Buying without a Swiss passport: who may acquire what
Whether you may buy property in Switzerland does not depend on your wealth. It depends on your nationality, your residence permit and where you actually live, and also on the purpose of the purchase. The relevant law is commonly known as the Lex Koller. For most people who work and live in Basel, the answer is simpler than they fear.
The overview
| Your situation | What you may buy |
|---|---|
| EU or EFTA citizen resident in Switzerland (B or C permit, possibly L; Bewilligung B, C, L) | Everything, like Swiss citizens: own home, second home, investment property, building land |
| Other nationality with a C settlement permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung C) | Everything, like Swiss citizens |
| Other nationality with a B permit | One flat or house as your main residence, to live in yourself |
| Cross-border commuter from the EU or EFTA (G permit) | A second home in the region of your place of work, not to be let |
| Foreign nationals resident abroad | Residential property only with an authorisation, which in practice is not available in either Basel canton; business premises for your own business without restriction |
What this means in detail
EU and EFTA. Anyone who actually lives in Switzerland is not subject to the law. What counts is the real centre of your life. Registration with the municipality alone is not sufficient proof.
United Kingdom. British citizens are treated in the same way as EU citizens only if they took up residence in Switzerland before 1 January 2021. Anyone who moved here later is treated as a third-country national.
USA, India, China and all other countries, with a B permit. You may buy one single residential unit at your place of residence and must live in it yourself. Letting is not permitted, not even a single room. You cannot acquire an investment property or a second home without authorisation. For plots of more than 3,000 square metres, the authority generally carries out a review.
If you move away again. Under current law you do not have to sell. You may keep the home and may then also let it.
Cross-border commuters. Anyone who is a national of an EU or EFTA state and holds a G permit may buy a second home in their own name in the region of their place of work. It may not be let.
Holiday homes for persons abroad do not exist in Basel-Stadt or Basel-Landschaft. Neither canton recognises this ground for authorisation.
What might change
In April 2026 the Federal Council opened a consultation (Vernehmlassung) on tightening the rules. Among other things, it is proposed that third-country nationals should need an authorisation for their main home as well, and that they should have to sell within two years if they move away. The consultation ended on 15 July 2026. The report on the results and the Federal Council’s dispatch are still pending (as at November 2026). Nothing has been decided, and the proposal is contested.
And the bank?
The rules on equity apply regardless of your passport. Anyone who lives and works in Switzerland is generally treated in the same way as Swiss citizens. Without residence in Switzerland, each bank decides for itself. Mortgage and equity
Who is responsible
In cases of doubt, the cantonal authority determines whether you need an authorisation. In Basel-Stadt this is the state conciliation office for tenancy disputes (Staatliche Schlichtungsstelle für Mietstreitigkeiten); in Basel-Landschaft it is the Department of Construction and Environmental Protection (Bau- und Umweltschutzdirektion) in Liestal. Clarify this before the notarisation. If the land registry cannot rule out that an authorisation is required, it suspends the procedure. The notary therefore usually clarifies this in advance.
What we do
In our first conversation we tell you which row of the table you belong in and what that means for your search. The legal determination is made by the authority, not by us.
Sources: Federal Office of Justice, questions and answers on the acquisition of real estate by persons abroad (formerly an information sheet), as at 8 September 2026 · FOJ, revision of the Lex Koller
“I look at every property myself. A sound valuation needs a site visit – and a conversation about what you actually intend to do.”
Madiba has been managing and brokering property in Basel since 1964. Mr Ruf handles the sale himself, from the first valuation to the notarial deed.
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Switchboard +41 61 295 95 95
Arrange a conversation