Looking to invest in Australia from overseas?

If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia and want to buy real estate in Australia, you must obtain prior approval from the Australian Government.

The Foreign Investment Review Board examines proposals by foreign interests to undertake direct investment in Australia and makes recommendations to the Government on whether those proposals are suitable for approval under the Government's policy.

If you find a property you wish to purchase but have not obtained approval you still may enter into a contract to purchase the property provided the contracts exchanged are conditional upon obtaining foreign investment approval. If the contract is not conditional, you will be in breach of the Act.

To apply for approval visit the Foreign Investment Review Board website – www.firb.gov.au.

Frequently Asked Questions
A very comprehensive list of frequently asked questions is available through the Foreign Investment Review Board website.

FIRB Approved Properties on Landlord Central
Landlord Central has properties that have already been approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), thus allowing overseas investors to purchase immediately without the need to seek approval from the FIRB.

To determine whether a development project has FIRB approved properties view the ‘Project Summary’ page for that development. On this page it will specify whether a property is FIRB pre-approved or not.

To start browsing properties click here

Attention New Zealand Citizens

Great news for New Zealand citizens…If you’re a New Zealand citizen you are exempt from notification, which means you do not require permission to purchase residential property in Australia.

Please note, however, that a New Zealand permanent resident does require approval if they want to purchase real estate in Australia.