Buying a home in Belgium: costs, process and catalogue prices

Can foreigners buy?

Belgium places no restrictions on foreign ownership of residential property. Anyone, regardless of nationality, can buy a home there, and residency in Belgium is not a requirement for doing so. In practical terms, this means the legal path to buying is broadly the same whether you live in Belgium already or are purchasing from abroad. The costs and regional rules set out below apply equally to any buyer.

Costs and taxes on top of the price

The main cost on top of the asking price is registration duty, and the rate depends on the region and on how the property will be used.

• In Brussels, registration duty is 12.5 percent of the price. If the home is your own and only home, and the price is up to 600,000 euros, there is an exemption on the first 200,000 euros.
• In Flanders, registration duty is 12 percent for a second home or an investment property, and 2 percent if the property is your own and only home.
• Notary and registry costs add around 1.5 percent of the price.
• The agent's fee is usually paid by the seller rather than the buyer.

These are general figures verified as of October 2026, and rates and rules can change. A local notary or tax advisor can confirm exactly what applies to a particular property and region before you commit to a purchase.

How the purchase works

A Belgian purchase proceeds in two main legal steps. The first is the compromis, a private contract between buyer and seller that is already binding once both sides have signed it. The second is the notarial deed, which formally transfers ownership and must follow within four months of the compromis. Because the compromis already commits both parties, it is worth having it checked before signing rather than treating it as a preliminary step.

An energy performance certificate, known as the EPC, is mandatory in every sale. It should be made available to you as part of the sale documentation, and the notary handles this alongside the other paperwork on the way to the deed.

What homes cost in our catalogue

The figures below are a snapshot of our own catalogue on 6 October 2026. They describe the asking prices of homes currently listed for sale, not official statistics, and they will change as listings are added, sold or withdrawn.

Our Belgium catalogue holds 236 listings. The median asking price is 479,000 euros, with a median price per square metre of 4,400 euros, on a median size of 106 square metres. Prices span a lower quartile of 299,000 euros to an upper quartile of 699,000 euros, and none of the current listings are priced under 100,000 euros.

Brussels and Antwerpen are the two most listed places in the catalogue. Brussels has 123 listings at a median asking price of 475,000 euros, and Antwerpen has 113 listings at a median asking price of 485,000 euros. By property type, apartments make up most of the catalogue with 162 listings, followed by houses with 24, penthouses with 22, and duplexes with 15.

Budget	Listings in range	Typical size	Typical bedrooms
250,000 euros	47	64 m2	1
500,000 euros	72	111 m2	2

Running costs and practicalities

Because registration duty depends on both region and on whether a home is your own and only home, it is worth establishing early which rate will apply to your situation. The difference between an own-home rate and a second-home or investment rate, particularly in Flanders, is substantial enough to factor into any budget from the outset.

The EPC is also worth reading closely rather than treating as a formality, since it is a standard part of every Belgian sale and gives an early indication of a property's energy performance. Notary and registry costs, at around 1.5 percent, are a fixed and fairly predictable part of the overall budget, while the agent's fee is typically the seller's responsibility rather than yours. For anything specific to your own circumstances, a local notary or tax advisor remains the right point of reference.

Before you view

A few practical steps are worth taking before arranging viewings. Decide which region you are focused on, since registration duty rates differ between Brussels and Flanders, and work out in advance whether the property would be your own and only home or a second property, as this changes the applicable rate. Ask for the energy performance certificate alongside any listing that interests you, and line up a local lawyer or notary to review the compromis before you sign it, since that contract is already binding on both parties.

None of the above is legal, tax or investment advice. It sets out the general shape of how a purchase in Belgium proceeds; an actual purchase should be guided by a local notary, lawyer or tax advisor familiar with the specific property and region.

Browse current homes for sale in Belgium, estimate taxes and fees with the buying-costs calculator, or read the latest Journal article on Belgium.

Rules, taxes and fees are general information verified in October 2026 and can change; regional rules may differ. Catalogue figures are asking prices of homes listed in the European Cribs catalogue on 6 October 2026 and are not official statistics. This guide is not legal, tax or investment advice — for an actual purchase, work with a local lawyer, notary or tax advisor. Cover photo: Dan Cristian Pădureț / Pexels.