Who is actually allowed to own land here?

• Foreign buyersOpen to foreign buyersFact

  There is no citizenship or residency requirement to own Swedish property, including farm and forest land.

• Acquisition permitsAcquisition permit in designated areasFact

  Buying agricultural or forest land in a 'glesbygd' (sparsely populated) or 'omarronderingsområde' area normally requires a permit from the county administrative board. Legal persons buying from private individuals need a permit almost everywhere.

• Duty to farmKeep arable land usableFact

  Agricultural land may not be taken out of production without notifying the county board, and arable land is expected to be kept in a state where it can be farmed again.

• Building and forestryReplanting duty after fellingFact

  Forestry is regulated: final felling above a threshold must be notified and the area replanted within a set period.

Sources: Jordbruksverket – land acquisition · Länsstyrelsen · Skogsstyrelsen

• Foreign buyersPermit for non-EU/EEA buyersFact

  Purchasers from outside the EU and EEA must apply to the Ministry of Defence for permission to acquire real property in Finland.

• Residency dutyÅland right of domicileFact

  Land in Åland can generally only be owned by holders of the Åland right of domicile (hembygdsrätt); others need a separate regional permit.

• Splitting landParcelling goes through the survey authorityFact

  Splitting a holding is a cadastral procedure handled by the National Land Survey, and shoreline plots carry extra planning restrictions.

Sources: Maanmittauslaitos (National Land Survey) · Ruokavirasto

• Residency dutyFive-year residence ruleFact

  Buyers who have not lived in Denmark for five years, and who are not covered by EU free-movement rights, need permission from the Ministry of Justice to acquire property.

• Duty to farmAgricultural holdings must be kept in productionFact

  Land registered as agricultural (landbrugspligt) must be farmed or maintained, and the obligation follows the property to the next owner.

• Building and forestrySummer houses are restrictedFact

  Holiday homes in summer-house zones may not be used as a year-round residence without an exemption.

Sources: Landbrugsstyrelsen · Justitsministeriet

• Acquisition permitsConcession (konsesjon) for larger propertiesFact

  Acquiring agricultural property above the statutory size thresholds requires a concession from the municipality.

• Residency dutyDuty to live on the farmFact

  Concession for a farm with a dwelling is usually granted on condition of boplikt — you must move in, typically within a year, and live there for at least five years.

• Duty to farmDriveplikt — the land must be farmedFact

  Arable land must be kept in production, either by you or by leasing it to a neighbouring farmer on a long written lease.

Sources: Landbruksdirektoratet · Kartverket

• Foreign buyersEEA free, others by permissionFact

  Citizens of the EEA/EFTA may acquire property on the same terms as Icelanders. Buyers outside that group apply to the Ministry of Justice.

• Acquisition permitsMinisterial approval for large holdingsFact

  Acquisitions above the statutory area thresholds, or by owners who already hold substantial land, require ministerial approval.

• Duty to farmRegistered farmland keeps its statusEstimate

  Land registered as agricultural keeps that classification unless a formal change of use is approved by the municipality.

Sources: Stjórnarráðið (Government of Iceland) · Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands

• Foreign buyersNo private land ownershipFact

  All land is owned collectively. You buy the building and receive an arealtildeling — an allocated right to use the plot.

• Acquisition permitsUse rights are granted by the municipalityFact

  The right of use is tied to actually using the plot as approved; unused allocations can be withdrawn.

Sources: Naalakkersuisut

• Foreign buyersVery limited market for farmlandEstimate

  Traditional agricultural tenancies (jarðir) pass by inheritance rules rather than open sale, so the practical route in is a house plot rather than a farm.

• Duty to farmGrazing rights are sharedEstimate

  Outfield grazing is held in shares (merkur) with collective decisions on sheep numbers.

Sources: Government of the Faroe Islands

• Acquisition permitsSAFER right of pre-emptionFact

  Agricultural sales are notified to the regional SAFER, which may step in and buy at the agreed price to keep land in farming use.

• Duty to farmControl of farming structuresFact

  Taking on a holding above a threshold, or far from where you live, can require an authorisation to farm (autorisation d'exploiter).

