General information only, not legal advice.
Can I buy property in the Philippines?
It depends on your citizenship status and on what you want to buy. The rules below are the general rules. Individual projects can differ, which is why every project page on Tahanan shows who can buy there.
Condominium units
Anyone can buy a condominium unit, including foreign citizens. The limit is on the building: under the Condominium Act, foreign citizens may own at most 40% of the units in a condominium project. Once a project reaches that ceiling, new foreign buyers must wait for a unit held by a foreign owner to be resold, or look at another project. Tahanan marks projects where foreign buyers are eligible and the broker confirms the current foreign allocation before reservation.
Land, houses and lots
Only Filipino citizens, and corporations that are at least 60% Filipino-owned, may own land. This covers lots, houses and lots, and townhouses that come with land.
There are 3 important exceptions:
- Former natural-born Filipinos who have lost Philippine citizenship may still buy land within legal area limits: for residential use, up to 1,000 square metres of urban land or 1 hectare of rural land; for business use, up to 5,000 square metres of urban land or 3 hectares of rural land. Spouses who are both former Filipinos share these limits.
- Dual citizens, former Filipinos who reacquired citizenship under the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act, have the same property rights as any Filipino citizen, with no area limit.
- Inheritance: a foreign citizen may acquire land by hereditary succession, for example from a Filipino spouse or parent, but not by purchase.
Foreign citizens married to Filipinos
The land is titled in the Filipino spouse's name. The foreign spouse may fund the purchase and will usually sign a waiver acknowledging that the property belongs to the Filipino spouse. Talk to us about how this is handled in practice.
Long-term leases
A foreign citizen or foreign-owned company may lease private land for up to 50 years, renewable once for 25 years, under the Investors' Lease Act. The house built on leased land can be owned by the lessee. This is a common structure for retirement homes and resort properties.
Corporations
A Philippine corporation that is at least 60% Filipino-owned may own land. A foreign citizen may hold up to 40% of such a company. This structure is used for commercial and industrial lots and for some resort estates. It needs proper legal advice and ongoing compliance.
Special cases
A few house-and-lot or townhouse projects are titled under a condominium certificate of title. In those projects the condominium rule applies and foreign citizens may buy within the 40% ceiling. These cases are rare. When one of our projects has such a structure, the project page says so under "Who can buy".
What Tahanan does
Tahanan informs. The licensed broker advises. Every project page shows the ownership position for each citizenship status, and a broker call is always available before you commit to anything.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your situation with us or a lawyer.
