Real estate in the European Union for Russian citizens: what is allowed, how to pay, how to own

Real estate in the European Union for Russian citizens: what is allowed, how to pay, how to own

A Russian citizen can buy an apartment in the European Union: there is no direct ban on ownership. What gets in the way is not a ban but the money in transit — banking and payment restrictions that are lifted by a status, not by the choice of bank. That is why the route is assembled in a strict order: status first, then money, then the asset.
Below — what is allowed, how to pay and how to own if you live in Russia.

Can a Russian citizen buy an apartment in the European Union in 2026?

Yes. EU sanctions law contains no direct ban on Russian citizens acquiring real estate: such a ban was proposed during the preparation of the sixth package and did not make it into the adopted text. The restrictions lie elsewhere — in banking and payments.

The sanctions framework in one line. Regulation 2025/2033 rewrote Article 5b(2) of Regulation 833/2014: payment services are prohibited for Russian citizens regardless of where they are located. Article 5b(1) prohibits accepting deposits from Russian citizens and residents above €100,000 per credit institution. The European Commission's clarifications of March 13, 2026: the restrictions do not apply to holders of a residence permit or citizenship of an EU country.

We name the risk plainly: the framework changes in packages, and we make no promises about future regulation — we work under the rule in force on the transaction date. Personal sanctions are an absolute boundary: no work of any kind is done with a person on the lists.

What gets in the way in practice: the €100,000 limit and payment restrictions — and which status lifts them?

They are lifted by a residence permit or citizenship of an EU country. Neither the choice of bank nor a change in the account's country affects this: both rules are written about citizenship, not about an address.

The limit under Article 5b(1) is counted per credit institution and applies to Russian citizens and residents. The rule does not apply to citizens of EU, EEA countries and Switzerland, or to holders of a temporary or permanent residence permit in these countries — the wording is checked as of the relevant date. The payment restrictions under Article 5b(2) are lifted for the same category by the European Commission's clarifications. The limit is counted on the client's total deposits in one institution, not per individual account, and includes the funds that came in for the apartment purchase: the deal goes through a notary, but the money for it goes through an account.

Hence the order: status first, money second. More on the limit — in a separate article of the cluster; on the payment restrictions and what exactly they close off — in the article on payment services.

If you already have a residence permit in an EU country, the restrictions do not apply to you: the route starts straight away with the bank and the property, and the question of a second property inside the Union is covered on a separate page of the cluster.

Where does the purchase start: why do status, money and asset come in exactly this order?

With a free compliance assessment with a written opinion — before the deposit and before choosing a property. It answers four questions: whether the status is attainable, by which route, which documents are needed for the source of funds and over what timeline the structure comes together.

We state the built-in delay openly: the route starts long before the deal. The status takes months, the account is opened after the status, and the property is reserved when the money can actually arrive. The reverse order — deposit first, then the bank — is the cause of most failed deals: the seller waits, the money is stuck, the deposit is lost.

How do you prove the origin of money earned in Russia?

With documents along the chain, not with the balance on an account. The bank looks at where the money came from and what path it took, not at which country it sits in today.

What is accepted as a source:

•    sale of an apartment — the sale and purchase agreement, proof of ownership before the sale, a document showing the money arriving in the account, the tax return and payment of the tax;

•    salary — the employment contract, income statements, account statements for the period;

•    dividends — the resolution on profit distribution, the company's financial statements, proof of tax payment;

•    savings — statements showing how the sum was built up, not its one-time appearance.

What is not accepted: cash and transfers without a history. A gap in the chain is the main reason for refusal, and it cannot be closed with a verbal explanation.

The asset jurisdiction in which Alliance handles the deal is Romania. The bank, the notary and the lawyer here are reporting entities; they work under the rules of ONPCSB, Romania's financial intelligence unit, and a request for documents covering several years is a standard part of the check, not a sign of suspicion. Separate pages of the cluster cover the sale of an apartment in Russia as a source and the bank's enhanced due diligence.

How does the deal go if you do not travel, and when does the apartment become yours?

There are three ways: in person, by power of attorney or through a management company. Ownership arises not with payment but with the entry in the land register.

The notarial deed is signed on the day of the deal, and on the same day the notary files the entry in the carte funciară; the right passes with the entry — Articles 885 and 1676 of the Civil Code. With an installment plan, the seller's legal mortgage is registered until full payment — Articles 1723 and 2386; it is removed with the last payment.
The building has been put into operation: this is not about a construction site or a foundation pit.

Romanian banks do not grant mortgages to non-residents, so the bank route does not feature in this structure at all: payment is made with your own money and an installment plan. After that, ownership is handled through a management company under a contract — preparing the property, finding a tenant, day-to-day management; the procedure on the day of the deal, the installment plan and the management company's work are described on separate pages.

How much does entry cost and how does the installment plan work?

About €30,000 at entry for a property of about €100,000. After that — equal interest-free payments.
The figures are confirmed as of September 1, 2026 and are checked against the transaction date:

•    the property — about €100,000;

•    a first payment of 30% — about €30,000, together with notary fees and tax;

•    the balance — about €70,000 over 36 months interest-free, about €1,900 a month;

•    an account at BRD or BCR — from a week, opened after the status;

•    SRL registration, if the deal goes through a Romanian company — €1,300 and about a month; the company does not give any status in the European Union;

•    TVA — 21%;

•    the full cycle — up to four months.

The price level is clear by comparison: a comparable two-room sea-view apartment in the European Union costs from three hundred thousand euros. This is a conversation about the price level, not about a discount. Rental rates and yield are not given here: they are calculated for a specific property.

What if the money is already abroad without documents, or the apartment was bought in a private name through a third country?

Start with the assessment and documenting the origin, not with the property. Such situations can be fixed, and the earlier, the cheaper.

•    The money is in an account in a third country without documents: the bank will ask for the history of the money, not the last country. A chain is assembled from the source — contracts, tax returns, statements.

•    The asset is held by an individual without a status: the property remains yours, but the structure around it is rebuilt — status, account, declaring the income in the country of residence.

•    The limit on the account has been exceeded: recovery goes through a status, not through a second bank. Correspondence with the bank is conducted through written requests, not phone calls.

Alliance handles such routes as a procedure with a named law and a named authority: an office in Constanța, licenses publicly available on the website, a contract with timelines, the amount and the working procedure, concluded only with an individual. We cite cases without nationality or identifying details, and only for completed matters.

The entry point is a free compliance assessment with a written opinion. The first section of the opinion covers whether the status is attainable. And a straight answer: whether this structure suits you. The assessment is free, commits you to nothing and may end in a reasoned refusal explaining why.

The money is already in an account in Kazakhstan, Georgia or Armenia — does that make it easier?

No. A bank in the European Union asks for the history of the money, not the last country on its way. A transit account does not replace the chain of documents and in some cases lengthens the check: one more link is added to the source, and it also has to be proven.

Will the bank accept cash?

No. Neither cash, nor a handwritten receipt, nor a verbal confirmation counts as a source of funds. The money must have a documentary trail: a contract, a payment, a tax return.

The account is open — can it be blocked later?

Yes, if there are not enough documents on the source of funds: the check continues after opening as well. That is why the package is assembled before the deal, not at the moment when the money already needs to be transferred to the seller.