Sources: SAFER · Ministère de l'Agriculture

• Acquisition permitsFarmer status or agency consentFact

  Buying farmland above a small area generally requires being a qualified individual farmer or obtaining consent from KOWR, which also holds a right of first refusal.

• Residency dutyHold and farm for several yearsFact

  Buyers are typically required to farm the land personally and not sell it for a statutory holding period.

Sources: KOWR

• Foreign buyersNo ownership restrictionsFact

  Non-residents may own land freely, though overseas entities must register beneficial ownership.

• Building and forestryPlanning permission is the real gateFact

  Living on agricultural land in a dwelling, or converting a barn, needs planning consent — buying the field does not grant the right to live on it.

• Acquisition permitsScottish community right to buyFact

  In Scotland, registered community bodies can have a pre-emptive or, in some cases, absolute right to buy rural land.

Sources: GOV.UK planning · Registers of Scotland

• Foreign buyersState-level farmland restrictionsFact

  Several states limit or prohibit foreign ownership of agricultural land, and federal law requires reporting of foreign holdings under AFIDA.

• Building and forestryCounty zoning rules everythingFact

  Minimum lot sizes, septic and well approvals, livestock limits and whether you may live in an RV or cabin are all county-level decisions.

• Acquisition permitsWater rights are separate from landFact

  In much of the western US, the right to use surface water is a separate property right that may not come with the parcel.

Sources: USDA Farm Service Agency (AFIDA) · USDA

• Foreign buyersProvincial caps on non-resident farmlandFact

  Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec and PEI each limit the area of farmland a non-resident or foreign entity may own.

• Splitting landAgricultural land reservesFact

  British Columbia's Agricultural Land Reserve and similar provincial zones tightly restrict subdivision and non-farm use.

Sources: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

• Duty to farmFarmland is for farmersFact

  Under the Farmland Act, agricultural land may as a rule only be acquired by those who will cultivate it themselves — the 'gyeongjayujeon' principle.

• Acquisition permitsFarmland acquisition qualification certificateFact

  You submit a farming business plan to the local government office and receive a 농지취득자격증명 before the transfer can be registered.

• Splitting landIdle land is penalisedFact

  Land left uncultivated can trigger orders to farm it, forced-disposal orders or repeated penalty charges, and changing farmland to another use requires a conversion permit and fee.

• Foreign buyersForeigners must report acquisitionsFact

  Non-Koreans may own land but must report the acquisition, and the same farmland qualification rules still apply.

Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs · Korea Rural Community Corporation

• Acquisition permitsAgricultural committee approvalFact

  Transfers of farmland require permission from the municipal agricultural committee under the Agricultural Land Act, based on your ability to farm the whole parcel.

• Foreign buyersNo general ban on foreign ownershipFact

  Foreigners may own land, with newer rules requiring notification for land near defence or border-sensitive sites.

Sources: MAFF Japan

• Foreign buyersOverseas Investment Office consentFact

  Non-residents generally need consent to buy residential or rural land above small thresholds, and must show a benefit to New Zealand.

• Splitting landDistrict plans control rural lotsFact

  Minimum lot sizes and the right to build a second dwelling are set by each district plan.

Sources: Land Information New Zealand

• Foreign buyersFIRB approval and a registerFact

  Foreign persons need Foreign Investment Review Board approval for agricultural land above the threshold and must record holdings on the agricultural land register.

• Acquisition permitsWater is licensed separatelyFact

  Irrigation depends on a water entitlement traded and licensed apart from the land title.

Sources: Australian Government FIRB

• Foreign buyersLeasehold only, max 99 yearsFact

  The constitution limits non-citizens to leasehold interests not exceeding 99 years; freehold titles held by non-citizens convert to leases.

• Acquisition permitsCommunity and trust landFact

  Large areas are registered as community land, where transactions run through the community assembly and county government.

Sources: Ministry of Lands, Kenya

• Foreign buyersOpen, but under reviewEstimate

  Foreigners may currently own land; policy proposals to restrict farmland ownership have been debated for years and should be checked at the time of purchase.

• Splitting landSubdivision of Agricultural Land ActFact

  Splitting agricultural land requires ministerial consent, which is often refused for small lifestyle plots.

Sources: Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development