How to buy property in Burkina Faso from abroad

Last checked 2026-10-03

In Burkina Faso, residential plots usually start with an attestation d'attribution or an urban dwelling permit (permis urbain d'habiter, PUH), which give a right to use the plot. The titre foncier is the document that gives full ownership. Insecurity affects parts of the country; buy only where you or a trusted person can verify the land.

The steps

  1. Ask for the seller's title: a titre foncier, or an attestation d'attribution or PUH.
  2. Check it with the land administration; a sale of a residential plot can be legalised where the seller holds a PUH or attestation.
  3. Have a surveyor confirm the plot.
  4. Sign and register the sale, and consider converting your right into a titre foncier for full ownership.

Selling or letting from abroad

Many people abroad own property in Burkina Faso: a house they built, family land, or a home they inherited. You can usually sell it or let it out without travelling, but owners who live abroad are also a common target for fraud. These are the general steps. The rules, taxes and forms in Burkina Faso are for a lawyer there to confirm.

Selling from abroad

  1. Confirm the property is registered in your name. If it belonged to a relative who has died, the estate usually has to be settled and the title transferred to the heirs before anyone can sell it.
  2. Hire your own lawyer in Burkina Faso, not one introduced by the buyer or an agent.
  3. Get a current official search of the title, so you know what the buyer's lawyer will see.
  4. If someone will sign for you, give them a power of attorney limited to this one property and this one sale, with an end date. Ask your lawyer how it must be signed and authenticated (before a notary, by apostille or through the embassy) and whether it must be registered.
  5. Ask your lawyer which taxes and fees fall on the seller, such as tax on the gain and transfer or stamp duties, and whether any tax clearance is needed before the transfer.
  6. Have the buyer pay into your lawyer's client account or your own bank account, never to a relative or agent personally.
  7. Ask your bank and lawyer how to move the money abroad, and keep the paperwork that shows where it came from.

Letting it out from abroad

  • Use a written tenancy agreement and keep a copy yourself.
  • Choose a manager or agent you can check up on, and agree in writing what they collect, what they charge and when they pay you.
  • Ask about tax on rent. Many countries tax rent earned there even when the owner lives abroad, and some make tenants withhold tax from rent paid to owners abroad.
  • Have someone you trust visit regularly, and check the title register now and then. Forged sales of absent owners' property are common.

Warning signs for owners abroad

  • An agent or relative asking for a general power of attorney over everything you own.
  • A buyer who wants to pay in cash, or to pay someone other than you or your lawyer.
  • Pressure to sign before your own lawyer has seen the documents.
  • Someone else listing or showing your property without your knowledge.

Own a home in Burkina Faso? List it for sale or rent yourself, free.

Common questions

What is an attestation d'attribution?

An administrative document allocating a residential plot. It is the first document that lets you use the plot, but it is not full ownership.

What gives full ownership of land in Burkina Faso?

The titre foncier, which definitively transfers the land to the holder.

Can I buy land in Burkina Faso from abroad?

Yes, through a representative with a power of attorney. Check the title with the land administration, and avoid areas you cannot verify safely.

Can I sell my property in Burkina Faso while living abroad?

Usually, yes. Most sales from abroad go through a local lawyer and a representative holding a power of attorney limited to the one sale. Ask a lawyer in Burkina Faso how that power of attorney must be signed and registered.

Do I pay tax when I sell property in Burkina Faso?

Often. Many countries tax the gain on a property sale and charge transfer or stamp duties, including for owners who live abroad. Ask a lawyer or tax adviser in Burkina Faso what applies before you agree a price.

Can I list my own property on ResidentFinder?

Yes. Owners can list a home for sale or for rent themselves, without an agent, and listing is free. Buyers and renters contact you directly through ResidentFinder.

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Sources

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and is not definitive. Laws, fees and procedures change; confirm every step with a licensed lawyer in the country before you pay anything.