NIE number
Your Spanish tax identification number, needed to buy and to pay taxes. We can apply for it with your Power of Attorney, or you can request it at a Spanish consulate in your country.
Guide for international buyers
You can buy a home in Marbella, Estepona or anywhere on the Costa del Sol while you still live in the UK, Ireland or elsewhere — often without travelling at all. Here is how the process works, what it costs and what we handle for you.
Book a free consultationBuying from abroad
Spain places no general restriction on foreigners buying residential property, and that includes UK nationals after Brexit. What changes when you live abroad is the logistics: getting a Spanish tax number, moving funds, signing documents and checking a property you may only have seen once.
With your own independent lawyer and a Power of Attorney, almost every step can be handled from home. We act only for you — never for the agent, developer or seller — and explain every document in plain English before you sign.
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Step by step
We talk through your plans, the property and your timeline, and agree a clear, fixed fee before any work begins.
We apply for your NIE, prepare your Power of Attorney and guide you through opening a Spanish bank account, so you are ready to move quickly.
Once you choose a property, a short reservation agreement and a small deposit take it off the market. We review it before you pay.
We check ownership, mortgages and charges at the Land Registry, debts to the community and the town hall, and the legal status of the build.
We negotiate and review the private purchase contract (contrato de arras). At this point you usually pay around 10% of the price.
The deeds are signed before a Spanish notary — by you in person, or by us under your Power of Attorney — and the balance is paid.
We pay the purchase taxes, register the property in your name at the Land Registry and change the utilities and local taxes into your name.
Before you buy
Your Spanish tax identification number, needed to buy and to pay taxes. We can apply for it with your Power of Attorney, or you can request it at a Spanish consulate in your country.
Lets us sign, pay and complete for you, so you do not need to travel. It is signed before a notary in your country with the Hague Apostille, or at a Spanish consulate.
Used to pay the price and the purchase taxes and, later, the direct debits for community fees, local taxes and utilities.
Under Spanish anti-money-laundering rules, the notary and the bank will ask where the money comes from. Plan your currency transfer and keep the paperwork.
Costs & taxes
On top of the price, budget for the purchase tax and fees. These are the main items for a property on the Costa del Sol:
As a rule of thumb, set aside around 10% of the price for a resale home and a little more for a new build. Tax rates as of October 2026; we confirm the exact figures for your purchase before you commit.
Power of Attorney
A Power of Attorney (poder notarial) authorises us to act for you in Spain. We draft it so that it covers exactly what your purchase needs.
You stay in control: we send you every document and report in English, and nothing is signed without your approval.
Due diligence
When you live abroad you cannot easily spot a problem for yourself. Our checks are designed to catch the issues that most often affect international buyers on the Costa del Sol.
Where we act
From our office in Estepona we act for international buyers right along the coast. Each area has its own market and its own legal points to check.
Good to know
Yes. There are no general restrictions on foreigners, including UK nationals, buying residential property in Spain. You will need an NIE number, and we recommend having your own independent lawyer.
No. The Spanish government proposed it in January 2025, but as of October 2026 it has not been approved. Non-EU buyers pay the same purchase taxes as anyone else, and we will tell you if anything changes before you buy.
No. With a Power of Attorney we can sign the contracts, complete at the notary and register the property for you. Many buyers only travel to view properties.
It depends on the property and on any mortgage. A straightforward resale purchase often completes within one to three months of the private purchase contract; off-plan purchases follow the developer's timetable.
No. Owning property does not by itself give you residency. Non-EU visitors, including UK nationals, can generally stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period; longer stays need a visa or residence permit.
Local property tax (IBI) to the town hall, community fees if the property is in a community, and an annual non-resident income tax return (Modelo 210), even if you do not rent the property out.
Free consultation
Tell us where you are in your search and one of our real estate lawyers will get back to you shortly — initial consultation, clear English and fixed fees agreed in advance.
Prefer to call? 951 87 04 72