There is no residency requirement to buy property in France. No nationality condition, no permit, no minimum stay. An American, a Briton, a Singaporean can buy a Paris apartment on exactly the same legal footing as a French national. That surprises a lot of people, and it is the easiest part of the whole business.
What follows is what actually happens, in order, written for someone who has not done it before. I am not an estate agent and I am not selling you a flat; I represent owners once they are in it. So this is the version without the sales angle — the one I would want if I were reading from another country at two in the morning.
The sequence, from offer to keys
The offer. You make a written offer, usually through the agent. In France an accepted written offer already carries weight, so do not send one on a flat you have not decided about.
The promesse de vente. This is the document that ties you in, and it is signed at a notaire's office, typically four to eight weeks after the offer. You pay a deposit — five per cent held at the notaire's office is standard, ten is high — and from that moment the seller is committed to you.
The ten-day cooling-off. As a buyer you have ten calendar days after receiving the signed promesse to withdraw, for any reason, with your deposit returned. This is your last free exit. Use it to read, not to hesitate.
The gap. Between the promesse and the final deed sit two to three months, sometimes four. The notaire runs the searches, the co-ownership produces its paperwork, your financing completes.
The acte de vente. The final deed, signed at the notaire's office. You can sign by power of attorney if you cannot travel; most foreign buyers do. You get the keys the same day.
The notaire is not your lawyer
This trips up nearly every buyer from a common-law country. The notaire is a public officer. He secures the transaction, collects the taxes and guarantees the deed. He is not your advocate, he does not negotiate for you, and he is not there to tell you whether the flat is a good idea. In many sales a single notaire acts for both sides, quite legally. You may appoint your own at no extra cost — the fee is split between the two — and if you are buying from abroad there is little reason not to.
What it costs beyond the price
- Notaire's fees — around seven to eight per cent of the price on an existing property. Most of that is transfer tax collected for the State, not the notaire's own fee.
- Agency commission — commonly four to six per cent, usually already inside the advertised price. Check which.
- Mortgage costs if you borrow in France, including the lender's guarantee and, in practice, a French bank account.
- Annual charges — co-ownership charges, taxe foncière, and, if you keep the flat empty and furnished for your own use, taxe d'habitation on second homes, which Paris has raised sharply.
- Renovation, if the flat needs it — see what a Paris renovation costs per square metre.
What a viewing will not tell you
A viewing shows you light, volume and finish. It does not show you the things that decide whether the purchase was sound. The co-ownership rules, which say what you may and may not alter. The last three general assembly minutes, which say what the building has voted, what it has argued about, and what major works are coming that you will help pay for. The technical diagnostics. The surface certificate. Whether the wall you intend to take down is load-bearing, and whether the building will let you touch the plumbing risers at all.
From abroad this matters more, not less, because you will not be dropping by a second time. Reading those documents before the offer, rather than after the promesse, is the single cheapest risk reduction available in the whole process.
→ Read in full: "How to read a promesse de vente before you sign it, from abroad."
→ And for the building's side of things: "Co-ownership, syndic, general assembly: what to know before works."
A word on where I fit in — and where I do not
I do not sell property and I take no commission from anyone on your project. I read apartments on behalf of the people buying them, and then represent those people through the works. If you are at the stage of viewing flats, an estate agent or a buyer's agent is who you need; I am the person who reads what they bring you. Plenty of people will read this page and never need me, which is rather the point of writing it.
Common questions
Can a foreigner buy property in France?
Yes. There is no residency requirement, no nationality condition and no permit. An American, British, Singaporean or any other foreign buyer purchases on the same legal footing as a French national. Non-EU buyers face no additional restriction on residential property.
Do I need to be in France to buy an apartment in Paris?
No. You can sign both the promesse de vente and the final acte de vente by power of attorney through the notaire, and most foreign buyers do. What you cannot delegate to a document is reading the property: the co-ownership rules, the last three assembly minutes, the diagnostics and the surface certificate.
How long does buying an apartment in Paris take?
Roughly three to five months from accepted offer to keys. Four to eight weeks from offer to the promesse de vente, then two to three months — sometimes four — while the notaire runs the searches and your financing completes.
What are the total costs on top of the purchase price?
Notaire's fees of around seven to eight per cent on an existing property, most of which is transfer tax collected for the State. Agency commission of four to six per cent, usually already inside the advertised price. Then annual co-ownership charges, taxe foncière and, on a second home, taxe d'habitation.
Is the notaire acting for me?
No. The notaire is a public officer who secures the transaction, collects the taxes and guarantees the deed. He is not your advocate and does not negotiate on your behalf. You may appoint your own notaire at no extra cost, as the fee is split between the two.
What should I check before making an offer?
The co-ownership rules, the last three general assembly minutes, the technical diagnostics, the surface certificate, and any major building works already voted that you will help pay for. A viewing shows light and finish; none of the above shows up at a viewing.
— Paris, August 2026. Charles-Eric Guerrier.