Pillar · Buying process abroad

How a foreign property purchase works, country by country.

Every country has its own paperwork chain, its own closing-cost stack, and its own local instrument that trips up first-time foreign buyers — fideicomiso in Mexico, NIE in Spain, codice fiscale in Italy, deslinde in the Dominican Republic. Pick a country below to read the end-to-end process: tax ID, contract, due diligence, deed, costs, and the timing.

By country

Eight markets where Americans and Canadians close. Each page walks the local paperwork, the closing-cost line items, the typical timeline from offer to recorded deed, and the country-specific traps that catch foreign buyers.

60–120 days · 5–9%

60–90 days · 7–10%

60–90 days · 8–12%

60–120 days · 8–13%

30–60 days · 4–6%

30–60 days · 5–7%

30–60 days · 8–12%

Dominican Republic

60–90 days · 5–8% (2–4% with Confotur)

Where to go next

The buying process

Fideicomiso, notario, closing costs — the end-to-end purchase, country by country.

Compare countries

Side by side: taxes, timelines, and closing-cost stacks across eight markets.

What month-to-month life actually costs in each buyer city.

The composite safety read for every market we cover.

Cross-border mortgages, lenders, and moving funds without the bank fees.

Closing-cost, mortgage, and affordability math you can run right now.

Start hereBrowse every country →

The complete American's guide to buying in Mexico.

Mexico · 60–120 days

Fideicomiso bank trust inside the restricted zone.

Spain · 60–90 days

NIE gates every signature in the chain.

Dominican Republic · 60–90 days

Torrens title — but only if the deslinde is complete.

The Brief

One market read, one process explainer, one number to know.

Free, no sponsors. Cross-border property and retirement, written for North American buyers.