Guide for buyers living in China
Buying property abroad from China
Rules last checked 30 October 2026 · 9 official sources · Education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice.
What a buyer living in China meets before and after buying a home abroad: sending the money out, tax at home on the rent and the sale, and the forms to file.
The three things to know
- Sending money abroad
China gives each resident individual a USD 50,000 yearly quota for buying foreign exchange, and the foreign exchange administration states that foreign exchange bought under this rule cannot be used to buy a home abroad.
- Tax at home
China taxes a resident on worldwide income: foreign rent is taxed at 20 percent after a 20 percent deduction, a gain on a foreign home at 20 percent of the gain, and foreign tax paid is credited up to the Chinese tax on that income.
- Reporting at home
A resident reports foreign rent and sale gains on a separate return filed from 1 March to 30 June of the following year, with the foreign tax certificate for any credit claimed.
Sending money abroad
A limit
- Rule
Each resident individual has an annual facilitation quota of USD 50,000 for buying foreign exchange, counted over the calendar year from 1 January to 31 December, and unused quota does not carry over.
- Limit
50,000 USD per calendar year
A report
- Rule
The USD 50,000 figure is a quota for simplified handling, not a cap on purchases: for purposes that are genuine, lawful and on the open current account or open capital account lists, a resident may buy more with documents showing the purpose.
A restriction
- Rule
The individual foreign exchange purchase application lists a rule that foreign exchange bought must not be used for buying a home abroad, for securities investment, or for life or investment linked insurance, because these are capital account items not yet opened.
An approval
- Rule
An individual's direct investment abroad is handled under State rules: the foreign exchange needed is bought or remitted only after approval by the local branch of the foreign exchange administration, followed by an overseas investment foreign exchange registration.
A report
- Rule
An individual found to split purchases, lend or borrow quota, or give false documents can be placed on the administration's attention list, and then has no facilitation quota for that year and the following two years.
For buying a home abroad
- Rule
The administration's purchase application states that foreign exchange bought by a resident individual must not be used to buy a home abroad.
Tax at home
A person with a domicile in China, or with no domicile who spends 183 days or more in China in a tax year, is a resident individual taxed on income from China and abroad.
Rent from a home abroad
- Rule
Rent from property let to a tenant who uses it outside China counts as foreign source income of a Chinese tax resident, is taxed at a flat 20 percent after a 20 percent deduction from each receipt above RMB 4,000, and is calculated separately from domestic income.
Gain on selling a home abroad
- Rule
A gain on transferring immovable property located outside China is foreign source income of a Chinese tax resident, taxed at a flat 20 percent on the sale price less the original cost and reasonable expenses.
Relief for tax paid abroad
- Rule
Foreign income tax paid on foreign source income is credited against Chinese tax on that income, per country, up to the Chinese tax computed on it, with excess credit carried forward for five tax years; China has signed 111 tax agreements, 108 of them in force at the end of July 2025.
Reporting at home
Annual individual income tax return for foreign source income
- Who
A resident individual who received income from outside China, including rent and sale gains on foreign property
- Threshold
None stated
- Deadline
1 March to 30 June of the year after the income is received; the foreign tax paid is claimed on the same filing with the foreign tax certificate
- Covers a foreign home
Yes
Automatic exchange of financial account information
- Who
Financial institutions in China report non resident account holders; this is not a filing by the individual
- Threshold
Not applicable
- Deadline
First exchange of information with other tax authorities in September 2018
- Covers a foreign home
only through accounts or entities
Where to look
Choose a country to see what its rules say for a buyer with a China passport living in China.
Check a country for a passport
Australia
Depends on the propertyPassport: China. Buyer lives outside Australia. Reading for a home.
Different property types carry different readings. The country guide lists each one.
Australia requires a foreign person to obtain foreign investment approval before buying residential land, and from 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029 buying an established dwelling is generally banned, while vacant land and new dwellings stay open with approval. Australian citizens, permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens are not caught.
Rules last checked 29 October 2026
Questions people ask
What if a resident of China wants to pay for a home abroad from savings in yuan?
The foreign exchange administration states that foreign exchange bought by an individual cannot be used to buy a home abroad. It lists this among capital account items not yet opened. The USD 50,000 yearly quota covers current account uses and open capital account uses.
How does the USD 50,000 quota work?
Each resident individual may buy up to USD 50,000 of foreign exchange a calendar year with an identity card alone. The quota resets each 1 January. Larger purchases for genuine, lawful and open purposes are possible with documents showing the purpose.
What if a person is placed on the attention list?
The administration states that a person who lends or borrows quota, splits purchases or gives false documents can be listed. A listed person has no facilitation quota for that year and the next two years, and must show documents for each purchase.
How does China tax rent from a home abroad?
Rent is foreign source income of a tax resident. The law allows a 20 percent deduction from each receipt above RMB 4,000, and the rate is a flat 20 percent. The income is calculated apart from domestic income.
What if the home abroad is sold at a gain?
A gain on immovable property outside China is foreign source income of a resident. The taxable amount is the price less the original cost and reasonable expenses, at a flat 20 percent.
How does the foreign tax credit work?
Foreign income tax paid on the same income is credited per country, up to the Chinese tax computed on that income. Any excess can be carried forward for five tax years. The foreign tax certificate is needed to claim it.
When is the return for foreign income due?
Foreign source income is declared and the tax paid from 1 March to 30 June of the year after the income is received.
What if someone spends part of the year abroad?
A person with no domicile in China becomes a resident only by spending 183 days or more in China in the tax year. A person with a domicile in China is a resident under the Individual Income Tax Law.
What is still open
These points could not be confirmed from an official source yet, so they are not stated as rules.
- Whether any lawful route exists for a mainland resident individual to remit funds for a home abroad could not be confirmed from an official source.
- A wealth or property tax on a home abroad could not be confirmed from an official source either way.
- The rule that the tax on foreign rent may not be reduced by loan interest could not be confirmed from an official source.
- Whether the main home sale exemption reaches a home abroad could not be confirmed from an official source.
- Whether a resident individual must report a foreign home itself, apart from its income, could not be confirmed from an official source.
- The six year rule that decides when a long stay abroad ends residency treatment of foreign income was not read in this pass.
Sources
Official pages these figures come from (9)
See what this does to your own numbers
Add a property abroad next to everything else you own, and see the income and net worth that follow after tax, year by year.
Free to start. No card. Rules checked 30 October 2026.
This is education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules change and depend on the buyer's own facts. Advice from a licensed professional in the country concerned is what settles a particular purchase.