Guides

Can a foreigner buy a rural house in Korea or Japan, and live in it? Rules from official sources, each one cited.

• Korea

  Rural House Checklist for Korea: 8 Records to Check (2026)

  Before you pay a deposit on a Korean country house, pull eight public records: registry, building register, land-use plan, cadastral map, land category, water, sewage and nearby sales. What each one catches, with the statute behind it.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Landlocked Land (맹지) in Korea: Road Access Rules (2026)

  Landlocked land, 맹지, is a Korean plot with no legal road access. When the 2 m road rule applies, when it does not (township areas), what still needs a permit, and the neighbour access right in the Civil Act.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Korea's Rural Empty House Bank: How It Works (2026)

  Korea's rural empty house bank lists consenting owners' vacant homes through local licensed agents on 그린대로 and private platforms. Which 32 counties take part, how many homes sold (45 in a year), and what a listing will not tell you.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Rural Second Home Tax in Korea: Keep One-Home Relief (2026)

  Does a country house cost you Korea's one-home capital gains exemption on your city flat? Two statutory reliefs say no if the house qualifies: Art. 99-4 (rural houses to ₩300m, bought by 2028) and Art. 71-2 (population-decline areas, 2024–2026).

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Nongmak vs Rural Stay Shelter in Korea: 2026 Farmland Rules

  A 농막 (farm shed) is storage you may not live in; a 농촌체류형 쉼터 (rural stay shelter) is a temporary lodging up to 33 m². The 2026 rules for each: size, who may build, road and plot tests, reporting and how long it may stand.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Unregistered Buildings (미등기 건물) in Korea: Buyer Risks (2026)

  A rural house with no registry entry (미등기) or no building register cannot simply be handed over. What Korean law says about registering it first, who may register it, and what an unpermitted structure costs its next owner.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Farmland Acquisition Certificate (농취증) in Korea: 2026 Guide

  Buying a field with a Korean country house needs a farmland acquisition certificate (농지취득자격증명). Who needs one, what the farming plan must contain, the 7/4/14-day timelines, the 1,000 m² tests and the one-year disposal duty, from the Farmland Act.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Buying a House in South Korea as a Foreigner: 2026 Rules

  Foreigners can buy a house in South Korea with no nationality bar. Five official checks decide how: the capital-region permit zone, military and heritage areas, the farmland certificate, a bank filing and the 30-day report.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Korea

  Alien Registration in Korea After Buying a House (2026)

  Owning a rural house in Korea does not let you live in it. Which visas buyers actually hold, the 90-day alien registration and 15-day address rules from the Immigration Act, the F-4 route and the F-2-R regional visa.

  Last updated 2026-10-16

• Japan

  Can Foreigners Buy Property in Japan? 2026 Akiya Bank Rules

  Yes, with no nationality bar. Four official rules still shape an akiya purchase: municipal akiya-bank conditions, prior notice near defence sites, farmland permission and the 2024–2026 registration duties. Cited to MLIT, MAFF, MOJ and the Cabinet Office.

  Last updated 2026-10-16