Foreign residents may generally only buy new-build or off-plan homes, or vacant land to build on, with prior FIRB approval and fees; a ban on foreigners buying established (existing) homes runs until mid-2029. Permanent residents and citizens buy without these restrictions.
Before you buy in Australia, always:
General guidance only — rules change; confirm the current position with a qualified local lawyer.
Our free ownership checker and the Overseas Property Playbook walk through how foreign ownership works step by step — the questions to ask and the traps to sidestep.
Foreigners can generally only buy new-build homes or vacant land — established homes are off-limits from April 2025 to mid-2029 — and must budget heavily: FIRB approval fees (from about A$4,600, rising steeply with price), standard state stamp duty of roughly 4-5.5%, and a foreign-buyer surcharge of 7-9% on top. Permanent residents and citizens avoid both the surcharge and the ban.
Queensland's Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast for warm, beachy living hugely popular with retirees; sunny, relaxed Perth; and coastal New South Wales towns like Port Macquarie — though many Britons simply settle wherever their adult children already are.
Medicare covers citizens and permanent residents, and the UK's reciprocal agreement gives British visitors medically necessary care, but most retirees on parent or temporary visas aren't fully covered and are required to hold private health insurance. Care is excellent, so budget for private cover as an older arrival. Very safe and English-speaking, with a familiar, outdoorsy culture and driving on the left — about as easy a cultural fit as a British retiree will find, high costs aside.
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