I spend a lot of time looking at property outside the country where I live.
Sardinia recently sent me down a legal rabbit hole after a seller saw my Swiss phone number, assumed something about my nationality and warned me that certain foreign buyers could face restrictions on how much land they could buy.
That reminded me of something I already consider whenever I investigate property abroad:
**Who you are as the buyer can affect the rules that apply to you.**
Switzerland is a very good example. A foreign buyer cannot assume that because a Swiss property is advertised for sale—and they have the money—they are automatically allowed to buy it.
Switzerland already has Lex Koller. In April 2026, the Federal Council proposed making parts of it stricter.
First: what is Lex Koller?
Lex Koller is the commonly used name for the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Immovable Property in Switzerland by Foreign Non-Residents.
It is not simply a ban on foreigners buying property. Whether authorisation is required can depend on the buyer’s nationality, residence status, the property and its intended use. The answer belongs to the individual transaction and the competent cantonal authority.
So the useful question is not merely:
“Can foreigners buy property in Switzerland?”
It is:
“Can this buyer buy this property for this purpose under the rules in force today?”
What did Switzerland propose in 2026?
On 15 April 2026, the Federal Council opened a consultation on proposed amendments to Lex Koller. The Federal Council’s announcement links the proposal partly to Switzerland’s housing shortage. The consultation closed on 15 July 2026.
One proposed change concerns third-country nationals—people from countries outside the EU and EFTA. Under the proposal, certain third-country nationals would newly need authorisation to buy a main residence. If they later moved away, they would generally have to sell it within two years.
That could matter to somebody planning to live in Switzerland for several years and then keep the home after leaving.
Holiday homes could become more restricted too
The proposal would reduce the cantonal authorisation quotas for holiday homes and units in apparthotels bought by persons abroad.
It would also change how resales between foreign owners affect those quotas. The government gives a useful example: under the current arrangement it described, a German owner selling a holiday home to a French buyer does not reduce the cantonal quota. Under the proposal, each acquisition by a person abroad would count against it.
For anyone looking at a Swiss ski property, “foreigners can buy holiday homes” is therefore not a complete answer. The buyer, canton, property and date all matter.
Investment property is part of the proposal
The proposals also reach beyond homes and chalets.
People abroad would still be able to acquire commercial property used for their own business operations without authorisation. However, the Federal Council wants to prevent purchases made purely as capital investments, such as acquiring commercial property simply to rent or lease it out.
The proposal would also generally restrict persons abroad from acquiring listed shares in residential-property companies and regularly traded units in certain property funds and real-estate SICAVs.
This is not only a story about somebody trying to buy a chalet.
But none of this is law yet
This is the most important part.
The Federal Council made a proposal. The consultation closed in July 2026, and the Federal Office of Justice has published the consultation material and responses.
That does not make the proposed restrictions enacted law.
A headline may say that Switzerland is tightening its rules, but there is a legal difference between:
- proposed;
- approved; and
- in force.
For now, an actual transaction must be assessed under the law in force when the buyer commits. This article should therefore be read as something to watch—not as a statement that the proposal already applies.
The lesson I carried forward
Nationality, immigration status and tax residence are not interchangeable. Neither is “foreign buyer” one neat legal category.
Before sending money, I want to establish:
- How am I classified under this country’s rules?
- Does my nationality or residence status matter?
- Does the property type or intended use matter?
- Is authorisation required?
- Am I reading the law in force, or only a proposal?
This is why my Buyer Checklist and Due-Diligence Tracker separate “I need to ask” from “I have received and documented a satisfactory answer”. The legal rules in the Toolkit are for Spain, but the habit travels rather well.
Where does Farm by 50 fit?
My question—Can I buy a farm in Switzerland for around CHF 50,000?—creates another layer. Agricultural-land rules, zoning, legal habitability and permitted use may matter separately from Lex Koller.
Lex Koller does not answer whether a barn can become a home or whether agricultural land can be bought and used as imagined. It is another buyer-level check, not a replacement for property-level due diligence.
And the thought that led me here began in Sardinia: a seller saw my Swiss phone number and made an assumption about me. Different country. Different rule. Same reason to stop before transferring money.
**Trust. Check. Document. And check the date too.**
This article reflects my personal property research and the official Swiss information available in September 2026. The proposed Lex Koller amendments discussed here have completed consultation but should not be treated as enacted law unless and until the legislative process is completed. This is not legal, tax or investment advice.