Mallorca · Menorca · Ibiza · Formentera · 2026–27 edition
Buying a Home in the Balearic Islands as a Non-Resident
A practical guide for buyers who live outside Spain. It follows a home through its life, from buying and owning to letting, selling and leaving it to your children, and answers the questions buyers from abroad ask at each step.
- Rules in force in 2026–27
- Worked examples with real figures
- How six home countries tax the same house
- Paperback and Kindle
It answers questions such as
- Can I buy as a foreigner?And what you need before you start looking: NIE, bank account, power of attorney.
- What does buying cost on top of the price?Transfer tax or VAT, stamp duty, notary, Land Registry, and why the Catastro reference value matters.
- How does the process work, from offer to keys?Reservation, deposit, private contract and the signing at the notary.
- What should my lawyer check before I sign?Especially for a country house on rural land.
- What work can I do on the house?Which licences you need, and what the work costs in tax.
- Can I let the home to holidaymakers?Tourist licences and places island by island, and how rent is taxed.
- What do I pay each year as a non-resident?Non-resident income tax, IBI and wealth tax.
- What happens when I sell?Tax on the gain and how to recover the 3% your buyer withholds.
- What if I leave it to my children?Balearic inheritance and gift tax, wills, and giving the house now or later.
- How does my own country tax the home?Germany, the UK, Italy, France, Sweden and the Netherlands.
What makes it different
Figures you can check
Every rate and threshold comes from official Spanish sources where possible, and the book says when a figure is an estimate or a market practice rather than a rule.
Worked examples
Most chapters follow the same €750,000 home through the numbers, and four case studies follow typical owners from the first offer to the question of who inherits.
Your country as well as Spain
Spanish tax is only half the story. A country annex explains how six home countries tax the same house, so a Spanish saving is not undone at home.
Inside the book
- 1. Before You StartNIE, bank account, power of attorney, and whether you need a tax representative.
- 2. Choosing Your Island and AreaHow Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera differ for a buyer.
- 3. The Buying Process, Step by StepFrom the offer to the notary, choosing your lawyer, whose name to buy in, off-plan purchases.
- 4. The Legal ChecksLand Registry, licences, rural land, utilities and debts that come with the house.
- 5. Renovating and Building WorkWhich work needs which licence, and what it costs in tax.
- 6. What Buying Really CostsTransfer tax, VAT, stamp duty, the reference value and fees.
- 7. Financing Your PurchaseMortgages for non-residents and what banks lend.
- 8. The Yearly Cost of OwningNon-resident income tax, IBI, wealth tax and the forms to file.
- 9. Renting Out Your HomeTourist licences and places, guest registration and tax on rent.
- 10. Selling Your HomeTax on the gain, the 3% withholding and the municipal plusvalía.
- 11. Leaving Your Home to Your ChildrenBalearic inheritance and gift tax, wills and the EU rules.
- 12. Making the Move: Becoming ResidentWhat changes, in tax and paperwork, if you move to the islands.
- 13. Country Annex: Your Taxes at HomeGermany, the UK, Italy, France, Sweden and the Netherlands.
- 14. Four Owners, Start to FinishFour case studies from the first offer to who inherits.
Plus: scenarios compared side by side, a directory of official sources, and a glossary of Spanish terms.
Try the numbers on your own home
The free calculator that goes with the book estimates the Spanish taxes on buying, owning, letting, selling and inheriting, plus what your own country may add. It runs in your browser and needs no sign-up.
The book's example: a €750,000 resale home
Owner resident in the Netherlands, rules in force in September 2026.
Keep your figures up to date
Get the calculator as a spreadsheet and a short email when Spanish or Balearic rules change. No more than a few emails a year.
Free guides
Short answers to the questions buyers ask most. The book goes into each one in more depth.
- How much does it cost to buy a home in the Balearic Islands?
- Getting an NIE to buy property in Spain from abroad
- Can foreigners still buy property in Spain?
- Buying a country house on rural land in the Balearics
- What does a non-resident pay each year on a Balearic home?
- Can you let your Balearic home to holidaymakers?
- How is a non-resident taxed on selling a Balearic home?
- Inheritance tax on a Balearic home when heirs live abroad
Questions
How up to date is it?
The 2026–27 edition reflects the rules in force in September 2026, including the 2025 change that extended the Balearic inheritance tax relief for children to non-residents. Spanish and Balearic rules change often, so each edition is updated, and the book flags the points most likely to change.
I don't live in one of the six countries in the annex. Is it still useful?
Yes. Everything except the country annex applies to any non-resident buyer. The annex covers Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Sweden and the Netherlands; for other countries, the book tells you what to ask a local adviser.
Is it legal or tax advice?
No. It is general information to help you understand the process and the numbers, and to ask the right questions. Before you sign anything, take advice from an independent Spanish lawyer and, where relevant, a tax adviser in your own country.
Paperback or Kindle?
Both have the same content. The paperback is 6 × 9 inches; the Kindle edition works on any Kindle device or the free Kindle app.
Do I need the book to use the calculator?
No. The calculator is free and needs no sign-up. The book explains where each figure comes from, the risks behind them and the deadlines.