外国人投资澳大利亚房产 - Investing Australia property as a foreign non-resident
有关使用外国收入购买澳大利亚房产的法律最近有所改变，以下是外国人及非澳大利亚居民欲投资澳大利亚房产需要做的準備
近年来，澳大利亚住宅房地产市场一直是外国投资者，特别是中国买家的热门目的地。澳大利亚的经济稳定，再加上相对不受投机波动影响的房地产市场，使这些海外投资者的土地成为一个安全的选择。
然而，2015年生效的立法变更收紧了澳大利亚外国投资的规则，现在利用外国收入购买澳大利亚房产比以往复杂。让我们来看看如何作为非居民投资澳大利亚房产。
外商投资监管变化
与其他一些对外国买家几乎没有限制的国家不同，澳大利亚一直对海外房地产投资者采取监管方式。 2015年12月，随着人们越来越关注中国买家推动价值上涨并将首次购房者定价退出房地产市场，澳大利亚政府出台了新法律，使海外投资者更难以购买澳大利亚房产。
根据新的法律，非居民购买者只能购买新的房产，而不是已建成的房产。在未事先征得外国投资审查委员会（FIRB）批准的情况下在澳大利亚购买房产的非居民也将面临高达135,000元的罚款，三年监禁或两者兼罚。违反这些规定的公司可被罚款高达675,000元，而帮助外国买家违反这些规定的买方代理商和房地产经纪人也将面临严厉的处罚。
除了这些严格的条件外，想要购买澳大利亚投资房产的外国人必须支付申请费。对于价值低于100万元的房产，这笔费用为5,000元，对于超过100万元的房产，这笔费用为10,000元。然后，每增加一百万美元的房产价值，就会增加10,000元。支付此费用并不能保证买家能够购买他们想要的房产。
住房贷款限制
这些立法变化紧随其后，主要银行的外国投资者贷款政策发生了变化。澳新银行和西太平洋银行完全停止向非居民提供住房贷款，而澳大利亚国民银行将其最高贷款评估比率（LVR）降至60％ - 这意味着海外买家需要至少40％的存款才能获得抵押融资。联邦银行还宣布，它将不再接受那些在澳大利亚没有收入的临时居民的住房贷款申请。
与此同时，其他监管变化也产生了影响。例如，维多利亚州政府宣布从2016年7月1日起增加对外国投资者的印花税，中国当局对其公民可以从中国取得的现金数量设定上限。虽然早期的媒体报道表明这些条件导致外国房地产投资放缓，但这些变化的全部影响只会在未来几个月内公布。
外国买家如何投资澳大利亚房产？
虽然不允许外国投资者购买现有住房，但他们可以购买新房产，非计划公寓和空置土地。如果您是非居民外国人并且想要在澳大利亚购买任何住宅物业，您首先需要获得FIRB的批准。您可以在线申请批准，虽然您可以购买的新住宅数量没有限制，但通常需要在每次购买前申请批准。
根据FIRB的说法，新住宅必须建在住宅用地上，以前不得作为住宅出售，并且必须：
以前没有被占用过
如果住宅是开发项目的一部分并且由该开发项目的开发商出售，那么之前的开发时间不超过12个月。
如果您想购买空地用于开发，必须在批准后的四年内完成开发。只要重建增加了澳大利亚的住房，就可以选择购买已建成的住宅进行重建。
您还需要按照下表支付申请费：
最后，还值得记住，投资澳大利亚房产会产生税收影响。您从投资中获得的任何租金收入都需要在澳大利亚纳税申报单上申报，而您在出售房产时需要支付任何利润的资本收益税。
FIRB申请流程
在您申请购买投资房产的批准之前，建议您获得专业的法律建议，以确保您理解并遵守所有必要的法律要求。然后，您可以按照以下步骤申请外国投资批准：
访问FIRB网站并点击“立即申请”
点击澳大利亚税务局外国投资申请表的链接
填写申请表，并附上您的联系方式，护照，签证文件和以前的FIRB申请参考编号
提供您要购买的房产的地址和标题详细信息
阅读并签署声明
提交申请并支付相关费用
您的申请通常会在30天内作出决定，并会在10天内通知您
您必须先获得FIRB的批准才能向澳大利亚银行申请房屋贷款。
如果我是居住在国外的澳大利亚居民怎么办？
如果您是临时居住在海外的澳大利亚居民，并且您想在澳大利亚购买投资房产，那么好消息是严格的外国投资法律不会影响您。您可以在各种情况下免于获得FIRB批准，包括：
是澳大利亚人还是新西兰人
持有澳大利亚永久居民签证
让配偶符合上述任何一类，并以两个名义购买该物业作为共同租户
但是，您需要检查银行施加的贷款限制是否会影响您获得房屋贷款的能力。这取决于您的居住身份以及您申请贷款的贷方。
例如，最近NAB贷款政策的变化意味着它只会向非公民和永久居民提供高达房产购买价格60％的贷款。当NAB评估您保持偿还贷款的能力时，外国收入也会减少40％。这可能会使您在澳大利亚投资房产变得困难或在经济上不可行，因此在您购买之前要熟悉所有规则和规定。
利用外国收入投资澳大利亚房产是一个复杂而混乱的话题。因此，建议您寻求法律和税务建议，以确保您满足所有监管要求。
The laws around buying Australian property using a foreign income have recently changed, so here’s what non-residents need to do to invest in Australian property.
