18/03/2019
Foreigners may acquire and buy real estate property in the Philippines under the following conditions:
1. The property was acquired under the 1935 Constitution.
2. Acquiring real property through hereditary succession.
This means that a person (not Filipino) inherited the property or land which may have been acquired under the 1935 Philippine Constitution.
3. Not more than 40% of the units of a condominium project.
4. If the property was bought by the owner when he or she was still a natural born Filipino citizen but subject to the restrictions provided by law.
5. For former natural born citizens, the ownership of an urban land shall be limited to 1,000 square meters while for rural land, it must not exceed 1 hectare and must be used exclusively for residential purpose in accordance with Batas Pambansa Bilang 185.
6. For married couples under this rule, one or both may own land as long as the total area of the combined property shall not go beyond the maximum limit.
7. For Filipinos who married a foreigner, Philippine citizenship is not automatically relinquished. Under Article IV Section 4 of the Philippine Constitution, “Citizens of the Philippines who marry aliens shall retain their citizenship, unless by their act or omission, they are deemed, under the law, to have renounced it.” An example of renouncing Philippine citizenship is when a spouse would swear allegiance to become a citizen of the spouse’s country. Any person although married to a foreigner can buy and own land in the Philippines for as long as they have not renounced said citizenship. They may acquire and own land without restrictions since they are deemed to have retained their citizenship.
8. Under the Dual Citizenship Law of 2003, natural born Filipinos who eventually lost their Philippine citizenship to another country because of naturalization may regain their Filipino citizenship after swearing allegiance to the Philippines. After the reacquisition of the Philippine citizenship, they are again considered as citizens and may own real property without any constraints.
9. Foreigners may own houses or building but not the land where the structures are built on. A foreign individual or corporation may only lease and not own Philippine land. Such lease shall be in a long-term contract which must be good for 50 years and after which, the rent is renewable every 25 years.
If you are interested in buying real estate property and have questions, you may contact us to get more information about this matter.
