can I sell from abroad without flying over?

Yes, by power of attorney — a real estate sale cannot be signed by video link, which the 2023 notarial digitisation law expressly excluded. The cheapest route is usually a Spanish consulate; the bottleneck is the appointment, which can run four to five weeks in the large consulates.

Working with me

What exactly do you do?

I represent one side of a transaction and see it through: the search or the sale, the negotiation, the due diligence with the lawyer, the notary, and the handover. I work through CENTURY 21 Zona Alta, S.L.U., registered agent AICAT no. 13779.

What is your minimum?

I take on purchases from €500,000 and lettings from €3,000 a month. Below that I am not the right person, and I will say so in the first conversation rather than the third.

What do you charge?

The fee is agreed before any work starts and put in writing. It depends on the side I am acting for and the nature of the mandate, so I quote it in the first conversation rather than publishing a number that would be wrong for half of the people reading it.

Do you represent buyers or sellers?

Both, on separate transactions — never both sides of the same one. What a buyer's agent is for, and the five checks to run on any agent before you sign, are in how to choose a buyer's agent in Barcelona.

What languages do you work in?

Russian, English and Spanish.

Is the first conversation free?

Yes, and it is genuinely a conversation rather than a pitch: what you are trying to do, what it will cost, and whether what you want exists at that price. Sometimes the answer is that it does not.

Sources

The figures above come from these, and each linked article names its own sources in full. Links checked on 29 September 2026.

Current as of 29 September 2026. Tax rates, official reference values and rental rules change; confirm anything you are about to act on, or ask me and I will check it for your case.