How to apply or vary an approval to buy residential property

Are you a foreign person buying residential property

If you are a foreign person, you need to apply for approval by lodging an application before you buy or acquire residential property in Australia.

To apply for approval or vary an existing approval, use the residential application in Online services for foreign investorsExternal Link.

An application fee is payable. For more information about the fees payable, see Residential fees for a foreign person. Your application cannot be reviewed until payment has been made in full. For instructions on how to pay the application fee see How foreign investors make payments or view transactions.

If you are planning to buy one property in a specific state or territory within 12 months, consider if an Exemption certificate suits your needs.

If you plan to buy a new dwelling from a property developer, ask the developer if they already have an exemption certificate for the dwelling. If they do, you

• do not need to apply for approval if the purchase price of the property is under $3 million
• need to apply for approval if the purchase price of the property is over $3 million.

In Online services for foreign investorsExternal Link, you can also:

• check on the status of your application
• view previous applications lodged after 1 January 2021.

How to apply for approval

Before starting an application, the foreign person profile must be complete. To prevent errors, log in to Online services for foreign investorsExternal Link and update any missing details such as your phone number. For more information, see Manage your details in Online services for foreign investors.

There are conditions that you must meet when applying for approval to buy a residential property. For information on these conditions, see Apply to buy residential property as a foreign person.

For information relevant to your situation, see Types of residential applications to choose from.

To lodge your application or vary an existing approval, from Online services for foreign investors select either:

• Lodgments then Residential application, or
• the Lodge or pay residential application quick link.

Then select Add, then Start, and select the type of residential application that applies to your situation.

Ensure you have the information you need to complete the application, as:

• you must complete the application in one session
• the service will time out after 25 minutes of no activity
• you cannot save your progress and complete later.

You can use the Print-friendly version to print or save your completed application as a PDF.

Types of residential applications to choose from

Choose the type of residential application that applies to your circumstances:

• New dwelling
• Established dwelling
• Vacant land
• Exemption certificate
• Variation – simple
• Variation – complex
• Mortgagee interest
• New or near-new dwelling exemption

New dwelling

A new residential dwelling is a dwelling that:

• will be, is being, or has been built on residential land
• has not been previously sold as a dwelling
• has not been previously occupied or was not occupied for more than 12 months if it was sold in a development.

To apply for approval to purchase a new dwelling, you will need to know:

• the relationship between the purchasers in this application – that is, sole purchaser, joint tenant or tenants in common
• the property address
• if a contract has been signed for the purchase of the property, and if so, if it is conditional
• the expected purchase price of the property ($AUD)
• the purchase method (auction, ballot, private offer, tender)
• the date of auction or closing date of tender or ballot, if relevant
• the tenant in common ownership percentage, if relevant

If relevant, you will need to provide these attachments:

• the contract, cover letter, passport, drivers licence, bridging visa.

Established dwelling

From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027, foreign persons are banned from purchasing established dwellings in Australia (limited exceptions apply). This includes temporary residents purchasing an established dwelling for use as a principal place of residence. Temporary residents can still apply for approval to purchase vacant land or new dwellings.

An established dwelling is an existing dwelling on residential land and is not a new dwelling as described above.

To apply for approval to purchase an established dwelling, you will need to indicate what you plan to do with the property, either:

• significantly redevelop the property
• for companies – use the property to house workers from Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste including as part of the Pacific Australia Labour MobilityExternal Link (PALM) scheme.

You will need to know:

• the relationship between the purchasers in this application – that is, sole purchaser, joint tenant or tenants in common
• the property address
• if a contract has been signed for the purchase of the property
• the expected purchase price of the property ($AUD)
• the purchase method (auction, ballot, private offer, tender)
• the date of auction or closing date of tender or ballot, if relevant
• the tenant in common ownership percentage, if relevant.

If relevant, you will need to provide these attachments:

• the contract
• your bridging visa.

If redeveloping the property, you will also need to know:

• how many dwellings currently exist on the property
• how many dwellings will be built on the property.

Vacant land

Land is vacant if there’s no substantive permanent building on it that can be lawfully occupied by persons, goods, or livestock. Land that previously had an established dwelling on it is generally not considered to be vacant land.

To apply for approval to purchase vacant land, you will need to know:

• the property address
• the relationship between the purchasers in this application – that is, sole purchaser, joint tenant or tenants in common
• if a contract has been signed for the purchase of the property, and if so, if it is conditional
• how may dwellings will be built on the property
• the expected purchase price of the property ($AUD)
• the purchase method (auction, ballot, private offer, tender)
• the date of auction or closing date of tender or ballot, if relevant
• the tenant in common ownership percentage, if relevant.

