Foreign buyers · State comparisonForeign ownership of real estate laws by state: who can't buy, what land is covered and what happens at closing

State foreign ownership laws differ in two ways – who is covered and what land. Florida, Texas and Utah reach residential property: Florida bars buyers tied to seven countries of concern from farmland and from land within 10 miles of military installations or critical infrastructure, bars China-linked buyers statewide with a one-home, 2-acre visa exception, and requires the buyer's affidavit at the time of purchase (Fla. Stat. §§692.201–692.205); Texas, since September 1, 2025, bars governments, companies and certain individuals tied to designated countries from acquiring Texas real property, with a homestead exception for individuals lawfully present and residing in the U.S. (Tex. Prop. Code ch. 5, subch. H); Utah bars restricted foreign entities – entities tied to China, Iran, North Korea or Russia and companies they own at least 25% of – from acquiring any interest in land, and requires an individual buyer to disclose to the county recorder any service in such a country's military (Utah Code §§63L-13-201, 63L-13-204). Montana bars foreign adversaries from buying, leasing or renting farmland, critical infrastructure or property with a direct line of sight to a military installation (MCA 35-30-103). Virginia, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas address agricultural land: Virginia bars foreign adversaries from any interest in land used or zoned for farming and treats a violating purchase as void, with title vesting in the Commonwealth (Va. Code §55.1-508); Missouri caps aggregate foreign ownership of farmland over five acres at 1% and sends a sale for review only when the buyer hasn't signed an IRS Form W-9 (RSMo 442.566–442.592); Iowa bars nonresident aliens, foreign businesses and foreign governments from acquiring farmland while allowing other real property, with registration within 60 days (Iowa Code ch. 9I); Minnesota allows only U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens, and entities at least 80% held by them, to acquire farmland (Minn. Stat. §500.221); North Dakota bars individuals who aren't U.S. or Canadian citizens or U.S. permanent residents and entities not ultimately owned by them from acquiring farmland, and foreign governments after June 30, 2023 (N.D. Cent. Code ch. 47-10.1); South Dakota bars prohibited entities from six countries from owning farmland and caps other foreign owners at 160 acres (SDCL ch. 43-2A). Every one of these laws has exceptions – for inheritance, debt collection, research or nonfarm use – so the specific facts decide.