Skip to main contentSkip to article
BC Real Estate Codex · Foreign Buyer

BC & Federal Foreign Buyer Rules

Last reviewed by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®Sources: BC.gov.ca, OSFI, CMHC, CRA, FVREB, GVRCC BY 4.0How we verify

Two separate rules apply to a non-Canadian buying a home. The federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act bans most foreign purchases through January 1, 2027. On top of that, BC charges foreign buyers an extra 20% Property Transfer Tax in five regional districts.

What this page covers

  • The federal foreign-buyer ban (extended to Jan 1, 2027)
  • Where the ban applies — larger urban areas, including the Vancouver and Abbotsford-Mission regions
  • Who is exempt — permanent residents, refugees, certain work-permit holders who have lived here 183 days, eligible students, and others
  • BC’s extra Property Transfer Tax — 20% for foreign buyers in 5 regional districts
  • Penalty for breaking the ban — a fine up to $10K and a court order to sell

The facts (3)

  • Federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act

    ca.foreign_buyer_banv3In effect

    Federal Act prohibiting most non-Canadians (and entities controlled by non-Canadians) from purchasing residential property in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) and Census Agglomerations (CA). Originally effective January 1, 2023 with a 2-year sunset (expiry January 1, 2025); extended once on February 4, 2024 to January 1, 2027. Applies to most BC urban areas including the Vancouver CMA (covering Metro Vancouver) and the Abbotsford–Mission CMA (covering the Fraser Valley urban core). Excludes residential property of 4+ units. Penalty: up to $10,000 fine plus court order to sell.

    Effective
    2023-01-01
    Last verified
    2026-05-08
    Re-verify by
    2026-11-08
    1 historical version →
    Sources: CMHC · Government of Canada
    Verified sources (3)· re-verified 2026-05-08Click to expand

    Every claim on this page is sourced to a primary government, regulator, or industry-association URL. We re-verify quarterly; the verification dates below show when each source was last confirmed against the live government page.

    Fact ID: ca.foreign_buyer_ban · v3View in Codex →
    Spot an issue? Report an inaccuracy · How we verify

  • BC specified areas for Foreign Buyer Additional PTT

    bc.foreign_buyer_specified_areasv1In effect

    BC regions where the 20% foreign-buyer additional PTT applies. The list expanded geographically Feb 21, 2018 from Metro Vancouver only to include four additional regional districts.

    Effective
    2018-02-21
    Last verified
    2026-05-08
    Re-verify by
    2026-11-08
    Sources: BC Government
    Verified sources (1)· re-verified 2026-05-08Click to expand

    Every claim on this page is sourced to a primary government, regulator, or industry-association URL. We re-verify quarterly; the verification dates below show when each source was last confirmed against the live government page.

    Fact ID: bc.foreign_buyer_specified_areas · v1View in Codex →
    Spot an issue? Report an inaccuracy · How we verify

  • Federal Foreign Buyer Ban exemption categories

    ca.foreign_buyer_ban.exemptionsv1In effect

    Categories of non-Canadian persons who are exempted from the federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act. Always confirm eligibility with a real estate lawyer before any offer where status is in question.

    Effective
    2023-01-01
    Last verified
    2026-05-08
    Re-verify by
    2026-11-08
    Sources: CMHC
    Verified sources (1)· re-verified 2026-05-08Click to expand

    Every claim on this page is sourced to a primary government, regulator, or industry-association URL. We re-verify quarterly; the verification dates below show when each source was last confirmed against the live government page.

    Fact ID: ca.foreign_buyer_ban.exemptions · v1View in Codex →
    Spot an issue? Report an inaccuracy · How we verify

Related guides + tools

Deep dives

Foreign Buyer guides — full reference

License: The Foreign Buyer domain of the BC Real Estate Codex is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). You may copy, redistribute, and adapt — commercially or non-commercially — provided you cite the original: BC Real Estate Codex by Bronson Job PREC, Royal LePage Ben Gauer & Associates, https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex/foreign-buyer.

Other Codex topics