Can I own property in Russia?

A citizen of Russia living abroad: Yes. A Russian citizen living abroad buys like any citizen, but is taxed as a non-resident on rent and must follow currency-control rules on foreign accounts. A foreign national: Yes, with conditions. Flats and houses are open to any foreigner; land in the border territories listed by Presidential Decree 26 of 2011, port zones and farmland is not. A national of an unfriendly state, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore and the European Union, needs Government Commission approval to buy from or sell to a Russian resident. India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are not on that list.

Does the rent agreement need registering?

A lease of one year or more must be registered within a month of signing. Shorter leases are not, which is why eleven-month contracts are the norm.

Who withholds tax on the rent, and how much?

No withholding at source. Yes. Rent from Russian property is Russian-source income. A non-resident, meaning anyone in Russia under 183 days in the year whatever their citizenship, pays 30 percent on gross rent with no deductions; a resident pays the progressive scale from 13 percent on net rent.

How does the rent reach me in Germany?

A non-resident may open a rouble account at a Russian bank in person. Payments to nationals of unfriendly states above monthly thresholds may have to go into a type C account that cannot be freely moved abroad; take advice. The Bank of Russia has limited transfers abroad since 2022 and rolls the rules over every six months: Russian citizens and friendly-country nationals may send up to a monthly cap to their own foreign accounts, unfriendly-state non-residents far less. Most large Russian banks are cut off from dollar and euro clearing, so a transfer only works where the receiving country still has a bank route. No limit; report a transfer of EUR 50,000 or more to the Bundesbank and show the foreign tax in the return.

Renting out property in Russia while living in Germany

Russia's rules for a landlord living in Germany: ownership, the rent agreement, who withholds tax, and how the rent reaches you.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and your situation may differ. Check the sources on this page and confirm with a lawyer or accountant in the country before you act.

Desk research Last reviewed 1 October 2026 Report an inaccuracy

The short answers

Can I own property in Russia?: A citizen of Russia living abroad: Yes. A Russian citizen living abroad buys like any citizen, but is taxed as a non-resident on rent and must follow currency-control rules on foreign accounts.; A foreign national: Yes, with conditions. Flats and houses are open to any foreigner; land in the border territories listed by Presidential Decree 26 of 2011, port zones and farmland is not. A national of an unfriendly state, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore and the European Union, needs Government Commission approval to buy from or sell to a Russian resident. India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are not on that list.
Does the rent agreement need registering?: A lease of one year or more must be registered within a month of signing. Shorter leases are not, which is why eleven-month contracts are the norm.
Who withholds tax on the rent, and how much?: No withholding at source. Yes. Rent from Russian property is Russian-source income. A non-resident, meaning anyone in Russia under 183 days in the year whatever their citizenship, pays 30 percent on gross rent with no deductions; a resident pays the progressive scale from 13 percent on net rent.
How does the rent reach me in Germany?: A non-resident may open a rouble account at a Russian bank in person. Payments to nationals of unfriendly states above monthly thresholds may have to go into a type C account that cannot be freely moved abroad; take advice.; The Bank of Russia has limited transfers abroad since 2022 and rolls the rules over every six months: Russian citizens and friendly-country nationals may send up to a monthly cap to their own foreign accounts, unfriendly-state non-residents far less. Most large Russian banks are cut off from dollar and euro clearing, so a transfer only works where the receiving country still has a bank route.; No limit; report a transfer of EUR 50,000 or more to the Bundesbank and show the foreign tax in the return.

Renting out property in Russia

What applies because the property is in Russia, whoever owns it.

Who may own residential property

Who may own residential property, by audience
Citizens living in the country	Allowed Anywhere.
Residents of any nationality	With conditions A resident foreigner may own flats and houses but not the land in border territories, port zones or agricultural land, which a foreigner may only lease. Nationals of states Russia lists as unfriendly need Government Commission approval for property transactions with Russian residents since 2022.
Citizens living abroad	Allowed A Russian citizen living abroad buys like any citizen, but is taxed as a non-resident on rent and must follow currency-control rules on foreign accounts.
Foreign nationals living abroad	With conditions Flats and houses are open to any foreigner; land in the border territories listed by Presidential Decree 26 of 2011, port zones and farmland is not. A national of an unfriendly state, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore and the European Union, needs Government Commission approval to buy from or sell to a Russian resident. India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are not on that list.

Letting it out from abroad

May a non-resident owner let it: Yes, with no permit. The owner must register a foreign tenant's stay with the migration authority within days of arrival; failing to is the host's offence.
Licences, permits, landlord registration: None for a long-term let. Short-term letting in apartment buildings is restricted.
Local agent or representative: No, but a manager with a Russian bank account and a qualified electronic signature is what makes registration, tax filing and collection workable from abroad.

The rent agreement

Written agreement required: Yes. A residential lease to an individual, a contract of naym under Chapter 35 of the Civil Code, must be in writing.
Mandatory standard form: None mandatory.
Language: Russian. A foreign-language version must be translated for any authority or court.
Registry: Rosreestr, the federal registration service, which records a lease as an encumbrance on the flat.
When registration is required: A lease of one year or more must be registered within a month of signing. Shorter leases are not, which is why eleven-month contracts are the norm.
Who registers: Either party, in person at a service centre or online with a qualified electronic signature. A landlord abroad acts through a notarised power of attorney or a manager.
Registration cost: A state fee of a few thousand roubles.
If it is not registered: An unregistered lease of a year or more is not binding on a buyer of the flat and attracts a fine, though it still binds the parties.
Stamp duty: None. The state fee for registration is the only charge.
Notarisation and witnesses: Not required. A power of attorney for an absent landlord must be notarised, and one signed abroad legalised or apostilled and translated.
E-signature: Valid under Federal Law 63-FZ. Registration filings need a qualified electronic signature issued by an accredited centre, which requires a Russian tax number and insurance number, so a non-resident rarely holds one and signs through a representative.
The usual term: Eleven months, renewed, to stay below the registration threshold.

