Federal Foreign Buyer Ban
Also known as: Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act · Foreign Buyer Ban · Federal Ban
Federal legislation prohibiting most non-Canadians from purchasing residential property in Census Metropolitan Areas, in force through January 1, 2027.
The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act came into force January 1, 2023, originally with a 2-year sunset. It was extended in February 2024 to January 1, 2027. The Act prohibits most non-Canadian persons and entities controlled by non-Canadians from acquiring residential property in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) and Census Agglomerations (CAs) — in BC this includes the Vancouver CMA (covering Metro Vancouver) and the Abbotsford–Mission CMA (covering the Fraser Valley urban core).
Several exemption categories apply: Canadian citizens and permanent residents, persons registered as Indian under the Indian Act, refugees and protected persons, foreign nationals married to or in common-law partnership with an exempt person (joint purchase), and certain temporary residents (work permit holders meeting residency conditions; international students at designated institutions). Penalty for violation is up to $10,000 plus a court order to sell.
Always confirm eligibility with a real estate lawyer before any offer where buyer status is in question. The federal ban operates separately from BC's 20% Foreign Buyer Additional PTT — both can apply.
Related terms
- BC Foreign Buyer Additional PTT — A 20% additional Property Transfer Tax payable by foreign nationals, foreign corporations, and taxable trustees buying residential property in five specified BC regional districts.
See also
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@misc{bronsonjob-ca_foreign_buyer_ban,
author = {Job, Bronson},
title = {{Federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act}},
howpublished = {BC Real Estate Codex},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#ca.foreign_buyer_ban},
urldate = {2026-05-08},
note = {Fact ID: ca.foreign_buyer_ban, version 3.}
}Job, B. (2026). Federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act. *BC Real Estate Codex*. Retrieved 2026-05-08, from https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#ca.foreign_buyer_ban
Federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act — Bronson Job, BC Real Estate Codex (2026-05-08). https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#ca.foreign_buyer_ban
Fact id: ca.foreign_buyer_ban · v3 · machine-readable: /api/v1/facts/by-id/ca.foreign_buyer_ban.json
Verified sources (3)Click 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.
- CMHCretrieved 2026-05-08Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Acthttps://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/industry-innovation-and-leadership/industry-expertise/affordable-housing/prohibition-on-the-purchase-of-residential-property-by-non-canadians-act
- Government of Canadaretrieved 2026-05-08Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, S.C. 2022, c. 10, s. 235https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/p-25.2/
- Government of Canadaretrieved 2026-05-08· published 2024-02-04Government extending the ban on foreign ownership of Canadian housinghttps://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/02/government-extending-the-ban-on-foreign-ownership-of-canadian-housing.html
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