Who can buy property in Austria?
Austria has been a member of the EU since 1995. Although EU-citizens are allowed to buy and live permanently in any house they wish in Austria, these rules do not apply when it comes to buying a holiday home or investment property. Austria is divided into nine self-governing Federal Provinces and each of these Provinces has their own rules. So you must bear these rules in mind when considering who can buy property in Austria:
EU-Citizens:
If you are an EU citizen you can buy a holiday property in any of Austria’s nine Provinces and the process is very straightforward.
Non EU-Citizens:
If you are a non-EU Citizen then there are restrictions on what you can buy in Austria. This may vary from province to province, but generally speaking, in the Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg provinces it is only possible to buy a property with a special ‘second home’ status. In other less touristic provinces however, it may be possible to buy not just ‘second home’ properties, but additionally rental investment properties.