In depth · Property
Buying property in Finland: the official rules
What the official sources say about buying a home in Finland. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Updated October 2026
Shares or real estate
A Helsinki flat is usually owned through shares in the housing company (asunto-osakeyhtiö) that owns the building. Detached houses and plots of land are real estate in the legal sense. The difference matters for tax and for the permit rule below.
Transfer tax
The Finnish Tax Administration sets transfer tax at 1.5% for shares in a housing company or real estate company and 3% for real estate and buildings. The buyer files a transfer tax return and pays the tax (vero.fi).
Buyers from outside the EU and EEA
Under the Act on Permit Requirements for Certain Real Estate Acquisitions (470/2019), private buyers and companies from outside the EU and EEA need a permit from the Ministry of Defence to buy real estate in Finland. Take legal advice before you sign, to confirm whether it applies to your purchase.
Where people live
See our property guide for Eira and Ullanlinna, Kaartinkaupunki and Kruununhaka, Töölö, Kuusisaari and the new seaside districts, and the agencies with Helsinki offices. We don’t publish prices.
Questions and answers
Can a foreigner buy a flat in Helsinki?
Most flats are bought as shares in a housing company. Buyers from outside the EU and EEA need a Ministry of Defence permit to buy real estate; take legal advice on whether it applies to your purchase.
What is the transfer tax?
1.5% on shares in a housing company or real estate company, and 3% on real estate and buildings, paid by the buyer (vero.fi).
General information only, not legal or tax advice. Sources: vero.fi (transfer tax) and the Ministry of Defence’s published permit decisions. Confirm with a qualified lawyer.