If relevant, you will need to provide these attachments:

• the contract
• your bridging visa.

Exemption certificate

An exemption certificate allows you to purchase one property in a specified state or territory within the next 12 months. It allows you to bid or make offers on multiple properties, provided you only acquire one property. You can only proceed with purchasing one property per exemption certificate.

You would apply for an exemption certificate instead of making a residential application for:

• a new dwelling
• an established dwelling (for significant redevelopment or staff accommodation only), or
• vacant land.

To apply for an exemption certificate, you will need to know:

• the property type – new dwelling, established dwelling (significant redevelopment or staff accommodation only) or vacant land
• the relationship between the purchaser/s in this application – that is, sole purchaser, joint tenant or tenants in common
• the state or territory in which you are looking to purchase a property (one only)
• the expected purchase price of the property ($AUD)
• the tenant in common ownership percentage, if relevant.

In your application, if you answer YES to the question, 'Has a contract of sale been signed?', you must attach the contract and your relevant visa.

In the case of joint tenants, you will need to confirm that all purchasers are aware of their obligations.

Variation – simple

A simple variation is a minor change to a processed application. For example, correcting a spelling error of the name of the purchaser or property being purchased.

To apply to make a simple variation, you will need to:

• know the foreign investment (FIRB) ID from the original application
• know the relationship between the purchasers in this application – that is, sole purchaser, joint tenant or tenants in common
• include details of the non-material error (if a correction)
• attach a cover letter with the reason and full details of your variation request.

Variation – complex

A complex variation is a change that is not considered minor. For example, to change or remove a condition or extend the validity period of the no-objection notification or exemption certificate.

If you need to substantially change the original approval or increase the property limit on an exemption certificate, you will need to submit a new residential application instead of a variation.

To apply to make a complex variation, you will need to:

• know the foreign investment (FIRB) ID from the original application
• know the application fee amount of the original application – this is required to calculate the correct fee
• know the relationship between the purchasers in this application – that is, sole purchaser, joint tenant or tenants in common
• attach a cover letter with the reason and full details of your variation request and any other information that may help us review the variation.

If you are requesting further time for construction, you also need to provide:

• the current status of the construction
• the project timeline
• supporting documents – such as building quotes, or development approval.

If you are in breach of your approval conditions, you need to:

• outline why you have not been able to meet your conditions
• provide supporting evidence.

If you are making a request to sell the property, you need to outline the details of how you intend to sell the property and when.

Mortgagee interest

A mortgagee interest is when a foreign person lends money to another person to purchase a property and the loan is secured by the property, for example included on the title.

The mortgagee (lender) must lodge a residential application if a security interest is held over Australian residential land before they enter the lending arrangement.

To apply for a mortgagee interest, you will need to know:

• the applicant details, and review and update any incomplete details
• the property address
• the property type – that is, new or existing dwelling or vacant land
• the expected mortgage amount ($AUD)
• if a contract has been signed for the mortgage over the property, and if so, if it is conditional.

Include any attachments that may help us to review the application, such as:

• the loan agreement
• a cover letter letting us know if the borrowers or lenders are close relatives
• the contract (if relevant).

New or near-new dwelling exemption

This application type is for property developers only, to apply for a:

• new and near-new dwelling exemption certificate
• near-new dwelling exemption certificate only
• near-new dwelling exemption certificate related to an advanced off-the-plan certificate.

To complete the application, the property developer will need to provide:

• the property address
• details if there is an existing structure on the land
• the proposed development expenditure ($AUD)
• how many dwellings will be included in the development
• the average price per dwelling ($AUD)
• the estimated total sales revenue ($AUD)
• how many dwellings have already been sold
• when construction is intended to start and due to finish
• details if the development has received development approval – if yes
  • date the development was approved
  • name of the granting authority
  • development approval number.

Include any attachments that may help us to review the application, such as:

• copies of any contracts
• development approvals
• architectural plans and artist impressions
• marketing schedules
• a cover letter
• development construction schedules
• a copy of the advanced off-the-plan certificate, if applicable.

For more information, see Exemption certificates for property developers.

How to update contact details

You can have a different contact for your application from your authorised contacts listed in your profile. If we have questions about your application, we will contact the person listed in your application.

You can review and update your preferred contact details by selecting either:

• Entity – the details are prefilled. Business or entities also need to specify an individual
• Another contact – provide a name, email, phone, role (lawyer or solicitor, migration agent, real estate agent, accountant, conveyancer, other), company legal name, country.