Head of real estate and commercial law practice
Specialist in the field of commercial law and process. Real estate, construction support; land law and protection of property ownership.
Legal support for buying an apartment abroad
Legal support is provided primarily to ensure the legality, transparency and security of the real estate purchase transaction, especially if it takes place abroad. Its greatest value is to protect the buyer from hidden problems with real estate (in our case, an apartment) and to achieve the most profitable deal. We will discuss this in more detail below.
Buying and selling an apartment abroad: the main difficulties

Buying real estate in another country requires an understanding of both financial and legal nuances. Before you start, you need to decide on several mandatory questions:
- who will be the ultimate owner (individual or legal entity)?
- will you register the apartment as joint joint ownership with the other spouse?
- does the tax policy of the chosen country suit you?
Speaking of the first question, it is worth remembering: when buying an apartment by an individual, it will be considered as personal housing, when buying by a company – as an asset. In each of these cases, real estate acquires a different legal status. Moreover, returning to the second question, if you are married, then in order to prematurely resolve the issues of dividing the apartment between you and your partner, it is recommended to immediately take care of concluding a marriage contract. It is also worth emphasizing that in many countries (especially the European Union), if you buy housing, you are considered a tax resident of this state. Therefore, they must pay taxes in the amount stipulated in its policy.
Difficulties may also arise when paying for an apartment, which are expressed in the following:
- firstly, an explanation may be required regarding the sources of origin of funds, since the EU has strict legislation on combating money laundering;
- secondly, there is a possibility of confiscation of housing if it later turns out that the funds with which it was purchased were obtained through criminal means, or the person was unable to fully document their origin (in particular in the UK);
- thirdly, it is imperative to involve a realtor to support the transaction for the purchase and sale of an apartment (and pay him a commission accordingly).
In which countries do we help to buy an apartment?
The law firm “Prykhodko & Partners” helps with the purchase of real estate in many countries of the world, including:
- European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Great Britain, etc.);
- Asian countries (UAE, Turkey);
- the rest of the world (USA).
We are constantly expanding the geography of our work to provide even more opportunities for clients. In particular, soon we will also have the opportunity to support the purchase of real estate in Northern Cyprus and Bali.
What are the advantages of purchasing an apartment abroad for the legal status of an individual?
Buying real estate abroad can provide a citizen with a number of advantages. Taking into account the policies of different states and the level of their investment attractiveness, the advantages here may be:
- obtaining a residence permit or even citizenship (based on investment in real estate of the relevant country);
- receiving a permanent income from renting out your own home to other citizens (you will also need to pay tax in the appropriate amount from it);
- expanding your own opportunities.
Legal support for buying an apartment abroad: what services do our real estate specialists provide?
Legal audit
This stage is the first and most important step in protecting the interests of the buyer. Its goal is to make sure that the property is legally “clean” and the seller has the real right to own it. This service involves:
- analysis of real estate documents;
- verification of the absence of any encumbrances through state registers;
- verification of the seller’s identity.
Support in concluding an apartment purchase and sale agreement
At this stage, lawyers ensure the security and transparency of the purchase and sale agreement itself. To do this, you will need to qualitatively:
- analyze the proposed draft agreement from the seller;
- prepare a standard contract, adapting it to the interests of both parties;
- collect additional documents (powers of attorney, notarized copies of passports, etc.).
Legal support for registering ownership of a newly purchased apartment
This stage ensures that the transaction will be finally completed, and the ownership will be securely registered in the name of the buyer. Only after this will the transaction become legally binding and the buyer will be considered the full owner of the relevant apartment. This will include:
- execution of documents for registration of ownership;
- interaction with the state registrar;
- involvement of other specialists to complete the procedure (including a translator).
Tax consulting before and after the purchase of real estate
This service is critically important, as foreign tax systems can be difficult for the buyer to understand. Property owners pay taxes on a systematic basis (especially if they receive income from renting it out), and therefore will need:
- comprehensive information about all tax payments;
- organization of timely and secure tax payments.
What is the cost of legal support when buying an apartment abroad?
It is impossible to provide the exact cost of legal support for buying an apartment abroad right away, since the price depends on many factors: the country where the property is purchased; the volume of services provided; the cost part (for a notary, a realtor and paying taxes). The approximate cost of our company’s real estate lawyer services is as follows:
- initial consultation – from $100;
- legal audit of the apartment and the purchase and sale agreement – from $200;
- support for negotiations and conclusion of the contract – from $300;
- support for registration of ownership rights – from $400;
- full legal support (until obtaining a certificate of ownership of the apartment) – from $1,000.
Would you like to receive a consultation and calculation of the cost of legal support for purchasing an apartment abroad in your case? Then please fill out the form below.
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