The Spanish military permit originated in a law passed in 1975 in relation to areas or installations of interest to national defense.
This law made it compulsory for buyers from overseas who wished to acquire a property in some regions of Spain to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Defense in order to complete any transaction.
In spite of the law dating from more than 45 years ago, it is still currently in force in over 1.500 municipalities in Spain which are located within the “Areas with restricted access to foreigners” specified in the 1975 law.
At Pollentia Properties Real Estate Agency in Mallorca, we want to help you to understand what is entailed by the military permit and to identify when it is mandatory for citizens from other countries.
On the 1st of January 2021, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union and their citizens became non-EU foreigners. This means that British citizens who wish to buy a property in Baleares and some other regions of Spain should bear in mind certain aspects, for example, the obtention of the military permit.
Both UK residents and the rest of non-EU foreigners, except for citizens from those countries included in the Schengen agreement, must be in possession of a military permit if they wish to buy a property on rural land in any Spanish municipality included in the “Areas with restricted access to foreigners”.
However, it is important to emphasize that it is only necessary to apply for this permit if the foreign buyer wishes to acquire a property on rural land since the law does not apply to the purchase of a house, apartment, villa or plot on urban land.
Foreigners who come to Baleares with the intention of buying a property on rural land can do so if they are in possession of a Spanish military permit. To apply for one, they have to send a written request to the Ministry of Defense stating their nationality, personal details, duration of residence in Spain and any other information that could be of help in obtaining approval by the Ministry.
The application should be accompanied by a photocopy of the applicant´s passport and residence permit and a document showing the current status of the property or plot they intend to buy plus a certificate of criminal record from the applicant´s country of residence.
Even though it is not complicated to obtain a Spanish military permit once all the paperwork has been submitted, it could take up to four months for a foreign applicant to receive it. Hence the importance of starting the process as soon as possible in order to be in time to buy the property in the required time.
There are many foreigners who decide to buy a home in Mallorca as a second residence to be able to enjoy the peace of the island together with the beautiful beaches, fabulous golf courses, scenery dreams are made of and an endless list of leisure activities.
Now that you know how to go about obtaining a Spanish military permit, at Pollentia Properties we want to make it even easier for you to acquire a home in Mallorca. With this in mind, we can offer you an Inspection Trip for which we organize a weekend break which includes a list of properties chosen to fit your search criteria. You can use your stay on the island to view different properties and to find the home of your dreams while at the same time enjoying everything Mallorca can offer you. Do you want to know more? Get in touch with us.