Rules the agreement must respect

Deposit: No statutory cap. One month's rent is usual, held by the landlord.
Rent increases: Whatever the contract says; the Civil Code bars unilateral increases more than once a year unless the contract provides otherwise.
Notice periods: The tenant may end a naym contract on three months' notice; the landlord only through the courts on statutory grounds.
Disputes: The district courts. Eviction needs a court order.
Mandatory disclosures: Not applicable

Tax when the landlord lives abroad

Is the rent taxed here: Yes. Rent from Russian property is Russian-source income. A non-resident, meaning anyone in Russia under 183 days in the year whatever their citizenship, pays 30 percent on gross rent with no deductions; a resident pays the progressive scale from 13 percent on net rent.
Withholding at source: No
Withholding rate: Not applicable
Who withholds: Not applicable
What the tenant must register: Not applicable
How to reduce it: Not applicable
Filing and tax ID: The landlord files a 3-NDFL return by 30 April and pays by 15 July, with a tax number. An individual tenant does not withhold; a company tenant does. The self-employed regime at four percent is open only to Russian and Eurasian Economic Union citizens.
VAT or GST on rent: None on residential rent.
Municipal and housing fees: Annual property tax on the cadastral value, paid by the owner, plus utilities and building charges as the contract allocates them.

Money inside the country

How tenants pay: Bank transfer or the Faster Payments System in roubles.
Currency of rent: RUB
Bank account for a non-resident owner: A non-resident may open a rouble account at a Russian bank in person. Payments to nationals of unfriendly states above monthly thresholds may have to go into a type C account that cannot be freely moved abroad; take advice.
Paying rent to an overseas account: Not in practice. Rent is paid in roubles inside Russia; moving it out is the hard part.
Taking rent out of the country: The Bank of Russia has limited transfers abroad since 2022 and rolls the rules over every six months: Russian citizens and friendly-country nationals may send up to a monthly cap to their own foreign accounts, unfriendly-state non-residents far less. Most large Russian banks are cut off from dollar and euro clearing, so a transfer only works where the receiving country still has a bank route.

Living in Germany

What Germany asks of its residents who own and let property abroad.

Owning property abroad from here

Buying abroad: No restriction. A German resident may buy anywhere the other country allows and move money out freely, reporting transfers of EUR 50,000 or more to the Bundesbank.
Reporting foreign assets and accounts: None for property. The AWV statistical report covers the transfers; foreign accounts are not registered.
Tax at home on foreign rent: Germany taxes residents on worldwide income. Under most treaties, India's among them, rent from foreign property is exempt in Germany but raises the rate on other income through the progression clause; a few treaties and non-treaty countries use the credit method instead. Rent from EU property is exempt without the progression clause.
Bringing rent home: No limit; report a transfer of EUR 50,000 or more to the Bundesbank and show the foreign tax in the return.
Digital identity for e-signing: The eID function of the German identity card signs within the EU. Abroad, a foreign platform's own e-signature or a paper signature does the job.

Between Germany and Russia

What applies to this pair of countries in particular.

Tax treaty between the two countries: Yes
Withholding under the treaty: Effectively closed for individuals. Russia suspended the treaty articles with this country in 2023, its banks are under sanctions, and banks on the other side will not process a transfer to or from Russia for a private person. Germany withdraws from the treaty entirely from 1 January 2027.
Banking blocks: Any sale or letting by a resident of an unfriendly state needs Government Commission approval in Russia, and no German bank will receive roubles from a sanctioned bank.
What most people do: Keep the rent in a Russian account until a route is open.

Sources

Bank of Russia: restrictions on money transfers abroad, extended and partly eased — www.cbr.ru
President of Russia: the law introducing the progressive personal income tax scale from 2025 — en.kremlin.ru
Federal Tax Service: reporting on foreign bank accounts and the annual movement-of-funds report — www.nalog.gov.ru
RBI: A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 10 of 11 July 2022, international trade settlement in Indian rupees — www.rbi.org.in
IRS: announcement on the Russian Federation's suspension of tax treaty provisions — www.irs.gov
Income Tax Department of India: the India–Russia tax treaty — www.incometaxindia.gov.in
German Civil Code (BGB) § 550: written form for a lease over one year — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
BGB § 551: the deposit cap of three months' rent — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
BGB § 556d: the rent brake in designated tight markets — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
BGB § 558: rent increases to the local comparative rent and the cap — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
BGB § 573c: notice periods — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
Income Tax Act (EStG) § 49: German-source income of non-residents — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
EStG § 50: how non-residents are assessed — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
Foreign Trade Regulation (AWV) § 67: reporting cross-border payments to the Bundesbank — www.gesetze-im-internet.de
Deutsche Bundesbank: external sector reporting — www.bundesbank.de
Federal Ministry of Finance: double taxation agreements — www.bundesfinanzministerium.de