Can I buy a house in Australia on a temporary visa?

Who counts as a foreign buyer?

If you hold a temporary visa (for example a skilled 482 or 494, graduate 485 or student 500 visa) or a bridging visa, you're generally treated as a foreign person under Australia's foreign investment rules. That means you need approval before you buy residential property.

Australian citizens don't need approval. Neither do Australian permanent residents or New Zealand citizens who hold a Special Category (subclass 444) visa: the foreign investment regulations exempt them when they buy residential land.

What can you buy, and what can't you?

As at 26 October 2026. Source: ATO.

Watch out for knock-down rebuilds: if an established home was demolished and replaced with a single new home, the ATO treats the replacement as an established dwelling, so it falls under the ban.

How does foreign investment approval work?

You apply to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) through its Online services for foreign investors, and pay the application fee when you apply. The ATO can take up to 30 days to decide once it has received the full fee.

• Timing: you need approval (a "no objection notification") or an exemption certificate before you enter a contract, or the contract must be conditional on getting it.
• Buying from a developer: ask whether the developer already holds a new dwelling exemption certificate. If it does, you don't need to apply yourself.
• Still searching? An exemption certificate lets you bid on one new home or one block of vacant land in a nominated state, up to a set value, for 12 months.

How much are the fees?

The application fee depends on the price of the property. For a new home or vacant land, from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027:

Fees are indexed every 1 July. Higher prices have higher fees; see the ATO fee table.

Once you own the home, you'll also pay an annual vacancy fee if it's empty (not lived in or genuinely available to rent) for 183 days or more in a year.

Buying with a partner who is a citizen or permanent resident

If you buy as joint tenants with your spouse who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, the purchase is exempt from needing foreign investment approval. The exemption doesn't cover buying as tenants in common.

This can open up more options, but the rules are technical. Have your solicitor or conveyancer confirm how it applies to your purchase before you sign. State surcharge duty is assessed separately, so check how it applies to you too.

Stamp duty and surcharges in NSW

In NSW, temporary and bridging visa holders generally pay surcharge purchaser duty of 9% of the property's dutiable value (usually the purchase price), on top of normal transfer duty (stamp duty). On a $1 million home, that's $90,000 in surcharge alone. There are exceptions for holders of a partner (provisional) visa (subclass 309 or 820) or a retirement visa (subclass 405 or 410) who meet residence tests.

Foreign owners of NSW residential land may also pay surcharge land tax each year. Other states and territories have their own foreign buyer surcharges, so check the revenue office where you're buying.

Can you use the 5% Deposit Scheme?

No. The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme is only for Australian citizens and permanent residents, and you must hold that status on the date of your home loan. If your permanent residency is on the way, the timing of your purchase matters, so talk to us before you commit.

What do lenders look at?

Foreign investment approval and loan approval are separate. Lenders set their own rules for temporary visa holders, and they vary a lot. Most look at:

• your visa subclass and how long is left on it
• your job and income in Australia, and how long you've had them
• your deposit and savings history
• your credit history in Australia

Some lenders don't lend to temporary visa holders at all; others will, with conditions. It's worth knowing which lenders suit you before you pay for a foreign investment application.

A worked example

Here's a hypothetical example using the 2026–27 rates. A buyer on a 482 visa wants a new $750,000 apartment in Western Sydney, and the developer doesn't hold an exemption certificate.

• Foreign investment application fee: $15,600 (price is $1 million or less)
• NSW surcharge purchaser duty: 9% of $750,000 = $67,500
• Plus normal NSW transfer duty, legal costs and any lender fees

Those costs come on top of the deposit, so plan for them from the start.