In recent years, the Australian residential property market has been a popular destination for foreign investors, particularly Chinese buyers. Australia’s economic stability, combined with a property market relatively unaffected by the volatility of speculation, has made the land down under a safe choice for these overseas investors.
However, legislation changes that took effect in 2015 have tightened the rules surrounding foreign investment in Australia, and it’s now more complex than ever to use foreign income to purchase Australian property. Let’s take a look at how you can invest in Australian property as a non-resident.
Foreign investment regulation changes
Unlike some other countries that place few or no restrictions on foreign buyers, Australia has always taken a regulatory approach to overseas property investors. In December 2015, following growing concern that Chinese buyers were driving values up and pricing first home buyers out of the property market, the Australian Government introduced new laws to make it tougher for overseas investors to purchase Australian property.
Under the new laws, non-resident buyers can only purchase new properties, not established ones. Non-residents who purchase property in Australia without first seeking approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) also face fines of up to $135,000, three years’ imprisonment or both. Companies breaching these rules can be fined up to $675,000, while buyers’ agents and real estate agents who help foreign buyers violate these rules also face stiff penalties.
In addition to these strict conditions, foreigners who want to buy an Australian investment property must pay an application fee. This fee is $5,000 for properties valued under $1 million, and $10,000 for properties over $1 million. It then increases by $10,000 for each additional million dollars in property value. Paying this fee does not guarantee that a buyer will be able to purchase the property they want.
Home loan restrictions
These legislation changes were closely followed by changes to the foreign investor lending policies of major banks. ANZ and Westpac stopped offering home loans to non-residents altogether, while NAB dropped its maximum loan to valuation ratio (LVR) to 60% – meaning overseas buyers need a deposit of at least 40% in order to get mortgage financing. Commonwealth Bank also announced that it would no longer accept home loan applications from temporary residents who don’t earn an income in Australia.
At the same time, other regulatory changes have also had an effect. For example, the Victorian government announced an increase in stamp duty charges for foreign investors from 1 July 2016, and Chinese authorities have put a cap on the amount of cash their citizens can take out of China. While early media reports have suggested these conditions have led to a slowdown in foreign property investment, the full effects of the changes will only be known in coming months.
How can foreign buyers invest in Australian property?
Although foreign investors are not allowed to buy existing homes, they can buy new properties, off-the-plan apartments and vacant land. If you’re a non-resident foreigner and you want to buy any residential property in Australia, you will first need to obtain approval from FIRB. You can apply for approval online and, while there is no limit to the number of new dwellings you can purchase, you will usually need to apply for approval before each purchase.
According to FIRB, a new dwelling must be built on residential land, must not have been previously sold as a dwelling, and must either:
Not have been previously occupied
If the dwelling is part of a development and was sold by the developer of that development, not have been previously occupied for more than 12 months.
If you want to buy vacant land for development, the development must be completed within four years of approval. There is also the option of purchasing an established dwelling for redevelopment as long as the redevelopment increases Australia’s housing stock.
You will also need to pay an application fee as per the table below:
Finally, it’s also worth remembering that there are tax implications for investing in Australian property. Any rental income you receive from your investment will need to be declared on an Australian tax return, while you’ll need to pay Capital Gains Tax on any profit you make when selling the property.
The FIRB application process
Before you apply for approval to purchase an investment property, it’s recommended that you obtain expert legal advice to make sure you understand and comply with all the necessary legal requirements. Then, you can follow the steps below to apply for foreign investment approval:
Visit the FIRB website and click on "Apply Now"
Follow the link to the Australian Taxation Office’s foreign investment application form
Fill out the application form with your contact details, passport, visa documents and any previous FIRB application reference numbers
Provide the address and title details of the property you wish to purchase
Read and sign the declaration
Submit the application and pay the relevant fee
A decision on your application is usually made within 30 days and you will be informed of that decision within 10 days
You must obtain approval from the FIRB before you can apply for a home loan with an Australian lender.
What if I’m an Australian resident living abroad?
If you’re an Australian resident temporarily living overseas and you want to buy an investment property in Australia, the good news is that the strict foreign investment laws don’t affect you. You are exempt from needing FIRB approval in a range of circumstances, including if you:
Are an Australian or New Zealand citizen
Hold an Australian permanent resident visa
Have a spouse who fits into either of the above categories and the property is being purchased in both names as joint tenants
However, you’ll need to check whether lending restrictions imposed by the banks will have an impact on your ability to qualify for a home loan. This will depend on your residency status and the lender with which you apply for a loan.
For example, recent changes to NAB’s lending policy mean that it will only lend non-citizens and permanent residents up to 60% of the purchase price of a property. Foreign income is also discounted by 40% when NAB assesses your ability to keep up with loan repayments. This may make it difficult or not financially viable for you to invest in property in Australia, so familiarise yourself with all the rules and regulations before you look to buy.
Using foreign income to invest in Australian property is a complex and confusing topic. So it’s recommended that you seek legal and taxation advice to make sure you satisfy all regulatory requirements.
