What was proposed on 13 October 2026?
The President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo Batlle, told parliament on 13 October 2026 that the Spanish government had received a legislative proposal drawn up by the legal services of the autonomous community. The aim is a possible restriction on the purchase of residential property by non-resident foreigners in the Canary Islands.
The proposal suggests that competent authorities could regulate the purchase, use or rental of residential property by non-resident foreigners with time-limited and area-specific measures.
According to the proposal, the measures should be short-term, proportionate and complementary to the construction of new housing.
What does this mean for European residents?
No concrete restriction for people legally resident in the Canary Islands has been approved. The current proposal is expressly aimed at non-resident foreigners. Anyone registered on the islands and with their main residence here does not fall under the planned measures as things stand.
For European residents who live and work in the Canary Islands, nothing changes for the time being. No rules for short stays or tourist entry have been announced for visitors and tourists either.
Who could be affected in future?
Non-resident foreigners and second-home buyers could be affected in future if Spain passes a corresponding law and sets out its conditions. At present there are no application procedures, concrete quotas, restricted areas, fees, deadlines or purchase bans.
According to Clavijo, foreign buyers purchase around one third of the homes sold in the Canary Islands. A media figure published on 30 September put the share at 30 percent. The sources do not provide a consistent figure or a time series for comparison with the previous year.
What is the current state of the procedure?
The European framework for affordable housing remains in the legislative process. The Canary Islands do not decide on this alone in the EU Council, as Spain's autonomous communities have no direct seat on the Council of the European Union. The island government depends on the support of the central government in Madrid.
The responsible regional ministry has sent official letters to three key ministries: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Territorial Planning. The Spanish government is being urged to adopt the Canary Islands' amendments at European level.
What is still open?
Still open are the exact legislative text, the definition of "non-resident", possible exemptions for EU citizens, affected islands or municipalities, the duration of the measures and parliamentary approval. The Canary Islands government is seeking approval by the Diputación Permanente of the Cortes before the end of the parliamentary term.
No binding commencement date was mentioned. The sources do not cite any new prices, taxes, fees or other euro amounts. No automatic price reduction was promised either.
What should prospective buyers do now?
For European residents and prospective buyers legally resident in the Canary Islands, there is currently no need to act. No ban is in force. Anyone wishing to buy a property as a non-resident should monitor political developments, but does not currently need to submit any new applications.
The Canary Islands government stresses that restrictions on foreigners are not intended to be the only solution. They are intended as a short-term and complementary emergency brake that must run alongside long-term structural policies. The overriding goal remains to increase the supply of affordable housing through new construction and subsidies.