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French Buyers' Info

  • Switzerland
  • France
  • Austria

Property Restrictions for Foreigners

Would I have to pay the French wealth tax?

This tax has a fearful reputation but, as the owner of a property in the French Alps, you are unlikely to be liable to pay.

Non-residents with a property in France are only liable to pay wealth tax on physical assets located in France. Purely financial investments are therefore excluded.

The tax is payable when the taxable household net real estate wealth exceeds €1.3 million, when it is then applied on net assets above €800,000.

So If you borrowed 80% to buy your property, the wealth tax will only be an issue if your property is valued at €4,000,000 or more – i.e. when the equity on the property equals or exceeds €800,000.

You can reduce your liability to the wealth tax by using a company structure such as an SCI (Societe Civile Immobiliere).