Buying from abroad
Your money, only where it should be.
Every payment in a purchase from abroad should go to a regulated account you have confirmed by phone. Here is how that works in each market.
The short answer
How do I pay for a property abroad safely?
Pay only into the regulated channel for the purchase: the project escrow account for off-plan homes, which releases money against construction, or the account named by the notary, lawyer or land registry for completed homes. Confirm every account by phone, never by email alone.
Checked 22 October 2026
Off-plan
Escrow, market by market.
Saudi Arabia: Wafi-licensed projects with a bank escrow account. Oman: a project escrow account at a licensed bank under the Real Estate Regulation Law, Royal Decree 79/2025. Dubai: DLD-approved escrow under Law No. 8 of 2007. Qatar: project escrow under Law No. 6 of 2014. Montenegro has no statutory scheme: deposits are held in a notary or lawyer escrow by contract.
Under the statutory schemes your money is released to the developer as the building progresses. Where protection is by contract, the contract terms are what protect you, so read them with your lawyer.
Every payment
Checks we hold to.
Payment fraud targets buyers overseas. These rules stop it.
- Never pay a personal account, ours included.
- Confirm every account number by phone with a number you already hold.
- Treat any emailed change of bank details as fraud until confirmed.
- Keep receipts and the escrow statement for each instalment.
- Fix the exchange rate with a specialist provider for large transfers.
Questions
What buyers ask us.
Should I pay a deposit to an agent?
No. Reservation deposits go to the developer’s escrow account or the account the lawyer names, never to an agent.
Can I pay in my own currency?
Payments are made in the local currency. A specialist currency provider can fix the rate for each instalment, which matters on a plan that runs over several years.
Questions about paying from abroad?
We walk you through the accounts and checks for your purchase.
This guide is for orientation only, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change; confirm the position for your purchase with an independent lawyer before you act.