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French Buyers' Info

  • Switzerland
  • France
  • Austria

Property Restrictions for Foreigners

What taxes will I pay in France when I sell my property?

The tax you will pay is dependent on a number of factors but most importantly your country of residence.

If you are resident in any country outside the EU you will be charged two taxes:

- capital gains tax (Impôt sur le Revenu) And
- social tax (Prelevements Sociaux).

If you are resident in a country which is a member state of the EU (including EEA and Switzerland) then thanks to the intervention of the the Court of Justice of the European Union you will only have to pay the capital gains tax.

Although the French tax office also tried to charge EU citizens the Social tax this was ruled illegal. In the "de Ruyter" decision of February 2015 the Court of Justice of the EU ruled that the French administration could not charge EU citizens a social tax as those citizens were already paying social taxes in the country where they are living.


Information correct as of 1st January 2024. This may change as rules and regulations change often, so please contact us directly if you have any specific enquiries.