A permit to non-EU and non-EEA buyers to buy real estate
Buyers from outside the EU and EEA will need a permit to buy property in Finland.
A permit must be acquired when one of the following parties buys a real estate:
- A private individual who is not a national of a state belonging to the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA). Note! People with dual nationality do not need to obtain a permit if one of the nationalities is in an EU or EEA country.
- A company or other entity domiciled outside the EU and the EEA.
- A company or other entity domiciled in the EU or the EEA, but in which a private individual or entity referred to in paragraph 1 or 2 has ownership of at least 10% or equivalent effective influence in the entity.
When assessing ownership or influence, separate owners are not counted together. Therefore, the fact that a total of at least 10% of an entity's ownership is outside the EU and the EEA does not necessarily result in an obligation to apply for a permit. The decisive factor is whether one of the individual parties has a shareholding or an equivalent de facto influence.
More detailed provisions on the calculation of influence are laid down Act on Transfers of Real Estate Requiring Special Permission.
Note! The nationality or domicile of the seller or other supplier of the real estate does not affect the need for a permit.
- spouses or cohabiting partners purchase a property together, one of whom has the citizenship of another EU Member State or EEA country
- the property is located on leased plot or a part of a housing company is being traded
- the seller/party handing over the property is a relative (own parents, child, or spouse or cohabiting partner)
On 11 April 2025, the Finnish Parliament adopted an amendment to the Act on Permit Requirements for Certain Real Estate Acquisitions, enabling the Ministry of Defence to prevent real estate transactions by individuals or entities whose state of nationality is waging a war of aggression and may be considered to pose a threat to Finland’s national security. According to decisions of the Council of the European Union and information collected by the authorities, Russia and Belarus are among the states that meet these criteria. However, permanent residence permits and other circumstances where permit is not required under the act will be taken into account when permit applications are considered. Aggregate influence and ownership relations will be among matters taken into account when considering applications by entities.
The amendment to the act and the decree specifying the states that meet the criteria entered into force on 15 July 2025.
Permit applications submitted by Russian and Belarusian nationals and entities to the Ministry of Defence before the date of entry into force of the decree will be processed in accordance with the standard procedure. In other words, permits will be processed based on the date of submission instead of the date of transaction.
Inquiries: Service for real estate acquisition permits, Ministry of Defence, ulkomaalaisomistus(at)gov.fi or +358 295 140 090.
Instruction video for the property surveillance e-service
Instruction video for the property surveillance e-service
Frequently asked questions
Permit applications are submitted in the Property surveillance e-service. In the service, you can apply for a permit to buy real estate as a private individual, as a representative of a company or on behalf of another person. You can also check the status of your application, receive and send messages concerning your application and supplement your application, if necessary.
Go to the Property surveillance e-service
If you are unable to use the electronic service, you can send your permit application to the Ministry of Defence by email or by post.
Instructions: Sending your application by post or by email (pdf)
Application forms:
- Application_form_Permit_of_a_real_estate_purchase (pdf)
- Lomake_lupa_kiinteistön_hankintaan (pdf)
- Ansökan_Tillstånd_för_fastighetsförvärv (pdf)
Instructions for sending classified e-mail: Instructions for sending secure e-mail (pdf)
A permit application is subject to a processing fee of 170 €, which shall be paid in advance of the processing. The fee must be paid even if the application is cancelled. The fee is charged irrespective of the outcome of the application process and will not be refunded even if a permit is refused. In the electronic service, you can either pay the processing fee as an online payment as you submit your application, or you can request an invoice.
Yes. The need to apply for the permit is based on applicant’s nationality. Persons without the nationality of an EU/EEA-country must apply for the permit, even if they have a permanent residence permit in Finland or in any other EU/EEA-country.
No. A permit is only required to buy a real estate. Buying a real estate means a legal act by which the ownership of a real estate or specified share or parcel of it is transferred to another party.
Permit requirements apply throughout Finland, with the exception of the Åland Islands. Åland is governed by the Åland Islands' own land acquisition legislation.
The permit is real estate-specific, i.e. a separate permit must be applied for each real estate that is bought.
A refusal to grant a permit is also real estate-specific and does not necessarily prevent the same person or entity from buying another real estate in Finland.
A permit application should be made as early as possible when the object of the real estate transaction is known. The permit must be applied no later than two months after the transaction.
If the real estate transaction has been confirmed despite a refusal of a permit or before the application was turned down, the buyer shall sell or otherwise dispose of the real estate within six months. The deadline will be calculated from the date on which the refusal of authorisation entered into force. If the buyer does not relinquish the real estate within six months, the authorities shall sell the real estate by means of an expropriation or other similar method.
An appeal against a decision may be made to an administrative court.
If the processing of a company’s matter requires information that contains trade secrets (such as a precise use of the real estate or the ownership structure), a separate, clear mention of this is requested. In addition, please submit this information in a separate attachment. Please also define and explain which information in the application documents contains trade secrets even after the completion of the transaction.
If the real estate purchase is related to business acquisition, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment provides further information concerning the matter.
https://tem.fi/en/acquisitions
- Act on Transfers of Real Estate Requiring Special Permission
- Government Decree on the duty to approve certain property acquisitions
- Act on the Redemption of Immovable Property and Special Rights to Ensure National Security
- Act amending the Land Use and Building Act
- Act on amending Chapter 12, section 2 of the land code
- Act on amending section 6 of the Act on Cooperation with Notaries.
- Act amending section 6 of the Act on the Land Information System and Related Information Service
- Act amending the Act on the Official Purchase Price Register
- The buyer is a Finnish private individual. A permit is not required.
- The buyer is a Norwegian private individual. A permit is not required.
- The buyer is an Indian private individual. A permit is required.
- If the property is bought together with a person who holds EU/ EEA nationality and the person is a common-law spouse, husband or wife or registered partner, no permit is needed.
- The buyer is a Finnish limited liability company wholly owned in the EEA. A permit is not required.
- The buyer is a German limited liability company, 15% of whose shares are controlled by one Canadian limited liability company and 85% are owned by a German party. A permit is required.
- The buyer is a German limited liability company, 8% of whose shares are controlled by one Canadian limited liability company, 7% controlled by a Chinese limited liability company and the remaining 85% owned by a German party. Foreign holdings are not counted together and no individual entity outside the EU or the EEA has at least 10% ownership of the company within the meaning of the Act. A permit is not required.
Note! However, group structures and artificial arrangements are taken into account, and the obligation to apply for a permit cannot therefore be circumvented by cutting ownership to several formally separate owners or by chaining ownership. A permit is always required if an individual entity outside the EU and the EEA has an effective influence of 10% ownership or equivalent to it in the entity buying the real estate.
The Ministry of Defence may also require that a permit is applied for if it is evident that the real estate has been bought on behalf of another person in order to circumvent the obligation to apply for a licence.