Dubai
Freehold areas, the Dubai Land Department transfer fee, off-plan escrow, holiday home permits and the UK tax position.
Why invest in DubaiINVEST ABROAD
Invest abroad, with PROXERA.
Six destination guides and three buying guides for UK investors looking beyond the UK, each checked against official sources. International developments are being added to PROXERA.
INVEST ABROAD
Property beyond the UK, held to the same standard.
PROXERA is the technology behind how our investors find, buy and track property. International developments are being added to it now. None is listed yet, so start here: how buying abroad works for a UK investor, market by market, checked against official sources.
Why investors look beyond the UK
Investors buy outside the UK for different reasons. Some want exposure to another economy, property cycle or currency, so that their wealth does not rest on a single housing market. Some are drawn by a destination's visitor or rental demand. Others want a home they can use for part of the year, or a route to residency in a country where they plan to spend time.
None of those reasons makes a particular market a good investment, and each comes with trade-offs. Diversifying across countries spreads some risks and adds others: a different legal system, different taxes, a second currency and, often, a slower sale.
What every destination guide covers
- Why investors look at the market, using only sourced figures
- Who can buy, including foreign ownership rules
- The buying process and the professionals involved
- Purchase taxes and fees, and the taxes that follow each year
- Short-term rental licensing and residency by investment as they stand today
- UK tax for UK-resident buyers, the double taxation agreement and currency risk
- A key-facts table with an official source for every row
SIX DESTINATIONS
Why invest in each market, examined.
Each guide sets out the rules, costs and taxes a UK investor meets in that market. They explain; they do not recommend a market or forecast a return.
Spain
The NIE, ITP or VAT and AJD by region, tourist licences, non-resident tax and where residency rules stand today.
Why invest in SpainPortugal
IMT and stamp duty, local accommodation licensing, non-resident tax and where the golden visa stands today.
Why invest in PortugalCyprus
Permission to buy, VAT or transfer fees, title deeds, residency by investment and the UK and Cyprus tax treaty.
Why invest in CyprusGreece
Transfer tax, the short-term rental register, golden visa thresholds by area and the UK and Greece tax convention.
Why invest in GreeceFlorida, USA
Closing costs and documentary stamp tax, US tax on rent, FIRPTA withholding on a sale and the UK and US tax treaties.
Why invest in FloridaTHREE GUIDES
The groundwork for any overseas purchase.
The steps, the UK tax and the money questions that apply wherever you buy.
Buying property abroad
Step by step for UK investors: due diligence, independent local lawyers, off-plan risks, escrow and developer protections, and finance.
Read the guideUK tax on overseas property
Income Tax on foreign rent, foreign tax credit relief, Capital Gains Tax, reporting and the April 2025 changes to the remittance basis.
Read the guideCurrency and finance
Currency risk, timing your payments and the main ways overseas purchases are financed, explained without naming providers.
Read the guidePOWERED BY PROXERA
How PROXERA will work for international developments.
International developments are being added to PROXERA, and they are set to follow the same data-led approach as our UK developments.
Developer figures beside PROXERA estimates
The price, payment plan and completion date as the developer states them, shown beside estimates produced by our technology from market data, so you can see where they differ.
Documents in one place
Brochures, price lists, payment schedules and contract documents kept with the development, instead of scattered across emails and portals.
Your plan, before you commit
Your goal, deposit and cash flow modelled in your Property Wealth Plan, so an overseas purchase is judged against the rest of your portfolio.
Tracked after completion
Once a purchase completes, the property sits in your PROXERA account beside any UK property, with its income, costs, documents and key dates, wherever you are.
PROXERA estimates are illustrative and are not a forecast or guarantee. Sign up free to be first to see international developments as they are added, or speak to us about what you are looking for.
BEFORE YOU LOOK ABROAD
What changes when the property is outside the UK.
The same discipline applies as at home: know the full cost, the legal position and the tax before you commit. These are the areas that differ.
| Area | What changes abroad | Where we cover it |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | The deposit, stage payments, local costs, rent and sale proceeds are in another currency, so exchange rates move every sterling figure. | Currency and finance |
| Law and title | Local law governs ownership, contracts and registration. An independent local lawyer acting only for you is central. The FCDO publishes lists of English-speaking lawyers in many countries, and says none of them is recommended by the FCDO. | Buying property abroad |
| Off-plan protection | Protections differ by country. Some markets require escrow accounts or guarantees for payments made during construction; check what applies before paying a deposit. | Buying property abroad |
| Local taxes | Purchase taxes, annual property taxes and tax on rent and gains are set locally, and in some countries regionally. | Each destination guide |
| UK tax | UK residents normally pay UK tax on foreign income, including rent from overseas property. An overseas property business is taxed separately from a UK property business, and losses on one cannot be set against profits on the other. Foreign tax can usually be relieved, though not always in full. | UK tax on overseas property |
| Finance | A UK regulated mortgage contract is defined by reference to land in the United Kingdom, so a loan secured only on property abroad falls outside that definition. | Currency and finance |
| Liquidity | Selling can take longer than in a market you know, and the costs, taxes and procedure on a sale are local. | Each destination guide |
BUYING IN THE UK FROM ABROAD?
Investing into the UK instead.
If you live outside the UK and want to buy here, our overseas investors guides cover the UK taxes, treaties and remote buying process country by country, and buying UK property remotely walks through the steps. UK developments listed now are on our opportunities page. Questions about either direction? Speak to us; we reply to enquiries within one working day.
This page is general information about buying property outside the UK as a UK-resident investor. It is not tax, legal or investment advice and does not take account of your circumstances. Rules, rates and thresholds change, so check them with independent, qualified advisers in the UK and in the country concerned before acting, or contact us. Overseas property carries currency, legal and liquidity risk: exchange rates move, local law and tax differ from the UK, and a sale can take longer than expected. Property investment involves risk: capital is at risk and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. International developments are being added to PROXERA; none is listed yet, and nothing on this page is an offer of, or a recommendation to buy, any property. Proxera Ltd is not authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Sources: GOV.UK: Tax on foreign income, GOV.UK: Tax on foreign income, if you are taxed twice, HMRC: Property Income Manual PIM4702, GOV.UK: Find a professional service abroad, legislation.gov.uk: Regulated Activities Order 2001, article 61. Checked 23 October 2026.
GET MATCHED
Your next property, matched by technology.
Tell us what you are looking for. We reply within one working day, and PROXERA keeps the search going for you.